[Abraxen]

I've been a lurker here since March 2014, and having come across this topic decided to register and reply. This will probably be a little long winded, and as such, get ignored by many. But I just felt I'd share my perspective.

Having not owned a car for at least 5 years, around March 2014 I decided to change that. Based on what I was looking for and what I could afford, the search was narrowed down to the FR-S (preferred the styling over the BRZ) and the Genesis.

Started test driving a Genesis 2.0 turbo automatic, which is all the dealership that I went to had. Forget the trim, but it was cloth seats and basic interior. My girlfriend loved it, and pushed for me to get it. However I wanted a manual, so while I talked some numbers with the dealership, I wasn't going to seriously entertain purchasing anything they had.

Went to a Scion dealership and test drove a FR-S. They pulled a little bait and switch as they had me drive some special edition (forget off hand, but it was the silver one). Had more things than what I'm thinking was the base Genesis, it was a manual, and to be honest I really liked the car. They only had the silver special editions and older red ones, so after talking some numbers, I put a $500 refundable deposit for them to get me a black 2014 from another dealership. I would have likely purchased the car that day had they had what I was looking for. For reference, my girlfriend really didn't like the FR-S.

So I went home, and started lurking the 86 forums. Figured out that my FR-S wasn't going to be equipped with the same things as the car I test drove. Kind of minor things, but the were creature comfort/tech things that I appreciated. Still, I thought I'd be cool with it. I talked to my step dad, who works with a dealership that sells both Hyundai and Scions, and said he'd see what he could do about the employee discount.

He got back to me the next day with two pieces of information:

1. He couldn't budge on the price of the FR-S due to the pure pricing.

2. He had a brand new black 2013 Genesis 3.8 R-Spec manual, that after employee pricing, would be the same price as the FR-S I put a deposit down on.

At this point I wasn't able to drive a 3.8 manual Genesis, but given the pricing, I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. That weekend (one week apart from the FR-S deposit...due to lack of a car I could only do my dealer visits on the weekends), I decided I'd find a dealer with a 3.8 Genesis in stock and make my decision that day.

I found a dealership that had a 2013 3.8 Ultimate (Track) manual in stock. I knew they were out of my price range, but the engine and transmission would be the same as the R-Spec my step dad had (he's 120 miles away, so I didn't want to make that trip just for a test drive). Walked into the dealership and they had a gorgeous silver 3.8 Ultimate manual sitting in the show room as soon as you walked in.

Now I really liked the base Genesis in the original dealership, but seeing the Ultimate was a huge difference. My girlfriend and I looked at each other out of shock on said difference. Still, I'm only there to test drive one to see if I'd be interested in the one my step dad had. Look at the red tag...$2,500 more than the FR-S and the R-Spec my step dad had.

Test drove it's identical twin that was out in the parking lot. Loved it. Leather, sun roof, heated seats, more speakers than I could count, touch screen nav system, spoiler, 19" wheels, etc.

After they knew I loved it, they tried to tell me I wasn't eligible for everything that got the car to the price on the red tag. Told them I couldn't do a penny more, I had the FR-S on hold, and about the R-Spec my step dad had. Got every single cent off, and got a Ultimate for $28,500.

I wanted to share this story because even though I ended up in a Genesis, I could have easily owned a FR-S had they had what I wanted. I would have likely been happy in either car.

I may have likely gotten lucky with the price, but what sold me on the Genesis vs. the FR-S really came down to the FR-S lacking in "performance" and creature comfort/tech compared to what I have now. Meaning if the FR-S were slightly cheaper, or the "performance"/creature comfort/tech was a little nicer, I would have had a more difficult time debating between the two options.

I put "performance" in quotes because I knew that would get picked on. The FR-S felt good, especially compared to the 2.0 Genesis I drove. But I don't take my car to the track either. I live in a city and 80% of my drive time is a mix between city and highway. 10% is weekend trips around the city, and the other 10% is trips about 100 to 120 miles north or south of where I live, which is mostly highway. So while the FR-S did feel like it handled better, the extra power of the 3.8 Genesis was something I'd be more likely to take advantage of. I don't mind the weight, and in fact actually like that the Genesis has more of a substantial feel to it. And as much as know people like to knock Hyundai here, at least from what I've seen from this topic, I did like the warranty and haven't had an issue at all so far.

I mentioned my girlfriend a few times, so I wanted to mention why. She's likely going to be "the one", so while this is my car that I'm paying for, she's also the most frequent passenger. Her preference wasn't going to be the determining factor, but was a mild consideration. She did prefer the Genesis due to it being a bigger car, and while not a overwhelming difference, the back seat is also larger, which is a consideration for kids. The creature comfort was also a major factor for her. She also preferred the look of the Genesis, but I think that was also because the FR-S was smaller.

What this all boils down to is price, features, and personal preferences. I still check out every 86 I see, I still point them out to my girlfriend, she still says she's glad I got my Genesis, and so am I. My only regret is that I can't afford to have both. It also makes me sad she doesn't like the FR-S and won't buy one so I can drive it too.