Premium vs Limited - Agonizing Decision
 

My head hurts. For $1.6k, is the Limited worth the extra goodies? I'm been driving a econobox for several years now so anything is an upgrade at this point. The Limited offers an extra bit more that I don't need but would appreciate in a new car.

What I would like are:
- keyless entry and ignition, gimmicky, quirky sensors, meh or fantastic ?
- leather and alcantara - does it offer more durability or better looks

Questionable:
- security system - does the Premium not have anything other than remote locking and unlocking?

What I won't miss:
- heated seats, nice for colder winters so its a nice to have but won't miss it
- heated mirrors - same

Any thoughts on whether this is worth $1.6k extra?

Is the package worth the extra money, absolutely. Buying all those parts extra plus labor would add up to much more.

You also forgot the spoiler and the fog lights.

The leather..... I think the cloth looks better, it's black and I have never really been a fan of the leather.

Keyless ignition provides a convenience factor. If you mind turning an ignition or pressing a lock button to lock/unlock doors. Then this would be good for you.


With that said however, I won't be getting a limited because I want cloth seats. I'll just add on the spoiler

It's going to come down to personal preference and what you want. Everyone's got an opinion, all the people that bought a premium will justify why and so will all the Limited guys

Limited price difference is definitely worth it to me for all the extras, but get what you want :thumbsup:

For me, the keyless access is worth the premium alone...

As for security... essentially all modern cars have built-in security via the chip in the keys. Modern cars really aren't stolen often because of this (they just won't run without a key). It won't keep your windows from getting broken though.

-Charlie

Definitely worth it in my opinion. Keyless entry is awesome. No more fondling for keys when carrying things.

I'm not in the love with the spoiler though. Unfortunately, most of the premiums I looked at already has the spoiler installed. I like the TRD ducktail better.

I personally wanted a car to have the traditional turn key ignition but since I've had my Limited I couldn't imagine living without keyless entry and start. The seats are pretty low so getting into pocket to get the key is a bit of a pain so I'm glad I have the keyless start. Also, being able to touch my car's handle to lock is just awesome. I end using my forearm/elbow to lock my car while carrying stuff.

The fog lights add a great look at night but don't add much visibility. The spoiler is complete personal preference but I think it looks good, not too flashy. Also, I've just started using the heated seats since it started to get cold. I didn't think I'd use them as much as I do in the mornings since I'm in GA but it helps a lot.

Ultimately, it's up to you. But for less than $2k I couldn't live without these features.

I'll never buy another car without heated seats.

I detest the spoiler, but I guess I'll live with it.

I faced the same dilemma. The one thing I wanted in my car was leather and that gave me only one option, BRZ Limited. The problem with that was I did not want navigation and I realize that hate is a strong word but I hate spoilers when they do not serve any function. So, the only option I had was the Subaru Premium or the Scion FR-S. Between the two I prefer the FR-S styling (front end) so that's the one I went with. I decided I could always buy a cool set of Katzkins leather covers if necessary but I'm finding I don't dislike the fabric seat covers in the FR-S.

Seriously i cant stand the corolla ac control knobs. Cause i own a corolla and i hate it. And sports car should not have a corolla ac knob. Im not even joking

The seats and keyless were reason enough for me. I could definitely live without the fog lights that I don't use and the spoiler.

I agree completely. I LOVE this feature on my Limited. Along with the seats it was totally worth the cost.

Edit: I can't read.

For 1.6k. Fk yes. Short and simple if for no other reason that resale value down the road.

Fixed?

He meant price premium.

The keyless entry and start is beyond amazing.

That alone is worth the extra. And heated seats.. man have I missed those :).

Its worth it unless you prefer to spend limited available funds on different mods. Then, you might consider the base or the Scion.

I would have really loved the keyless entry and the push button start. It's kind of a pain to get in and out of the car when you're tall and not having to hold keys or pull them out of my pocket would make it a smoother transition. That being said, I still opted for the Premium and have no regrets. The features didnt jump out as important to me and just because Im taking out an auto loan doesnt mean Im not spending my money.

How about think like this.
You pay $1,600 over Premium for all those now.
5 years down the road, you sell the car for $850 more than Premium.
You end up spending $750 more than Premium.
That's only $150 per year. $12.50 per month. 40 cents per day.

Less is more for me, so I'd opt for the Premium... But I'm not your average car shopper, so I wouldn't follow what decision I'd personally make. ;)

If you're going to daily drive the car and really use the car every chance you get for several years down the road... Then you may want to get the Limited. You don't want to question yourself on why you didn't get the option you could've opted for in the beginning.

A $1,600 difference makes the decision that much more forgiving, so don't stress yourself out much... I wouldn't worry about the price difference in this case. Choose what you will appreciate, and then don't look back.

Although, after I re-read your opening post... It seems to me that perhaps you would be more comfortable with going with a Premium (less options) since you're coming from an economy car. I have a feeling you won't feel bad one bit after owning the lesser model of the two... Still a fantastic car, but I'll leave the final say to you, of course.

All the best. :thumbsup:

:word:

IMO it's definitely worth the money for the extras you get. In the end, it comes down to personal preference. I ordered an SSM Premium 6MT since I didn't HAVE to have the extras. I'm probably going to use the difference on protecting the car (ie: RustProof, Clear Bra, OptiCoat, etc..) At first, the FR-S had my attention. But I wanted the slightly more refined/classy look the BRZ has. My choice was heavily swayed by the standard HIDs, LED Lighting & NAVI. Also, the interior just feels nicer in the BRZ, when I sat in each in the showrooms. So I felt the higher price was justified.

