Going from a Wrx to a Brz
 

What's up guys my 04 wrx is getting on my last nerves, I'm sick of dumping money into this car, so I'm looking forward to purchasing a brz in the near future.

I'm wondering what should I look out for when buying a brz?

What year to avoid? What to expect in terms of handling performance? What to look out for if I buy a used one?

Difference between premium and limited?

Thanks in advance guys.

Welcome to the gang, there, BlackNBlue .......:clap:

Buying a used BRZ ..... ?? Oh, I wouldn't get one that had been power modified, or tracked extensively.

Any year is OK. Just pick one with the lowest mileage and the least cost and the transmission you prefer and the color you think is perty.

See ....... how easy that was......:D


humfrz

Find a colour you like they are all about the same.
They do not handle like a WRX test drive one you may not like the difference.
When buying used look for signs it has ben beat on. Get any and all service records.
The difference between the versions are some gizmos and doodads otherwise identical.
Read the massive amount of info on here.




P.S. If you buy one do not show up complaining about how slow it is. You should know going into the sale that it is NOT a WRX competitor.

Thanks man, I really appreciate the answer.

Yea I don't mind slow. I've heard great things about the handling and looks and I always wanted one ever since they came out. Thanks man

2015's and up came with a newer head unit, carbon fiber dash trim, and a shark fin antenna.

2016's came with all the stuff from the 15's but with a backup camera.

Other than that, the BRZ didn't receive that many changes from 13-16.

Also, Limited comes w/ rear spoiler, fog lights, push to start, alcantera seats, heated seats, and dual climate control.

Premium gets none of that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Hard to beat the handling or looks for the price (especially used). Not exactly "slow" but more "slower than some". As long as you understand it is no WRX then you should be happy.

Did they ever get the knee pads on console and doors that the FRS got in 14? Keep meaning to look but always forget.

Mine is a 14 and does not have pads on either side.

However my buddies series.blue came w/ blue stitching but no leather padding on the sides. Really weird if you ask me.

It's plenty fast enough as long as you're not a douche whose favorite Saturday night pastime is to race Mustangs red light to red light.

I once owned a 2004 2.5RS so I got the Impreza with the WRX's suspension(Canadian spec had this not sure about US) but none of the power. So as far as handling is concerned...a FRS/BRZ completely blows away this car, unquestionably so. Where your WRX would see understeer this car will still keep going and it rolls less too. Steering feel is better in the FRS/BRZ, the only difference is the wheel weight is much lighter compared to a 2004 Impreza. As a performance upgrade from that car, yeah I don't think a FRS/BRZ will disappoint. Shifter is nicer(slightly shorter throws), and the clutch is way way more forgiving in a BRZ. Mid range power, is the weak point of the FRS/BRZ and here I think the WRX does better, and I suspect it will feel faster too. Everything else though...I guess its not too fair because the BRZ is more purpose built than the WRX which is a compromise, a very good one but its sports sedan vs sports car, the sports car will almost always be the better performer in a performance or fun setting.

I went from a 15 WRX (relatively heavily modified) to a 14 BRZ Limited.

Honestly I couldn't be happier. I enjoyed my old car for what it was, but the BRZ is just way more fun to drive for me. It's quite a bit slower, but I really don't notice it that much anymore.

I'm just enjoying the BRZ more all around (which seemed odd at first).

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

What makes you think this car isn't a money pit also?

They are all the same more or less, just features that don't really affect performance. Slight difference in tune (un-noticeable imo but that doesn't matter because you will just flash a tune anyways. No real issues with any models that aren't universal imo.

can you enlighten us?

The notion that buying another car will avoid putting money into modifications is an illusion unless you buy a corolla.

Judging by the stock to modified ratio of 86/brz, I'd say OP will continue to throw money at the car even if it is missing a turbo.

thought you were alluding to throwing money into repairs

There are lots of FRS and BRZ owners in my area that have left their cars stock.

