How satisfied are you with your FR-S/BRZ?
 

Exactly what the title says, how do you guys/gals like your FR-S or BRZ? Negatives and positives of the car? I ask this as I have been considering one to get for my dd but a neighbor of mine has an immaculate stock AE86 :drool: that he is considering putting up for sale. So a better question would be what would you guys say get a FR-S/BRZ or the AE86?

I believe we have a thread similar to this already.

Issues
_____

Lack of power
Terrible tires
Not always practical but does that job
Spent a lot of money to make the car the way I wanted to perform.
Oh and that terrible terrible terrible god forsaken gearbox.

The good
________

Best new car for the price
Looks like a million bucks
Awesome chassis
Great seats
Very good stock steering feel and suspension
Fun to drive.

I am tired of hearing everyone talk about "lack of power". That is debatable. It's a high revving motor and you have to keep it up in the RPM range to feel the power. If you want low end power then you are going the wrong way. The car does have a good low end torque feel. The gearbox is sweet so I am not sure what Rocket.BRZ is speaking of. The tires are put on the car on purpose to induce sliding with less effort.

I do feel the gas mileage could be a bit better. It's not bad but I expected better. Others will disagree. It's a niche car and you have to understand why the car was made. If you like inspiration behind the vehicle then you will enjoy owning the car. I would prefer a slightly taller final drive gear ratio. Yet I can see the rationale behind the lower final gear ratio from the factory.

All and all I have love my FRS. Test drive one and see what you think.

In regard to buying an AE86. I would go for a new car because of warranty and obviously it being NEW. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing. Cheers!

Get one. There's a reason why it's being raved about by all the sports car journals. I too am mystified by the naysayers. The car has excellent handling right out of the box. It's sexy and for the price it can't be beat.

Another thing that you might not have considered is, does the ae86 have airbags? The years it was produced makes me think it doesn't. I had an '88 celica that had no airbags, and when I was in my accident... Well, I was incredibly lucky walking away without a scratch.


The FRS/BRZ have incredible crash ratings (5 star). So it's safe and fun, though not always practical. :)

I love my car. It makes me smile every time I walk out to get in it.

Literally. I'll look out the window and go man, that is nice. Haha.

Op it is the most fun of any car I've owned, I absolutely love driving it. 12,000 miles since October. I love every second.

In 1 yr of ownership there hasn't been a single day that I've gotten out of my car and not turned back to take a 2nd look. I love my car!

I think the "lack of power" really is the torque dip. I've driven several ~200 crank horsepower cars and they felt much faster. I also keep reading that getting rid of that dip really wakes the car up.

Agreed on the gas mileage. Once I swapped from eco tires I went from getting ~30 mpg to ~25 mpg :eyebulge:

The good
Looks amazing, always get comments on the car
easy to park
Handles great, very agile chassis. Really the best car to take on a mountain road
Very good fuel economy
Great seats
Great driving position

The bad
my passengers seem to not get the concept of getting in and out of a car thats so low. They kick the living shit out of it every time. Might not the cars fault but its still annoying
Pretty much useless backseats
The bluetooth on my stock headunit always plays music, but it doesn't always let me browse songs or make calls for some reason
Paint chips so easily

All in all, the good outweighs the bad tenfold. As for the whole low on power debate, I think the car has a good amount of power and all you need to do is get in the right part of the powerband to utilize it.

This

Thank you for all of your responses thus far. I should have mentioned if I get the AE86 it will be a full fledged project/track car and I would be keeping my current dd. Considering that I am debating between the FR-S/BRZ or an AE86 power isn't a concern lol.

Good:
The seats are amazing, close to Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Recaros.
The way the car loves to turn into corners, it does what you ask when you ask.
The way it feels in the big end of the tachometer when you're stringing corners together and maintaining momentum.
Only about 2000 miles on mine in 8 weeks of ownership, but averaging over 31 mpg.
I want to be driving it on fun roads all the time, enough to take an hour jaunt just because I have the free time.

Bad:
The transmission can be balky when not at operating temperature.
Over the shoulder visibility for reversing and lane changes.
Stock 'summer' tires aren't very good in a competition environment, and they will need to be swapped out in the winter.

Good: reasonable price
built in japan
good on gas
can be a very good looking car minimally modded
fabulous after market support
looks cool and different dont see to many

Bad: interior plastics are cheap
paint is cheap and from the right angle painted plastics arnt exactly the same color as metal body in a low light area
rear diffuser is hella cheap
oem exhaust tips are found on tribeca and other family vehicle (sport car come on)
needs mods to feel right out of the box kinda lame tacky car that feels cheap in multiple aspects,shifter feel,suspension,enginepower.

my exhaut was brand new and was rusted. just the muffler it had cheap silver paint on it

out of the box its more for the average commuter who isnt in need of any performance. but modded its quite nice, im with you on that this car is either ment either for someone who want a cool little car thats different, or good car to personalise. but it needs work to be considered sporty in my book. Dude for the tranny, put some hi quality oil in there, mtec springs, perrin tranny mount insert and shifter bushing. your in buisness it shifts very very smoothly, also loose that big cheap shift knob i put a heiver all metal knob from perrin, absolutly great !

