Analysis Paralysis
 

After weeks of trying to decide between the Civic Si or the BRZ, I've barely come to the conclusion that the Civic Si would be a better semi-DD... Yet I want a "fun" car and almost everybody I've seen review the BRZ are having a blast. While the Civic reviews seem more critical even if they like it. I also like to tinker so I'll be swapping/upgrading parts for zero reason other than to tinker. I've never been to a track but I also put heavy miles on my cars, my 2017 Prius V has around 40,000+ miles on it. I'm buying something on Wednesday... Maybe you can sway my decision away from the "logical/pragmatic" choice. I have driven the BRZ but it didn't help me make up my mind. :iono:

If you drove one and it didn't grab you then I would say go with the Civic. One of the common statements with the people that buy these cars is "as soon as I drove it...".

Civic because it's a palindrome.

The BRZ/86 will make more sense if you want to take your car up to some twisty roads. The Civic handles well, but it won't come close to giving you the same level of enjoyment as cruising around some mountain/forest roads. The Subaru sales guy probably just took you around the block in the BRZ, so if you want to be extra sure go back and ask for an extended drive around some more interesting roads.

The Civic will be more practical and be a bit faster in a straight line, but the BRZ is going to be more 'fun' as it will push you to downshift and keep your engine high in the revs. Both cars will be relatively expensive to tinker with if you actually want to get any sort of horse power out of them, but they will both have substantial aftermarket support.

Honestly, I feel you just need to test drive both a bit more or ask yourself what kind of 'fun' you want.

If you have to ask...buy the Civic.

I knew I wanted a FRS the moment I sunk down into the driver's seat.

Thanks for the replies thus far. Yeah, the test drive didn't wow me but also yeah it was up a straight highway and back. My area, South Central Washington is not the most exciting, lots of straight roads. My commute does have a cool curvy road (1/3) through a "pass," but the rest is highway (2/3). I do like the look of the BRZ much better, I'm faced with getting a body kit for the civic to get rid of the fake vents

Civic it is, then. Buying a twin is more like a love-at-first-sight thing.

I live close to some good driving roads, but due to LA traffic it typically takes over an hour and a half to reach them. But I bought this car specifically to enjoy those roads, so I don't mind taking the time to going out of my way to drive to them.

If you don't have a similar desire for that kind of experience and/or don't want to drive a bit to get that experience, something with a bit more straight-line power (Abarth 500/Ecoboost Mustang) or a used 350/370z might be more appealing. If you want to tinker a bunch, getting a used 350/370z makes a ton more sense since they're cheap and there's a ton of aftermarket parts for them.

You can tinker with a BRZ/86, but you can check out the build threads here and see that it does cost a good amount of money.

Same here after driving it I knew I would own one no matter what. All I could eat sleep and breath for months was FRS.

Follow your gut, although it's a practical sports car you don't buy it for its practicality it's just a bonus/something you explain to the wife to justify its purchase. If driving pleasure isn't very important and if a dose of tail out action once in a while isn't that enticing. Then a civic may be a more practical choice.

However take a B road fast in a BRZ and tell me that wasn't kick ass fun.

More like a love at first drive. The looks is what got me into it, the driving experience is what got me to order one the day of my test drive. That 8 month wait for it was brutal.

to OP: I came from a 2012 Civic SI, and while the new ones do have more power, they are not nearly as fun as the BRZ. I cross shopped the 2017 Civics with the BRZ and to me, the BRZ won in every category except power.

I'd throw a WRX into the mix if you want fun and practical.

You haven't mentioned whether or not you will be keeping your Prius V. If you are going to keep it, I would say that between those two cars, go with the BRZ. However, seeing as it did not convince you the first time around, and regardless of whether or not you are selling the Prius, I will instead say look into other options. Not every car on the road around the world is a Civic or a twin.

+1 I wouldn't love the car nearly as much if I didn't go slide it around on a regular basis. I saw the brilliance in the chassis and knew it would be incredibly hard to beat and a Civic wouldn't come close (although I nearly did pursue an Abarth). I drove it back to back with a 2012 Mustang and it was no contest for me.

