Trading In My Wrx For Brz?
 

I currently own a 2014 Wrx. I've only owned the car for 6 months. Sometimes think I might have bought the wrong car It was a toss up between the Brz and Wrx I wish I would have test drove a Brz. I've always wanted a Wrx and I was finally able to afford one but I guess it's not as great as I thought it would be.

Before the Wrx my daily was a 94 Miata on coil overs and Nice wheels/tires that thing was a blast to drive. I don't really get the connected feel to to road when driving the Wrx through the canyons. I know I could improve the car with mods, currently I have RCE black springs and Nameless catback I'm not that interested in putting more money into it. Maybe the Brz is the better car for me?

Has anyone else made the switch from the Wrx into a Brz

Go test drive a brz, you'll love the steering feel if you came from a miata.

I've seen a few members actually trade in their 86 for the 15 WRX. And of course people from older wrxs trade for an 86.

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I sold my 2003 WRX for a downpayment on my 2013 FR-S. I havent driven the new WRX's but my best advise is go take one for a test drive, and really think to yourself if it's the correct car for you. See if you can live with a 2 door sports car with almost no real back seats. I prefer the fr-s in soo many ways over to my WRX. My WRX was practical and sporty but not as sporty as a twin.

WRX
pros: Being able to fit 5 people in my car comfortably with luggage in the trunk.
cons: It's a sedan, and as much as you want a sedan to be a sports car it just wont be the same.
Fr-s
Pros: Its a sports car. Driving feel and great handling are it's pros. It sits low and really engages the driver. Also, you get many stares in your sexy looking sports car ;)
Cons: its not practical. as any sports car is.

If you had a miata, and liked your miata more than your WRX I think you will like the twins more.

Head down to the dealer and take a test drive. IMO most people either love the BRZ or hate it within the first few minutes, if you loved your Miata, you'll love the BRZ.

Also, you could save up $3k and just go buy another NA Miata... :thumbup:

If you're young and single, fresh outta college with a good job the car is totally practical hehe :clap::clap::clap:

I'm young! (20 years old... 21 next month:thumbup:)
In college
Decent job (waiting to get hired on full time. Then I get benefits and school paid for. Right now I'm a contractor. But been with the company for a year and hlaf now.
Not single though.. but, the GF loves the fr-s so much that when she gets out of college she wants one as well! She wants a firestorm or dark blue frs.

Yes, test drive all three, then go home and think about it. Then think about it some more, and maybe a little more. Then figure out what your goals are for the car and do research to see what it would take to get there, and then think about it more, and maybe a little more research and thinking.

Once you have read all there is to read, and have a good grasp of what you want then go make a well thought out and informed decision and enjoy it.

All three cars have pros and cons that will differ based on your needs and wants.

This is when you know you have a keeper ;)

We drive such a "bro" car its ridiculous haha.

I know what you mean about that feeling of disconnect. I had an STI hatch before switching to my FR-S, and my thoughts basically echo your's. The STI was a fast and capable car, but that feeling of the car being an extension of self was missing.

If you enjoyed your NA Miata on coilovers, I'm guessing you will like the BRZ as well. Also consider getting another Miata, whether new ND or used.

You should also prevent potential future disappointment and drive the new Miata too...

Only you will know what makes you happy.

Not a good idea since you only have one car, If you keep both WRX & BRZ then Triple Yes.

I haven't but one friend went from a previous gen hawkeye hatch WRX to an FR-S and another went from a blob-eye sedan WRX to a BRZ. They're both happy with the switch. It boils down to personal preference - what you want in a car. And it sounds like they appreciate its strong points the same way you would.

coming from a 04 wrx, i am very happy with my BRZ. much funner to drive and no need to worry about the damn turbo. it is slower but speed is not everything

@MStelle

I went from a 2012 WRX to a 2013 FRS to, just recently, a 2016 STI.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the FRS. It was a lot of fun and much more of a connected car than the 12 WRX was. I did occasionally miss the grunt the WRX had, but not all that often. Especially after I added a header and tune to the FRS. It still wasn't as quick from a stoplight compared to the WRX, but that was just fine as the car felt phenomenal to drive on some good roads and on the track.

Aesthetically, I feel the FRS just needs a good ride height drop and a set of wheels to really tie it all together nicely. Power wise, I think the header and tune was perfect for the car as it still retained its N/A response and reliability, yet gave the car that extra punch in the midrange and up top.

