Would I boost this car again if I had the chance?
 

Probably not.

Got my car back in '12 and immediately boosted in early '13. I still have my SC on and driven over 160k miles with the car and 140+k miles while boosted. I can say, I was the lucky ones to have the engine last so long until my valves took a dump. It still runs, but sloppy.

However, looking at all the money I spent to get to 312whp ($10,000 for 130whp gain) and the constant issues with throwout bearings failing and worry of other drivetrain components, I'd rather go with a platform that is boosted from the factory. If I wanted to go to the next step, I'd have to do an expensive engine build for forged internals.

For comparison, I picked up an Evo X, placed $3,500 in it and have 390whp(+140whp gain). Stock internals are good to about 500whp, stock transmission can hold up to 1000whp, stock clutch can handle 400wtq. All that is needed is a larger bolt on turbo to reach the 500whp.

What I'm saying is there are plenty of other platforms to make cheaper, easier power on. Twins are a great platform, but a huge headache at the same time.

I went from an 08 EVO GSR to my 13 BRZ-L. As a daily driver I don't miss the EVO one bit. When I wanna flex on exotics I miss the EVO lots.

How about a 700hp mustang with a factory warranty for $42k?

Unbeatable value.

If all you wanted was a rwd coupe with 300whp then you should have just bought an M2. Half the joy this car has is the modification not the end result. Theres a 1001 different things you can do with them whereas Im flatout trying to find a video on youtube of an M2 with more than just a chip/exhaust

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Sounds like you want a highway puller. Nothing wrong with that and i agree there are much better street cars for the money.

I think this car is great as a track car. Cheap to run and fun. If you are tracking a high hp car your costs will at least increase basically exponentially. For example GTR guys can eat up a set of tires in a weekend.

https://y.yarn.co/3ee25387-7f74-49ed...711bf_text.gif

For most people, this car is meant to fulfill a unique niche. It's a lightweight coupe RWD car with incredible handling characteristics. I agree that it's somewhat disappointing walking on eggshells for 3-400whp when other cars juggle it easily. But no amount of $ can make them small, RWD maybe, a bit lighter maybe. Better handling for sure, but dollar for dollar, they can't come close to the twins if anything but power is why you bought the car.

I feel that some of us who cherish this car have hopelessly been stuck in the 80s/90s. This car is fulfilling so many weird "small car rwd" fantasies for me without being a Miata or an e30/36 BMW, it's perfect. Bonus: it has a great fueling system and fuel mileage!

I get excited getting to the point I want to get to. I’ve been through it all. It’s only fun when you are on budget. It gets annoying when you repeatedly start going over budget and it becomes a headache when you have do constant repairs. In the end, I look back and I spent way too much money.

Yep, sometimes I miss my factory-boosted MS3. Sometimes.


The BRZ is "more fun" to drive around town though.

I autoX also. I have no means to track. No truck to tow. If the car breaks, I’m screwed.
I came to a resolution that if I’m going to track the car, I’d rather track it NA. FI comes with too many problems. I’m going to strip the car down.

To answer the question, YES.
Before BRZ, supercharged MINI/S (BMW). Intake, exhaust, pully, tune.
Great little car, tracked it, and enjoyed having my right foot on the floor for lengthy periods of time, and not going stupid fast.
BRZ, love getting back to RWD. I got one of the first Inovate SC. It is just enough to make the back end "happy", 200+. I still track the car some and I still drive with my right foot down a lot. It is just plain fun.
I am lucky enough to have some fast cars, 3-4 seconds and you are loose license territory on the street. Yes this car does what I wanted and with a little extra I smile every time I drive.

Imo the car owes you nothing lol. That's a lot of miles for a 300whp car that was designed for 200 crank horse power.

^^This. :thumbup:

Fair point but the biggest draw of this car to me is the ~2800 lbs weight. If that doesn't matter to you, then yes, modding a twin to make a reliable +310 rhwp is a pretty bad value proposition.

IMHO, the trick to this car is not to get greedy. A HP bump to increase the fun factor is perfect for this car. Going over the top and chasing numbers is what seem to turn people off to the car.

I, personally, have chosen the Harrop kit @ stock boost and have zero regrets. Seems a perfect street car to me. Zero (non-install related) issues in 25K miles.