GR86 worth it?
 

TLDR: Coming from the 1st gen platform long ago, but now have an expensive toy. Dont wanna push the limit on the track with it(dont mean i won't track it) Want to see if the GR86 is worth it at its current market and if there are plans to fix oil/rtv issues.


So in an interesting predicament. Looking for a GR86 as a dedicated track car, but not sure if its worth the current market price (for a used one), and heard a lot of issues with oil starvation during turns and RTV problems. Anyone know if there are fixes to these from Toyota? Also what ball park does an NA tune get you now days?

I owned my first gen BRZ for 7 years before parting ways from the platform. During those years, it was my daily, my track car, and my road trip warrior. I miss how it handled, how it sound, and all its great memories and friends I've made thru the car. Since then, I've owned a 2020 M2 Comp, a 2016 Cayman GTS, and now a 2022 718 GT4.

M2C was a beast, but it just wasn't what i felt comfortable thrashing. It had so much low end torque and power, you always have to be on your toes, specially coming out of corners. It was a car that will bite back if you don't pay attention. it also felt more like the car was driving me rather than the other way around. So after a year and some thinking, i moved into the p-car platform. the Cayman GTS was exactly what i was looking for, a more refined version of the BRZ with more power, better handling, better interior, and sounds amazing. It drove like a dream and it was my roadtrip/track toy for a while. Opportunity arose not long ago on a perfectly speced GT4, exactly how i would have done it, and the deal was too sweet to pass up, and i was lucky enough to now be a proud owner of a GT4, a dream car i've always wanted. It was everything i've ever hoped for (except for the stupid OPF filter that muffles the beautiful 4.0 sound, which i will fix soon). That being said, this car is too precious and pricey for me to comfortably push the limits with on the track. first world problem ammirite? so that brings me wanting to get a more affordable platform as a dedicated track car. but jfc the used GR86 prices are just stupid, its pretty much better to just buy them new, or maybe just get a first gen? but even those prices are dumb.

These two statements are polar opposites. Are you looking for a dedicated track car to push and thrash on track and save the GT4 for daily and light track? Or just getting back in a Twin to supplement the GT4, tracking neither of them hard?

For a dedicated track car I'd find a cheap used gen 1 (if budget allows, I'd suggest a 2017+ for the incremental improvements in reliability). Or consider other platforms (such as Miatas).

For a companion to the GT4, a second gen makes more sense (thanks to the better engine and more refined cabin) but it will cost you for sure. Might make more sense to buy a brand new one, depending on wait times in your area. Or just wait for the market (both new and used) to cool down some more.

are you paying for track insurance? how much are you willing to throw away if you total the car on track?

used twins are still overpriced. i've looked and the prices don't make sense. this makes intuitive sense because you still can't buy a new one off the lot.

try to find a 23 gr86 or brz because the 24 increased in price by over 1k. no performance features added to the 24 models. i found a 23 gr86 for 1k off retail price.

nobody knows if toyota or subaru will ever fix the RTV and oil pressure "issues". most likely not. debatable if it's really an issue for 95% of the owners. if you run 200TW tires and constantly track it, that's outside the design of the car anyway.

I used to have a 981 GT4, have a 991.1 GT3 now. And have a GR86 which I bought as a track car but I drive it pretty much stock at the track.

How many track days do you want to do a year and what kind? If it's just a few and they're typical club days, I would say just suck it up and drive the GT4. Just put insurance on it. This will be cheaper than adding another car to your fleet.

If you want to do 20+ days a year or you want to do time trial or work your way up to W2W then it would make sense to get something else.

I think the GR is a good track car if you're OK writing off 30k and if you don't want to have to tow your car to the track and if having something with 0 miles is important to you and you plan to keep the car relatively stock.

I think if any of those things aren't true, there might be better options, like something thing that's already built into a track car, like a Spec Miata or Spec E46, Gen 1 BRZ, C5 Corvette.

it doesn't have to be a 30k write off if you buy track insurance. but if you plan to do a lot of them, then the insurance cost does add up. at that point, you probably would have bought a cheap 'spec miata' or something.

Just get a first generation car if it's just for track fun. Second generation is quite a bit faster due to the new engine but the steering feels more generic Toyota.

+1

Since I know Jim, I messaged him with this same exact thought.