13 vs 14 vs Color!
 

Hey guys,

I'm looking to join the club soon with a new BRZ M/T Limited and I'm wondering what you guys have to say about it. Clearly the 2014 BRZ will be coming relatively soon, however, my local dealer is currently offering me a pretty good deal on a 2013 BRZ and I'm wondering whether or not I should wait or go for it and get the 2013. I am not sure what changes the 2014 model will bring, but I have heard they aren't major. Obviously, the 2014 model is going to cost me a bit more than the 2013 and so the question lies on whether or not the changes are going to be significant enough to justify the increased cost. So that you know, The dealer is offering me close to invoice on the 2013 BRZ.
What are your thoughts? Jump on the 2013 or wait and pay a bit more for the 2014?

Bonus question:
This car for me was love at first sight, even if the reviews sucked I would be tempted to buy it simply because of its looks, and after test driving it? My wallet was never gonna win... This leads me to a dilemma about color, aside from black and red, I could be swayed to buy any of the options, so my question is, which colors are easiest to take care of? I currently own a black car and keeping it clean has been a nightmare.

Thanks for taking the time to read and sorry for the lengthy (first) post! :)

I would say white. But I don't know what updates the 14 will hace I would ask dealer of what updates or tsb's that it needs or has

I'd say the decision is between you and your wallet ultimately. While a first year car may (depending on production numbers) be worth more later on down the road, the 2014 should have most, if not all, the bugs worked out. Since you can order a 2014 now, I'd try to work the dealer down in price on the 2013 too.......

Silver. Go Silver my man!!

The current information points to 'revised badging' (leading opinion is that "SUBARU" will be removed from the trunk lid), 'Improved kneepads' (leading opinion is that the molded black plastic trim pieces on either side of the HVAC controls and around the door speakers will be replaced by ones wrapped in leather and with red stitching, like the JDM GT86 has), and a different head unit that is the same hardware but with a firmware update to use Aha! radio for the 2014. The first one of those mods is free, the second costs $175-250 or so right now (JPM coachworks or imported JDM kneepads), but may drop in price when the parts become available from US dealerships, and there's no solid info on the last one (although rumor is that current Imprezas get the Aha! upgrade for $100, but I believe that is at time of purchase, so I don't know if we'd be able to bring ours back in for an upgrade)

I'm just afraid, mainly of the new head unit containing a better UI. I don't really care about AHA, but I have heard of people complaining about the touch buttons being too small. This could potentially be changed, right? Also, I read some rumors about steering controls? I would definitely want those and hate myself for getting a 2013 if they came on the 2014.

The rumors, at least the ones here, are kinda BS.

So back in late 2012, there was a pre-production BRZ floating around with steering wheel audio controls and a HU with Aha! that went to a couple different review sites, magazines.

At some point before production, they ditched the SWCs and Aha!

So once the Aha! upgrade was announced for MY2014, people started digging up these year old videos and articles showing the Aha! radio from the late 2012 pre-production model, which had SWCs.

A couple numerically challenged people didn't bother looking at the dates on any of the pictures/videos/articles showing the SWCs, and started a rumor that the MY2014 would have them.

It's certainly possible that it might, but I've never seen a source for the rumor besides people who thought the pictures of the late 2012 pre-production model were actually a teaser for the MY 2014.

Oh, thanks very reassuring. Thanks for clarifying.

Silver would be the easiest to maintain. But I would go for a 13 just for the fact that I think the 14 will be nothing to brag about. Most of the bugs should already be taken care of by now as well, it's not like tehy keep putting bad parts in the 13 and go, "hey the 14 is going into production, let's put the good stuff in." They fix as they build, so I would take a killer deal on a 13 :)

This might be a little too much to ask but would anyone be interested in loosely ranking the colors, clearly silver is the easiest but what would come after that? What are your opinions on white (i've heard mixed, from scratches are hard to see to it's just as hard to upkeep as black). Also, what defines a killer deal? I'm not quite getting invoice here but close to it..