At least as much power as a $23k Mustang

(playing devil's advocate here)

Comparing a Twin to a newer Mustang is comparing apples to oranges. Comparing a Twin to a Boxster is comparing apples to apples. If the Twins had ~300 bhp they would cost a hell of a lot more than $25K. at that point it defeats the entire purpose of these cars.

10 years is a long time, we went from 10w30 oil to 0w20, 25mpg to 40, and a subaru to a toyota , times have changed its not the same car, I wish it was :/ and its cheaper to make rwd only than a awd i must say. dam 10yrs ago i was playing grand theft auto vice city while smoking bong tokes in my room and going to school, now i have to work and plan ahead :(

I'm comparing two sports cars and the power each produces as compared to their price tag only. (Since that's what the person I replied to was doing)

mustangs are actually allright i just about pulled the plug on the boss 302, but then thought it tru... mpgs, initial payments, tickets, and then bought this. it was either this , a sti ,or the boss 302, i like this car i think i made the right choice, one thing about fast cars, they are a hell of alot of fun but you better be responsible and use that power with moderation or else tickets will find a place in your glove box time after time,

Well, if the most HP for your dollar is your goal, the answer is always Mustang, and of course the V8. But I have owned many more powerful cars than the FR-S/BRZ and could not say there was anything close to the driving enjoyment I get from this car that came simply from more horsepower.

It's very easy to sit at your computer and compare power to weight and cost in 19XX dollars and all that and start telling yourself what a terrible deal the twins are vs. a Mustang or what a great deal they are vs. brand-new Cayman S, but if you drive the car, is it fun to drive?

You look at the specs and say "Oh, over 6 seconds zero to 60, 15 second quarter miles, how can that be any fun? The V6 Mustang is faster for the same price and the Nissan Z is only a couple thousand more..." yet if you actually drive all three cars (or even the V8 Mustang that costs a few thousand more) you will quickly find that the FR-S/BRZ is way more fun to drive.

On the other hand if you street race or measure your worth by how fast your car is, then you're pretty lame and some kid with his mom's V6 Accord is cooler than you.

its funny you ask this. cause I had a AE86 and I truly regret selling it. to make up for it years later I traded in my TSX for the modern day 86, my BRZ. the part that is funny is my fiancé recently asked me which would I pick. my BRZ or 86. I asked stock for stock or fully modded. she said stock. I thought about it and I said BRZ. then she went ahead and asked me both fully modded to my liking.... I said BRZ again. lol I would gladly buy a 86 to work on and rebuild along side my BRZ but if you made me choose one or the other. I love my BRZ overall more. it is everything my 86 is in feel. but in stock form it is everything performance wise I had wished my 86 was. I hope that helps you somewhat. also I was originally apart of the group where I thought the car was slightly underpowered. but after awhile I have come to the opinion, for me atleast that power is perfectly fine. the true charm of the car is in taking it from 5000rpm range and up. that is where you just grin ear to ear with this car.

I did all of that except for the transmission mount insert. Maybe I shouldn't have mixed the pentosin with the Lucas transmission fix.

I will be satisfied when I can pick one up for under $15k used. :p

Very satisfied. The strangest part for me was owning a 2009 Boxster S for a while and looking forward to getting back into my FR-S. Not saying the FR-S is the better car (it's not), but it's got a certain minimalist appeal to it.

I've had mine for less than a week and managed to clock up 500+ miles. I couldn't stop driving it. The power is plenty for a DD and spirited driving.

I'd rather push a car to it's limits than drive something half assed that has lots of power.

lol thank got im not the only one that put that many miles on my car!

going on 11K since october,
i love driving this car, i get people looking everywhere i go,

well the tranny mount insert really keeps the tranny from moving around and makes it more solid and direct imo, i used amsoil 75w90 i belive, and it took a bit actually, it was notchy for a few days but broke in i guess and now its lovely , totally different tranny

75% satisfied, only gripes are power related

This car is like dating a hot girl with bi-polar disorder. You're not entirely sure what you're going to get out of it whenever you take it out of the garage, but when it behaves well, you can't wipe the smile off your face.

Its my favorite car out of all the ones I've owned by far.

I am very satisfied. There are some things that bother me (condensation in the tail lights, squeaking windows, etc.), but overall, it's an impressive car. After a tune and some modest power upgrades, the car doesn't feel slow. It reminds me of the same joy I had driving my old '71 911 but even better. It's definitely a keeper for me.

Very satisfied with the car, much less so with how the dealershit is addressing my small warranty issues.... most notably idle dip related stalling..

