FRS for "non-car guy"
 

Just joined the club few days ago and here's my first post:


I'll get right to it. I am by no means a 'car guy' when it comes to the knowledge of what makes cars tick. For the past year though, I've considered getting an FRS. The hype is so great that I couldn't help but be lured into it.
1. I don't know how to drive stick
2. This would be my only DD
3. My current and only car I've had is an automatic 07 chevy cobalt
4. My driving would be mainly highway (Phoenix, AZ)
5. Married but not planning on a family soon


Also, I am very very much interested in LEARNING and I believe having a new, nice car like this will help my motivation to do so.

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

Welcome to the forums.

I live in Canada. Where there's tones of snow. And when the wife has the RAV4. I take my 3 year old with me. The back seats can accommodate small kids in child seats.

Yes I use this a DD. It's fantastic. Big plus is it's great on gas. If you decide to have more than 1 child. This tiny sports car might be a really tight squeeze for everyday travel with 2 and 2 children. I'm glad I'm on planning on having only one child

Get a manual and learn. Try something new :)

I drive an auto and freaking love it! It is not a highway car though so there might be a better car for passing on the highway and a little quiter if that matters. If I was you, I would go buy a FRS/BRZ

You lucky man! I would looooove to drive my brz on those beautifully smooth phoenix perimeter roads..

But as for your questions..

Its a great car to learn stick on! Stick is easy to learn and its fun. Adds another notch to your belt as well. I knew how to drive stick but this is my first standard car and Its amazing to drive. Wouldn't want it any other way.

Ive been DD'ing mine all summer with no complaints at all.

No more sedans bro! Grab the coupe and have some fun, I promise you you wont look back.

If your still on the ropes go grab one this Saturday and test it out at the dealership.

My honest thoughts about this car are this: (previous vehicles have been 2002 Mercedes C class and a number of big trucks) 6 months into ownership I still walk with my head looking backwards after I park. I cannot wait to get in my car and drive every day I have owned it and I have NEVER had that with my previous cars. I've driven a 458 Italia Ferrari many times and I find this car just as much fun to drive. Its a pure gem of a sports car and I wouldnt sell mine for anything.

Just recently purchased an auto and love it, off the line I can definitely see why many swear by the manual.

I'm biased since in two weeks into ownership but I feel you can't go wrong manual or auto with this car, if you're willing to learn and this is within your budget... Make the jump! It seems like your heart is set on a twin.

All of the above posts!

I wont try to be rational because sports-cars are first and foremost an emotional thing. There are a thousand reasons for NOT buying one and if your really want one, none of them are going to matter.

In my definition of a meaningful life, every man should own a sports car and sleep with a redhead at least once before they die.

How about a 252hp focus ST... wait...wait that's just the ad im seeing atm.

They are great cars but only you know what you truly want my best advice is go test drive one and possibly a few other models that peak your interest and go from there

To tell you how much I love the car, a few weeks ago mine got totaled cause an old lady t-boned me, come Friday, i'll have a 2016 FRS. I never had any intentions of getting rid of my previous FRS (2013 MT w/ 44k miles). but it got rekt so here I am trying again with no regrets. for what its worth, im also married and have a kid on the way

If you wanna learn and become a "car-guy" you'll either become that car-guy and regret getting the AT or you'll never become that car-guy because you went with AT. Get a manual!

Get a mazda/volvo/bmw/Audi sports weagon. O.o....

This car have too much quirks that a non-car guy is gonna have problems with.........once honeymoon period is over you will be looking for replacement.

This is a good car to learn on, do nothing to it and have a blast or do everything to it and retire a decade later from spending all the money on it.

I'm not sure what your particular dilemma is it AT/86 vs Sedan or is MT an option? If you have any desire to learn manual transmission I say give it a shot, I'd bet hundreds of people bought a brand new FR-S/BRZ and their first time driving manual was on the test drive or on the way home. I have a friend who bought a MT WRX and learned how to drive it as he road tripped it ~350 miles home.

That being said, the AT gets lots of praise and I be you'll be happy with the upgrade. Not sure if you're the kind of guy to take the plunge and be happy or if you'll start finding regrets quickly, tons of posts around here of guys who said 'screw this' and traded for a big V8 car or downgraded to a more economy minded chassis with a nicer interior and build quality but consider that this car is far from perfect for anybody and some people downright don't like it for valid reasons.

Good luck.

edit: my primary car for almost 3 years now, 42k miles, there are minor annoyances that would have some people in a fit of rage (there are more than a few threads about how this car is "garbage" and "Toyota and Subaru really dropped the ball"), but I'm a car guy so they are fixable or I can adapt, the pros outweigh the cons for me several times over, I, and others around here are in the minority otherwise they'd sell even more of these than they already have.

It is just a car. A little different then some but still just a car. Not mystical, magical or mysterious but just a car. Does some things really well and others not so well since it is just a car. For many of us it is a damn near perfect DD and commuter transport but it is still just a car.
Did I mention that it is just a car?