The only reason I switched to the STI is because it didn't make sense for me to own the FRS anymore. I was moving back to California, changing jobs, and am getting ready to go back and finish college. That being said, I needed a car more usable and practical for everyday use on everyday roads. I don't have the time to be screwing around, building cars and tinkering on them in the garage. So it was time to part ways with it and get something more "ready to go" out of the box, hence why I chose the new STI.

A few months ago, I would have said the best all around car I've ever owned was my 2012 WRX and the most fun car I've owned was my FRS. Now, I'll say that the best all around car I've owned is my current '16 STI. However, the FRS is still the most fun car I've ever owned.

If you are old and married with a second car that the wife drives, grown kids and a good job the car is totally practical.

from a pure enjoyment perspective its probably the right move to switch. factoring in life, just get a used miata. you get all the fun of a brz, all the utility of a sedan/wagon, and dont take a financial hit.

Oh Tcoat.

:burnrubber::burnrubber::burnrubber:

When I drove my friend's '15 WRX the other day i liked the extra power but wished it handled like my BRZ. When i got back into my BRZ afterwards, i liked how it handled better, but wished it had the extra power of the WRX.

But, i like the way the BRZ looks waaaaay more than the WRX.

I wish i would have test drove more cars. The miata definitely wasn't a freeway car which is the only reason i sold it. Sometimes i drive almost 200 miles a day to my job that thing would be screaming going 75 mph lol... I think the brz would be perfect size wise as well the rear seats fold down i could get my mountain bike in there. I'm going to hold out on a test drive for a couple months because i have a feeling I'll want one even more. Thanks for all the input!

Do not go on a test drive. I broke my logical plan of saving up for 9-12 months and buying the car in full.

I went on a test drive and bought the car a couple weeks later! lol

No regrets however, since the memories and friends I've made are worth it.

I came from a 2012 sti. The only thing that I really truly miss is that power and how easy it was to get that power. If you don't mind the fact you'll be dropping the speed, go for it. I love how it drives compared to the sti

I love my BRZ. With headers + tune the car really wakes up, and a nice catback will make your ears smile. I even converted my interior to the JDM BRZ tS look. With that said.... I want a 2015 WRX. Living with the BRZ for 2 years has been very, very fun. But having to use my girls car to get groceries or go on road trips kind of defeats the purpose of having a cool car as a DD to me tbh. It also sucks complete ass in winter. Last December my tires would have no real problem getting traction but every 15 minutes I was stuck because the front bumper was acting like a snow plow.

My advice is this: you have a 2014 WRX. Upgrade the suspension and get a tune. Spend some money making it look amazing. Overall I'd say you have the better car.

I did :) Still waiting for my WRX though..

My FR-S is practical. I average 32 MPG and the insurance premium is very low.

Check this out too:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93263

I had a '99 NB for 3 years and loved it but eventually wanted a bigger car.
So I traded on a '08 2.5l 5 cylinder Rabbit which I liked at first but quickly started to hate it so a year later I traded it on a '13 BRZ and I'm very happy ever since.

Definitely not as practical as the rabbit but definitely more practical then the miata with similar handling.

My dad has a '06 WRX and while its a nice car it was not want I wanted. I haven't test driven a new WRX because it was getting too expansive for me but I'm sure that I would still have chosen the BRZ.

I'm sure you'd love the BRZ/FRS too.

I got my brz two months ago..Not looking to trade my brz but looking for a jeep now. The car is too low, not practical for north east winters

I owned a 13 BRZ, 14 WRX (hatch) and for the past 16+ months have owned a 15 WRX. Like you, I liked the power and practicality of the WRX but I never felt connected to the car. Then the 15 WRX came out and I never as soon as I test drove it that the 14 was getting traded in. It is such a better drivers car in terms of handling. I added some performance springs, lighter wheel, better tires, and a better rear sway bar and the handling is very, very good.

It will never be a RWD small sports coupe. So if that is what you want then the BRZ is a really great choice. But if you are driving 200 miles sometimes on the highway then the 15 WRX could be a better choice. As others have said test drive these cars all back to back. No bad choices here.

You may also want to drive a new GTI.

I had the pleasure of driving the new Gti for 2 weeks :D

I have a 100 mile commute round trip and in that it was smooth as butter. The gti is a pretty nice car even if you get a base model.