Very satisfied.

http://rallyways.com/6549/subaru-brz-driving-dynamics/

I'm extremely satisfied with the car. "Lack of power" isn't an issue for me at all. In fact, I think the powerplant is superb for what it is. 2.0L boxer which makes 100HP/L NA is in impressive feat nowadays. That being said, I prefer high revving NA engines over FI engines anyway. It's great value for the money, and a good stepping stone for those looking to get higher end sportscars in the future. The new Cayman GTS is next on my list, but that's years and years and years away.

Well let's see, I have a C4 Corvette that's faster 0-60 but doesn't put the grin on my face this car does. I looked at the Genesis V6 R Spec and the Camaro V6 and still chose this car! Wouldn't even consider a Mustang as they are very old and dated to me. The ergonomics are spot on and it's a drivers car so some won't get it. Only have 500mi on it so far and just got 31.6 MPG on a little get away!!! I'm mean seriously is there anything this car doesn't do well for the money...


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Was about 60% satisfied until I got my car tuned on E85. Now I'm 100% satisfied lol.


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Have almost 27k on mine and have loved every mile. No complaints here.

Just hit 1000 miles! I must suffer from separation anxiety because I still look back and just stare at my car every time I park. Also, I have never taken as many pictures of a car since I bought my FR-S.

LOVE:
Appearance, it looks like it belongs on a track. ENDLESS compliments/thumbs up. Sometimes I have to walk to my car slowly at parking lots to give people the chance to look at it before I return to my car and not make them feel like a creeper.

Handling. Street go kart. Tail happy when pushed. All within the speed limit. Stock suspension is firm, high but firm. And not uncomfortable for long journeys. I have coilovers just to lower the height with the dampening set to roughly the same as factory, have made several 400 to 900 mile round trips over the course of a few days and always arrive comfortable.

Simplicity, the only luxury's are cruise, AC, traction control, and iPod/aux in. That's all I want out of a car. Some people might argue that. But with expensive gadgets come expensive repair bills down the line as the vehicle gets older. It's a raw drivers car.

Aftermarket. Is getting bigger by the day, and will be growing for years to come.

Power. I like it, it fun to drive a slower car balls to the wall, than it is to constantly modulate a higher power car and keep from getting in trouble. (I had a 400whp saabaru wagon with an sti v7 ej207 swap and rotated gt3076r. Fun, but always instantly breaking the law)

Did I say appearance? Gorgeous

Gas mileage. I'm not easy on the car, but I don't beat the living crap out of it daily. I have almost 23,000 miles on it now, and I've averaged 30.5 mpg combined the whole time I've had it. Long high way trips I see 33/34 mpg. City I get about 27/28.

Safety. It's a Subaru. 8 airbags and their legendary high strength pillars. It's tiny but I feel safe in it.

Not so great things:
Space. If you're 6'1" like me, kiss the back seat good bye. But it's a sports car, did I buy it to be practical? No.

Trunk space is hit or miss. While I can fit a full grocery shop in there with ease, somethings just have to go in the back seat - like my cooler. Again, sports car. I can't move house in it, nor pick up large furniture. But I can fit a set of wheels and tires in the back with the seats down to go to the track. & I can throw luggage in the trunk for a week away with the lady friend. Yes I said it can fit a weeks work of a woman's clothes in it. We all know that means 3 weeks worth in reality (no offense lady's)

Crickets. Crickets. Crickets.

Appearance, yep it's a downside too. Mine is firestorm with gold wheels. I have to remember to be considerate on the road. I stand out like a sore thumb. Every cop I drive by stares me down. Every Honduh/Mustang/idiot I approach wants to race me. It's hard to be inconspicuous. In my case anyway.

Your local "car enthusiasts" are going to tell you, you wasted your money. The BRZ STI is going to be turbo next year - No it's not. You should have bought a Genesis it has more power for the same price. Or just a straight up "it lacks power". Purely because they look at one set of numbers across the board. HP/TQ figures. They forget it weighs in at 2750lbs. I've had mine on the scales with a few weight reduction mods and she sits at 2650 with a full tank of gas. 0-60 in 6 seconds is not a slow car.

It's very low, even stock ride height. It can be unpractical on shitty roads if you just want to drive it like an A to B car. I'm lowered and live in a town with awful roads. My front bumper chin is lacking some of it's paint on the under side, and I've managed to hit the skid plate once or twice driving a couple streets that I hadn't before. But if you're conscious and care about the car, it can be lived with.

Cup holders? I've had passengers complain about them. I drink mainly water and my camelbak bottle fits perfectly in the door card. As do most water bottles I buy. #aintcare

I really can't think of a whole lot of negatives. Yes I own the car and I'm slightly biased. But I'm trying to give an honest opinion.
While I do enjoy the power of the car, yes I wish it had more stock. Not "OMG WTF BBQ 300WHP TURBO POWER". -More like: the power that I have with full exhaust, open flash tablet and open flash header. Of course, I have that power now thanks to the after market. And it makes the car my own. I also like modding cars. So at the same time it's nice to know my car isn't as "slow" as everyone really thinks it is because I've put work into it myself.

Hope this helps!

Complimentary picture:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...psd35a6fcc.jpg