I spend 14 hours a week on the highway and it beats hell out of some of the stuff I have drove.

Pros:

Drinking coffee while driving
Eating while driving
Grabbing boobs while driving
Coasting in traffic in D

Cons:
Lack of launch
Can't be cool like every one else

Also, in a 45-50 second autocross course I've bested some MT times, so perhaps not as big of a deal as one thinks


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Also, many people dismiss this tranny before even trying it. A few people have rode along and it changed their opinion

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" Question is, should I go for the AT FRS or am I better off looking for 'just another sedan'? "

I'd say...does the car fit you when you sit inside ? Fits me (5'7" tall, 140#) perfectly, like a glove.

Did you test drive it, liking it immediately ? I couldn't get it off the lot, on a test drive, before realizing I wanted one.

Can you live with no useable back seat ?

Do you love driving FORWARD, not concerned with blind spots, backing up with a poor view, parking, not knowing just where the front or rear of the car exactly is (viewed from driver's seat) ?

Can you live with very slight wind noise at freeway speeds ?

This car is just fine as a freeway cruiser, knowing that there are also those twisty roads (on non work days) for way more fun...where it certainly excels.

I would suggest a reflecting color for your climate, as this car gets hot inside quickly from the sun.

This is certainly a DRIVER'S car. If driving is one's primary interest, this is one of the very few 'lotta bang for the buck' new cars worth considering.

This car is refined more than a Lotus Elise, yet not quite a Porsche Cayman in that sense.
This car is for one who does not want a convertible.

Personal note: My FRS (purchased new) is one year old this week. Currently about 22,400 miles on it. I'm still in lust, and way more than my Mustang GT which has power, not needed or expected from the FRS. The FRS just flies around corners...and I've found that's what I like most.

This is not exclusive to the FR-S/BRZ, but for all cars in general, you have to go and test out the car to make an informed judgement. Forget what you have read or heard and just go drive it. I've sat in cars that I was sure I would like, but end up walking away unsatisfied. I wasn't sure about the twins, but when I sat in one and got to test drive it I genuinely enjoyed it.

Go to your local dealer and get a test drive. You'll know if it's right for you pretty quickly.

:bellyroll:

I desperately try hard not to get into a debate, but I am weak willed and love debating. Most times it is not worth it, but it is fun saying something that is so far out of what most people will ever hear in the normal course of their day it is so worth it.

to op: buy one! You can always tell people it is just a rear wheel drive base Impreza.

I mean on a psychological level, and while this is not fact based, I believe it would make it easier for him to transition from using cars as a mode of transportation to driving as a form of entertainment. Why exactly? I'm not sure. But like you said, driving a manual has nothing to do with how much of a "car guy" you are. My little sister drives stick but couldn't care less about which car she drives as long as it moves.

"I mean on a psychological level, and while this is not fact based, I believe it would make it easier for him to transition from using cars as a mode of transportation to driving as a form of entertainment."

Wow, I never quite stated driving in such words.

I've been driving since age nine. Always thought of it as the most fun to do thing I've ever known.

Now there's a word for it...entertainment...how great ! LOL

FRS for "non-car guy"
 

I think we already scared off the OP but I'm gonna throw my fuel on the fire anyway because I love the AT vs MT argument and @Tcoat isn't the only asshole with an opinion. :)

I daily an AT in Phoenix and I have since December 2013.
It's the first automatic I've bought that had an option (big trucks don't often come in manual).
I've been driving since 1984.
I actually prefer a manual in traffic because coastiiiiiing.
I track my car on a regular basis and I'm faster than the manuals.
I tangled with a BMW 435 today and he said 'your car is quick' when we stopped. To be fair, my car is no longer stock. It's not FI, but you'd be amazed what an e85 tune can do.


Aaaaaaaall of that shit said, I would buy a manual if I had never owned one before just to learn it and enjoy the sublimeness that is wrist-flicking through gears.

And whoever said you can't get banned here, are you new here? LoL

Enjoy what ever you choose OP and listen to @humfrz on the color advice. ;)


Tapatalk - because smoke signals would be too easy.

Just adding my 2 cents to the car-guy vs non-car-guy argument. This is just my opinion but a non-car-guy becomes a car-guy the moment they view a vehicle as anything more than a means to an end. Key examples of this moment are when you want to drive just to enjoy driving or when you see a nice car you haven't seen before and you stop to find out more about it.

DONE and DONE, whats next?

BUT, anyways. Basically what everyone said.
IF you plan on doing some autocrosses or track days then you should probably go with the manual. besides, it wont hurt to know how to drive one. If you're only going to DD it on the highway, just get the AT. You will get better fuel economy. But thats your preference.

As for a child, I keep my track set on my back seat. they arent folded down. so a child WILL work. By the time you do get a child, Im sure you'll already have fallen in love with the subaru heart and end up getting a WRX.

CC
JUST DO IT

:thanks:


What he said. My moment was on the bus seeing a yellow S2000 and wondered "what the hell was that??"

I think you'll be quite happy moving up from a Cobalt, unless yours was an SS in which case it's a step down HP-wise. Even then, the FR-S will be nicer in every other way except off the line.

I've been DD'ing mine for three years now and it's great. It does just fine on the highway and I've never had problems passing.

Since you've never driven a stick before, you won't have any bad habits from other sticks to unlearn. This one can be finicky compared to some manuals and can take some getting used to otherwise. That being said, every review I've read says the AT on this car is really good so get what you're comfortable with.

Ain't THAT the truth ......! :D


humfrz