Now, as for the Premium vs Limited features (in Canada, the Premium is just called 'BRZ' and the Limited version is called 'BRZ Sport-Tech'), just ask yourself a 'Yes I have to have it' or 'No I could live without/Never use it' answer to each extra feature listed. If you end up saying yes to most of the features in the Limited, you better get the Limited in the Color choice you want. That way you won't regret anything later.

For many, people can't live without those extra features and it's great that they're available. In my previous car, I had Heated Alcantara Recaros where I probably used the heated seats 2 or 3 times total in the 3 years of ownership. I'm going to miss the Alcantara material though, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Since, I'm in Canada, I think all BRZ's get Heated Mirrors. I also had auto climate control, which is nice to set it and forget it, but at times I still ended up fiddling with the settings and kinda missed the full control I had with more basic controls. Also had fog lights which i hardly used. But recently, both the fog lights cracked and it wasnt covered under warranty, so it turned out to be an extra expense to fix a feature I don't really use. Not saying it would happen to my BRZ, but I never really use the fog lights since HID was all I needed. The spoiler is a nice touch, but when I look at the BRZ's lines, I think it looks way cleaner wingless. Almost exotic. Again, personal pref. Lastly, the keyless/push start system in the BRZ, I feel, is one of the better systems out there. But call me old fashioned, but I actually like having the physical key.

My apologies for the long post, but like you, I really thought about it when making my decision. Get what YOU feel is worth it to you, since it's YOUR car. The price points for the FR-S/BRZ Prem/Ltd is justified imo. I highly doubt most people would feel ripped off or shortchanged on whatever model they choose. Everyone has their reasoning.

Cheers,
Chris

I was in the same boat. In the end, I determined that I originally wanted the car for what it was, not for what it had. I was originally going to go with an FR-S, but the fact that it was priced higher than the BRZ premium made it a no brainer. No regrets :D

Ahhh...gotcha. Multitasking fails me again.

Wait until late end of next week:

If B. Obama wins the presidential election get the Premium.
If M. Romney wins the presidential election, get the Limited. (you'll probably get a better job, eventually)

Political statements excluded, I say the Limited is more than worth it from a feature to dollar standpoint.

If your thinking about it so much..... Just suck it up and get the Limited. You know that deep down you want it, but your tight arse tenancies are making you question the value.

At the end of the day, if you dont get the Limited, your going to regret it a little bit every time you walk up to the car.

I would have liked the upgrades the limited has except I hate the spoiler. YMV. Regardless, I love my GBS Premium, and the cloth seats are very nice.

Ordered a premium and then changed my order to a limited. I think the proximity key/push button start is worth it alone! Such a nice convience.

Spoiler may not look the best for everyone, but it is functional reducing the drag coeffecient from .28 to .27, which is significant.

The start button does take up half of the limited storage in front of the shifter. I really wish they would have put the start button in exactly the same spot as the iginition key. Would have made sense since I want to reach there anyway, and there is just a simple block off plate covering the hole. Not very finished looking.

Get the limited. Of course, I only say that because that's the choice I made. :thumbsup:

I think you get good value for the additional $1600.

Excuse the stupid question, but I'm not used to all of this technology. What happens when your key fob's battery dies? Can you not get into or start your car since it unlocks your doors and there isn't even a slot for the key in the steering column?

Basically this. The price is definitely worth it, IF you care about the extra equipment or even half of it.

The Toyota here has 2 models too, GT and GTS. The GT might be even lower spec than your premium, with 16" rims and smaller brakes and the GTS has everything but the price difference is AU$5,500 on top of the GT's $29,990 +orc.
Your US$1,600 is almost a quarter of that for loads of gear and looks like an absolute bargain!

There really is no decision. Limited.

It's more of an Alcantra seat, with leather trim. Just pointing that out..

There is a physical key in the fob that you would use to unlock your door. You would then hold up the Subaru symbol on the back of the fob to the push button start for it to detect it (or so the manual says).

and @ OP, go with Limited.

Limited.

Even when a car is reasonably priced up front, it's not cheap to operate once you factor in fuel, maintenance, insurance, taxes, parking, resale, etc. Owning my BRZ for 10 years / 150k miles will cost me 40-42 cents/mile ($16-17/day). I spent $2k extra for Limited, which equates to 1.0-1.3 cents/mile. So while I initially paid an extra ~7% to get Limited, it'll only end up being an extra 2.3-3.3% of the total cost.

IMO, that was well worth it just for keyless, automatic/dual HVAC controls, and heated mirrors. The heated seats, leather/alcantara, and fog lights are also nice to have. I didn't care about the spoiler when I ordered, but it looks good in person, and is actually functional (for reducing drag).

http://www.carsaddiction.com/files/a...brz_manual.pdf

See pages in the 390's for description.

Same here. Taking delivery of my red premium later this month.

The seats alone did it for me. The leather and alcantara looks so upmarket compared to the black cloth with red wings that I went into panic mode and changed my order.
When you add all the other cool features and detail upgrades it was no contest.

Limited, say it 10 times!

The keyless entry, just walk up and open the doors...is not something you install aftermarket.

And then press the push start button...the key is still in the pocket.

Where is the key?