Joining the club soon!
 

Last summer I was saving up for an frs or brz, hadn't decided yet, when someone rear ended me and totaled my car. I had to use all my savings to buy another car, and it was a rollercoaster of a time over the past 8 months, but I'm back on track to hopefully buy at the end of the summer!
Personally I think the story of what happened is kinda funny so I thought I'd share:
Driving to move in to my new apartment when I was rear ended. I drove an automatic Celica GT. I had just put a remanufactured engine in 6 months prior and it wasn't damaged in the accident, so I bought the car back from my insurance and took the little under $2,500 they gave me for the car. I found a very cheap manual Celica GTS with around 75k miles on it that looked like it had gone through hell and back, but I had an abundance of spare parts from my car that I was able to translate into it to turn the worst interior you've ever seen into the same as what I had before. The question then was what to do with the engine i had since I bought a GTS instead of GT. I decided to buy a GT with a blown engine for a little under a thousand and put the engine in and turn it around. Over the past 4-5 months I did just that, hung around scrap yards trying to fix any and every piece that wasn't up to par, and I'm now selling it. I've been able to save $4,000 since the accident, am counting at the very least $3,000 for the car I'm selling, and know for a fact I can sell my GTS for $3,000 or more, which would put me at a $10,000 down payment.
Its super exciting to have everything pan out again after the accident, and I can't wait to be back in it again! I don't know exactly what I'll even be buying yet, but it'll be fun getting to figure that out over the next couple of months!

Back in 2012 i was going to get a 2013 BRZ, unfortunately my credit was super new and i could not found a lender to cover the auto loan. I had to settle for a 01 Celica GT. About three years later, my credit was rock solid and i was able to get a brand new BRZ series blue on January 2015. I never gave my hopes up that one day i will get into a BRZ, and it is real now.

Great to hear that you're considering the 86 platform for your next car! I was in your same boat.. I had a 02 wrx and when the engine blew I sold it for a downpayment on a newer car (that wouldn't blow, car before the wrx was a 94 300zx and the trans blew on that) So, I went looking at many different cars; drove a 2015 wrx, 2012 370z, 2008 evo X, 2004 evo 8(nice car, but they wanted 30k for it..) but when I sat in a FR-S I instantly fell in love and ended up picking up a slightly used one for 19k! I thought I was getting a steal because it had only 19k miles.

Good on ya, CelicaJoe ......... :cheers:

OK, now just pick a pretty one ........ :thumbsup:


humfrz

Celica Joe, I admire your tenacity! That is a great story. I also sold my 2001 Celica GTS to purchase my 2014 Hot Lava FRS. Best decision I ever made!

I remember your story! Has it already been that long?

Time sure does fly by...

Good to see you still at it man. I remember this from a while back. Hope your next thread is you picking up your new ride :thumbsup:

Finally! Can't wait to have you join!

If I may, but a 2014+ so the chance of it having issues diminishes or even better, a BRZ! The extras should def be worth it!

Brz limited looks like my first choice currently! I'll have to see what changes they make and then make my decision then, but if I'm gonna buy new I might as well wait and save up the last few thousand to get the options I'd want down the line anyway. Touched you guys remember me!

I can't remember what I had for dinner last night but I recall your tale like it was this morning. I think I have some sort of illness!

How different does it actually drive? I test drove an automatic last summer, and had never even driven manual at the time. I want to get out and test drive a 6 speed soon, but I know I'll meet some difficulties due to my age again and don't feel like going through the trouble until I'm really ready to buy.

Hang in there @Tcoat ....... they will have meds for that ...... if you will be able to remember to take them ........ :sigh:


humfrz

Hey Joe, I can tell you as a prospective buyer who's test driven about 4 in the last 2 weeks. All were manual. Firstly, my biggest concern was if I would fit. I am 5'10 but a heavy guy and the seats fit me perfectly. quite a lot of headroom. As for driving the manual, there are a few different threads that talk about this but the clutch has some sort of spring that allows the clutch pedal to be pushed in with relative ease as opposed to most other manual cars. It was uncomfortable at first and to say the least I questioned I could actually drive manual this way. All my shifts were awkward from pressing this unique clutch. Now the spring can be removed (See various threads). Other than that though, it was a joy to ride. I must say as an aside however that I cannot understand that constant barrage of more power critiques. Obviously I don't own the car on a daily basis so I can only comment from my numerous test drives but I don't feel any dramatic lack of power or torque. Whenever I have needed to get up and go I downshift and wring that FA out like it was supposed to be. Sure the torque or horsepower isn't a mustang, or q50, etc. but I don't see why you need that much power? When is it going to be used? And even if you get to use it, they aren't even comparable cars. I have driven the new mustangs, they feel like your driving a tank because of the weight of that car. I had a q50 recently as a rental. really nice luxury car with quite a bit of power, it still felt numb in taking corners. Nothing has compared to how grounded I feel when driving an 86.

Yeah I think I'm just going to have to drive a variety of cars to understand everyone's comparisons. My only concern is anyone I've talked to that owned a GTS and ended up pulling the trigger on an 86 says the difference is huge, which I believe, but I'm curious as to why they're so similar on paper but feel so different.

That is the danger of paper evaluations. The any car is greater (or lesser I suppose) then the paper stats. Number do not mean a lot when looking at the whole car and how all the parts interact. Numbers are theory and cars are application and the two do not always accurately reflect each other.

Take a look at the BRZ forum right now, a refreshed look for the BRZ has surfaced. You'll be able to choose between 4 styles if you want to wait.

I missed the sun roof at first, but got used to it. The back seat is way smaller. On the 86 when you step on the gas, it takes a second but will GO! It feels like an updated GTS to me, but a little smaller, which doesn't bother me because I'm only 5'2". The thing that does bother me about the 86 is the seat belt. It cannot be adjusted and I had to buy a seatbelt adjuster clip or it would decapitate me! I love both cars. I sold my GTS to a co-worker and she still drives it. It has 115K on it now and is still going.

I'm saving to buy a red hot FRS this year !