Frs as mini replacement?
 

So my poor old mini needs replacing (2006 r53). I can't exactly trust it to get me to work on time and it's stressing me out. I went to look at new cars cars today and stumbled onto a 2014 frs manual w/ 30,000 mi for $18500. Its a tiny bit more fun to drive then the mini and a lot less practicle.
Slight problem I tested a 2016 Miata and :bow: it's in a whole new league of fun to drive (and impracticality).

So how reliable is the FRS? I keep cars for the long haul and the mini has been a major dissapointment in reliability these past 10yr 110k mi. This site is giving me a bad feeling about reliability especially since there is no real long term history for the frs/brz.

I was thinking with these 2 seater rwd sports cars I could hold on to the mini as a winter beater and hauler but insuring both doesn't look as cheap as I guessed.

The wrx and the Mazda 3 are looking like more practical options but the Mazda isn't as fun and wrx fuel economy is terrible...

Honestly I want to keep my mini but with a so far an undiagnosable issue where on rare occasions it doesn't start in the morning and Increasing demand for general repairs. (Seriously 4 power steering pumps and 3 engine mounts) I'm afraid I have no choice.

As far as reliability goes, there's quite a handful of complaints that you can read up in the Issues section of the forums.

As for mine, with the exception of the horrid window squeak, mine hasn't developed any significant issues.

Oh yeah I live in ct. I'm worried snow will be a major issue

I actually replaced my 2003 Mini S R53 with the BRZ I have now. The Mini had already had a menagerie of issues and problems (cracked head, shifter linkage snapping, coolant system issues, heater core leaks). The BRZ seems way more reliable than the mini was, as well as much more comfortable. The maintenance may be a little more involved than other cars, but blows my Mini out of the water. Kinda miss the supercharger whining its *** off... Bridgestone Blizzaks are my defense strategy against the white stuff.

Winter tires. Stick to the main roads that get plowed(ploughed?) and you'll be fine. (I live in the mountains of Utah and spent two FRS winters here.)

Practicality depends entirely on the user's needs. Honestly I find it hard to comprehend how a mini Cooper is more "practical". Lets start with what do you need out of your car, and what do you want out of your car. Do you need to seat 5 passengers? Do you need to tow a trailer or carry bikes and equipment? Or do you just need room for your lap dog and a set of track wheels to fit in your trunk on the way to a racetrack?

For snow in ct... I'd love a 4wd 4runner. Then it could tow a racecar in the summers too!

Practicality wise, the mini's hatch made it easier to fit taller things in my car, but the BRZ with the seats down is longer and wider albeit shorter cargo-wise. I get my car parts and golf clubs and suitcases in there just fine.

The hatch back comes in really handy on Home Depot runs. I've moved a couple trees, 2x4's, snowboard, foosball table, all 4 snow wheels, Costco size fill in the blank...

More importantly I have a 45lb fox terrier mix that rides in the car 2-3 times a week. I think the frs can work for him ok but rear hatch entry was nice.

Also do you actually recommend a different car for an only daily driver?

One of the primary reasons I went with the BRZ rather than waiting for the ND Miata is that the BRZ can hold a full set of tires. It's pretty useful if/when you might need to transport winter/summer tires. If you don't mind tetris'ing a little, they're surprisingly practical cars.

Nice, that just might have to be my next addition.

And as for dogs in the car, its a bit harder than just popping the hatch, but then again, my dog doesn't really like to get in on his own. If he was the kind to get in on his own, there wouldn't be a problem embarking on BRZ.

These cars are fine as daily drivers, but I also have a Jeep Cherokee for when my BRZ is not fine. I think an SUV and a sports car complement each other perfectly. I wouldn't see the point in keeping the Mini, since you can buy an older SUV or small pickup for less than you're going to pay to keep the Mini running.

If it were me, I'd buy a used BRZ and look for a $1500 '97-'99 Cherokee or a sub-$2500 Tahoe as a backup/dog hauler/snow truck. But then, I can wrench on the Cherokee myself, so if you don't do your own repairs, you might not want a teenage vehicle no matter how reliable they are.

If you're worried about snow and the FR-S, you're going to need to invest in some snow tires and cheap steel rims. I would recommend waiting till spring if such is the case, because you have around 5-6 months to save up for them.

