Symbiont's SWP BRZ Premium 6MT

[Symbiont]

Originally Posted by inimitable

Great story! Very enjoyable, and well written, which is very hard to come across on da innernetz. Car's a beaut, too.

Got me wondering though... Should I holler around to some other dealerships to see what they might have to tell me?

I have been interested in trying to pick one of these things up for ~2 months. Unfortunately, things that require leaving the house/my bed, and interacting with real, live people, these days, seem to take lots of will power. So, I finally got around to getting down to the dealership, this week, and that's only because I looked online and saw what appeared to be a few dealerships with a couple in stock. I didn't really believe it, but it was enough to drive the point home, that I had better get my ass down there if I wanted to score one of these things.

I hadn't even contemplated the FR-S because, before I saw this, I wanted a WRX. Considering my last 4 out of 5 cars were 2 RSX type-s's and 2 del sols (the 5th being an EK civic coupe), the BRZ/FR-S seemed like an easy enough merge/no-brainer/logical progression, if ever there was one; and man, am I looking forward to ridding myself of all that FWD-ism-ness. Also, like you, this would be my first ever brand-new car. Naturally, I'm as excited as you are. I drew an easy parallel when you said you were talking yourself into the auto; I could see myself attempting to rationalize the same thing if it was being dangled in my face, even though I've sworn to drive stick fo' life.

In any case, I had to see if it was true: Had the BRZ/FR-S hit the streets? I hadn't seen any, yet. Then again, I try not to leave the house during the day. So, I went to the nearest pretty-big name dealership (in that, I've heard of it before...) in south Jersey, hoping to at least catch a glimpse. I didn't really expect to find one for sale, for if I did, I'd probably be in a terrible situation, and end up coming home with a color I didn't necessarily want, paying a price I wasn't happy with; I'd be too easily tempted. It was a Toyota/Scion ~7 mi away. I forgot to mention, I did bother to call first, of course, and I was informed that they had one on the premises, but it was a customer's car and it would be picked up later that day. So, I had to go see it.

It looked sweet. It was a SWP (or whatever the Scion version is), but it was an auto. WTF? Regardless, I was sold. Like I said, I was all BRZ in the beginning, though, honestly, I'd take either car, as long as I could get one of the top two colors I want and a 6-speed. But after I got to looking around on the internet the night before I went to the dealership, I actually bothered to take my first look at the FR-S. I liked what I saw; the front had a different cut, more aggressive. I'm not really a big fan of that flat/matte black middle of the BRZ; it looks like the steel bumper underneath is showing through. I also noticed a similar attribute in a Genesis that I saw today. ...so, I went back later with my girlfriend and made a deposit!

My biggest concern, was, is, and will be till I'm driving it off the lot, is when can/will I get it? I'm so dang impatient, if the guy whose car I saw was a 6-speed, I'd have probably paid him $2-3K to let me have it, right then and there. Of course, irrationality aside, I know better, but I still want the car ASAP. Now, especially after reading your story, I'm wondering if I should call a few other dealerships? Maybe I'll get lucky like you did. I'm half tempted to place ~4 different orders, granted I'll have to make 4 different $500 deposits, to see which one comes in first, then, simply abandon the others, since the deposit is refundable. This has to improve my chances?

Thoughts?

Advice?

Thanks in advance.

Considering how large of a purchase a new vehicle is, settling for anything that you wouldn't be completely happy with is just doing yourself a disservice. That being said, putting down refundable deposits is never a bad idea, since you should be assured of getting your funds back.

The AT is by no means a bad vehicle/transmission, and can be a blast to drive from what everyone says. As far as the styling goes, I felt the same way about the BRZ/FR-S, originally. It wasn't until seeing both in person that I decided that I actually preferred the BRZ. I have heard a few comments that the front of the FR-S is too 'Transformers' (their words, not mine), but styling is, and always will be, a personal preference. Ultimately, both cars are gorgeous and I think you'll be happy, either way.

The color is absolutely beautiful (in person), as well. I don't think that pictures do it justice. It really has to be seen in the sunlight in person to be appreciated. I have never really cared for white cars in particular, but this is really a classy looking automobile.

If I were in your position, I would hold out for the vehicle you really want. Don't settle, don't pay above MSRP, but call around and stay in constant contact with a few different dealers in your area. It can only work out to your benefit.