Looks are important though, go for another test drive and try to carve some corners, just ask the salesman for a different route if what they want you to do is boring, find a route ahead of time maybe. Take the Civic along the exact same route if you can, if you have all of Wednesday to do it there should be plenty of time to get one last look at a BRZ before going to buy a Civic.

Call in sick to work, a car, even a cheap one, is likely the second most expensive thing you'll buy in your life, be happy with it.

One is FWD, one is RWD. That alone keeps them exclusive - in my book.

If that doesn't resonate with you, and neither sang to you louder than the other on the test drive then the pure practicality of the Civic is likely the winner.

As others have said, if the BRZ didn't speak to you during the test drive it might not be the right car for you.

Have you thought about a mk7 Volkswagen GTI? That would be my top choice if I needed something more practical than a BRZ and was planning to drive it mainly on the street. The refinement helps if you'll be putting a lot of miles on it, and you'll really love it when you mod it (291 whp/367 wtq with just a tune).

Also might consider a Fiesta ST as well. Everyone says it's amazingly fun for the dollar.

My take is a conflation and rehash of all of the above. For me, the BRZ was a love at first sight experience. Then, when I discovered I actually fit in the car and took it for a drive any thought (and I mean this literally) any THOUGHT was over. I quit thinking and started scheming a way to get my wife to let me get one.

The look, the handling, the rear drive dynamics - in absolutely NONE of these areas is a Civic in the same zip code. The civic is a great car, but the only thing it shares with the twins, at least as far as I'm concerned, is it's small.

Others have said it, but it truly is a case of "if you have trouble deciding, you probably really want a civic." Hate to say it, but I think it''s true.

simple choice.

if you care about driving more than practicality/function, then the twins hands down. if not then the civic is by far the clear choice.. if you still can't decide then you need more time to date yourself.

If the BRZ didn't make you want to drive it home from the test drive it probably isn't the right one for you. You have to love RWD to really 'get it' and there's nothing practical about it. The Focus RS is loads of fun and probably will end up being a better DD, I'd lean to the RS or even a WRX if I could stomach a sedan. I could never drive a FWD Civic or Golf everyday.

First, the responses have been great! Second, thanks for productive, welcoming, honest responses. You all should see me with a restaurant menu... I'm not indecisive, I'm just very picky, I want maximum return for my $$. I'm seeing a lot of the head vs heart arguments that I've been going through. I really do desire the BRZ, but at the same time I know the "right" choice is the Civic. I can't stomach the sheer blandness of the GTi... The WRX STI, yeah drool, but more than I want to pay monthly. I think the suggestion of test drives round two is the way forward.

Neither! Don't know how one would want to drive a Civic over a BRZ. They may choose it for practicality. Want practical? Maybe a GTI or WRX?

Blandness? Thats what modding is for.

Oh %#$*$ wait, is the answer the GTI?? Time to research, still got got about 30 hours to make up my mind.

Who'd get a BRZ as a DD? 2 doors 1 back seat (0.5 + 0.5) no torque.(aka bad for city/traffic driving) I'd go Fiesta ST, Civic SI for daily. Both superior cars for that use case.

A fun car to take on the track and back road. RWD Lightweight NA all the way.(BRZ)

If you really want a BRZ i would suggest buying two cars. A users 2013/2014 BRZ/FRS for 15-20k and a used civic 2010-2014 civic for 10-15k for DD. Those in total roughly equal top of the line brand new BRZ.

GTI is never the answer. Miata, on the other hand... ;).

I mean, if you don't have kids or have to drive in a city very often it's a fine DD. Decent on gas, easy maintenance, plenty of trunk space and fun to drive. Unless it has 4 doors, the rear seats are going to be terrible anyway.

I'd argue that an older built Miata or Corvette make a better purely track car for less money, but we digress.

