Standing the test of time?
 

Hey All,

I sold my FRS a couple years ago to purchase a Saab sport sedan. (I couldn't say no to Saab). I'm thinking of picking up a sports car when I move out of NY and I kinda have my heart set on an FRS since it'll be my 2nd car. I thought about a Miata, but I need something with some functionality.

Been doing some research and haven't found much about how the cars have held up over the years. I saw one video review that complained about rust issues on a car with 20k miles. Heard complaints about it not being mechanically sound, but nothing concrete.

How have all your experiences been thus far?

Wait what?
So you "sold" your first FRS. Got an other car now want to do research on your old FRS?
Ok.......
First of all any car made out of metal will rust with salt on the roads it's just unavoidable. Could be a little could be a lot.
As far as mechanical problems the only ones I heard of was the ones that have been modded. And a few fuel pump issues but nothing major.

Just interested in how they've been holding up because I'm thinking about picking one up as a second car once I leave NY. I didn't have mine for very long, unfortunately, so I didn't run into any problems during my year of ownership. It's a long story, just take it for what it is.

Just interested in any major problems or technical issues.

Had mine since 2013 -aside from a slightly leaky cam plate, oil changes, and a flat tire the car has not needed any kind of service. As for rust, none at all (knock on wood).

Well enough.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51050

FRS won't last for sh!t. It'll be like the same old AE86's. They will rust.

If you in cold area get a awd car or a truck imo for functionality. Later, purchase a frs for 10k and garage it until summer.

15,000 miles; not modified; no problems.


humfrz

Just over 40k miles on mine with around 7k supercharged now, and everything is running good. Also no rust.

37 000

Some coil pack codes
Misfire/air fuel codes related to coil pack failure
Recently P0420 but I cleared and it hasn't come back yet

But I got a bunch of track time on mine. Doubt anyone street driving gets these. And I don't mind really. No major faults yet. :burnrubber:

Have you ever even driven this car in snow? Or do you just enjoy making outlandish statements?

Lots of fortune telling in this thread. How old is the oldest twin, four years?

Yeah my thoughts also, how can you talk about how well a car can hold up when its only been out for 3.5 years.

Lol at this thread.

There are some things you can indeed get an idea about in only 3 or 4 years. My son in law's 2008 Mazda 3 looked about 15 years old in 2012 with massive surface rust and a few places where there were already pin holes. Many cars suffer from some major recalls within the first 5 years as problems appear but at least we haven't seen that issue yet.

Time is not a good indicator of how a car will stand up anyway since we see many 3 year old ones here with only 10 or 20K on them. If you are looking at just time then those ones would make it seem like they last forever. There are only a few we know of with extensive miles on them but those guys usually say they have had only minor issues so things look good at this point.

Then of course there are the regional conditions to keep in mind. Those of us with snow and salt to deal with have to accept that cars don't last as long as they do in the sunbelt areas. This of course doesn't just apply to these cars though and we should understand that.

There is a lot you can gather actually. Some cars just were not built to last. And, yes I understand regional concerns, so it's nice to see what people experience in different parts of country.

Lol at your trolling efforts.

Thanks for this link though: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51050

Three years old this month w/27k miles and zero mechanicals, zero rust.

I took it in to Toyota to have them replace the driver's passenger window switch before the warranty is up which has never worked right but I couldn't be bothered to bring it in sooner. I also have a TPM acting up, but they've been installed on aftermarket wheels so I'm not sure Toyota will touch it.

It's my DD with no mechanical mods and probably a dozen Auto X days, and a two-day HPDE track day under its belt (and confidently looking forward to COTA next Spring).

34k miles. Lots of rain in SC, and little or no road salt. No rust. The exterior (aside from typical paint chips on the front fascia from some highway driving) and under the hood look practically brand new.

The interior shows no wear at all aside from some of the silver paint worn off the shifter knob (plastic below the paint is a bluish-white, so not very visible.)

Unmodified mechanicals (just a drop-in AFE filter) and zero mechanical issues.

Well it also depends where you're moving to. Try researching cars in that place (if it has less salty weather conditions)

Have you guys seen the paint on our cars? A strong gust of win could probably make a chip...

Actually I have found that mine chips far less now then it used to. Same driving conditions, same roads, nothing has changed but I haven't seen a new chip in months. Anyways most of my chips resulted from rocks/debris traveling at a velocity that they would have chipped any paint.

