Want to buy FRS. Family says no because of maintenance concerns
 

Hello my dudes,
I am currently looking for a FRS/BRZ/86. My budget is 15 000$ CAD so it made sense for me to aim for a 14/15 FRS since they are generally cheaper due to Scion being discontinued. The problem is, my family is not very comfortable with me dropping this large sum of money on a discontinued car. I understand their concern but at the same time, from the research I have done, it is to my understanding that the FRS/BRZ are practically the same car. When it comes to maintenance and looking for parts a +/-decade or so from now, it should not be too difficult, right? We are the type of family that tends to hold onto cars until the cost of repairs outweigh the value of the car (basically until they fall apart). So, to all of my maintenance/mechanic gurus, what are your thoughts on this? Is dropping 15k on an FRS a bad idea? Should I drop an extra 2-3k to get a brz instead?

Thanks,
oma

it's the same car. the toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ parts will still fit.
that being said I can still get parts for my 1991 toyota pickup from my local toyota dealer. i can't think of a legit reason your family could come up with to us that as an argument.

The only thing that was discontinued was the badges. It's the same car, and Toyota fully supports it as they do any of their other cars.

I'm in the same boat as your family (most of my cars end up with somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 miles on them). I have zero concern about the ability to repair it.

There are plenty of cars that are long discontinued that still have a surplus of parts.

this shouldn't be an issue.

Not 'practically.' They are 98% the same. Mostly Subaru, actually. Between the FRS and BRZ, the BRZ has a snow button and the radio is unique, as are the logos, front lights, bumper, and exhaust tips. The interior trim may also be a different color.

As for the price, this is because of Trim packages and nothing more. If you find a BRZ that is more expensive, it either has fewer miles or it comes with leather, heated seats, etc. If you don't care about the added stuff, go with the FRS.

As for parts, you could go with your FRS to a scrap yard and start pulling parts from a 2017+ BRZ/86 and not run into many, if any, compatibility issues.

The current generation should run until at least 2022~2023, so parts should not be an issue for at least a decade beyond that. The aftermarket seems solid for these cars, so anything you can't find from Subaru/Toyota should be available from another company.

From a purely mechanical standpoint they are the same car (barring minor suspension differences).


From a body standpoint there MAY be concerns getting FRS specific bumpers and light housings far in the future, but highly doubtful.


Is it worth it to buy a BRZ instead, yes. Especially if you get a limited with the nicer appointments.

Scion was a branch of Toyota. If you take your FRS to Toyota they will service it its not an issue as they have the 86 now. As mentioned above the FRS/86/BRZ are all the same car.

The AT of all three "models" (FRS,86,BRZ) have a Snow button.
The front headlights are the same (at least in the '13) but the bumper cover makes them appear different.

Thank you to everyone that replied. I will be showing this to my family and hopefully it will put their minds at ease haha :)

Besides everything already said, the BRZ/FRS/86 (often referred to as "The Twins") have surprisingly good prices on parts. For example you can get a clutch disk, pressure plate, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, and flywheel as a kit for $380 USD. You can hardly get a flywheel alone for that cheap on almost any other car.

BTW, I also hold onto my cars forever. I can't think of a single car I've ever owned where the maintenance out weighed the value of a car. A paid off car that doesn't break is really hard to beat. My dad owned a Boxster which was incredibly unreliable. He spent at least $20,000 USD just keeping it on the road between 2003 and today. He refused to get rid of it because it was still cheaper than a car payment. Just a few weeks ago he finally got sick of it stranding him and literally GAVE it to his mechanic. I was kind of pissed.

The other good news, is that people crash these cars a lot. There are a lot of junkyard part-outs available for small things like the AC compressor, power steering, etc. The reservoir of parts will not run dry for this car for a very long time.

Show them FAQ questions 2 and 3 from Toyota Canada




https://www.toyota.ca/toyota/en/freq...sked-questions

Considering one of the most useful things to do to a scion badged 86 is to swap out the badges for the cowboy hat Toyota logo... I'd say you're actually in a better position by buying a discontinued twin. Takes 10 minutes to swap the badges out, and boom! You just saved a couple grand at least from buying a now-Toyota model.

But then you ruin the collector value!

Save the originals... swap them later.. Boom! Hahaha

The car is not discontinued lol, scion was discontinued.

Do your oil changes every 4500 miles, go by doing service as the book says and you'll be fine lol.

I daily drive mine and have had no issues for the past 2 years besides just doing my oil changes. Of course now I'm around 60k miles and i need to do my Trans, Diff and Spark plug services but that's just how cars work. If you're looking for a car that you can just drive and never do anything with in terms of maintenance this is not your platform. but at the same time, it does not cost a concerning amount of money to maintain this car in the first place.

Yeah but all cars need fluid changes, not just the Twins.

This car does not cost much. I have 60k km & no issues, put
good snow tires for winter driving & since your in Quebec, join the club @

http://www.quebecfrs.com/v2/

Might not be the best thing to share with a family when trying to convince them its a good car to buy.....

IDK. It is your $$$$. (Unless your family is loaning it to you or co-signing on your loan.) Get the car you want! YOLO! I mean, I bought many cars my family told me not to. (I should have listened a couple times though)


Just, don't go and get a beater car because your FR-S/BRZ is too nice. (Or get the beater now and save)


(with all the talk of family) I have no idea how old you are, if you live at home, and how good of a job you may or may not have....

