Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB

Hello everyone!
My name is Chandy, and I just bought one HELL of a sexy car :happyanim:
First of all, I think a little bit of background is in order just so you know to take my thoughts etc with a grain of salt :) I do not come from a performance car background. I'm pretty young, 23, and have never owned my own car before. I've always driven hand-me-downs and/or used my parents cars, so getting this car is a pretty big deal for me. I'm pretty lucky to have gotten a really good job right out of college, so this car is all me :) We've always had at least one Toyota in the family. I learned to drive in a Toyota Tazz 130 5MT (South African version of the 5-door Corolla hatch) and if this car was offered as a Toyota here, it would be a no contest buy for me. I went with the BRZ mostly because of the extra bells and whistles, since this car will be my DD. Before reading further, please realize that my last car was an '03 Camry, so this car is a HUGE upgrade for me.

So, my thoughts so far:
1. I LOVE the clutch/gearbox. Bloody easy to shift fast and super forgiving.
2. Have not noticed any idle issues (revs dropping/almost stalling)
3. No chirping/cricket noises so far
4. Bit of "grinding" when shifting to certain gears at certain RPMs. Clutch is definitely disengaged when this happens. Not too worried about it though, since it's pretty subtle
5. HOLY CRAP the acceleration/rev climb is amazing! I'm finding it extremely difficult to keep it below 4000 RPM. It's like trying to keep a leash on an untamed beast.
6. The handling, has you would expect, is awesome! Little to no body roll on turns that I'm used to leaning into.
7. I really like the little "pudgy" areas on the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 points.

I also got a very firm nod of approval from a Nismo 370z who pulled up next to me at a stop street. I gave him a thumbs up :thumbup:

Overall, I am extremely happy and proud of my purchase. Every time I see my car, whether it be a picture or the real thing, I just feel all this sappy pride and joy well up inside me. This car means so much more to me than just "a car". It represents what I've accomplished, and I'm damn proud of myself :D

ANYWAY, here are some pics I took today. I didn't play with the head unit or any extras at all, I was just too busy driving the thing :thumbsup:

7 miles :) It's at 80 after the first day
http://i.imgur.com/cZe3I.jpg

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

That is a Nissan Quest right next to it lol
http://i.imgur.com/31e88l.jpg

1000 Mile Review

Okey dokey, so I broke 1000 miles earlier this week.... and the car still feels like a dream to drive. Don't know if it's me getting used to it, the break-in period, or a combination of the two, but she definitely feels more loose (in a good way) and more "enthusiastic", if you know what I mean. It feels like a whole different car once revved into the 6000 - 7000 RPM range, and I definitely enjoy hearing that high pitched groan/rumble from the engine. Only problem with that is I usually hit speed limit by 2nd gear and have to cut back to lower RPMs :sigh: I find myself looking for opportunites to pass people on the highway just for an excuse to gear down into high RPMs, which I definitely should not be doing...

So far, I've heard no squeaks/rattles or anything like that. I do notice a slight "buzz" somewhere if the bass on a song is too low, but it doesn't happen often enough for it to be a bother.
Also haven't had any condensation issues with my head/tail lamp housings.

Fuel economy has gotten better and better with each fillup. After about 5 - 6 fillups, it's at around 30 MPG, which is pretty awesome. Not as great as my old Camry (which also didn't need 93 octane), but it makes up for it at the pump by having a smaller tank. Almost balances out. Almost.

So far, I have had no problems with the navigation unit. It seems to pick up sat signal and my location pretty fast, and builds routes etc well. The map pointing North all the time thing is pretty annoying if you haven't got a route set and are just trying to figure out where you are, but it doesn't really bother me if I've set a route.
I do however think that the Audio buttons are too small, and I do need to take my eyes off the road for a brief second to change channels/tracks etc. which I don't like doing.

And damn can this car handle itself on the twisties. The only time I have to hit the breaks through a curve is if there is a slower car in front of me. Which is more often than not.

Overall, definitely not regretting buying this car at all, and I feel extremely lucky every time I walk up to it. I catch myself staring back at her every time I park somewhere. Can't help myself... she's just way too beautiful :)