It's the universe's way of saying "Fix that paint chip we dare you! Otherwise carry on with your life and we will ignore you".

Bird shit chipped mine at the top of my car.

The car is a 2013-2016 240sx. It will be a $3,000 car in no time.

?????


http://www.zquotes.net/wp-content/up...ia-Condor-.jpg

Damnit. I bought one of each of the special editions and got a 20 year lease on a climate controlled warehouse. Was my retirement fund.

Honestly,I still can't get over how the OP says that he couldn't say no to Saab.

I'm not saying that Saabs are bad cars,but after that warranty is up,pray to what ever god you believe in that you won't need any major repairs done because there goes your kids not going to college without a scholarship.

In my area,99% of mechanics either won't even touch a Swedish car,or you really don't want them too.There's a shop across town from where I live that work on nothing but Saab and Volvo cars.That alone tells me that I want no part of that.

That's why you buy a Saabaru. Best of both worlds.

Yeah, Canada is MADE of snow.

Most of the snow around me comes from the U.S. There are 27 whole or parts of States north of where I live. This includes a little piece of Nevada.


http://barelybad.com/images/northofcanada05.gif

Your living in the wrong city. Try Portland, OR which has to have the highest percentage per capita of Swedish cars anywhere outside of Sweden. Specialist shops working on them are never more than 10 mins from your home or work!


I've always thought of Swedish cars as the cars for people who hate cars.


Back to the thread and the OP's questions. 2 1/2 years old 21K miles, 15+ track days. Only issue has been fuel pump chirp which has been intermittent. We don't have much snow but we don't use salt on our roads, gravel instead. Put a clear bra on the car when I bought it, no chips to date. My car is garaged.

I have had a similar experience, but I chalked it up to more careful driving. I'm a lot more aware now of what kind of trucks are going to kick up garbage, and on what kinds of roads. Now I instinctively back off a half mile.

Doubtful, unless you live on Pelee Island. The northern border of Nevada runs along the 42nd parallel.

Back on topic, I just got my 45K mile oil analysis back from Blackstone. Here's the narrative that came with it:

To be clear, I'm changing the oil every 7500 miles as indicated in the maintenance schedule. So "longer-than-average" doesn't mean I'm stretching the oil or filter. The metals in the oil haven't changed much since the first full duration fill after break-in. All my numbers are rock solid.

I don't know what that means for 100K miles or 200K miles, but it seems to be doing all right so far.

If this engine goes 200k, I would be a happy camper.

Out of curiosity, what oil filter are you using? Subaru black?

Hopefully moving back to NC, which is why I'm looking to get a RWD car. Again, my Saab will be the 2nd car for the wife and long road trips. The FRS would be my daily to work and play.

Check for listings in that state. And just go over everything very maticously if youre paranoid about rust, etc.

I've owned 4 Saabs so they are VERY familiar to me and I wasn't nervous buying one. There's a huge community full of people who are knowledgeable and could point me to a good mechanic if I ever needed one, which I don't because there is a Saab tech not too far from where I live.

The 2.0T in my car is very reliable. Despite Saab's spotty reputation they are actually reliable cars. Their bad rep comes from people who don't care for them properly. I worked for a Saab dealer and you would not believe the condition people brought their cars in.

Again, the reasons for me selling my FRS were my own and I don't feel I should have to go into them. Not being rude. They're just irrelevant to the topic at hand.

I thank those who took the time to answer my question and not read too much into it. I'm not a forum jockey who just asks without research. The problem with them world wide internetz is you get A LOT of misinformation.

Also, as a side note, did Perrin increase the price on all their items? My FRS had a full Perrin exhaust and I got it for $1200 total. Looks to me like the system is close to $1500 now.

2013 with 94,000 miles. Battery, tires, valve cover leak, windshields and oil changes is all I've done maintenance wise. I get a coil code every now and then lately. I got wheels, lowering springs and a uel header with tune as well.

At my current driving rate, that would be around 15 years.

Jeez.

For reference, my brother's 4Runner is at 165K and it was made in 1996. No major engine work done.

I'm heading down to Cali next summer, want me to put some miles on it for you? :P

I still have the piece of shit 2000 Corolla and it's almost at 180k. Still running strong, just needs a new battery lol

Speaking of a little piece in Nevada, wanna hear about last Saturday night?