One of my friends just traded in his 2012 STI (stage 2 modded) for a 2016 Golf R manual w/DCC. We traded cars and I got some good seat time in the new R and it is a really great car. DCC is pretty dang cool and really works for bad roads vs good roads. A wonderful daily driver. The two things that I was not impressed with was the power down low (I guess I am used to my WRX which spools boast faster) and the handling. People praise the handling on these cars but I never felt that connected to the car even on track/race DCC settings. It felt very artificial and somewhat vague. I dunno. I got back in my 15 WRX and thought it felt much more dialed in. The STI even moreso.

I need to drive it again and play with the individual DCC settings. Perhaps I can dial it in more. As for the power, don't get me wrong the R pulls really hard once you hit 3K RPM and it just keeps pulling. But the new GTI feels more responsive down low and I am spoiled now with boast down low from my WRX.

Really strange to hear about the lack of low-end torque on the 2016 Golf R. VW rates peak torque at 1800 rpm (280 lbs-ft). Torquegate?? :D

It might still be, but there is a big hesitation there off the line. I started googling it and it seems like a lot of people notice the hesitation. I think hesitation is a better word, and this issue is consistent with the manual and DSG.

Don't get me wrong, the car is plenty fast once you get going, and it does not fall off around 5K like my WRX. But it is like the car needs a kick in the pants to get moving. Strange.

I noticed it right away. I was trying to be nice to his car but I did launch it right around 4K rpm once and it still hesitated.

The interior on these cars is just so good. Super quiet (unless you are in race mode with the forced induction noises being fed in via the Soundaktor). I really liked the car and have thought about one, but I am not sure it is worth $39K for me when my WRX cost about $29K so far with all my mods included.

Hmm, makes me wonder if it's how VW tuned the DBW throttle rather than actual turbo lag. I know on my old STI the engine felt much more responsive at low RPMs in "Sport Sharp" mode, even though all that setting changed was the throttle mapping.

Given the recent VW scandal though, I wouldn't put it past them to have been a bit "liberal" with the peak torque rating at 1800 RPM lol.

Me either (in terms of VW fudging things) :)

It's funny because my friend commented on my car after he drove it and told me my car felt like it felt quicker off the line too. So it was not just me.

As I was googling this I think you are spot on about the throttle. Someone said they installed a pedal box and it fixed the hesitation.

Yeah if the hesitation issue can be solved with a pedal box, I think that's probably a throttle mapping issue.

Glad to hear you're still enjoying your new WRX btw. Have you done any mods on it yet?

Suspension (springs, Enkei performance wheels/better tires, pro alignment, Perrin shifter stop and bushing, OEM Audio + 400 upgrade).

I just got an Access Port and am dabbling :)

Really like the car. I put a #2 on a wait list for a Focus RS (refundable deposit) so plan on test driving that some time next year and making the determination if I want it or not.

Nice mod list on the WRX. I know on the previous EJ255 engine a tune made a huge difference, probably the same on the new ones (actually on any turbo engine.)

Haha re. the Focus RS, I feel like you should start a car review channel with all the seat time you're getting in these new cars!

Yeah I'm just now starting to mod mine too.

So far I got the following mods-
Kartboy Short shifter adapter
Kartboy Shifter bearing
Perrin Shifter Stop
Anarchy Motive Mammoth GM shift knob
Red tail overlays
Cobb accessport
AWD motorsports TGV deletes
Invidia Q300 TI exhaust

Plan on getting very soon-
Depo Racing Downpipe
Mishimoto intake with box

I love the car so far though. It's definitely a lot more pleasant as a DD.

I cannot stress enough to people what a professional alignment can do for most cars. Factory alignment specs are often way too generous and the springs and alignment made such a difference.

Tune is night and day better. More power throughout the powerband and feels more linear, rev hang is pretty much gone, etc.

Focus RS has me really interested. I am not sure if I will pull the trigger, but I do miss the functionality of a hatch. Just looking at trade-in on my WRX and these cars flat our hold their value in the snow belt so I am looking at driving it 2.5 years and losing $3K during that time tops. I guess we will see. I was originally leaning towards getting a third fun/track car like a used FR-S, Miata, S2K, etc but there is a chance I have to move next year and may lose my extra garage space.

LOL, I should start a channel or a used car lot...