Ditch Evo X for FR-S or wait?
 

Hello all!

I'm fairly new to this forum but loving it already. Now, on to my thoughts!

I'm debating on either trading in my X for an FR-S or sticking out the remaining 2 years I have left and finally owning it. Any advice helps out a lot so pour them in!

Reason why I'm thinking of trading my X is because of high monthly payments ( and the fact that I just got engaged to my lovely GF of 6 years)

My payments are $630 per month + gas$ + $110 insurance, not a lot left over for savings for my wedding/spending. I knew I was going to be paying this amount when I signed my soul away to the dealer 2 years ago but lately I've been struggling financially, living paycheck to paycheck is hard nowadays. I have a 26 months left till I finally pay off my car.

The FR-S lacks power and we all know that BUT... i'm sure it's been proven that with a simple turbo kit by Greddy or FB, this can easily get "fixed", IMO.

By getting the FR-S, my payments would significantly drop and I would have cash left over... I'm in love with the body style of the 86. If I do decide to get it, I will for sure do the rocket bunny conversion because it's been something I've always wanted to do. That wide body with wide wheels is pure sex! :thumbup:

I love my evo very much too. Power is there (350WHP), handles great, looks like it's going to kill you and has 4 doors. Some friends are advising me to stick it out and wait for a turbo version FR-S as a second car. (if it ever comes out)


What do you guys think? Wait and pay 2 more years or trade?


Thanks for reading,

Stan

I think you may have a long wait for a turbo FRS.
You say "we all know it lacks power" but have you drove one yet?
It certainly does lack power compared to an Evo and if you want to point and mash then you will be greatly disappointed.
By the time you mess around with a turbo you would probably break even on what you are paying now.
If I had an Evo (I could have but since I chew up cars during my long commutes I never felt good about destroying one for what they cost here) I would be keeping it and paying it off. They are going to go nowhere but up in value when they become an endangered species in a couple of years.

I had an Evo X GSR, and now have an FR-S. The Evo had power everywhere, and was special in a different way. The FR-S is a much more pure driving experience, and is actually more fun on the street. It's that whole "slow car fast" thing.

The mileage is also 50% better. That doesn't suck.

The only time you really notice how underpowered the FR-S is is when you're trying to pass someone. Just driving it feels good.

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Get rid of the X, then get a wife................not sure you'll be saving any money.........:lol: :lol: :bow: :thanks:

If you can ride it out just keep the EVO. Sure you can turbo charge the FRS, but are you going to be ok with the car not being on the road when something goes wrong?

Having a car that comes turbo charged from the factory and turbo charging an NA car are two completely different worlds.

If you really want a turbocharged FRS, you can buy a used one for $21k, then buy a turbo kit with all the necessary reliability/supporting mods for about $8k (including labor).

Granted you probably wouldn't be able to finance all the aftermarket parts (though some companies let you), but $29k all in is still cheaper than an Evo.

Honestly though, I was about to buy a turbo kit but the reliability issues worried me, so I got a supercharger instead. Maybe you should just consider a different car if you still want a turbo. Also, going from 4 doors to 2 doors makes you realize how nice it is to have usable rear seat. I know this from experience.

Who teaches you guys about finances!? Jesus. You're gonna get rid of a car that is half way paid off? Say you do buy an FR-S and want to turbo it, thats around $3k-5k then Rocket bunny is another $5k+ to paint and install, then wheels to fit the wide body is another $2k+. Why not put all that money on the Evo and have a paid for car if you're living paycheck to paycheck?

I can't believe some of the questions on this site anymore.

Keep the EVO till its paid off.

I went from and EVO 8 to the frs and ill tell you now eventually you will miss the boost. The car is wonderful but its quite a jump power wise. And turboing your frs as others mentioned will probably be more of a headache than the EVO.

By the time you add the turbo..the rocket bunny...the other mods... you'll be spending more than paying off that Evo X.

this.

If you're looking to start saving sell the X pick up a corolla and chill until you can afford fun car again

Very true, I have yet to drive one.

Thanks!

I keep seeing this on the internet. If I do, it will be my first RWD car.

She just graduated from nursing school (RN) and will be taking the license exam next month... her income + mine = saving $ is secure :thumbsup:

Very true, thank you.

reliability issues would be my main concern too... Thank you.