I like to think of mine as a Magic school bus, but to each their own...

I guess the minute somebody says AT the debate has to be started by somebody.
If you think that owning a MT is a requirement of being a "car guy" then you have a lot to learn about the car scene.
There are AT owners out there that can probably drive circles around you and have you bawling like a little child in seconds.
I bet you also believe that RWD is some special thing that requires advanced skill levels to handle.

*bawling

But yes, 100% correct, that +1s 0-60 difference doesn't mean jack if you don't have the balls to carry the maximum amount of speed through a corner.

AHHHH the epitome of writers creating children's stories while obviously using copious amounts of hallucinogens.


http://katelarsen.com/wp-content/upl...School_Bus.jpg

Thanks! I didn't think it looked right but was too pissy to care.

^This

People already complain our car is too slow with "only" 200 horsepower, then half of them are sold in automatics which are even slower and then most people run 91 octane which is slower still

That said, not everyone cares about speed and there are practical reason to get an auto. But if your goal is to become a "car guy" you should be trying to get the best driving experience your vehicle has to offer.

Definitely an excellent car to learn and grow with. Like many others, I recommend getting the 6MT and learn to drive stick in it. I'm one of those people who bought his 6MT and basically learned to drive it when bringing it home from the dealer. A bit scary at first while you stall, jerk the car around and stall some more but it's a good skill to have because you'll never find yourself in a situation that you can't drive a car because the only one available is MT.

Either way, buy an 86. This auto is different, and there is a thread out there on here talking about how you can actually go into a manual mode that is really manual and the auto will refuse to shift for you no matter what, with the one small exception of it will not down shift and blow the engine up.

But if you want to learn how to drive a stick, this is a good car to do it. People complain about the "feel' or other such crap, but this shifter is pretty good and the seating position is excellent. I bought my first manual without having a clue have to drive it. I learned, and it was awesome. You can too.

I love how this car has all the little tech features my last car did not. Good bluetooth, I have a place to plug my ipod into the stereo, a place to plug my phone to charge, and a third outlet in the glove box if I need it as well. My car has nav, and while people complain about it for some reason it is just as good as any oem nav system I have seen. You can get great gas mileage if you don't drive it like you stole it, but when you want to do that it responds great as well.

The only complaint I could possibly have in my 1 week of driving it so far is the total and complete lack of storage space, but I knew that going in and I didn't need it anyways. It has enough room for me to do my laundry at the laundromat, pick up my weekly groceries, and keep a toolbox, a car cover, and one of those shiny things you stick in the windshield so you don't roast your car.

If you want a small sports car and don't want to buy something 20 years old or for boatloads of money, I think this is the best choice.

These cars a great on gas (for a sports car) I have a mixture of 30mpgs with having a 20 mile commute 1 way each day for work. It gets multiple stares and compliments all the time. I prefer manual over automatic just because all my cars have been manual, and they're cheaper.

Now this ^ is how you tell somebody to get a MT!
I agree that everybody should learn to do it and if you can drive MT in one of these you can drive it in anything. These have that nice firm, notchy, precisely gated feel that is missing on so many shift by cable MTs. The biggest hurdle to get over in learning to drive them is the fear of learning to drive them, The rest is all technique.

There is definitely truth to this. In regional autocross, the next fastest CS twin driver above me drives an auto.

Awesome car, get it meow.

1. I don't know how to drive stick (I learned stick on mine)
2. This would be my only DD (DD everyday in North Virginia traffic)
3. My current and only car I've had is an automatic 07 chevy cobalt (Mk4 VW Golf)
4. My driving would be mainly highway (Phoenix, AZ) (North Virginia?)
5. Married but not planning on a family soon (Wanna marry me? :D)

There are cars which the AT does make a huge difference in performance. The Twins are not one of them. If anybody is street driving at the level where the difference between the two makes the MTs performance that much better then we will watch the news for their arrest or fatal crash.

Put it much more tame than I would've. :)
Still groggy from waking up, glad I read threads thoroughly before commenting. If I replied to that post, I would have been banned for sure. lol

Anyhoo, I came from a non-car background. Every time I log in, I learn something new just by reading around. If you feel comfortable in learning MT with your daily, then get the MT. If you want the AT, then buy that.

You cannot go wrong either way. I'd venture to say you aren't the type to do red light races thus the "1 second slower broooooooo, buy MT hurrr durr" doesn't apply here.

Welcome to the forums, enjoy your stay!

What do you mean not a car guy? Do you enjoy driving? Enjoy making the tires squeel in turns even if you are driving a pos daewoo?

If not you wont like this car i guarantee it.