And I think the OP is referring to putting lots of money towards repairs.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I think your view of the stock to modified ratio is skewed by this forum and possibly the local group you may hang with. If we consider "modded" to mean something substantial and not just some coilovers, plastidipped dashes, different wheels or a shift knob change I am pretty sure you will find that most of the cars are far closer to stock. "Mod" is a pretty broad term and the majority of owners are not throwing huge dollars into the car.

Agree with Tcoat, most of the other frs /brz I see around here appear very stock.

Heck, when my car is shut off and parked the only obvious difference from stock is the plasti dipped body...

And it's been almost 6 years since I traded in my 2007 WRX, I miss the notion of what that car was more than anything else. These cars are so much more engaging for the driver.

i would just get a brand new brz/frs if you can find one in your liking. Yes, these cars lose value fast but if you plan on keeping it in the long run, at least you know whats been done to it. For all you know, the used brz you bought could of been boosted but returned back to stock. Just saying... i have nothing against a used car. I just prefer to knowing that my car im getting hasn't been beat on.

I mean in all seriousness. I am super duper surprised on how reliable my FR-S is, fucking amazing on gas and how crazy insanely cheap things are for this car. The aftermarket is huge and they are so cheap. I came from 6 AE86's > X8 Cressida > 2 SC300's > Toyota Starlet > 2 IS300's > 2013 FR-S and like yeah. The amount of money I spent on all of those cars are nothing compared to what i've spent and will spend on the FR-S. It is drift/fun ready from the get go! Get a 86 already and don't look back at the WRX lol!

I agree there are a lot of stock cars out there. My car is probably one of them. Completely stock looking and sounding, but has about $8k of mods inside: coils, tyres, intake headers, tune oil cooler and brakes - it all adds up and not much of it is really visible at first glance.

But seriously, what are the chances of an enthusiast buying an 86 and keeping it stock after they came from a modded wrx? Pretty slim.

If OP likes the car, buy it. If they want to do it because they don't want to sink money into the car, then I'm guessing it's a false economy. If it's maintenance then fair enough. this car will be heaps cheaper to run.

I have a modded WRX and going back and forth between driving it and the BRZ is quite a difference in power but I don't really mind it at all. It's a more engaging experience to drive in comparison. I have a lot of mods but plan to leave the engine mostly stock. My WRX has too many mods that make me drive it gingerly around and it's way more fun to hoon around with a mostly stock engine.

Yea, what I mean by throwing money at the car, is paying for constant repairs. My wrx isn't heavily modded at all, just a car back exhaust, some wheels and an STi hoodscoop.

I would most likely do the same to the BRZ I want to get.

Seemed pretty obvious to me he was talking about money for repairs to a 13 year old vehicle.


Also if his '04 WRX is stock then the BRZ is barely any slower, if at all. WRXs of that vintage only had 227 hp IIRC. The bump to 265 hp didn't happen until 2011 I think?

Correct, 227/217 for 02-05 WRX. Extremely disappointing after I drove one.

09 WRX got 265.

Check the camplate by the tranny for leaking oil. And listen for a bad throwout bearing. Besides those two things, any low mileage, not abused, mostly or completely stock twin will do.

"Chasing speed with patience"

Thanks for all the answers guys, I feel more confident in buying one now!

The big thing I read about on here a lot is the throw out bearing and clutch fork. I don't know if it's possible to get them checked out and inspected at a garage, but that should be in your pre-purchase inspection.

If it's been lowered on springs, check those shocks and struts out very carefully.

If the car's exhaust looks a lot newer than the rest of the car, chances are it had an aftermarket exhaust- if it's header back, you really have to check for leaks in the header in case the former owner tried to re-use gaskets.

The AC is pretty marginal in the really hot weather, but it works great in the cold! Have the AC system checked- don't rely on the "hey it's cold it must work" test in cooler spring temps.

I shop for a car using the Torque app, an OBD2 port reader and my smart phone- you can check for things such as miles elapsed since last time the codes were cleared. Some CEL's don't pop up for a hundred miles or more (depends on how the car was driven and drive cycles).

Hey Tcoat... just noticed, you misspelled colOr. :) :lol::lol:
Ya ya, stupid Americans.. :p