72 hours with the 86
 

Got a 86 as a Turo for the extended weekend. Base model, 6MT, red.
I wanted to get a long term, as most of my driving has now become just A-to-B stuff and I've never really driven one. The question I wanted to answer is 'Does this car meet a minimum of comfort that I can live with, and if not, is it fun enough to justify the discomforts?"

The answer to this question is--it is a lot more comfortable than I expected and also gave me some insight into what I value in a car.

And the thing I value is steering stability, ride quality, and road noise in that order.

The steering felt very stable. There was no 'dead zone' in the middle during highway speeds where you can wobble the steering wheel around with a weak flick of the wrist and the car does not move (my main complaint with the 2017 Mazda 3). This steering takes deliberate effort to move and the weighting feels completely natural. The 2013 328i that I drive several times a week (GF's car) has good weight in the middle, but has a little bit of a dead spot and any kind of weight/feedback disappears as soon as you start turning the steering wheel. With the 86, I could just put my hands on 9 and 3 and just keep it steady as I'd like.

Ride quality was not as bad as I expected, especially with the TRD springs that the rental had on. Larger bumps can be felt more and the smaller bumps did more to assault the ears than the spine. It felt very controlled and well-tuned.

Road noise wasn't as bad as I expected, or it was the incredibly droney TRD exhaust that was masking all the road noise. However, with the steering that good, I found little to complain about much else.

If I do get this car in the future, I'd be likely looking at the MTEC clutch spring and some kind of short shifter kit or shifter bushings. The throws are fine but this has even worse feel that my stock GTI, which is a cable linked system. Clutch bites high and offers little feel. I was going purely on muscle memory to get to the biting point.

All in all, a fine car. I can definitely see myself picking one up once my GTI bites the dust.

Don't forget, this is a rental as well. I wouldn't expect a brand new car to drive like a rental, your experience with the shifter, clutch, and any other wear items with be marginally improved with a new car that hasn't been hammered on.

Very nice review, it's an extremely comfortable car and isn't impractical by a long shot. Contrary to popular belief, you can still live without 4 doors, power sunroof, electric seats and QI charging in the center console.

So.... you reviewed a 86 and felt you need to share it to 86 owners forums?
In other words you're preaching to the choir.

It did have 21k miles, and I"m guessing a fair share of them were abusive. I prefer to drive my cars hard and go overboard with the maintenance.

The only thing I'd wish for is that it would have more of a sleeper look. I prefer 4 doors, but 2 doors is far from a deal breaker.

Jeez, I guess my opinions aren't welcome here then.

I just wanted to point out how comfortable it actually is. All the other reviews I've seen focus way too much on how fun it is to drive. I'm out to buy the most fun comfortable car, and this falls under the 'comfortable' category in a way that the Mazda3 wasn't.

There's one in every bunch... don't mind him.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

This car is pure joy.

If you aren't afraid of some minor modifications, a shifter bushing and underpanels (unless new ones already have them?) should help.

If your out to buy the most comfortable car, you are no where near close in these cars.

You want power and sport car feel you should look elsewhere.

Then again why do I have a feeling you are going to plug your own YouTube blog or instagram bs. Seems like where this is heading.

Nah, that's OK, there, squelchy451, you're welcome to express your opinions.

Ol @Mr.ac just gets out of sorts from time to time. I reckon this time is because you didn't come up and drive one of the Civics he has on his lot. Sales must be down - :iono:


:D


humfrz

Renting a car is the way to properly evaluate it. One notices things that a test drive, even an extensive one, won’t reveal.

I had a GTI before the BRZ. And lots of other VW product miles before that. You can keep them running a long time but you get to know your service advisor well.

My advice is take GTI to Carmax where they will write a check. Cash check and buy BRZ with nice down payment.

Put on seat belt and find squiggly roads, ideally in hill country.

i generally don't recommend carmaxing a car for the check unless it's something you need to wash your hands of. like drug money.

when changing cars, it comes down to convenience, and value.

trading in at the dealer you're buying from offers the most convenience, but comes with extra hassle dealing with the numbers game. it's easier to game the trade-in value on paper to look better. the deal is going to be roughly the same as carmax, but quality of the vehicle affects the numbers more.

selling yourself gains the most money, but can be an incredible hassle.

carmax is great for problematic vehicles that make selling yourself difficult with the buyers potentially having recourse against you, or difficult dealers who would unfairly devalue the vehicle to deal with it.

I thought from the title that this was going to be one of those Hallmark movies where the car dies 72 hours after her dream wedding.

I'm probably going to keep the GTI for the long term. Still a fun ride, I just wish more cars didn't do this little shimmy at highway speeds.

I think you and my roommate may have rented the same car from Turo!. :eyebulge:

He rented an ND Miata in SF, hopped into a Jeep and drove down to LA, and spent a few days with a red 86 with TRD wheels & exhaust.

Came back to Atlanta and wanted move from the Miata platform to the twins.

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