Which is the better deal?
 

I'm faced with this dilemma. I have the option to buy the following 2 cars:

2015 BRZ Series.Blue -> $26,000
7k miles
3 years left on warranty

2013 BRZ -> $21,000
18k miles
1 year left on warranty
Perrin cat back exaust (non resonated)
Perrin cold air intake
18x8 OZ Ultraleggera wheels



I'm thinking the Series.Blue would hold onto its resale value significantly better being a limited edition. Are the mods worth it on the 2013 BRZ?
Which would you consider the better deal?

Series.Blue hands down for me. It's the newer car, less miles, more warranty (not to mention the 13's had several more issues), no mods, and it's one of a kind.

The Ultraleggeras are nice wheels, but I'd rather start stock and figure out what I like and don't like on my own.

you could probably get better deals than that on a 2013. If you really really like the series blue then get it. To me all the gimmicks on the monogram, series blue, limited aren't worth it. I'd rather go aftermarket

Series.Blue as the 2015's have quite a few changes (better ride, shark fin, exhaust tips, few internal changes to engine). Not to mention the addons from the Series.Blue.


You're wrong on the warranty though, the 2013 likely has no warranty left and the 2015 has only 2 years left. Model years come out the year before (I've had my 2015 Series.Blue for over a year now if that makes sense).

definitely the series blue. you get a cool looking keyfob and not that prius one. lol

2013 smog check is coming up and warranty is expiring. Personally i love everything on the series blue including the blue accent interior. Is it better deal? i am not sure because it is depend on your perception of value. Is 2 years newer, remaining warranty, and all of the STI add on and minor changes (knee pad, shark fin antenna, few engine internal change that has no gain, key fobs..etc) worth $5k to you? we cannot predict resale value but yes i would think been limited production model usually have higher resale value as long as there are demand.

I'd say with a screen name like Copkilla you should save your money and buy some class.

If you can get the '13 for 18k it would be worth it.

Otherwise the '15 will hold its value a lot longer, potentially speaking.

Based purely on circumstantial evidence from this forum, any year is always a better deal then a 13, regardless of price. Most (not all but most) of the issues noted are with early 13s. This is not in the least bit abnormal with a new released car though as it may take a while for the bugs to show up and be corrected..

I would say neither..

You can find a better deal for a 2013 than $21,000. I just found a 2013, with 19k miles for $17,000, last month. Mine is world rally blue, came with the beatsonic shark fin, Perrin oil cooler, and extra oem wheels on re-71r's. Just be patient, look online at several places.

I have a 2015 series.blue and paid 27,500 for it new pre tax. I think you can find a better deal than either of the ones you are looking at.

If the '13 was unmodded and under $20k I'd pick that, but it isn't.

Try to get a couple bucks off the '15 for the mileage, and the blue stitching is nifty.

I also think you could do better, but it is SoCal, the market moves fast and there is relatively high demand for Japanese sports cars compared to most other places. It also sounds like you are looking at dealerships, maybe figure out how you can pick something up private party?

Can you elaborate further on this? What issues do the '13s have that the new years don't? I ask because I feel like I got a pretty good deal on my low mileage '13. But posts like this make me worry that the '13s have mechanical (engine, trans, diff) that the others don't have. Which are considered the early '13s?:thanks:

If you can swing 26k, just get a brand new 2016 Limited. Then you know from day 1 how the car was treated.

definitely the series.blue. you get the jdm underpanels, jdm frameless mirror, sti front lip, sti side skirts, sti rear splats, obviously all the special blue interior but also upgraded knee pads, sti push button, different paint (the white is a tricoat pearl and the wrb is a darker deeper shade) and painted brake calipers.

features that 2015 has that the 2013 doesnt, newer key fob which looks a million times better, shark fin antenna, bigger exhaust tips, better stock suspension, and slightly better engine/trans differences.

I'd say anything built 2/13 or earlier (door jam sticker) counts as an 'early car'.

Big issue is the Direct Injector seals melting, a tune was introduced 3/13 to reduce the knock on shifting and there is a TSB to get a reflash to resolve it, every aftermarket tune has incorporated the fix, and you have to exhibit the symptoms for a dealership to reflash so many people will have trouble getting it.
Good summary thread:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1056205
Big speculation thread:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=983492

There were some early cars that had timing issues, some running rough, most have been ironed out, issue seemed to be resolved by fall of 2012.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15577

Those are the two big widespread serious issues, there are smaller things like a handful of transmissions having various issues likely related to manufacturing tolerances and quality control (probably a few hundred replacements happened), miscellaneous engine failures that have no consistent cause, leaky taillights, chirping high pressure fuel pump, a handful of clutches, basically stuff that could still happen to any car.

The two I think are 'unsolved' and still could happen on a brand new car are the coil pack failures and valve train failures.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30879

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73858
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95210

First off there are probably more 13s without issues than with. Didn't want to scare people and not slamming the 13s but there is certainly some circumstantial evidence that the 13s have had more issues with engines and trannys. The TSBs tell much of the story themselves since there are 10 for 13s, 2 for 14s (both for the same issue really) and only 1 for 15s. Now some of the TSBs certainly apply to all the model years (crickets) but most apply to 13s up to April 2013 so for the sake of this discussion let's call that the "early" 13s. The vast majority of the blown engines listed here have been on 13s but that doesn't mean there is a problem with all of them.

And in reality a well kept 13 with all the TSBs completed could still be better than a 15 that has been beat to crap so any used car is really a gamble anyway. I wouldn't worry a whole lot as my previous comment may appear stronger than I intended.

@strat61caster @Tcoat thanks for the info. I just took a peak at the door jamb and i have a 05/13 car. This is my first sporty Toyota and I plan on keeping it for a long time. It'll likely be my first force inducted car (aftermarket, that i own), and it'll see a lot of track time even in NA form. I know i'm being paranoid but as I've said, I love this thing and want to keep it for a long long time.

To stay on track, the OP can definitely find an unmodified/unmolested low mileage '13 just like i did. It's a matter of being patient. I'm not a fan of buying modified used cars. A '13 with performance mods seems like a gamble. Good luck either way.

I'll take a car with sticky tires and an owner who changed oil before and after every track day than the 'old lady driver' who forgot to get the oil changed until 15k and it was done by the service monkey who stripped the drain plug and put sealer on it so it was 'future dealer service tech's problem'

True. I guess it's a gamble when you don't know either case.

I'm going to try to get the Series blue for around 26k before taxes. In CA that seems to be as low as that car will go.