Quote:
Originally Posted by a110
So, I'm thinking about buying a used 2013 FR-S after the 2014 models come out. For a while I was having a tough time deciding between the FR-S or the BRZ...I think what finally sold me on the FR-S is actually the price to be honest. The only features that I would want that the BR-Z has that the FR-S lacks are the leather seats and push-button start (and the spoiler...I just like the look of it). Since those options are on the Limited trim only, that essentially adds around a $5k premium to the FR-S price. The way I figure it, if I really wanted leather and the spoiler, I can easily add both for $2.5k (if not less). Are there any other features from the BRZ that I might want in the FR-S that I may have missed? I've read that the nav/audio system in the BRZ is not very good, so I probably would have swapped that out with an aftermarket system anyway.
Now, for the second part of my dilemma...should I get an automatic or a manual transmission? I want to get a manual transmission for the heightened experience in driving the car, but I also admittedly have no idea what it's like to have a MT car. I learned to drive stick when I was 16, but I have not driven one since (I'm almost 30 now)...it's likely that I will be pretty rusty at it. Additionally, I'm moving to a different part of the country soon and the town that I will be living in is pretty hilly. Plus, I will have a 45-60 minute commute each way with a decent amount of stop and go traffic (with the stop and go part in the hilly areas). Gas mileage is very important to me, so I was concerned with the MPG difference between the manual and auto. Finally, my fiancée has never driven a MT and she will need to drive my car every so often. So while I want to get a MT, practicality is telling me that I should get an AT...I just want to make sure that I'm not going to regret whichever way I decide on. And if I do decide on a MT, what's the best way for us to learn how to drive it? I can only assume that trying to learn it on a (relatively) new FR-S is probably not a good idea, but unfortunately I don't actually know anyone in my area with a MT that we can practice on.
Actually, there is one last question...do many of you FR-S owners live in an area in which it snows? What do you do in the winter? I've never had a rear wheel drive car and this will be my daily driver. The new area has relatively mild winters in terms of snow, but I've heard that it can get icy. The ice plus the hilly topography make me a little nervous to be driving a rear wheel drive (and possibly MT) car for the first time in my life (in bad weather). Are snow tires good enough, or do most of you have different DD cars?
Sorry for the long post...I'm one of those people that researches everything obsessively before making a decision. Thanks for your help.
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Hills, commute, fiancé, MPG, snow... I'm hearing AT. You'll get the most of the fun of an GT86, with some practicality. Yes, it is a sacrifice - you need to choose. The last car before my FR-S was a MT 350Z, and I don't miss it. I mostly put it in manual mode and drive it like it was a stick. If I drove the stick version first, it might have been a tougher choice, but mine was MPG, gf drivability, and just convenience. People are going to hate on AT but it's a choice
