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

Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB (https://www.ft86club.com/forums/index.php)
-   BRZ First-Gen (2012+) — General Topics (https://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23)
-   -   the BRZ as a second car (https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92691)

perryair 08-02-2015 01:46 AM

the BRZ as a second car
 
i recently decided to buy a brz and am lucky enough to own an 05 civic that's long since been paid off and has been super reliable. i've never been a 2 car guy before but after only 1 week i can say that this is something that i hope that i can do for the rest of my life.

its not that i couldn't daily the brz, as lots of people on here do regularly. but the luxury of having a car to do the crappy drives, or the drives that require seating 2 people and a toddler in a carseat, or the treks to the supply store for work and many other things that im more than happy to drive an automatic econobox for which makes me REALLY relish being able to take the BRZ out for a fun drive after work or whenever.

it also in turn makes me more grateful to have that second car to not have to struggle with the back seat/lack of room/space in my brz for the low rate of about $30 a month in insurance. i know that paying to upkeep a second car may keep me from being able to spend extra money on wheels or exhaust or whatever, but it feels worth it in the long run.

ajaxthebetter 08-02-2015 02:14 AM

I too wish I had a second car. One to do the commute maybe Mon-thursday, then the BRZ for the rest. Just feel bad putting so many miles on it. Up to 7k in 4.5 months. I just can't stop finding excuses to drive it, haha.

soulreapersteve 08-02-2015 02:23 AM

Once I buy a house, pending what the future holds, I'm getting a truck. Right now, I can manage with the FRS but when that time comes to do something heavy duty, I'll wish I had something else.

Tcoat 08-02-2015 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajaxthebetter (Post 2343334)
I too wish I had a second car. One to do the commute maybe Mon-thursday, then the BRZ for the rest. Just feel bad putting so many miles on it. Up to 7k in 4.5 months. I just can't stop finding excuses to drive it, haha.

Try doing 4k a month, year round, in Canada.
I don't feel bad about it though scince it is not a Lambo or anything like that.

extrashaky 08-02-2015 04:01 AM

I daily my BRZ and have a (real) Jeep Cherokee for the times I need to move something that won't fit in the BRZ's trunk. I'd like to round out the fleet with a full size pickup to have all the basic needs covered.

Then there are half a dozen other vehicles I'd like to have just to drive when the mood hits. At one point when I was growing up, we had 14 cars around the house, most of them actually running. When I finally get around to buying a house, it'll have enough land and garage space around it to park a few of my own.

Speed2th 08-02-2015 05:35 AM

Brz is my personal car and I love every second driving it, alone. My wife hates to ride in it and it won't fit child seat in there anyway. I am fortunate to have other car that my family can ride comfortablely and safely.

civicdrivr 08-02-2015 10:15 AM

My FRS (am I allowed on this side of the forum?) was purchased as a second car. However, I sold my daily at one point and couldn't find a suitable replacement for about 8 months. The FRS was a decent daily, and I enjoyed it, but its way better now that it's back to weekend duties. It's nice knowing that if a repair/upgrade doesn't go as planned, you have another car to get you somewhere until its drivable.

My daily is paid off as well, has a back seat, and has proven itself invaluable many times.

Sent from my XT1095

Quentin 08-02-2015 10:45 AM

the BRZ as a second car
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by soulreapersteve (Post 2343342)
Once I buy a house, pending what the future holds, I'm getting a truck. Right now, I can manage with the FRS but when that time comes to do something heavy duty, I'll wish I had something else.


I've been a homeowner for over 8 years and I've never owned a truck. In that time, I landscaped, put in 900 sq ft of hardwood, installed 200 ft of 6' vinyl privacy fence (with rented gas auger), installed a paver patio, installed a new dishwasher, and installed washers and dryers at 2 houses. The really big stuff was delivered, for example: the vinyl fencing panels, posts, concrete, and stone were delivered for $60.

You can also rent a truck from Home Depot, get a 4'x8' utility trailer to pull behind the family CUV, or just have things delivered. I'm a big fan of the utility trailer. It gives you a full 8'x4' or 10'x5' cargo area and usually more weight capacity that just a truck bed. My beef with trucks and having a family is that the beds are often tiny if you have room to carry people or the truck has a 160" wheelbase to do both.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sideways 08-02-2015 11:02 AM

My BRZ is my second car too. I got Mazda 3 for daily driving/work commute and BRZ for weekend fun and trips with wifey. But even I'm thinking of getting rid of Mazda 3 in near future and get a truck or SUV.

mush 08-03-2015 02:35 AM

having 2 cars is nice if u have the funds, i felt like i was throwing money away with a "weekend" car
my parents has an extra SUV if i ever need and a car/truck if i need to haul people/junk

Ganthrithor 08-03-2015 03:06 AM

Why would you second-car a BRZ? The whole point of the BRZ is that it's a hoot to drive while also being practical and not being prohibitively expensive to run, allowing people to use it as a daily driver. If you are going to run two cars, why not make the weekend car something more interesting? I'm not trying to trash the 86 here, but there are more interesting options out there for a Sunday drive type vehicle at the same price point, provided you have something boring to daily.

I say sell the Civic and enjoy the BRZ everyday :)

ashtray 08-03-2015 06:13 AM

I bought a WRX wagon new in 2003. Great car. Bought a BRZ in 2012 to replace my Miata (BRZ is just a better fit in my life though the Miata was more fun to drive.) Still have WRX but I figured it would be a backup/foul weather car. As it turns out, I still drive the WRX about 60-70% of the time! Its more comfortable, faster, and just "easier" to drive. The BRZ is more fun though - and I take it out once a week almost as a treat. But I never expected it would get driven so little.

Maritime Storm 08-03-2015 10:32 AM

We've got the best of worlds, her daily driver is the FR-S, my daily driver is an 09 Ranger Sport, 4.0L/5Spd, RWD. Anything looking like a supply run, boat towing, garbage/garden supply, etc run we use the truck. Regular life we use the car, road trip, crusin', etc we take Hachi.

zc06_kisstherain 08-03-2015 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor (Post 2344119)
Why would you second-car a BRZ? The whole point of the BRZ is that it's a hoot to drive while also being practical and not being prohibitively expensive to run, allowing people to use it as a daily driver. If you are going to run two cars, why not make the weekend car something more interesting? I'm not trying to trash the 86 here, but there are more interesting options out there for a Sunday drive type vehicle at the same price point, provided you have something boring to daily.

I say sell the Civic and enjoy the BRZ everyday :)

everyone is different.
if one thinks beaten up miata is precious 2nd car, then it is for him.
doesnt really matter whether it's $1 mil car or $1,000 car


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:00 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2026, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2026 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.


Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.