Yeah silly questions like this one are everywhere and sometimes deserve a :bonk:

Was just a thought but will certainly keep my evo until it's paid off.

Thank you all for your input.

Holy fuck at that monthly payment!

Evos do have ridiculous resale though, you could end up coming out alright if you sold it.

I'd go with a lightly used 86 though, and throw a big chunk of money on the down payment.

Financially smart thing to do: Sell Evo, buy a beater car with cash, no more payments, save for FR-S get finances stable, buy FR-S in 2-3 years used for ~$15k.

Lots of fun beaters depending on budget, Miata, Integra, Mazda3, old WRX, GTI, Civic SI, Mustang, etc.

I had an Evo X for 5 years. You take a big power hit with the FR-S. However, I much prefer the looks of the FR-S and it has a huge aftermarket if you want to go forced induction.

Id say wait and save up for an 86. But forget about turbo...instead also save up for a Vorshlag LS V8 conversion (because its still being worked out but should be ready in a year or so). Normally aspirated 400hp/400lbft in a 2800lb total package with a little better F/R weigh balance than stock...slap a vette silly on the straights and in the corners and be WAY more reliable than any turbo setup.

100 more hp than an off the shelf supercharger that you can install in a weekend that seems to be doing very well on reliability for how much more money? Looks like a crate LS3 is ~$6k so about the same as a supercharger without a tranny, rear end, any of the labor or fab work etc.

The more I look at it the more a JRSC or Vortech with the canned smog legal tune makes perfect sense, and I haven't seen a single one blown up yet.

The BRZ06 was trying to be sold for what, $55k? That is not a cheap setup and OP is already living paycheck to paycheck just making car payments.

I would either keep the evo or just buy a frs. Don't wait for the turbo verison don't even know when or if its coming out. And is gonna cost a lot more then the version right now

I am gonna be the voice of reason and say dump the EVO-X and get a cheap car for a bit. There is more to life then owning a nice car. If you must get an a car, get a used FRS or BRZ.

You don't have to buy a new crate motor, you could always go with a used LS for 2k-3k. Main thing is you'll be going with a normally aspirated motor with proven reliability and plenty of torque and hp that will have less headaches running in the heat challenged engine bay of the 86 than a Forced Induction system. It will also be a step up from the EVO in terms of performance. And I wouldn't touch anything coming from Weapons Grade based on their reputation...

If I ever went FI it would be a screw type supercharger (Innovate)... they do make a lot more sense and put a lot less heat into the engine bay. However that means working the stock FA20 motor harder... and I already have issues with the stock motor as is. Much rather just go clean slate and stay NA.

My suggestion is this...

Wanting is not needing.

However, if the EVO is bothering you or your not happy with it anymore than yes, just get a car you will love because you live once.

I was in this situation when i bought my BMW 335I, and after 6 months of owning it and hating it, I bought an FRS instead. I did a lease takeover for the 335i, however i lost my $5000.00 down payment. Yes a lot of money, but it was either 4 years of driving a car i hated or losing 5G's and driving a car that puts a smile on my face everyday.

Heat comes from combustion right? So how much heat is generated is related to how much fuel is being burned and directly linked to how much power is being made, 400 hp from an LSx will be just as heat challenged as 400 hp from an FA20.

Agreed that an FA20 is far from proven at this point and the LSx is extremely stout, but I think it's not as dismal as you make it seem, there's maybe a couple hundred engines blown up stock out of >50k units that have been on the road for over a year, and this is the first run. Hell call it a thousand, that's still ~2% max. Time will tell how the FA20 holds up, like I said I'll eat my words when I see someone blow a canned CARB legal tuned supercharger, we've seen blown NA motors on bad tunes, FI is not a time bomb if done responsibly. And that is something I didn't think I'd be saying a few years ago.

lol, complains about being broke, wants to trade in a car that's halfway paid off, then dump over 10000 into the car he's trading for. Makes so much sense.

You lost me with the rocket bunny kit.

Jump ship bro! frs/brz is the most fun I've had in a LONG time. This car makes me smile so much on the road and the car isn't even broken in yet. I can't imagine how much fun i'll be having when the car is broken in. I'm also not even driving this car on windy turns because I live in hawaii and there is a lack of turns.

