What issues should i look for why buying a used FR-S?
 

Hello all! I am currently in the market for a 2014+ Year FR-S. When i am inspecting an FR-S to purchase what common issues should i look for?
Thanks!

Hello Jaredtri589 and welcome to ye ole forum - :)

If you look around there are several threads that have good insights in them. A search will find them for you.

If I were looking for a 2014+ FR-S, I would stay away from any car that:

* has been heavily tracked

* has (or is) turbo or supercharged

* any that are leaking oil

* any manual transmission FR-S that has a noisy clutch throw out bearing (unless the price is right)

* anything with a body kit (maybe that's just me?)

* just the regular things, tires, suspension, brakes, evidence of body work


Good luck!


humfrz

Suspension mods are also a thing to watch out for.
MANY drop the car too low and it kills the axles.

If at all possible I'd personally look for an unmodified one.

Avoid cars that have any kind of mods.
Mods wreck the value of a car like a salvage title
Often the sign of a young clueless owner
which correlates with abuse and maintenance neglect

I won't even touch a car with aftermarket window tint.

With this strict no mods policy,
I have never had a single issue with a used car I've purchased

Yep pretty much what they said.
Don't buy a modded car. You'll never know how ducking retarded the previous owner was.
Unless you love working on cars and spending lots of money on a car that can barely make 200 hp.

On a personal note, there are better cars out there than this pos of a car. Test drive others besides this

I have purchased a heap of modmodded cars, if you are smart you can save alot of dollars you would have otherwise spent money on, but they need to be quality.

Rims, , tyres, suspension, all mods that I would do anyway, generally always better and more valuable than stock, i.e. if you don't like the Volks you will get more money selling them than the OEM.

I am much more interested in the condition of the car, witness marks, wear, cleanliness, garaged or not, location, salt kills cars, I would never buy a car that has seen salt, and log books.

I even do google searches, try to find build threads or people who know the car.

Then I try to judge the person selling the car, this is the trickiest bit sometimes, some of the dodgiest people can come across as legit, but you can still usually get a idea.

Then, if private sale I will scope for the family guy, if his wife is on his case to sell then I give them my number, low ball, flash cash and walk away saying I've got 3 more to look at in this area today.

Usually mad saving insues, followed by skids.

These guys pretty much nailed.

I would add to listen for any rough or grinding sounds in gear changes - make sure you take it on the highway when you test drive it and up and down shift thru the gears... I know that sounds like common sense but people get caught up in the moment and don't care - this will save you a headache later on. Call them out on it if you hear anything and see what they can do about it - esp if you're at a subie, toyo, or scion dealer (if you somehow find one).
Also listen for humming or whining from wheel bearings in the rear - not very common but worth listening if you're on the highway. Basically listen/feel for any NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) while on the highway.
Let it idle for a bit when fully warm - watch the rpms without the a/c on. Some movement is fine but I'd be hesitant if its jumping all over.
Also if you're buying from a dealer, see what recalls they have done on the vehicle.

This is just what I would do, in the end it doesn't really matter as long as you're happy with it. lol

We need to more clearly define what "mods" are a potential issue or nobody will ever be able to sell their car.


Potential serious issues:
FI either Supercharged or turboed. If done incorrectly these can cause nothing but headaches. If done properly it could only be a minor problem if any at all. May be hard to tell if this was done but a close look at the intakes may show indicators that it was swapped back to stock. If still there find out who installed it. An installation and tune done by a reputable shop is far less risky that something slapped on in Bubba's driveway.


Extreme lowering. An inch or inch and a half is not going to cause any significant issues but if slammed on bags or coil overs cranked right down there can be all sorts of hidden problems. Most that have this done are going to have some sort of body kit so it should be obvious. To check if it had been really low you can look for signs of rubbing inside the wheel wells. If you see any sign than walk away.


Moderate issues:
Headers, catless exhausts. These on their own are not the problem but the tune that may have been used with them could be. If a canned tune was used all is probably good but some guys are just learning such things and make their own adjustments. These can be a problem and unfortunately there is no way to know what was done to a tune if it has been flashed back to stock. The issues that show up with the exhaust themselves are the use of cheap parts or improper installation. This is an easy learner task but is often screwed up. Exhaust leaks, bad gaskets and broken bolts show up on here all the time. The nice part is they are usually easy to spot.


