72 hours with the 86
 

Got a 86 as a Turo for the extended weekend. Base model, 6MT, red.
I wanted to get a long term, as most of my driving has now become just A-to-B stuff and I've never really driven one. The question I wanted to answer is 'Does this car meet a minimum of comfort that I can live with, and if not, is it fun enough to justify the discomforts?"

The answer to this question is--it is a lot more comfortable than I expected and also gave me some insight into what I value in a car.

And the thing I value is steering stability, ride quality, and road noise in that order.

The steering felt very stable. There was no 'dead zone' in the middle during highway speeds where you can wobble the steering wheel around with a weak flick of the wrist and the car does not move (my main complaint with the 2017 Mazda 3). This steering takes deliberate effort to move and the weighting feels completely natural. The 2013 328i that I drive several times a week (GF's car) has good weight in the middle, but has a little bit of a dead spot and any kind of weight/feedback disappears as soon as you start turning the steering wheel. With the 86, I could just put my hands on 9 and 3 and just keep it steady as I'd like.

Ride quality was not as bad as I expected, especially with the TRD springs that the rental had on. Larger bumps can be felt more and the smaller bumps did more to assault the ears than the spine. It felt very controlled and well-tuned.

Road noise wasn't as bad as I expected, or it was the incredibly droney TRD exhaust that was masking all the road noise. However, with the steering that good, I found little to complain about much else.

If I do get this car in the future, I'd be likely looking at the MTEC clutch spring and some kind of short shifter kit or shifter bushings. The throws are fine but this has even worse feel that my stock GTI, which is a cable linked system. Clutch bites high and offers little feel. I was going purely on muscle memory to get to the biting point.

All in all, a fine car. I can definitely see myself picking one up once my GTI bites the dust.

Don't forget, this is a rental as well. I wouldn't expect a brand new car to drive like a rental, your experience with the shifter, clutch, and any other wear items with be marginally improved with a new car that hasn't been hammered on.

Very nice review, it's an extremely comfortable car and isn't impractical by a long shot. Contrary to popular belief, you can still live without 4 doors, power sunroof, electric seats and QI charging in the center console.

So.... you reviewed a 86 and felt you need to share it to 86 owners forums?
In other words you're preaching to the choir.

It did have 21k miles, and I"m guessing a fair share of them were abusive. I prefer to drive my cars hard and go overboard with the maintenance.

The only thing I'd wish for is that it would have more of a sleeper look. I prefer 4 doors, but 2 doors is far from a deal breaker.

Jeez, I guess my opinions aren't welcome here then.

I just wanted to point out how comfortable it actually is. All the other reviews I've seen focus way too much on how fun it is to drive. I'm out to buy the most fun comfortable car, and this falls under the 'comfortable' category in a way that the Mazda3 wasn't.

There's one in every bunch... don't mind him.

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This car is pure joy.

If you aren't afraid of some minor modifications, a shifter bushing and underpanels (unless new ones already have them?) should help.

If your out to buy the most comfortable car, you are no where near close in these cars.

You want power and sport car feel you should look elsewhere.

Then again why do I have a feeling you are going to plug your own YouTube blog or instagram bs. Seems like where this is heading.

Nah, that's OK, there, squelchy451, you're welcome to express your opinions.

Ol @Mr.ac just gets out of sorts from time to time. I reckon this time is because you didn't come up and drive one of the Civics he has on his lot. Sales must be down - :iono:


:D


humfrz

Renting a car is the way to properly evaluate it. One notices things that a test drive, even an extensive one, won’t reveal.

I had a GTI before the BRZ. And lots of other VW product miles before that. You can keep them running a long time but you get to know your service advisor well.

My advice is take GTI to Carmax where they will write a check. Cash check and buy BRZ with nice down payment.

Put on seat belt and find squiggly roads, ideally in hill country.

i generally don't recommend carmaxing a car for the check unless it's something you need to wash your hands of. like drug money.

when changing cars, it comes down to convenience, and value.

trading in at the dealer you're buying from offers the most convenience, but comes with extra hassle dealing with the numbers game. it's easier to game the trade-in value on paper to look better. the deal is going to be roughly the same as carmax, but quality of the vehicle affects the numbers more.

selling yourself gains the most money, but can be an incredible hassle.

carmax is great for problematic vehicles that make selling yourself difficult with the buyers potentially having recourse against you, or difficult dealers who would unfairly devalue the vehicle to deal with it.

I thought from the title that this was going to be one of those Hallmark movies where the car dies 72 hours after her dream wedding.

