This is simply a joyful car
 

Over the past week, as the last vestiges of winter have left and New England has thawed out, I brought out my BRZ from its winter slumber.

I don't 'lay up' the car for the winter in any particular way, it's a Subaru and not a mega-buck exotic, though it always lives in the garage under a cover. Being small, light, and RWD (and still with it's original crappy traction-free tires), it's just not the best winter car, so it doesn't get much use in the cold months.

Over the past week I gave it the ritual Spring washing and waxing, and started driving it regularly. I missed it. Not on any special roads, but many of the paths here in New England are twisty secondary roads meant for this car. As I was tooling along yesterday, rowing through the gears going down the island, I realized what a smile I had on my face. I wasn't setting any land speed records, not doing an impersonation of Fangio or anything. Just driving along, shifting up and down, taking the turns, listening to the engine.

And it hit me: this is simply a joyful car. It's exactly what a 'sports car' should be. The hell with the 'numbers' so many people obsess over, arguing over tenths of a second differences in '0-60' times. The BRZ is simply pure, undiluted fun to drive. Fun to drive in the old-school analog way, the way it feels to the seat of my pants and not some arbitrary 'numbers' that don't mean a thing in street driving.

Though my car is a mere first generation model with 'only' 205 hp, it's enough for me. It's more than enough to be fun, to feel the acceleration on the street without the need to be an adolescent and challenge muscle cars to drag races that will only end up with a night in jail (or an accident). Driving it 'playfully' (but not pedal to the metal, there's no need for that), I really don't feel (or maybe just don't care about) the 'torque dip' so many complain about but probably don't actually experience. The immediacy and linear response of a naturally aspirated engine is sweet compared to the rubber-band catapult of most turbos.

When I bought the car I planned to do the usual 'headers and a tune', but no longer will. Why bother? I think it sounds just fine as it is and for what it is - a simple, playful, fun, tossable, and very reasonably priced sports car. It sounds good enough to remind me I'm driving something special. Not every car has to have window-shattering volume or sound like an imitation Ferrari.

I knew all this when I bought the car - that's why I got it. But after a few months' absence, getting behind the wheel again and just having fun on secondary roads, reminded me of what cars are supposed to be all about (at least to me): fun.

From all the 'road tests' and reviews, the second-generation car certainly sounds 'superior' in terms of power and other things. Maybe someday, when the pandemic insanity of supply chain disruptions calms down and it becomes possible to actually test drive a car before buying it (and then able to buy it without a horror-movie dealer ADM), I might look into it. But I'm in no hurry, and maybe not at all. With all the fun it is to just drive this car, I really don't want or need any more.

Get out and drive. Have fun. Before we know it, internal combustion cars will be in the minority, gas will cost more than good Scotch, and most 'automobiles' on the road will be soulless, anodyne, boring, battery-powered autonomous electric transportation pods. We'll look back and miss the days when it was possible to buy gas for only $4.99 a gallon, and drive a car with an actual stick shift and clutch. I'm taking it out tomorrow, just for the hell of it, with no particular destination in mind.

If not now, when?

Great review - couldn't have said it better. My BRZ exceeded almost every expectation I had of it.

Great bit of writing and even better approach to life.

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You know you can enjoy them year round. As you said it is not some exotic and winter will not destroy it if you don just a little bit of maintenance.

I have a second gen, but originally I wanted a 1st gen, it was the best car for me and what I wanted to do. Rip some backroads and attend autocrosses from time to time. I don't get the hate and all the torque dip comments. I rode in a first gen Spec Solo coupe and it was more than fast enough, scary even. They are easy on consumables brakes tires etc.

My favorite cars are the old flat-six air-cooled Porsches, most of them made less power than a FA20 and I never hear people complain about power. Even the newer ones like mine will still get smoked by a Camry on the highway. The first gen cars are great, people who talk the most crap have never even driven them on a curvy road.

I am a second gen owner that loves the original cars especially the ones that get driven, hard.

LOL, my current 'approach to life' is recent growth, coming after a lot of time spend meditating. For most of my life I was a typical 'Type A' and obsessively driven, rarely spent much time smelling the flowers. All it gave me was high blood pressure and other health issues.

Better late than never to change (but even better to wake up while there's still time to do something about it).

I don't avoid driving the car in the winter. Only when there's snow or ice on the roads. The BRZ, especially with those amazing original Primacy tires, doesn't have the best traction in the automotive world when the coefficient of friction is reduced. It comes out on dry days, but this winter saw a lot of snow and it stayed asleep for a few months.

All year rounder here! Snow and ice! pfft....the only thing im concerned about is ground clearance :D

We had a bigass snow dump yesterday and i would have gotten stuck if i tried going out, snow was just too deep in the residential areas (all the busses i drove past were stuck lol)

Your post echoed my thoughts exactly. This car is exactly what "I" want and it's perfectly fun. My friends have all migrated to modern Porsches which are nice but they can barely use their cars without risks of going to jail. Having said that, i did put in an order for a Gen2 because of the strong resale as of late. I thought it was worth it if i can get into a newer/more powerful car for minimal money.