After market lights. This sounds so basic but the number of horror stories about screwed up electrical from aftermarket lights on here is scary. Poor installation, hack job wiring and defective parts (even on the name brand ones) are an all to common problem. Take a close look at the lights and make sure everything is working. If you spot any tape of shrink tubing anyplace near them pass.


Knock off cheap aero. Easy to spot. If a spoiler, skirts, lip, wing, etc is misshapen and/or flapping in the wind then make a hard pass on the car. Just not worth dealing with.


Minor issues (or not really an "issue" at all)
Wheels, tires, cat back exhaust, plastidip parts, shift knobs, window tint (really Granted???), head units, intakes, and pretty much any cosmetic mod that doesn't involve body kits or aero. Unless there is an obvious issue none of these are likely to cause you a problem.


Now... All that said a well done turbo may be no bigger issue that an really bad HU installation so all of those items could jump around in the categories but this is a pretty good rule of thumb for mods. Don't be afraid of all mods as some here are saying just be aware of what each could mean to you in the long run.


As far as what else to look for the list of TSBs is a good place to start. Just check the date or VIN range for any year car you are looking at for what is applicable. There are not many that apply to the 14+ cars.
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21868

If you are looking for a car with warranty remaining, I would get a Subaru or Toyota dealership to do a PPI. They can check for aftermarket ecu tuning to make sure warranty is still valid. Last thing you want is to think you are covered only to bring the car in and have dealer denied warranty because of ecu tunes or mods.

If the car got the valve spring recall, stay away

He is looking for a 14+ so no valve spring recalls. Yet.

Make sure the tachometer has white trim, not all black around the numbers. If it's black, they've re-badged their Subaru BRZ in a sad attempt to be part of the Scion/Toyota Master race.

How many unmodified cars, had a recent "part out" before trading/selling? and how hastily were the OEM parts put back on?

Also something too look out for.

Try to buy it from a guy who is in his 30s, has a nice house, and is selling because of having a kid. Verify the kid's birth certificate to establish paternity. PPI with a DNA test.

I'm only half joking. This BRZ is such a tragedy that you need to be this vigilant. It's the most abused and modded out turd car in all of car history.

Or buy an unmolested one from an old man that just uses it to drive to the doctors offices. Just check closely for rear end damage.

Oh, I don't know about that most modded car in history claim - ;)


humfrz

I am afraid the Lancer Evolution takes that honor of being the most modded car in history. Every example I saw was modded, and not in a good way. I really wanted one but 99.99% of Evo owners seem to be kids who have no mechanical knowledge and get their idea of mods from reading street tuner magazines, have limited budget so after wasting their money on useless mods, have no money left for decent tires and must be deprived from not allowed to play with playdoh when they were kids so they go crazy with plasti dip.

Evos and any generation of STI. A tech next door at Dodge has a bone stock black bug eye STI. He keeps it clean, just the local car club sticker in the windshield. I swear it's the only stock STI I've seen in my life.

Son of a bitch I just got typecast. I'm 33 and got married six months ago, thinking about selling my BRZ as I imagine a kid is coming and I'll get more now rather than a year from now.

2013 Subaru BRZ Premium, no mods, less than 45k miles. Haven't even done the recall yet but it's schedule for April 1st.

What year is it scheduled for?


:D


humfrz

Don't panic sell. See if you can fit a child seat. Don't you knee-jerk buy a minivan without realizing you have to. You can still keep that car for a while.

Everybody here thinking a boosted car is a time bomb, shake my head.
Back on topic: common problems are noisy shifting/clutch depressions due to throw out bearing. cars blowing up after valve spring recall. Throw out bearings are nbd, but the recall is a big deal.

She wants me to sell the car and get a Forester but I'm stalling by saying I'll sell it if we can buy a Tesla Model S.

I recommend that you do as your wife says. Why? Because if you buy a Tesla and ANYTHING goes wrong with it, it will be YOUR fault FOREVER an EVER!


humfrz

Hmmm.. would a car seat work in a Porsche Cayman?


just kidding


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Thanks so much all! I ended up purchasing a 2014 MT FR-S that was about as close to stock as you could get (Window tint and OEM Mud Flaps). I like to think it was a fairly good deal and want to thank y'all for helping me know what to stay away from.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Enjoy your new machine - :thumbsup:


humfrz