I'm probably going to keep the GTI for the long term. Still a fun ride, I just wish more cars didn't do this little shimmy at highway speeds.

I think you and my roommate may have rented the same car from Turo!. :eyebulge:

He rented an ND Miata in SF, hopped into a Jeep and drove down to LA, and spent a few days with a red 86 with TRD wheels & exhaust.

Came back to Atlanta and wanted move from the Miata platform to the twins.

https://instagram.fatl1-1.fna.fbcdn.....fna.fbcdn.net

https://instagram.fatl1-1.fna.fbcdn.....fna.fbcdn.net

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Yup! Same license plate, just checked on Turo haha!

Wow, small world indeed. :lol:

What's crazy is less than a month after renting the same 86 you drove, my roommate sold his AP2 S2000 + Miata (pending) and picked up a (very similar) '17 Ablaze 86 -- the Turo rental certainly made a strong impression on him. :D

(Our Ketchup & Mustard combo)

https://instagram.fatl1-1.fna.fbcdn.....fna.fbcdn.net

ND engine and trans inside a BRZ layout would be perfect. The Skyactiv 2.0 was a capable little engine and I had no complaints when I had the Mazda3.
As it stands, the clutch and shifter on the 86 are the only things I didn't like.

Oh your opinions are welcome for sure. But my wife would totally disagree with your point about comfort. And she's been on the passenger side of an 86 of the exact description as yours (same color, model, TRD stuff etc) for a lot more than 72 hours. So I would assume her opinion would count for something too :D

The clutch is a bit high compared to other MTs and took me quite a while to get use to. The shifter is fine,but becomes great if you add a Raceseng Ashiko weighted knob,and I can't even imagine what it would feel like if I put a Kartboy in!

OP: I'm @dhuang's roommate. I really enjoyed that rental and ended up buying essentially the same car once I made it back home. I enjoyed taking that car around the fun roads near LA and el mirage but it took me over an hour to detail the car before I brought it back. Hope it was still clean for you ;)

As long as it is the newer higher revving version of the 2.0.

Honestly though, I owned a Mazda3 2.5 MT for 2 years and never really liked the engine much, it was the weakest link. Maybe it was just the gearing and the fact that the 3s are setup for efficiency.

At least the FA20 has some kind of character to it.

What GTI do you have?
I still have my 2002 Mk IV. It has over 275,000 miles on it and still runs like new.(after spending 10's of thousands of dollars over the years to keep it running. I stripped out the interior and use it pretty much as a pickup truck anymore. Just taking out the seats alone lightens it by at least 300 lbs. It really hauls ass now.
As far as shifter comparisons, the FR-S has the tightest shifter I've ever had. And I've had a lot. The GTI has by far the worst shifter ever made IMO. It feels like moving a stick around in a tub of luke warm tar.
Once you buy the 86 you'll never drive the VW again. I'll bet.

I have a 2007. I do have a Neuspeed short shifter, some cable end bushings, and a South Bend clutch, so the drivetrain feels super solid. The stock shifter, while vague, is smooth.

Maybe I had a bad apple, but the shifter on 86 just felt very flimsy. It was cool seeing the stick shake a little when you fire up the engine, but using it wasn't exactly what I expected. Maybe bushings, weighted shift knob, or some other aftermarket part could take care of that.

Keep in mind that the shifter in the 86 is hard mounted directly to the transmission with only 4 inches of shaft between them. There are no cables, rods or other isolating parts that reduce vibrations.
The direct connection also is what makes it feel weird when used to cables and shafts. You get used to it really fast. To me cable type shifters feel sloppy and loose.

Agree.

I like the GTI. When I got the FRS, it was in third place, behind the Abarth and tied with the Golf R. If the GTI or R were cheaper, maybe things woulda been different. We also ended up getting a Fiat 500E, which is like an Abarth with a better motor and worse suspension. Honestly, one of the most fun cars ever. I still think of buying a 500e, stripping the interior completely, putting on some hacked together Bilsteins, and installing a Recaro seat. It would be epic fun.

I no longer dream of the GTI or Golf R at all.

I was surprised that I preferred the shifter on the GTI, as you all correctly pointed out, is a cable linked mechanism. Stock-for-stock, the 86 wins out marginally, but with the aftermarket bits, the GTI feels better for me. I'll definitely invest in a short shifter kit and a mount insert when I do get a 86/BRZ. I just love the steering feel more than anything else.

Also surprised about your preference for the GTI gearshift. I recently drove a MT mk5 GTI and the shifter was smooth, but vague. Fun car otherwise though with a stage 2 package.