Please note that I'm not out to take anything away from the 6MTs performance. She has 2 seasons worth of experience on me and drives on RS3s and TRD springs and a handful of other CS legal mods and I'm still bone stock including the Primacy's. I'm just making excuses for my poor performance because my friend (CS leader) drove my car on a fun run and he beat her time on his first try.

The performance is there, it's just up to the driver to unlock it.

I've put two 'aces' in my car at an autocross, both bested my time by over a second the first time they sat in the car (I scrabbled back most of it on the first guy with enough runs). I have video of one stalling it as he brought it up to the line and the other you can hear him ask me how to launch it about 3 seconds before he nails a beautiful start.

First off, @Jviveros2, welcome to ....... The Forum ..........:clap:

There is lots of good advice and information in this place.

I think the FR-S/BRZ is a good car for a young married couple.

You don't have to be a "car guy" to own a FR-S. Just read the manual, put high-test gas in it and take it in to be serviced when the manual calls for it.

If your wife can't drive a car with a MT, and you want to share the car, I would recommend an AT.

Some say that an FR-S with an AT is a better "cruiser" (quieter, better gas mileage); the FR-S with a MT is more "engaging" (takes more movements to make it go)........so, it's your call......:)

The main thing is ..... to pick a pretty color ...... :thumbsup:

(when in doubt about color - ask your wife)



humfrz

you don't have to worry about being banned here, they haven't banned me yet. I've managed to be ip banned after one post on a forum where I was asking an honest question and after three posts on a forum where I complimented someone's car and asked an honest question. Seriously it is like people have never met massholes before. I'm blunt and I'm not going to coddle people with my opinions. I am pretty sure there are already a couple people here who hate me because of it. I've been called a troll during an entertaining discussion because someone didn't like what I was saying. The truth hurts sometimes. lol. Oh, and I have a habit of derailing threads saying stuff like this.

:lol:

You have been called a troll once?
How cute!
I may hold the forum record. Mostly because people only read parts of what is said and make presumptions.


There is nothing wrong with debate and it is the internet so opinions differ but some things are just so common and predictable they piss me off sometimes.


The "truth hurts" works both ways. Just because you say it doesn't make it true. It is how people deal with things that can change a debate to a shit throwing match. I usually try to walk away after I fling my first pile but sometimes the temptation is just too much. I am sure there are a few that think they "won" a debate simply because I realized I was wasting my time and walked away. The best guys here are the ones that can have a heated debate in one thread and carry on normal with the same people in another. Bygones need to exist.


No thread of value can ever truly be derailed. If it is strong enough it will come back on track. If it is too weak to come back it was done anyway.

I'm not saying you have to drive manual to be a car guy. You don't even have to know how to be a car guy. What I really meant was it will be easier to become that car guy if you drive a manual. Sorry if I made it seem like you have to drive manual in order to know a lot about cars.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

What kind of hype are you being lured in by? It seems kind of strange that if you have non 'car-guy' you would still be lured in by the hype if you know what none of the things mean. If you've never appreciated driving for anything more than a means to get to a location, I would not buy a sports car. However, if you appreciate and have fun driving, but have never put in the effort to get into cars, you can watch some videos, read reviews, and best of all, go for a test drive yourself to see what it's all about after figuring out what the reviews mean.

Sports cars are not meant for automatic transmission. High end sports cars are automatic, but have DCT transmissions and cheaper ones focused on the driving experience like the FR-S should be bought in manual. Manual is easier than you think, and it's a good skill to have regardless.

If you have an automatic, don't be offended because that's not my intention. If you use the car as a DD and constantly have to deal with rush hour traffic jams or close city intersections on steep hills but still want a part of the driving experience then more power to you. However, if you buy the car as an automatic when you live in a situation where driving a manual is perfectly fine, you're kind of defeating the purpose of the car.

Still implies that the MT makes a car guy even if "easier". The Prius driver trying to squeeze every MPG out of his car is a car guy. The minivan driver that has added every possible luxury item they can is a car guy. The 14 year old that has never been behind the wheel but has posters on the wall (do they still do that?) and can reel off every spec in the book is a car guy. What tranny you drive, what wheels propel the car, how fast you make it can go, etc does not make you a car guy unto it's self. I know it is all semantics but the whole "you don't drive MT", "if you don't track you don't drive", "you ruined the car by slamming it", "my opinion is truth" stuff bugs me sometimes (and I am as guilty as anybody of some of those on occasion)


Sorry, wasn't going off on you so much as the comment. I was waiting for it to pop up and you were just the lucky first entry. I will shut up now.

Ahhhh damn it! I should have saved my rant for this one!


Most of these cars are bought by the non car guy type. If you need to manually shift gears to get the "driving experience" then you are still missing the point.


I will shut up again.

I am a certified rush hour traffic heel toe hero, bow before me and my mastery of SF hills and traffic. I would kill myself before buying an autotragic.

:bow::bow:

....and a second small exception that it won't upshift unless a minimum speed is reached for the next gear so you don't lug the engine.