Edit: forgot a point

I would say:

SSM - Silver
SWP - White
WRB - Blue
GBS - Dark Blue
DGM - Grey
CBS - Black

Anything under MSRP I would say is a great deal! :thumbup:

You might as well take the deal on the 2013 unless the dealer wants to give you the same deal on a 2014, which they likely won't. There's nothing significant enough about the 2014 to make it worth waiting for. If anything you should want to get one ASAP to enjoy for the rest of the summer! If you get a 2013, Galaxy Blue Silica is being discontinued so that would make it a pretty rare bird; Lightning Red is also rare. My second favorite color after Galaxy Blue is Dark Gray Metallic.

Since I don't have to worry about winter, the main reason I'm moving my date up by a few months is to try and nab a Galaxy Blue before its gone. If I didn't have to worry about it, I'd easily wait for 2-4 months to get a 14 in DGM.

All about your personal preference (do you want it now at a discount, or a "newer" year next to it for a potential higher resale value later?)

Beauty/logic is in the eye of the beholder....

Just go to http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/brz/index.html and see what color you think you like. lol

I compared colors for hours before I made up my mind. I chose Satin Pearl White. I feel like the details and shape of the car are more noticable. Plus, I've drive black cars all my life and they are a pain to keep clean. Don't get SPW confused with regular White paint. The Satin finish looks awesome on this car!

My person ranking of color would be this:
1: Satin Pearl White
2. World Rally blue
3. Dark Metalic Grey
After that I'm not a fan of any of the other colors...

I had the same dilemma, '13 vs'14. Ultimately, I went with the '13. I got the deal I wanted and I'll get to enjoy it sooner.
My biggest concern was the new model issues, but it seems like most are fixed on the late '13 models.

I actually love the Galaxy Blue, I'm sad to see it go and could justify easily getting a 2013 for this reason. One question, will it be hard to find repair parts in the future or anything since the color will be discontinued? I was thinking about this the other day and it seemed like a valid reason not to get it, with the logic being - if it's rare to find, it's rare to repair...

It shouldn't be. Correct me if I'm wrong, but usually replacement panels/bumpers do not come prepainted.

The twins are bitch to keep clean. Any color will have a dirty ass end with a bit of driving. :)

That being said they look good in any color.

Get the '13, there's nothing worth paying whatever markup is going to be on the '14 (and there will be a markup), get the first color that comes in, leave it to chance (as long as you don't hate it) and you'll have very few regrets.

I like your - dare I say it - "yolo" approach to the problem.

lol I can live with that.

I have never heard anybody say "man I should have waited longer to get X" and with what we know about the '14 model changes (a knee pad and badging, whoopee) plus the markup I can't see why anyone would wait.

Unless they're paralyzed by fear of the chirps or DI seals, neither of which are dealbreakers when you look at them objectively.

Personally I would have taken any color that wasn't Black, White or Red, I was kind of disappointed when I finally got an order form they made me pick.

This color will still be around on the Scion, which will make only the exterior parts hardish if its specific to the BRZ. However about 80-90% are the same apart from the bumper or the vents. Remember though that any parts can be painted to match the car. Mechanically, nothing is changing (that I know of). Plus late model 13's should be as close mechanically as the 14's due to the proximity of build dates.

Have you heard about Clint from Heuberger Subaru?

That guy has been selling BRZs below the "deal" of your subaru dealership, including shipping to your door.

I was in the same boat, deciding between the '13 vs '14. I recently got impatient and decided to go for '13. The '14s won't be arriving until November, if they stay on target.

However, I do not care at all about the re-sale value, or anything like that in the future. I'll be moding the crap out of this car and won't care how much I sell it for (if I ever, this will be one my toys). If you sort of do care about the value and selling it in the future, then just wait for '14.