I also must add...
And i think this might only apply to the 2017+ MT models but....

The engine bay is actually quite pretty with the red intake plenum.

Everything nowadays has a plastic cover so you dont see engine stuff anymore.

Even the AT models and the pre-2017 models with the black plastic plenum and D4S logo doesn't look as nice.

Meh. They make different tires.

FWIW, none of the best experiences in life can be reduced to a number.
Those who obsess about numbers tend to strike me as people who lack the appreciation of the qualitative things to life.

You are so very right!!! Not just about cars, but so many things in life.

It really isn’t all about the ‘numbers.’

Rule #1

Don't talk about Fight Club!

Hoping to get mine on the road in the next couple of weeks after her winter slumber now that the frost heaves have subsidied. Just looking out the window at it in the last light of day, I can't wait.

Yup.
I say, put a header & tune.
I don't drive mine in winter. I know it's not an exotic but at the time it's the second most expensive thing I've bought. 1st was the house.
I have a winter beater anyway.

My 16 is my commuter, driven all winter with AS3s unless it calls for a couple of inches of snow then it’s the 04 WRX with snows. If I did not have the WRX I would have snows on the BRZ.

Just took mine out after a brutal winter.

Definitely agree with your thoughts here as well as with others. I, too, get the same feeling after the car sits for much of the winter. I tend to get it out only once a week or two weeks during the winter. As warmer days come around, I am now in it three to four days a week at least.

I NEVER forget how fun this car is to drive. Always a smile on my face. Always paying attention to the little details - the sounds, the shifts, the steering, the feel, all of it! It's just something that can't be explained to those who have never driven this car or others like it. I can never find the right way to explain that to my friends who chose more powerful and practical vehicles than I. So I don't bother trying to explain anymore. I just focus on driving and enjoying this car. To me... there's just nothing like it!

I think my testosterone level fell reading this thread.

I need to go get in a bad fight.

My summer tires go on this afternoon.

And of course it is snowing.

My last two cars were a 981 Cayman S and a BMW M2. The BRZ has not left me wanting at all. In fact, I might enjoy it more. Sure, it’s not as fast, but it’s fun, and I get to really wring it out.

Yeah I always wonder or compare other cars, especially on the versus section on here, this is the first sports car I’ve ever owned, so sometimes you think the grass is greener. However this seems to be a common theme, especially from people who’ve owned more powerful and expensive cars.

Funny because the Cayman is commonly thought of as the logical step up from the BRZ.

One of the problems with the Cayman is that you really need to track it to enjoy it. You'll just get in too much trouble trying to enjoy it on a daily drive like you can with the BRZ.

lol

That happens too much here (not from me though, I still have my winters on currently).

But perhaps this weekend i shall swap in the summers.
I believe we have past the peak of nth (where n > 1) winter here.
The weather future forecast has not called for any more snow.

This is exactly it. It's probably the best driver's car I've ever driven, but it is so capable that it cannot be properly enjoyed on the street (at least, not legally).

They are also very expensive, everything from purchase price to consumables to mods is several multiples higher than an 86. One quick example: headers. For an 86, $700-1200. For a Cayman, $3000-5000. You're definitely paying that Porsche premium.

Your avatar has nothing to do with that now does it?

I do like boobs...

But no.

What about a Cayman base. I agree the S is too much too push it on the street, but the base might be good for the street.

Totally agree,
Gen 1 2017+ red crinkle aluminum intake
Still the best looking old school new car engine bay at any price.

Please elaborate on this great risk. And what specifically is "freezing"

Tell us what it's like being a bot. I want to know.

I'm just trying to understand the bot logic here. If you shouldn't park the car in the garage during the winter months as the engine could freeze... then where should one park it? ::clap:

You don’t have a garage door on your living room wall? What kind of car enthusiasts are you?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...be58fe5369.jpg

Isnt it obvious....

If you park it inside the garage, the engine has a chance to freeze.
Thus, if you park it outside, then the engine shouldnt freeze.....

The bot's edit may answer your question... or leave you with more questions.

i concur. i bought my 2015 brand new and it was always supposed to be my 2nd "fun weekend car". 3 years ago i got rid of the toyota pickup which may have been one of the few toyota pickups that was a damn money pit for what it was and the FR-S became the daily.
before moving across the country i really took stock of what i wanted and needed and I really do need a pickup truck and over several months i considered trading in my FR-S for a newer Tacoma. However i never did it.
When i moved i had the FR-S transported so it was out of my possession for about 2 weeks. I missed it A LOT.
I'm still going to end up getting a Tacoma but after being without my car for 2 weeks i can't imagine parting with it anymore. Its just so fun to drive and now that I'm in a place with some country roads it's even better driving than before.

Shroedinger's bot.

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