Thanks again to everyone that replied. Tonight I'll be updating you guys on if this is enough to convince them XD

Oh! I thought the snow button was Subaru's attempt to make up for not having AWD. Never knew they all had it.

When I said lights I meant the internal design.

You want me to do up a PPT?

The one in the BRZ just links you to this thread

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132636

Exactly! That's the reason I'm keeping my Scion badges on - :D


humfrz

It would help me help you, if I knew "who" "the family" you speak of is.

(wife, SO, father, mother, kids, brothers/sisters)


humfrz

They're are one of the more reliable cars on the road. NA motor, simple layout, and not a lot of electronic gizmos to go wrong.

The scion badging is non issue if you consider the Toyota GT86 is sold over seas with the same bumper skins.

All of the cars are made in a Subaru plant with most of the parts being stamped Subaru.

Alot of people don't realize that if there isn't a platform change, all those TSBs and recalls getting applied only help the reliability design. The engine isn't even the same as when it started in 2013 and people don't realize it's gone through alot of internal revamping, even the interior fit and finish feels more solid if I compare my 2015 to my friends 14

Not to be the only wet blanket here... but hey, it's my calling....


You didn't mention your age or your position within your family. If by family, you mean your wife or that you're an adult living on your own and supporting yourself and your parents/siblings still feel they have strong input on what kind of car you buy, well... then I'm with everyone else. Buy whatever car you want. The mainenance issue, as everyone else has said, is a non-issue. The badge is the only thing discontinued; there is no issue, AT ALL, getting an FR-S serviced anywhere.


HOWEVER... if by family you mean your parents and you're still living at home with them as a dependent or minor, then they absolutely have a say in how you spend your money. If this is your first car (and others on this group disagree with me.. that's fine.. we're all different), I would not recommend it as a parent. Too tempting to do very, VERY stupid things. All cars are tempting in that regard to many first time drivers... this one is worse than most. Parents may be using the "maintenance difficulty" as code for saying they love you and really would prefer you to start with a more sedate, "practical" vehicle.



As sports cars go, the FR-S IS relatively slow compared to more expensive "real" sports cars. It's also, for it's class, pretty safe, and pretty economical. I know I'm not helping my case with those observations, but I try to be truthful.


I've had three sons, and helped them out with each of their first cars. The oldest got our hand-me-down Celica w/ 220K miles on it, and we renovated two Volvo 240s (an '89 and a '92) for the other two sons. The 240s were MUCH better choices, and the kids loved them. One is STILL in the family and on the road almost ten years later, and pushing 300K.


Just guessing. If you ARE on your own as an adult, ignore this post. If you are a minor, as I'm guessing, respect your parents' wishes. Life, hopefully, will be very long, and you'll have MANY opportunities to drive the cars of your dreams. Enjoy your time with your folks, and respect their wishes while they care for you.

I have the total opposite opinion on these as a first car. If kids are going to dumb things in a car they are going to do it in one of these or a more sedate practical vehicle. They might as well do it in something they have at least a chance of recovering from. I know as a kid I did some spectacularly dumb things in some extremely sedate and practical vehicles. In fact I would go as far to say the more sedate it was the dumber my actions would be.

The owners manual says every 7500 miles. Unless you are on the track frequently or do some really hard driving on a daily basis,changing the oil that often is a total waste of money.

In fact,if you check the oil at 4500 miles,it will more than likely have the same golden color as if it were fresh,maybe slightly darker,but nothing to worry about.

Still don't understand why people are so paranoid about this.

Yea, I'm with you. My first two cars were a Dodge Polara and a Ford Falcon Wagon. Both of them I did really stupid road tricks in. Once you are doubling the speed limit I'm not sure it matters what car you're in.

I think they changed the mileage requirements one of the years but don't remember when. The 4500 may have been the original and the 7500 the new? To lazy to check it.
I agree people like to change oil way too early. It doesn't hurt anything but is an extra cost and has a greater environmental impact. My theory is people do it so often because it makes them feel like they have made a difference.

Hmmm... Datsun B210 (my first car) or Volvo 240? Yeah.. it matters.. a lot. But, I get your point. You, Tcoat, and I had discussions about the "first-car-suitability" aspects in another thread a long time ago, and I respect and understand your opinions. You make sense.... I just disagree, and think I make sense, too.



Cheers...

Agree.

Like we talked once, I was guilty of changing oil too often in my youth. I think I just wanted something to wrench on, and could afford it, and yes, feel like I'm making the car better.

My last oil analysis on the twin, Blackstone said I could easily go 9000 miles between changes, and I have a lot of bolt ons.

truth. most useful.

agreed. if dumb things want to happen... dumb things will happen reagrdless of the car. at least a twins have the balance for a chance at a save.

Instead, I think just taking this car to the track of even an empty snowy parking lot will make anybody a better driver since he/she now knows the limits and will be driving accordingly.

Funny, I go on the pick-n-pull website here regularly and check their inventory. Never once found any twin.

I didn't have that problem as a youth back on the farm. My father would say "when you have the urge to change the oil in something, go right ahead" - pick any of the 3 cars, 2 trucks, 5 tractors, hay baler, elevator or 3 lawn mowers. ;)


humfrz

Step back folks, here comes ol Tcoat for his second attempt - :eyebulge:


humfrz