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

Let me start off by saying that I was born and brought up in another part of the world, learnt to drive on a car based on the rear wheel drive Fiat 1100, moved to Japanese Kei cars and light but quick 'pocket-rocket' bikes. These Japanese cars were small and low on power but they were also very light which means you could rev them to heaven and back and zip them through the congested roads. My fascination with cars also meant that I became acquainted with auto enthusiasts and clubs which helped me get familiar and gain knowledge about cars and keep abreast with the latest happenings globally.

During my first visit to the USA in 2007, I did not get a chance to buy a car as I was here only for a year. But I did get the chance of sampling a number of cars. These included cars across the spectrum all the way from the likes of Mazda 6 to GMC Yukon. The last car I got a chance to use before leaving was a Mustang. And the power and torque had me hooked. I told myself that I was going to get one of these if I am back here.

I had got married by the time I was here again in late 2012. A used Mustang was still on the cards. But finances and the lack of time to hunt for a good one and the fact that a 2006 Nissan Altima was being sold by a good friend (which meant the payments could be flexible) tipped the balance towards the Altima. Well, I will get a new Mustang by mid 2013, I thought.

As part of preparations and research for a new car, I happened to stumble upon something called the BRZ on Subaru's website. Looked like a proper sports car, RWD, boxer engine and a limited slip diff. Then I saw the 200HP. The number seemed to be very conservative when compared to other modern day cars. The Mustang was still what I had in mind.

Months passed and I did more and more reading on all possible 'sporty' cars. The more I read about the 86, the more interested it seemed to get. And then I got hooked on to this forum which was my window to the 86 world. I read about the initial waiting periods, mark ups, discussions on engine failures, tail light condensation, tons and tons of possible mods and the by now famous crickets (supposedly an integral part of the vocal experience of this car).

But as fate would have it, 2013 was not going to be year when I could get my car. A baby was on its way which meant I was not in a position to ditch the Altima and get a RWD coupe. The facts that I was in Western MA and the amount of snow that we get here made even the argument look stupid. Sigh, I had to wait.

Fast forward to April 2014. The baby was here. I realized that I could have the new car that I had always wanted and keep the Altima for some more time. By this time, I had gotten loads of useful information from this forum on dealing with dealers, online buying, best way to transact etc. Armed with all these, I started out looking for a WRB Limited Manual.

A dealer nearby happened to have a used 2013 SWP Limited. Took my wife along and she had a grin on her face a few mins into the drive. I was also able to drive the 2015 WRX at the same time. That car was seriously quick, the key word being 'seriously'. Wife wasn't too inclined as well. I was willing to buy the SWP if I got a good deal on it. But I did not. And so, I continued the search almost exclusively through email using all the techniques I had heard about on this forum.

Finally I got the best deal from a dealer more than 2.5 hours away. The car did have chrome here and chrome there which I was not particularly interested in. But I got a good price and the dealership was smooth to interact with in all the financing and other paper works. Went there last weekend and drove back with the dream that I have been harboring for almost more than a year. The wait just makes it that much more special.

All the reasons that made me go for this car made absolute sense to me when I took him to some curvy back roads yesterday (I prefer to refer to my cars and bikes in the masculine gender; apologies for that). The driving position, the feedback through the steering, the balance and poise… Everything was in perfect harmony and would serve as the baseline for anyone wanting to understand the meaning of pleasure while driving.

I had created my ID here way back but I had decided I will make the first post only after I got the car. The main point behind this unusually long post is to thank the forum for being of great help with all the inputs so far.

Below are a couple of pictures of my new best friend. These are the best I have for now.

Thank you!