Fun off the track?
 

Hey everyone. Been reading these forums for quite a while but there's a question I haven't seen discussed so I thought I'd sign up.

How fun do you think this car will be off of the track and on city streets or highways?


I'm asking because I won't get many (if any) chances to take this car to a track. Tires squealing as I drift through an intersection sounds like a fast way to get a ticket :bonk:. Does the great balance, low Cog, RWD etc give you enjoyment when obeying road laws? All the reviews for this car so far have been on the track and usually involve pushing the car to its limits. If you only notice the perfect balance when drifting, maybe I won't notice the difference between it and a sporty FWD car?

Then again I bet this car would be a absolute blast to drive in the winter when you can blame your sideways movement on the snow!

Don't know how helpful it will be in answering your question but certainly my experience driving my father's vintage 911 with about the same performance specs as the FR-S was a total A++ when it came to city driving fun. So much fun it's hard to put it into words. Much preferred it to his high-po' GTO. Even his Fiat 124 was a blast to drive.

One warning though - a car that enjoyable to drive does tend to make you push the boundaries of what's legal on the street a lot harder than when you are driving a Corolla! YMMV...

Winding mountain roads.

Definitely the answer I'm hoping to hear. I suppose the only way to know for sure is to test drive one :), but your comment gives me hope.

I'll also have to test drive something else shortly before or after I test drive the frs because just about any car will feel amazing compared to my poor VW

This is actually a legitimate question for a thread IMHO. I think the answers will involve "Feel" more than anything else on the streets.

Glad it was useful. One other point: consider the traffic conditions you are driving in. My comments above were regarding driving in relatively light to medium traffic. Once it gets really heavy or stop and go then the high fun factor of a car like the FR-S will start to evaporate, and you might be wishing for a plush, isolating luxobarge.

+1 on all the above.

I had a blast driving my Mk1 MR2 on the road. It was just pure fun regardless of what you were doing.

I also agree it will tend to get you in trouble. I hit the rev limiter on it way more than any other car I've every driven. Never got a ticket in it, but I should have.

Luckily traffic is light where I live and I do make trips up north to Haliburton region in Ontario where there are some nice curvy roads and the only thing to watch out for are deer and moose.
This car sounds promising as long as Scion doesn't screw Canadian customers on price. The VW GTI here is $29,375 which pisses me off.

I know the OP isn't saying this, but I never understood the "this car is for the track only."

The whole point of the car for me is to enjoy a sporty car on the street. To feel like a race car but not go 200mph down the main drag, or accidentally induce a burnout with just a slight jab of the throttle.

To me the selling points are the size, the seating position/seats, the shifter, and the N/A semi-high revving engine. Those are things I'll use everyday.

But like another poster said, if you're in stop and go traffic, or if you're traveling 100+ miles a day, you probably might want to consider a car with more amenities; a used 3 series, lexus, or maybe even a WRX.

My commute home can be varied. I can take the freeway, or I can take some semi-twisty side roads; I think the car would be perfect for that.

This car will be used by 95% of the population to be driven on the street only, so don't fret!

I'm buying mine to be a fun street car with occasional auto-x/drift use; I have my MR2 for track duty. I used to daily drive my MR2 but after installing one too many race parts, it's not comfortable on the street anymore:


http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...ardtop/040.jpg

The BRZ Limited appeals to me because of all it's amenities - navigation, satellite/HD radio, heated seats, heated mirrors, fog lights, auto climate control, keyless access, and all the nice things I want for my commute, all while staying under 2800lbs, or what most of my old 80's-90's sports cars weighed without all those options!

Yeah the Mk1 MR2 is ALWAYS fun to drive, no matter what you are doing with it. It connects you to the road like no other car I've driven. I've been trying to get my brother to sell me his, no dice :/

Attachment 5767

Just looking at it makes me feel good lolol

I'll have my FR-S soon enough though!!! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the advice guys, this car looks to be the one for me.

I guess my issue was due to seeing only reviews from race tracks where the reviewer says "this car is a blast to drive!" as there's tire smoke coming from the tires and he's sideways in a turn.

I'm making note of this so I can come back to you later for driving route suggestions once I have the FR-S!

Great, now you've done it. Off to search CraigsList again.....

Mine was an '85, Red with the black spoiler/trim. My boss had the "electric blue" one he bought after driving mine.

About 3 years ago there was an '85 on EBay that supposedly had less than 5,000 documented original miles on it, had been in someone's car collection. I drooled over it for days and eventually bid but I jumped out when it got to $10K. Not sure what it eventually went for, I couldn't go look again.