From all the stories I've heard of mini owners, the twins are like a corolla in terms of reliability compared to the mini. I've had a few issues, but nothing expensive, let alone detrimental.

I completely agree that most people overestimate their actual needs for 'practicality', however my dad has a new Mini and it blows the 86 away on the practicality scale in terms of interior storage space and seating space. I'd call the Mini actually comfortable for 4 people to ride inside of. Shame he ruins it by keeping his KW's on full stiff and super low all the time... I'd almost recommend it to the OP as it can be had cheaper than a new 86 and about as fast stock for stock but the new BMW engine is a question mark so maybe not a huge improvement there.

After 43k miles I still have confidence in my 86, but I have a high tolerance for cars that need attention at this point in my life. It's also been extremely rare that the 86 has been too impractical for me and I had to resort to borrowing a truck or sedan/wagon. Worst case is going out to lunch I can really only drive one other person.

Miata is probably safer on the reliability front as the FA20 is still relatively unproven but the SkyActiv 2.0L has been on the road since '12 in the Mazda3 and other models since, many more miles racked up on those.

I won't pretend to know anything about snow. Good luck, keep test driving. Worth noting that the new WRX's fuel economy is not significantly lower than the 86 (24 vs 25 combined), the Miata's and Mazda3's is much better (30+).

It's not quite apples to oranges for fuel economy with turbo cars and N/A cars - my last car was also rated for 25 MPG combined, but I get better gas mileage in my BRZ than I did in my GTI. If you like to drive around in boost, gas mileage can go to poop very, very quickly.

Your dad drives a lowered mini? thats fking awesome. pics????

my dad drives a nismo 370z yet refuses to mod it. :mad0260:

Did you test drive a Mazda 3 or a Mazdaspeed 3? I feel like people sometimes forget the speed 3 exists. The MS3 has what you are looking for OP: practicality, good fuel economy, and it does well in the winter with winter tires.

I'm one of the unlucky owners who had almost all the problems this car has. My car probably sat in the dealer for total of 2 months. A few days here and a few days there, for so many number of times. But all of these issues were minor and the car was drive-able. I could schedule each appointment weeks away and I could keep driving the car meanwhile. And every time I get in to the loaner car, I get to know how good this car is. As far as getting you to work reliably, this car will get you to. And the car you're looking at is 2014 model. It should have most of the problems taken care of at the factory by that time. So, you probably won't have any problem with it. 2015/2016 WRX fuel economy is not that much worse than FR-S. My friend has '15 WRX and we drive similar way. He gets only 2 mpg less than I do. Unless you're talking about '14 and earlier.

Proper snow tires and you become the plow!

A few here and there, here's me driving it on like my 10th autox run in it. Fun car, rotates real nice when it's setup right and the new B48 motor is great, blows the FA20 away on torque but not nearly as satisfying to rev out.

Aftermarket support is really sparse, he needs camber bad for it to be competitive but only KW and Bilstein sell camber plates and they have to be paired with their clubsport packages nobody else (well maybe like BC and St), and wheel clearance is tough to go over 7" wide. Even though the same engine goes into the JCW and other BMWs at 230+ hp nobody really has good power upgrades for it yet, a couple piggybacks exist and some guys will hack up your ecu but it's nowhere near as well developed as the 86s aftermarket.

How I think I look:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...3733dd1dee.jpg


How I really look:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...aRJvcfIEicu5-b

My 100+ lb German Shepherd rides in my FR-S just fine. Shotgun or the backseat. Just put plenty of towels/blankets down do contain the hair.

I also fit an ice hockey bag in the trunk just fine, sticks have to ride in the cabin though. With the seats down I fit two wakeboards and gear along with luggage just fine.

I have got to get somebody to video me going down our unplowed, untouched road covered with 14+ inches of snow. The plumes thrown up each side are spectacular.

I'm in central Massachusetts...get some good snows and drive like you're not an idiot and you'll be fine. Or drive like an idiot and really have some fun. :) As far as practicality is concerned, the Mini has it beat, but in reality, how often are you trying to max out your car in terms of cargo? I'm not doing that very frequently, so the trade off is worth it for me. On that note, with the back seat down, I was able to get the entire cat-back exhaust system for a Jeep Liberty in my FRS, all in one piece. The guys at the dealer couldn't believe it, and frankly, I was pretty shocked and pleased as well. lol

That's the coolest picture I've seen all day.

I don't get out much.

