Opinion on how to go about buying a BRZ?
 

I have wanted the BRZ since launch and for the past couple months have been looking into what year I am wanting to buy. Since day one I decided on lightning red limited 6-speed. I test drove a new 2015 a couple days ago finally and loved it. Price was $30k with the first package after fees. Car only had 12 miles.

Problem for me is that I see three options that I like and not sure which I should go with.

1. Buy 2016 once they release in a couple months and pay the $30k then.
2. Buy a slightly used 2015 (if I can find it) after 2016 releases for a few thousand less.
3. Buy a 2013/14 with some miles on it for substantially less but risk not knowing it's history.

I do plan on modifying the car (not heavily) so one worry is buying a new 2016 and end up voiding the warranty by flashing the ECU and adding bolt-ons like intake, header back, ect. This actually makes me lean towards the second option where I save a few thousand and can put that towards mods.

Sorry about the long post! Anyone want to give me their opinion on what I should do? Thanks.

Your car your money your choice.
Your options go from
newest to new to used from most expensive to not as expensive to cheapest.
You should do what you want.

I think you already answered your question with this part right here.

1. Decide what you want.
2. Go to dealer that has what you want.
3. Come to agreement on price that you're happy with.
4. Buy car.
5. Enjoy car.
6. (Optional) if not happy with car, trade in for Mustang or other large fishing vessel.


:thumbsup:

I called the dealer and picked up the last manual old stock. got a big discount.

I just bought a BRZ after being in the market for a few months, so here's my input...

You can surely save a few thousand by waiting a few months and buying a new 2015 when they are clearing them off the lot after 2016s are released, especially in the winter. Around April, a dealer near me sold their last '14 limited for 24 OTD. Now that's a deal...especially if you want to buy new.

I opted for buying a 13-14 used BRZ L with under 10k miles. You can usually get a good idea how well the car was kept simply through conversations with the seller and test drives (I bought through private seller). Also, make sure all maintenance and service records are included. Buying through a private seller also allowed me to transfer the Gold Plus warranty to my name for a small fee. It took me 3/4 months to find exactly what I wanted, but it certainly paid off in the end.

To many, spending 4/5k extra to buy new is probably worth it if they're able to get one of the last year's models at a discount. I was fine with waiting and putting that money elsewhere (aka mods haha). Hope you find what meets your needs!

id buy used. there all all the same car

If you are modding the powertrain buy a used one. Even buying a gently used one with less than 10K miles can save you thousands, but you have to be willing to extend your buying range a little.

I'd be worried buying these cars used since they tend to be driven more harshly than your average car lol. Plus, Subaru doesnt do certified used cars :( so no warranty support if you need it.

I got my 2015 Limited out the door for 28.5k, which is pretty good considering the taxes here in NYC. But I bought it during the last week of december and signed final papers on January 2nd. Meaning it was right as the dealership was closing out their year lol.

Winter + year end = low demand for a RWD sports car + desire to sell ASAP.

This you're rolling the dice buying used. Could be a good condition car on the outside but was boosted for the first 10k of its life pushing 400hp and turned back to stock. Then you buy it assuming its stock and it turns out.to be a pos and the engine pops a few miles into ownership. I'd look for any older model years that might still be on the lot and go from there

:iono: http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/certified-pre-owned.html

I don't see them often, but they are out there... basically a 7 year / 100K powertrain warranty.

The folks telling you to buy used might have missed this. Lightning Red is not a common color. If you're set on red, you might get lucky, but you also might have a difficult time finding one used or a new 2015 sitting on the lot.

Also, the ones that sit on the lot are usually automatics. If you're looking for a manual, it will be harder to find a 2015 still sitting there when the 2016s arrive. Fewer people want this car with an automatic, so they just don't sell as quickly.

You can wait and watch and see if you get lucky, but you may end up either having to look far and wide for it or compromising on your choices. A local dealer might be able to search other inventories and find one on another lot somewhere else, but if that happens you're not likely to get the great deal that you'd get on one that has been sitting around locally.

My advice: Don't compromise on color or transmission. I actually own a 2014 Lightning Red Limited 6-speed. I ordered it that way to get exactly what I wanted. To me it was worth it. If I were in the market now, I would wait for the 2016 and order it exactly the way I wanted it.

Hm... I must've missed that somehow.

But when I search within distance "ALL" of my area, there isnt a single BRZ. *shrug* odd

Not saying you're wrong, but I'm not sure how accurate that statement is. When I was shopping around my area, all 4 dealerships I checked had more MT than AT on their lots. Some even had no AT at all. Its probably just dependent on each dealership's sales strategy.

Buy used but be careful. Cuz 99% of Brz probably got redlined eveyday :lol:

Not as odd as you think... i think I've seen one or two in the New England area during the last year or so.

Rare, but not extinct...

These 3 quotes is what has me here asking this question that some of you probably think is pretty stupid. I won't know the history of a used car but will be spending thousands more on a new car that I will be beating on myself. Hard decision there. Lightning red is a very hard color to find, so it limits my choices by a lot. If I could go anywhere and get hands full of choices and decide "hey, this price looks good." or "Hey, this one looks like it was taken care of." then I could easily make a decision. Problem is I can only find like 2013's with 20k+ miles for $22k or brand new 2015 for $30k... huge jump!


This is the only reason why I am considering $30k on a new one. I'm way picky on what I want. The one I test drove was perfect, couldn't get better. Other than the price lol

If the car stayed in NA all life I'm sure it's ok. Problem is alots of them were turboed then put back to stock. Those ones u need to avoid for sure...