I'm waiting for my '13 to arrive, I went for Black because it's going to be garaged, and only used on the weekends and for pleasure driving. Otherwise, I wouldn't get black, it's a nightmare trying to keep it clean.

Silver or white would be my options if this was my only car.

What's changed mechanically over the first year of production that precludes you from saying all '13 models will be similar to '14?

Dark Gray Metallic is easy to clean and doesn't show filth as quickly as other colors. I've had silver vehicles in the past and paint chips, dings, and scratches are obvious. Had an 03 Civic Si HB and it was pretty bad. My black 05 STI isn't nearly as bad, but dirt shows on it a lot worse than silver.

Personally, I'd go with either Dark Gray Metallic or World Rally Blue (classic, looks fantastic with gold wheels). Had an 07 Civic Si in blue and it wasn't nearly as bad as silver to keep looking clean.

Silver's a bitch to keep clean and invisible to Jeep drivers.
http://www.robertowenlee.com/picdump...s/SiWreck1.jpg

I dunno man, my SWP gets dirty quick, but probably due to my wide rims w/o mud guards. Shit sprays all over the side of my car.

Con's of SWP would be it is the hardest to paint match when you get spoilers/body kits etc.

I still think it looks the best, and shows the beautiful lines of the car. The black accents on the car is perfect if you want to do the panda look (black/white/carbon fiber).

I was in the same boat. Was going to wait until 14s but ended up getting a great deal that I couldn't refuse. I think if I would have waited for 14s It would had turned into getting a 15 based on rumors of a refresh.

I'm referring to any mechanical updates they have tweaked on the line from say July of 2013 as opposed to March of 2012. You have to remember that during a production cycle there will be minor tweaks to the smallest mechanical pieces as more are produced, tested, and flaws are reported. So a two month difference from a late 13 to a 14 will be close mechanically speaking as opposed to an early 2014 to an early 2013....which is for any production based car, really.

Not that's there's anything wrong with the early 13s....just potentially minute differences compared to a late model year car.

By that logic you should wait for the last month of production for this version of vehicle. Those changes are usually very minute, stuff like "we're going to assemble in this order now" or "use epoxy xxxx and wait 20 minutes instead of 10".

I guess I just haven't seen anything that would make it worth the wait at this point.

Exactly. To me, it makes no difference when deciding between a 13, late 13, or 14, as I'm trying to find a 13...however it's due to a color choice not on the 14. Regardless of the car, the first year of production will always be a learnng process for the manufacturer (what panels fit, tail lights, interior, etc). My timing has come down to financial and color in the end. The car is the same mechanically in terms of driving...so it's all the same enjoyment in the end.

I have not heard of that dealer. Whats the deal? Could you explain further? :)

Silver is the color you choose if you are dull and don't care about life.

J/K :p

Gonza- he works for a dealer in Colorado and is on this forum. People swear by him and he will get you the best deal out there. I think that dealer goes with volume versus one sell. Sell 40 a month and make like 200 dollars vs sell 2-3 and make 2k.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33553

Check him out.

I just ordered from him, great guy, easy to work with and the price is just beyond ridiculous.

I've never been fan of buying cars somewhere else without personally being there at least at the time of closing.

But for the price he gets you, plus his reputation (read his reviews here in forums or in other place) I felt confident enough to give it a try.

My '13 arrives sometime this September.

yea from what i've read, '14 is not a big deal over '13. the extra cabin accessories are a joke. majority of owners won't drive the car on the track or hard enough commuting to work anyway to see DI issues i think

IMO, silver, WRB, black, white

Weren't DI issues present only in pre-February production?

I thought that issue was already settled when they found out that everysingle DI failure claim from VINs XXXXX, which corresponded to pre-February production models.

your probably right, i don't follow that close :bonk:

Just wanted to thank everybody for their input. I decided to order a 2014, limited MT, color TBD, however, I'm leaning towards the dark gray :)