About to buy, quick questions
 

I'm looking at a "new" 2015 FR-S. I say "new" because it somehow already has 500 miles on it. I'm told it was dealer-traded from its original dealership ~180 miles away, driven over instead of shipped, and the deal fell through when the guy couldn't qualify for the financing so they were stuck with the car. I just had my local dealership bring it over from the 2nd dealership it was at (it's now at its 3rd dealership) which was about a 30 mile drive on the car. There's about 300 other miles on the car that apparently nobody can explain. I've bargained a fat chunk off the MSRP because of those miles, which makes the car tempting given the whole "pure price" BS. So I have a couple questions to ask here before buying this one instead of waiting 4-6 weeks for one to get built. Keep in mind that I am prone to get paranoid over cars so feel free to give me an internet smack if I'm being ridiculous here...

1. I'm primarily concerned about the engine break-in here. I've heard you want to avoid constant RPM during break-in. Well, a 180 mile drive from Iowa to Illinois sounds like just a bunch of cruise-controlled highway driving to me, during what is probably the most critical stage of break-in. I'm going to assume the worst here, that some clueless dealer actually set cruise control for the entire thing. If this did indeed happen, how much should I be worried about long-term impact on the engine? What would be the consequence of this? I've heard things like loss of compression, increased oil consumption, etc. Anything else? How much would performance be impacted? How about long-term reliability?

2. This thing already has the "crickets." It's not chirping, just ticking. I thought they would have addressed this by the 2015 model, but I guess not? I remember reading about this problem back in 2013 but didn't follow it. Was a solution to this annoying noise ever found?

Thanks!

I got crickets but it doesn't bother me cause my tunes are just loud. There's no fix for it.

If you're paranoid about that car then buy a brand spanking new one. That would give you piece of mind. There should be good deals for a 2015 since the 2016's are already out. I'd be suspicious of those extra miles. Just my 2 cents! ;)

Rather than have doubts on a purchase, I would wait on a new one. Unless they give you a large discount.

Theres been different TEMPORARY solutions to the "crickets". I started getting mine around 1.5k. I put Pure gas before (no ethanol) and it seemed to die down the crickets.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21904

thats the thread with other 86's cricket issues.

As for break-in period, I drove from Virginia to Washington the moment i got it. 8.3k miles in almost 2 months but i haven't felt any difference from when I hit 2-3k miles. I wouldn't set cruise control for more than 15-20 minutes of driving ( or maybe IM the one being paranoid).

In conclusion,when in doubt wait for a brand new one! I got a 2014 this year brand new for a good deal since the dealership was trying to sell the older models ASAP (only had 143 miles)

I would get another one with low miles to have a proper break-in. I wouldn't consider 500 miles "new". New to me means low miles, new to them means never titled to an owner.

No, you'll have crickets forever.

The extra miles could be test drive miles or a salesman using it to pick up lunch.
So what's the total price on this car that you negotiated?? KBB's fair purchase price for a MT 2015 with 500 miles, no options, is $25,300. That's not much under sticker.

I like to save money. The guys that shuttle cars between dealerships are old responsible guys that are retired and like to make some side money, they arent kids out flogging on the car.

Depending on the discount, 500 miles is really negligible in the big picture.

If its going to drive you nuts wait for a new one.

I wouldn't really worry about the mileage if your getting a sweet deal on it. These engines come broken in from the factory. It's a matter of which side of the fence you want to be on. Some people say don't worry about the break in, others will tell you still need to break it in. I drive mine to work every day and took it to Palm Springs the second week I had it. I don't ever use cruise control but I still kept my speed at a solid 70-75mph most of the way, except I did take it up to 110mph because who wouldn't on open desert roads. There is nothing wrong with my car or anything else. I wouldn't stress the break in.

Besides no one will drive this car 180miles and not open it up along the way so I am sure they didn't cruise control it all the way.

Who doesn't love the sound of crickets. I represent mine all day long and joke with my buddies about it. They are my little pets.:bonk:

Just buy it! Also I am all about instant gratification...

500 miles is too much for a new car, that is a dealer demo IMO. The crickets are due to the physical properties of the pump. Everyone has them, audible or not. Forget about it. And engines dont get "broken in" at the factory. They get put in a test rig for a go or no-go, thats it. If you are like me, I'd always be wondering about how that engine was treated off the lot.

I'd say do your best to ignore the pressure that 4-6 week wait is putting on your decision and only take into account the milage and price. As everyone says, the crickets are something you'll get sooner or later, and if you're being optimistic then this way you can get used to them from the start. It'll decrease any longing for the time the car didn't have them. If you can find some peace of mind in the miles they put on the car, then go for it. Otherwise, consider the next 4-6 weeks as payment free time that you can save up that much more to make the buy easier. Hope it all works out!

I honestly wouldn't worry about the 500 miles. If it's what you want (color/trim/trans) then just go for it. As far as the ticking is concerned, it's not the crickets. The crickets are very distinct and you'll notice them if you get them. The ticking is due to the high pressure direct injection system. Direct injection cars all have the ticking sound. If you pop the hood and try to listen carefully to the driver's side of the motor then you'll hear the ticking even more clearly. The first time I heard them was right after my first oil change and had the hood opened. I thought my valves were ticking but only came from driver's side and brought it back to the dealer. They checked it out and said it was just the DI system. You're cool. Just find a gas station that doesn't give you the crickets and keep getting gas from there. I've been fortunate sticking to a local BP gas station with 93 octane. Wish you luck!

I was in a similar situation, the dealer said they would be able to get a new car in the same color I wanted and upon it's arrival there was about 500 miles on it. I wouldn't consider it new with that miles on it. I told them I didn't want that one and walked away. I went to another dealership a little further away and got one with under 20 miles with more options for a better deal the next day. I wouldn't want anyone else putting the miles on the car if I was buying it new.

The implications of a break in procedure not being followed are unlikely to be noticeable until you surpass 100k miles, if not 150k miles. How long do you plan on keeping the car? And you never know, might've gotten a good driver who followed procedure.

If the discount is deep enough I would do it assuming the rest of the car is what you want.

And don't give two thoughts about the crickets, mine went away, just drive the car.

:burnrubber:

So that's what the ticking sound is... I heard it after breaking 4k miles 2 days ago.

Yay for learning something new!