Another thing is that used BRZ is more rare then FRS.........different crowd & Ya....red BRZ...... I haven't see one in my life. All WRB or White lol

You can tell if a car has been that modified then put back to stock.

If I was to go with a 2015 with under 10k miles what would be a good price? I have no idea how to price them out. Is there any price that would be a "deal"?

This was the choice I made. I set a budget and then went to cargurus.com and cars.com. Searched both BRZs and FR-Ss.

It didn't take much time at all (less than 2 weeks) to find a very-well documented car in near-perfect shape with low mileage and the color/options I wanted. Happened to be a Toyota-Certified 2013 FR-S with complete service history. Paid $6,500 less than new. Win-win.

Used 2013 only $6.5k less than new? That doesn't seem like too good a deal to me. I don't know much about used BRZ value, other than it holds pretty good value. But a 2013 for only $6.5k off a new 2015 doesn't seem too good, or am I wrong?

Another good question which I will go search right now is what exactly are the small differences between the years? I know about the antenna (which I love the '15 shark fin) but not sure about much else.

Uhh...sounds like a great deal to me. As he put it, a near perfect condition, Certifed pre owned car for around $20-22k. What's not to like.

If you're hard and fast on a color, then order a new one. If you're a little flexible, I'd wait until the fall and you'll see big discounts on leftover 2015s. If you're completely flexible and want to save money, then buy used.

Try using Autotrader and do a search on new and used cars in your area and you will see how the used car prices are in your area.....I was tracking some near me and found too many autos, may have to order one

If I were to do it again, at the time, I would have bought a slightly used one from a dealer that was certified pre-owned with some warranty, and taken the money I saved over brand new, and would save it for FI when the warranty is up.

Or Id do what @0351USMC did and find a lightly used twin that has been force induced by a reputable tuner with a reputable kit.
.

Cash or credit generally. If you are leasing one, you are not buying it. So that is not a discussion to have here based on your subject line.

It depends on your location. The best way to know the right price is to go to kbb.com or edmunds.com and enter the info about the car. Those sites will give you average values in your area, which you can use as a starting point to figure out how much you should expect to pay.

I actually just realized it was an FRS as well. Ok, that really was a good price.

I am 100% set on a LR Limited 6-speed. I have only seen a hand full in my search for sale and it was out of the state and none were at a price I liked or they had a front license plate (I want no holes in my bumper).

I haven't full on searched Autotrader to be honest.. I have to go on there and seriously look. I really only skimmed and saw outrageous prices.

I'm buying, will have it paid off in a year.

The thing sites like KBB don't take into account is the rarity of the car though. The dealer told me "You will have a hard time finding it cheaper in red, they are more rare" It was the only red one on the lot and the rest were black and white and 1 WRB.

Don't blame you! With that in mind, if I was you, here's what I would do. If you have a Subaru dealer nearby that you trust, visit them and see what they'd do for you for a 2015 Limited to get a price in mind, even for one they have on their lot. Then, tell them you only want a LR Limited M6 and see if they can dealer trade for one. If not, then you could ask them about the ordering process for a 2016. Email or call all other nearby Subaru dealers for the same quote.

If you're okay with buying a plane ticket and a long drive home (or shipping the car home), check out Heuberger Subaru in Colorado. Pretty much the best prices in the country.

I bought mine as a leftover last fall, but I was very flexible on color (anything but white or silver). Called or emailed pretty much every dealer in my state before finding a great deal.

Someone got that cheddar

Best way to go, post wrecking a 10 Series

I just saw this at the Fox News page. Don't know if it'll help you, but it mentions some things I didn't know about.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/...ntcmp=features

Good luck.

I am in the same boat, I also want red,but there are none in so cal. I may go for a 2015 WRB if the discount it big enough. I am also going to the scion dealer to see what the new red looks like if I don't like the new color I have to rethink everything

I ordered mine from a big & reputable dealer out of state, got a cheap ($75) plane ticket and picked it up. You can save a lot of money (I saved $2k vs local) depending on how competitive your local dealers are. Iowa doesn't have many Subaru dealers, so they aren't competing with eachother on price.

However if you are set on doing moderate/serious mods, I'd just buy a used one and have it checked out by someone very familiar with these cars. But you have to be more flexible on year and color.

Good luck.

I test drove the BRZ in 2013 and fell in love with it then, but it wasn't practical for me to buy one at the time. Flash forward two years and my wife gave me the opportunity to buy one, but I had to pay for it with cash which limited my budget.

I went out and bought a salvaged BRZ at auction. It's been completely fixed now and is in the paint shop getting re-shot with the 02C blue. With the money I saved vs buying even a used BRZ (going for $21,000+ in my area), I turbo'd the engine, got a racing driveshaft, and did a few other mods to the car. All in all I dropped about $18k on the car with title and registration - and I'll have 350WHP to show for it after I get my tune done in a week or two.

A lot of people seem to have this weird idea that a used car or even a salvaged car is a big risk... For me personally I love the fact that I know everything that was done to my car to bring it back to life, every weld, every bolt, etc... And I know it's as good as any used car on the road - and just as safe. Sure I will have a rebuilt title, but I spent less overall on my car fully-modded than what most people spend buying a used car with 30k miles.

What you do is up to you, but this is what I did when it came time to buy my BRZ. The only recommendation I have is DON'T BUY NEW. Why take the hit when you drive it off the lot?

How long would I have to wait to get $1000 off a 2016 BRZ limited?
In Southern California
I am trying to see if buying now or waiting is better.

I have dealers that are discounting 2015 $2200 at this time.

I saved 6k buying a used BRZ Limited with 5500 miles.