i just bought a Gr86 last week after i had owned a 1st gen 2013 86 when they first came out for 4 years, had kids and couldn't afford to run 2 cars at the time so bought AWD and FWD rubbish like Audi S3, Hyundai i30N and a BMW 130i over the last 7 years or so.

I was tossing up between a mx5, waiting for a new Z or the gr86 and ended up going GR86 becasue the mx5 was just too small for me (6'2") and i didn't like you were made to sit on a angle in the new ones with your feet going out towards the edge of the car for the pedals. The z would probably be the only other car i would have got but its a lot more expensive and you are looking at recent build 2nd hand Cayman for the same money.
The car is a bit rough and lacks some quality that the mx5 and other cars have but for the money and sideways action i couldn't go past getting another one.

As someone who's still an avid forum goer like @Tcoat I no longer have my 86 and have had a GR Supra for about a month and half now. Even though this thread is 3 months+ old and you've already made a decision.

Definitely recommend staying with the 86 platform, the gr86 is a much better car than the 13 now. There really isn't anything else rwd and lightweight in that price range of the 86 still that is as fun and nimble other than a miata which being a convertible is a different class almost in practicality.

As far as the platform goes my supra is way more serious a car, every part of it seems super refined and the limits are way higher. Meaning it has gobs of power and torque which sets you up for some high speeds. The 86 you could slide around and have fun in without getting in too much trouble which I kind of miss and even revving it out wouldn't get you to jail time on the street :burnrubber:



If you have the money and were good with the practicality of the 13, you can drop a deposit on a GR86 and wait for one.

I always find it interesting how different people buy cars differently. For example, I still own the same 3 cars I did in 2012 with the FR-S being the newer of them. I'm just now looking at buying a new car.

Others during that time have probably owned (or more likely "borrowed from the bank") more cars in that time than I've owned in my entire adult life.

Neither is good or bad, just different.

Life is too short to not experience a bunch of different vehicles.

I have too many other expensive hobbies to go along with cars. Have to spread the wealth!

Fair enough!

I agree if you find what you want keep it.

Right now I have:

04 WRX wagon with 156k - used for Home Depot runs, mountain biking and kayaks. No payments for 16 years.

16 BRZ with 99k. - my DD for my long highway commute. No payments for 3 years

14 Cayman - weekend play car. I owe about 10k at $500 a month.

The fourth car in a few years will be some kind of muscle car or a C8 when prices come down.

It’s Funny so many people say wow you own 3 cars for yourself. When I ask them how many cars they have owned since 2003, it’s always 4 to 6 cars. Way more than my 3 and they spent way more as well. But they only have one car.

Between MomHawk and I we have:

2004 Chevy Suburban Z71 4x4: Bought in 2012 for $11,000 cash with 60,000 miles on it. Now has about 180K. Family, vacation and weekend heavy hauler. Used it just this past weekend for 40 bags of mulch.

2005 Ford Mustang Pony Convertible (<120,000 miles: MomHawk's car.) She has already said she doesn't care what goes wrong with it we'll fix it. The lady knows what she likes. No payment since 2007.

2013 Scion FR-S: Bought May 2012, no payment since June 2013. 220,000+ miles. My DD and some weekend trips.

I'm at the point now where I have a deposit down on a 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ AWD, and just waiting for an allocation and for it to be built. Haven't decided if it will be a 4th car or replace the Suburban or FR-S. I have a rule I always want one car more than there are drivers at home.

Between my wife and I we have:

2001 Chevy S10, 4cyl 5-speed: most just goes with me when hunting or making a Lowe's/Home Depot run. Also fetches summer/winter tire set from storage. Taught my wife to drive stick on this, which she denies having learned to do. Bought used many years ago, no payment. Something like 130k on the clock, runs like it's friggin' immortal.

2018 Honda Fit: Wife's car. Basically her dream car (I don't get it - it's a nice car but she literally doesn't want anything else and is ANGRY that Honda discontinued it.) This is her DD and our main grocery-getter. If it's too big to fit in the GR86 but small enough to fit in the Fit, this car gets driven. Bought new, 0%, have a few payments left.

2022 GR86: My car. I drive this for everything it can possibly do. If it doesn't require a truck, I'm driving this. Well, unless the weather is nasty (ie. likely to damage the car). When we both go somewhere I drive this as often as I can. Got it at a good rate, but obviously haven't paid it off.


We ended up with the GR86 in automatic because I want the wife to drive it (but it's nearly impossible to get her to do so). Similar to Dadhawk we have a "more cars than drivers" rule, and since she won't practice her stick shift skills if her car is in the shop the GR86 would be the only option. I don't care enough to be bothered, but I may insist on manual in the next "my" car and just say "learn stick or drive rentals". She HATES big cars, and most rentals are huge.

I've been kicking around the idea of getting an Outback or Forester to replace the S10. I don't really need the "truckiness" of the open bed very often, and the 2WD nearly got me stuck last deer season. But it also runs like new, is paid off, has a whole bunch of scratches and stuff so I don't even bother washing it, and it's generally a great truck for a city guy like me. Rationally, it doesn't make sense to trade it for something else, especially not something with a monthly payment.

One thing I will say: the 86 is my second sports car (the first being an '85 Fiero I had in 1999) and it's made me think I'm never going to be happy from now on unless one of the cars I own is at least as beautiful as this car.

EDIT: if they do a Hakone edition of the Gen2, or otherwise offer that kind of green, I'm probably trading in for it. May also do that if Toyota builds a better engine or a mid-gen refresh answers the oiling problem even though I don't track the car.

I've enjoyed my BRZ and it has served it's purpose wonderfully. If the budget is in the 30's - it's hard to beat the BRZ. However, I am selling mine due to missing power, torque, and noise and replacing the car with something in a higher price bracket.

Yep! My budget is theoretically much higher, but I hope all the younger guys understand to buy way below their budget.

Shh dont tell them the true secrets.... you want your cars value to match your annual salary and your car monthly payment to match atleast 75% of your mortgage payment so if you do go bankrupt you have a vehicle to live in. Oh and saving accounts are silly. By the way this is dave ramsey approved.

Can you find that without adding a lot of weight or losing the trunk space? I couldn't. M2 was the closest thing but just too heavy.

Dave Ramsey is.......well, people with half a brain cell know that not all debt is bad and can be powerful tool if used correctly.

So instead of teaching people that, he proselytizes to the lowest common denominator.