Getting back into a BRZ
 

Owned a 2015 for 3 fun years and then replaced it with a BMW M2. Lease is now finished and i want back into a BRZ.

What’s the best option

# 1 - Brand new 2020 RS
# 2 - 2019 RAIU edition lightly used (love the colour)
# 3 - The cheapest used one I can find and dump some cas in on maintenance and mods.

Would love to know your thoughts

Thanks

Why did you sell your original 2015? Was there something specific that you got tired of?

Not at all. Got a great deal on the BMW and decided to jump. I actually regret the jump away. The M2 is a great car but I learned so much more and had much more fun in the BRZ.

Thanks

Whichever option you go with, I'd make sure it's a 2017+


Reason I bought mine brand new is because I intend to keep the car for a very long time and also didn't want to deal with tow hooks, valenti lights and painted interiors which you find on the used market.



But with that being said it's so tempting to get a used one and use the extra $$$ towards suspension mods to start off with.



Don't go for the cheapest one and try to stay above 2017+ :thumbsup:

In that case I'd go with option 2. You can mod any of them as time and funds allow, but that color is stunning.

I personally always buy new. I don't trust what all these other dudes are doing to the cars.
I could have been tempted by a used Raiu but if they are the same as the other special editions there will be someplace between 50 and 100 of them spread across the whole country so it could be hard to find.

# 1 - Brand new 2020 RS (if you can afford)

Nothing bad to come back. I moved lately to UK and I have now a '15 LHD and a '20 RHD BRZ. I was checking to buy something else, but couldn't find anything interesting.

Here the RS lists for $33,000 and the 86GT for $35,000 so it is actually cheaper!

Found a Raiu. Bit far from Montreal. Also slightly on the pricy side for the mileage even if a one of one hundred special edition.


https://www.autotrader.ca/a/subaru/b..._15_60&sprx=-1

Would also match my winter car. 2020 crosstrek in cool grey khaki 😉

Unfortunately a little too rich for me. There are 2 others in Toronto as well. Maybe a last road trip before winter or wait until spring

Awesome , I did something similar and now back in the BRZ tS. I say if you can get an RS go for it!

#4 Wait a few months and see what Gen2 looks like?

Loads of RS's showing up on Autotrader.
Most are out west though. There were about 8 in Winnipeg alone. Obviously not a big seller in the flatlands for some reason.

Why is there always a fourth option 😂

Because I can't resist?

I say Raiu because I love the color!

Buy a clean example used ~ 35k miles used and spend money on a turbo or sc, or buy a lightly modded one already turbo. I dont know how to break it to you but there is nothing different from one off the showroom floor and a 7 year old one with low miles. Dont get fooled into paying 15k$ more for a new one with a warranty, if the engine goes a dealership is not going to help you one way or another, theyll blame it on you.

There are some great examples in the cars for sale section on here. Theres even one for 30k$ that was build for street/track by probably the most established vendor for the platform on here: counterspace garage. Why someone would spend 30k for a bone stock 86 when you can get the literal exact same car for 12k is beyond me.

And where exactly are all these fine used cars supposed to come from?
Somebody has to buy new ones or they cease to exist.
Your comment is short sighted and totally ridiculous if you look at the big picture.

I purchased Mine from a pilot. Well cared for and saved a bundle compared to new. Found it searching used cars. Times have caused some people to sell their excess toys but it has also upped the prices of used cars. Some still have work and are not heavily committed so a second used car is a safe alternative to public transport.

If you can find one with little use, lots of TLC and for a reasonable price my vote would be for the Raiu. It comes with all the RS bits plus, the aero package and the factory short shifter wrapped in that unique grey colour. :w00t:
Other wise, go for a left over RS or wait to see what the next gen is. hehehe
decisions, decisions, decisions...

Interested to hear your comparison between the M2 and the old BRZ. What did you enjoy more in the BRZ over the M2?

