Premium owners-Do you find the extra goodies are not worth it?
 

'Spartan' was the way I decided to go. Also, less money, immediate availability and cloth seats were the deciding factors.

Coming from a FRS owner, I feel the BRZ HIDs in the Premium may be worth it alone. Assuming I could have found one 9 months ago at MSRP, in hindsight, I would have sprung for a WRB MT BRZ Limited. The rarity factor and the relatively small price difference for the HIDs, leatherish seats, push button start, fogs, spoiler, trunk lid carpet, keyless trunk, etc are worth it. But from a pure driving perspective the 2 twins are virtually identical.

I'm trying to make myself feel better for purchasing a premium by getting a header back exhaust system with the money i saved

I intercepted my BRZ Premium as ordered by the original person who backed out: 6MT with a factory spoiler.

I personally find the front end of the Limited to be kinda busy looking with the fog lights but I wouldn't let that influence my purchase decision. The rest of the additional features equipped on the Limited are nice but not worth paying a big premium for, IMO. If you can get a smoking deal on a Limited for say ~27k, then go for it.

I bought the Premium mainly because I think the spoiler ruins the look of the car and because I didn't really want any of the other additions that come with the limited...

So here's a story for you, My father went and purchased a SSM BRZ limited in Automatic before I left for the 86expo so this was about two months ago, now he's a man close to his 60s and has always owned a spartan like car(IE. AE86) when I got back he said he returned the Limited BRZ because he hated the HVAC and all the buttons, he loved the simplicity of the Premium Knobs were apprantely easier, and the FRS over the Limited. In the end we got a base Outback instead cause he complained about space, he was a pretty finicky guy. That and pressure from the mother.

In honest truth I've been in all 3 of these cars and driven them for a while on some, I can say if you just didn't need things like push start or HVAC, or do you care much for HID the FRS is your best bet, but if you want something just a tiny bit more then get a Premium.

but in anycase if you own a 86 type car you're going to be happy with your purchase no matter what trim, that's just my Opinion.

To me, it's not worth it. The touchscreen hifi is probably more frustrating than helpful, turning a key is part of the automotive experience, and I've honestly never been stuck in fog. Most people just misuse them in clear weather anyway. The spoiler is meh, the different seat material is nothing special. Climate control is not my style, if I want colder or warmer I like turning the knob.

Heated seats are nice but not worth all the other stuff.

Just my personal preference. I don't knock anybody with a Limited. The important thing is we have fun with the cars and share memories.

The only features I would miss are the push button start, the keyless entry, and the spoiler.

Honestly, with only $1000 or so MSRP difference to the FRS, I rather have a screen of some sort that upgrades the interior as well as HID + LED DRLs. I live in Cali so heated seats are rarely used. Fog lights IMO detract from the overall clean look of the car.

In Canada they call the more expensive model the "Sport - Tech" package. I really like the seats with the leather accents and red stiching. Also, the spoiler for me makes it look more complete and the fog lights (when switched to an HID bulb) make it stand out from the crowd. The biggest thing was I wanted it to NOT look like an FRS, and so far, there has been no such confusion. Even had an FRS owner tell me he wished he could have got the same look as I did on the Subie. With evrything, to each his own, but I think for the extra $, a little exclusivity is worth it.

between FRS and BRZ- I prefer the BRZ front bumper, big personal choice but I like the BRZ. HIDs are nice but cheap and could be added to the FRS easily, however I like the Boomerang and the LED strip also. Not a fan of the FRS seats, red shoulders... :barf:

Premium vs. Limited- I hate push button start. Everything else I could care less about, I dont like the spoiler but could swap that easily, keyless entry can be nice but I work at a car stereo shop so if I really wanted that I could do it for next to nothing. But I really hate push button start, call me crazy but I really enjoy getting into a car, pushing in the clutch, and turning a key to bring a car to life.

If I could get the Limited without Keyless, I'd be all over it.
This being the first keyless/pushstart car I've ever lived with, I have to say I hate that - there's just less control.
With the key, I can flip the car to ACC or ON without starting and back, but with the push start, you need to turn it off to get it back to the beginning (not particularly fun if you are talking on the phone or listening to music and just want to shut off the engine, because it takes a long time to load back up)

Haven't used the foglamps (which seem to be there for cosmetic purposes more than anything)

Premium BRZ is the best value IMO. Even better if you can get 1-2k off like a Limited BRZ.

Flat- the bumper is one of the main reasons I got the frs instead of brz. But I agree the cars do not look the same similar but not the same

I'm in this camp...I had my choice the day I bought my car as the dealer had one of each in the same color with the same accessories (home link, trunk applique, etc.). I didn't really like the way the alcantra felt and I've never been a big fan of push button start. I think I would have enjoyed the auto hvac controls though, that was the only reason I looked. Originally I started my search looking for an FR-S so I'm glad I picked the "middle" option.

I can see some people went FR-S either b/c of subbie mark-ups or local dealers not wanting to negotiate, I had time on my hands so I negotiated well but if I couldn't I would have seriously missed out on these headlights had I gone FR-S.