Funny u should ask...cause that is exactly what i did for the same reasons. I had a 2012 gsr. I got a 2013 frs brand new. The switch was major in terms of power and interior room. If u can accept the power loss u will love the car. The looks r great compared to the evo. I drive my cars hard and track them. My evo handled amazing. My frs doesnt handle "better" but different. It has a more natural agility and tight/low feeling. If u dont track or drive hard on twisties u will probably regret the switch. Also if u need back seat room u will regret the frs. Hope this helps.

Don't do it. The EVO will hold its value better and if you throw $10-15K in modifications into a twin you will be throwing money away. Just look at what modified twins are going for in the classifieds. $35-45K modded twins are lucky to go for $26-32K. Rocket bunny kits make it even harder to sell because it appeals to a much smaller buyer market. And you are throwing your warranty away.

If money is that tight refinance the EVO or just buy a slightly used FR-S for$18-20K and don't dump money into mods.

Uhm, rocket bunny doesn't void warranty. Except for maybe on the corrosion side of things. But it would be hard for Scion to prove that you putting wider fenders onto your car made your engine explode in a ball of regret and tears.

I did not read all the responses so this is just my opinion. Anyone that ask about a FR-S and then the very next question has "turbo" in it should not buy a FR-S.

If you need to lower the amount of cash going to a car then buying a cheaper car and then spending $5K++ to turbo it just undos everything you were trying to accomplish. A lot of guys have already discovered a turbo FR-S ain't all that and you see them up for sale all the time on here. Plus putting a turbo on a high compression engine with no internal work is not the best idea in the world. You should only do that if you can afford to replace the engine if it blows. Where is that money going to come from?

I do not think a turbo FR-S is the answer to your prayers.

He said he wants to add forced induction which nullifies your powertrain warranty. Rocket Bunny kits are very polarizing. People either like them or hate them and it adds like to no value to the car and makes it harder to sell.

I thought I was paying my left arm every month... jeeze those numbers!

Anyways, you mentioned that you are getting engaged. Plan on having a family? Even though you can make the backseat of the Twins work, I would imagine it'll be much easier in the Evo. As others have said, bite the bullet and keep it. Used Twins will still be around in the future.

Why not get a factory turbo RWD car like an Ecoboost Mustang or Genesis coupe? If you're on a budget, it would make a lot more sense than adding FI to a Twin.

You already answered your own question.

If you want to turbo the FRS to match the power output of the Evo, be prepared to throw away the warranty and be on the hook for any/all issues that may arise.

If you want to wait for a turbo version, you'll be dead before the car shows up. Toyota/Subaru can make a turbo version if they want to, but you have to look at a turbo FRS or turbo BRZ in the context of their product stack and how it fits with their target demographics.

A better question is: for $35-40k, which would you rather have? A turbo BRZ, or a turbo WRX STi? STi sales will be cannibalized and that is not sales growth, that is market share shifting. The share shifting part is very important when it comes to how OEMs position product.

-alex

Hell, I might be willing to trade my turboed FRS for your EVO.

You probably won't be saving anything since your evo will hold value while a new FRS will drop. I had lease a Fiesta ST which is a fun little car and I'm replacing that with a FRS, focus RS or final edition Evo X next year probably.


If you must go FRS consider the BRZ because cheaper insurance. If you downgrade to a Fiesta ST you will save insurance. Just remember marriage and after marriage is expensive.

My insurance is the same as my girlfriend's 2015 Corolla; both considered passenger cars. Maybe different for different companies or states.
Op keep the Evo and enjoy as is.

When I got my insurance quote, the FRS was 1 dollar more expensive than the BRZ. 1 dollar.

That dollar is one less dollar to spend on more toys!

LOL! If I went with the BRZ, I can go buy an ebay/autozone exhaust within a year! :D

If I had to pick one major con for the twins, it's definitely the resale value - it's really made me rethink about how much money I'd like to put into it if I had a car in mind 5-7 years down the road.

Coming from STIs and EVOs that hold their value real well, you'd be taking an even bigger financial hit switching over if you ever had to consider their values.