I've never found a seven year old anything that came close to being like a new one.
I've bought both new and used but always been happier with the new ones. Used has always offered up some kind of surprises.

my experience is the older the vehicle, the longer time span that leaves for the previous owners to neglect big maintenance items, or make poor fixes that can much more easily leave one stranded, or regretting the initial purchase.

as such, i'm not convinced that comparing 2 identical vehicles, one new, and one 5-10 years old, over a 10 year ownership span has any significant cost difference. the new vehicle will have almost no maintenance costs, but depreciation. the used vehicle will have increased maintenance costs, but much less depreciation.

personally, i prefer to buy new or nearly-new simply for the fact that i can better track maintenance records, and keep the vehicle up to my quality standards.

Was a very very basic thing. The BRZ can be driven in a spirited manner at really low speeds and very safely. The M2 required a lot more speed everywhere to event think about bringing a smile to my face.

The only thing that was better was the sound. The M2 is awesome once you turn off the fake noise.

Never got as far as modifying the exhaust on my BRZ but if I get another it will be on the list.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for sharing!

Sold my 2017 w/performance pack. Dumb move as I miss it everyday. Ready to jump back in; seeing some good prices on the 2020 TS or should I wait for second gen? Performance was not an issue for me.

You could wait two weeks to find out what the second gen has to offer.

I find it depends on the purpose of the vehicle. A fun sporty car, yeah everything you just said. A winter beater or cheap commuter, mmmmm depends...

I live in NJ and there are VERY few twins anywhere. (In 2012 I had considered a twin but sadly realized I still required a fully functional rear seat.) My needs have now changed and I am actively looking at a twin, only to discover they are rare in my area, used or new. No Toyota dealership within 60 miles of me has a new or used 86. And I found one 2020 BRZ in my area and one beaten-up used one. That’s it. My hope is to fall in love with a 2022 and grab one next year, from any dealership, provided the dealerships don’t market adjust the price.

If I may add, there seems to be a much larger percent of knowledgeable drivers on this forum than on others forums. Many of you actually race, which is amazing! However, I will also add that it seems to me the vast majority of twin owners are extremely hard on their cars. I know these cars are sport cars designed to be driven hard, but the potential for extreme abuse gives me pause to buy a used twin. Given how few used twins are in my area, it makes buying a used one even more uncertain. I’d prefer to buy new and keep the car for 100,000+ miles in order to spread the deprecation over a long time and keep the total cost of ownership low.

Keeping in mind that what is out there for 2020 cars is it.
Waiting could mean that demand for 2020s drops to nothing and the good deals get better or the demand could go through the roof and those good deals dry up and you just take what you can get. There is of course the possibility that nothing at all will change with the deals but that is the least probable of the scenarios. It is all going to hinge on what the next ones are actually going to be like so waiting is a bit of a gamble really.

https://i.imgflip.com/4laonn.jpg

They are very rare nearby me as well. If I drive a couple of hours north to Toronto you almost trip over them but here (and south of here) I can go weeks or even months without seeing another one. The local dealers won't even stock any and want a heavy deposit just to order one since they just sit on the lots so long.

For every raced or beat on Twin out there you will probably find 100 gently used daily driven and well maintained one. Those drivers simply are not on forums or social media bragging about how they redline every shift and drift around every corner. Hell, even the ones that make that claim are not actually doing it all the time or they would be walking by now due to the shear number of tickets they would have. The forum is deceiving as to what the actual "average" owner of these cars is like. Hell, even many of the people here don't beat on their cars and many of the ones that do maintain it to a level that counters the heavy use.

I suspect you are correct about abuse. But used performance cars are still not mini-vans or Volvos. With used cars, “Was It A Rat I Saw” spelled backwards is still “Was It A Rat I Saw” because sometimes there are rats.

I would go with option #1 or #2. Since you’ve had a 2015 already, might as well try the 17+. It’s obviously still going to be a BRZ, but the smaller upgrades would be nice.