Bought my BRZ for DD. I drive to the train station to ride to work in downtown. I have a third person in my car once in a blue moon. I'm usually solo or with the wife. Once I have kids or sometime in the next couple of years I'll buy a used chevy 4x4 dual cab.

Hopefully both will be supercharged in my lifetime. I know for sure the BRZ will be.

I daily mine compared to what I was driving, BRZ makes me smile everywhere. I knew when I first sat in one didn't even test drive just ordered it with performance pack and that was that. Couldn't be happier with my choice. What first put this car on my radar was this wonderful review and test drive by engineering explained The moment he kicks it out on those curves drove me to research this car like crazy.

lolno

who in their right mind would ever recommend a civic instead of this platform ?

It just depends on what someone needs from a car. The new Civic is a great car for the price. It's more economical, has a nicer interior with a better sound system, has more cargo space, more low end torque(most driver's don't want to rev over 4k regularly), and is better in the rain/snow.


For example, my wife constantly complains about the FRS's low seating position and firm suspension. Those are 2 of the main reasons why I bought the car. It comes down to personal preference. OP could do a lot worse than a Civic Si IMO. I would take the Civic over the GTi, ST Twins, Ecoboost mustang, Elantra Sport, and Sentra SE-R.

Option 3. And this would be on the dessert menu. Maybe you are already full and need no dessert.

Maximum return for dollar would be the base WRX. Very easily is it the car the that gives you so much more per dollar than any other vehicle in that bracket. Canadian, the WRX is price at maybe only 1000$ more than a 86 at msrp, and you get AWD, 4 doors, a turbo, 268 hp, 258 ft-lb of torque (early af 2000-5000 rpm) and a vape.

I did. I'm away from home for 80% of my job, and I drive it all over the state.

Bullshit.

There's a certain kind of person who would hate this car and would bitch and whine about it incessantly. There have been a few of them on this board. I would definitely recommend the Civic to those people.

If you have to ask, just get the Civic, please.

?????????

I have zero issue driving in traffic and I DD my car because I don't need 4 doors for my laptop. Not sure why I need 200+ ft-lb of torque to city/traffic drive.............. and the fact that a turbo would need to spool and you get a laggy throttle in traffic....

Based on my experience with previous gen Civic, it had: faster steering rack, longer and much smoother shifter throws, better pedal placement, firmer clutch with lower bite point, smoother and better sounding engine, more solid interior (much less rattling) and better stereo.

Those little things combined matter much more than RWD vs FWD when daily driving.

I didn't see the original response to my suggestion of WRX... Yeah I didn't mean the STI and agree with this comment! (Except the vaping thing...) lol :thumbsup:

Just cause you DD a BRZ doesn't mean its the best car for DD. I never said you cannot DD a BRZ. I stated fiesta ST and civic SI are superior cars for that use case. I stand by that claim. Driving on weekends/track is a fun/hobby. Daily driving is a chore. Hence the ST and SI are half way between. Fun car yet practical to handle the chores of daily use cases. I don't see why everyone is up defending the BRZ as a DD. You can DD whatever you want. But your choice isn't necessarily the right choice for OP or the majority.

Please note underlined words. Are your post defending your decision or helping the OP make the best decision?

??

Think before you speak.

You claimed the BRZ doesn't have enough torque for city/traffic driving, what are you trying to do with that torque, rear end someone?

You also claimed the BRZ needs more than 2 doors, for what? If you and you alone are driving it to work daily and depending on your job, which in many cases would not utilize 2 rear doors, what other purpose would they serve?

You also asked it as a question, who would get the BRZ as a DD, when the car itself really has no problem being daily driven, most cars don't. Stock BRZ is perfectly fine for DD, but for some reason you can't understand that, and think you need torque in traffic, or 4 doors for a single adult.

The no torque thing still baffles me.

Think your driving the wrong car then.

I don't find your comment worth any reply but this forum has no dislike button. So there you go.
:thumbdown:

Why would I note your underlines? This is just your opinion and I don't agree. Will you note my underlines?