Those are two activities I'd never figure would go into the same thought. Where is this magical place that let's you have your cake and eat it, too?

Haha. St. Louis, MO! Lake during the summer for wakeboarding. Ice Hockey in the winter in STL.

Or most of Canada.

I keep forgetting the manual frs gets so much worse mpg
22/30 man vs 25/34 auto..
Wrx is 20/27
I'm considering the frs a small drop from the mini which now that I check has been down graded to 22/29. I swear it was ?/32 when I bought it. I know they've messed with the rating system some over the decades just didn't know how much... My old 92 celica is now 19/26 and was rated ?/30 I'd regularly get 32 on a tank...

Anyway somehow <30mpg hwy. seems objectionable like an fu environment

Also people forget about the Mazda speed 3 because they stopped making them in 2013.
The 2016. 2.5L 3 was very nice but it was lacking the joy of the mx5 and the mini. I have to admit the frs is great to drive but it could use more joy too. It's a bit too serious.

I think I might have to see what I can get for the mini in trade and also if they'll knock a bit off asking price so I can get some snow tires. Do you have to spend $250 on tire pressure sensors for your winter wheels?

Not if you don't mind the light staying on.

I dont like listening to those ratings, i regularly get 25 in the city and while being really aggressive, and 34 to 37 on my 3hr highway trip over the mountains in PA


Sent from my Glade Air Freshener

TL;DR Subaru and Toyota make a good quality car. I have full faith in the longevity of my FRS. You'll hear a lot of complaints on this forum because that's where people talk about problems. People never post about not having any problems. Also I haven't heard of any serious issues plaguing the chassis. The crickets and window squeaks shouldn't make or break it for you IMO

Here's a pic of it on the ground tonight on the 16" stock wheels, forgot to snap a pic of the 18's, cool looking car. I get why people bitch that it got bigger, but c'est la vie.

Apologies for the terrible cell phone quality on the garage shot, some other shots to make up for it.

Really what I'm trying to do is convince OP to buy another Mini so that 86's stay low production.
:bonk:

http://i.imgur.com/rSLr2R8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lEpuhWf.jpg

I did test drive a 2016 cooper s and it was good. But it was lacking in that hard to explain joy of driving factor. It didn't make me want to take the long and twisty route instead of going directly there as much as my 06 still does. The 06 still puts a smile on my face every day on my commute. Well at least when it's working properly

My test drive scale of driving joy
Highest to lowest
2016 Mx-5 (by a massive margin)
2016 Wrx
'06 cooper s
2014 Frs
2016 cooper s
2016 Mazda 3
2015 Golf (DSG auto)
2013 beetle turbo
2015 Kia Optima
2015 GTI ( hated the clutch)
2015 mustang ecoboost (looks alone make me still want one)
201? Challenger v6 auto rental (way better then expected)
2016 Impreza & Crosstrek
2013 MKZ
2015 renegade
(Assume manual unless otherwise stated.)
its a pretty tight pack between Mazda 3 and the impreza. A lot of good cars on the market now

Fixed it, the wrx is a hammer the FR-S is a scalpel honed to the atom

agreeed but is it more FUN to dissect something with a scalpel or smash something with a hammer?

Sure the twins would be more fun on a twisty mountain road but 90% of my driving is through suburbs or on the highway where i think the wrx has the edge.

I'm not trashing the frs it's awesome but it's a bit more specialized.

Performance doesn't always equal fun and fun doesn't always equal performance

I got rid of my R56 for a brz, I regret it almost everyday.

Maybe if the brz wasn't a daily driver.

1. Test drive a Fiat 500 Abarth.
2. Test drive a Ford Fiesta ST.
3. The Mini has awful reliability. The FRS and BRZ are OK for the small stuff and good overall. The crickets are the main reason people complain. There were early problems with the early tunes and injector seals. That's long over. Most people running into engine failures are also running engine mods, doing track days, or running low on oil after filling at Jiffy Lube or getting improper repairs after accidents. Let's be honest: most people beat on these cars. Not so many middle-aged women driving them as commuters.

I have not driven the new Miata. I have flirted with Miatas for years, but I could never take one to bed. The FR-S and I went all the way on our first date. The GTI clutch is great. I don't know why it was bad for you. The GTI DSG deserves a try. You could always get a Golf R and have AWD. The WRX and STI sound perfect for you.