I think a lot of these things come down to what your goals are with the car and what your budget is. Do you want a fun weekend toy or will it be a reliable daily driver. Should be fairly easy to figure out since you’ve had a BRZ before so I would just go with whichever color/edition you like best. Good luck!

There are with all cars though. I see more minivans being driven like they are rally cars than actual rally cars and let's not even think about what happens to some poor pickup trucks that never saw a lick of actual pickup work in their existence.
It may seem counter intuitive but used performance cars are frequently better taken care of than any other type of vehicle so even if used harder they are in better shape in the end.
There are also many many performance cars that are made up to look like a rat, the owner pretends it is a rat, people think it is a rat but in reality it was only ever used as a hamster. The trick is to find enough evidence to determine if a car was a real rat or just a gerbil in a rat costume!

First of all, welcome back to the family! And even when you have a different car you are still part of the twin brotherhood/sisterhood. [emoji106]
I would think the Raiu edition would feel very special because of all its unique features and how few there are. The tS isn’t far behind, and I have been looking for one also.
I completely understand your takeaway from your M2 ownership. They are incredible cars, and go fast so easily. My brother is the German car fan in the family, and he has owned some really cool stuff. He even was able to manage getting a new 1M back in the day. What a fu**ing fun car. [emoji28][emoji28][emoji28] He owned it for several years and actually made money on it, almost unheard of for modern cars.
He currently has a new TTRS and it’s so incredibly fast, much like the M2. But it gets up to speed so easily, and so quickly, anything in the legal speed limit feels very boring. In his car getting to 60, or more, you can almost imagine the car yawning, like when are you going to actually go fast? In my FR-S getting up to 60 mph takes a lot more effort, and you feel like you are going 90. [emoji16] It’s such a different experience, and both are amazing in their own ways.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Definitely agree with going 2017+ for the suspension refinements and interior refinements - unless if you plan to mod extensively.
I'd also recommend against the RS unless you plan to track the car - the Brembos seem to narrow down the options when it comes to aftermarket wheels (e.g. downsizing your winter wheels becomes impossible).
My brother in law bought a 2017, and I could tell that it was a more "complete" product than the 2013 I had.

Before you make the long road trip to see any car, make sure you specifically ask if the car has been modded.
I brought my brother-in-law to a Scarborough Subaru dealer to look at an Inazuma - the pictures on Autotrader looked stock (due to lighting and angle) but once we got there, it was obvious the car was lowered, had at least some mods to the engine (and you can't really be sure if they didn't just restore stock bits prior to getting rid of the car), had a nasty aftermarket front lip and skirts, and aftermarket exhaust.

Ask ahead (being very specific to ask about suspension mods, body kits, engine mods).

https://www.autotrader.ca/a/subaru/b...%200V9&sprx=-1

found a raiu in ontario

I'd prefer new because..shiny, new and its yours.
But these cars are hardly any different from 2017+ so a used example is a wise choice if you can find a good one. I have no issue purchasing a new one (in my case i want the Toyota 86 GT, i like the more aggressive look better) but im keeping an eye out for any 2018 and 2019 GT's to save a good chunk of cash. but there arent alot of them out there. i COULD save even more cash and go for the more basic models but i want the nicer interior :D

With the BRZ in particular (and in Canada spec) the manual sport tech RS actually came standard with the PP (So brembos and sachs) from 2018+.
I dont think the automatics came with them though, nor do the 2017 models (AT or MT) either.

I drove a fresh 2020 this week. Still had the plastic wrap. Performance package. White.

Drives tighter than my 2013- no surprise- but I don’t care for the shiny black plastic all over the interior. The cluster is kinda neat. I liked the exhaust note better.

But I’m a retro guy when it comes to this car and I like my naked steering wheel- no controls on it - and don’t see a need for a refined interior.

If they ruin the 2022 I’ll have to consider getting a 2020. But with 51k miles on my 2013 BRZ not sure there is much point. Maybe get some sway bars and call it a day.