[Symbiont]

While the number may be semi-arbitrary, I am ecstatic that I can finally drive the car the way I want to with freedom from that little beeping around 4k RPM.

[Symbiont]

I have been having a blast in the BRZ. I really enjoy the feel of being connected to the road through the car like I never have been before.

Drove the Mazda CX-7 for a bit today to put some air in the tires and gas it up, since the BRZ is going into the shop for the stereo install tomorrow. It felt like I was 10 feet off the ground, and floating. Completely surreal experience.

Worked a bit on my splash screen for the NAV today since I was bored.

[Symbiont]

I dropped off the car today to have a stereo installed at Gold Star Audio in Orange County, California. They handle a lot of more expensive vehicles (There was an Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, and GT-R in the shop when I dropped off the BRZ), so I know they have the experience handling clean installs. I had them handle my Maxima before and they did a good job, so I'm looking forward to the results.

I asked them to take some pics of the install process, so I will hopefully have something to share here from it. I just didn't have the time to do it myself, so I figured that this was the best route to go.

I am going to keep the factory deck for now, mainly because of money constraints. There have been a lot of speed traps around lately, so I figured the money would be better spent on a radar/laser detector.

Stereo components:
Morel Hybrid Ovation 6 3w bi-amped (3.5" mids and tweets on one channel and the 6.5" on the other)
2 Focal P 25 DB 10" subwoofers in a custom MDF ported box in the trunk

Mounted under the trunk floor are going to be the following components:
JL Audio a4300 component amp
JL Audio a1800 sub amp
Auidiocontrol EQS

Since they are already going to be in the dash and such installing wiring, I asked them to set up a direct wire Escort Passport 9500ix as well.

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

I went for my daily drive down Pacific Coast Highway (Laguna Beach to Dana Point to Huntington Beach and back) and saw an Asphalt and an Ultramarine FR-S. It was nice to see some new owners enjoying their cars, too.

The car continues to draw attention... was followed/chased by a couple different cars trying to take pictures/video of the BRZ. PCH is a hot spot for nice cars, so people cruise there all the time looking for the next hot thing. Saw an orange Lamborghini Reventon yesterday.

The transmission continues to impress. I'm considering a harder rear shift bushing to make it feel even more firm, but I'm not quite sure it needs it yet. This car is a blast to drive at any speed.

Yeah, I used to live in Irvine and would drive up and down the PCH often. Beautiful view of the ocean and lots of nice cars. I miss it...

[Symbiont]

So, I picked up the car today from the install shop, but I don't have any pictures to show yet.

I went for as stealthy an install as I could. The stock speaker locations were filled perfectly with the Morel Hybrid Ovation 6 3way (6.5/3.5/28mm) and I left the rear speakers alone. Ran the inputs to the Audiocontrol EQS and from there to two new amplifiers, an ARC Audio KS 300.4 and an ARC Audio XDi 1000.1.

The 300.4 biamps the Morels (2 channels to the 6.5s and 2 channels to the 3.5s and tweets) and the 1000.1 is pushing to 10" Focal P 25 DB in a trunk mounted rear-facing sealed enclosure. The amps are located under the floor of the trunk with the bass remote control running to a spot under the driver's side dash. Overall, I only lost the use of about 1/4 of the trunk, but I wasn't planning on using it anyway. I ended up putting the 2 JL amps and my old 10w7 into my CX-7, so it was time for new amps in the BRZ.

Everything else looks stock. I will probably upgrade the deck at some point as I'm not enamored with the interface of the stock nav unit, but that's for a later time.

I am absolutely amazed at how bulletproof the car is. The doors didn't need any Dynamat at all, and I can't detect any rattles except for the rear license plate frame. I'm going to put a square on the back of the plate and a square frame between the inside of the plate frame and the plates, once they arrive.

The car sounds amazing, even without the speakers being broken in and tuned yet. I can't wait to hear how it sounds once everything is tuned up and ready to go.

The Escort Passport 9500ix is direct wired and mounted unobtrusively in a corner of the windshield. I may relocate it later, but for now it seems effective and out of the way.

Pictures to follow when there's a bit more light.

Next project up, I/E and an ECU tune. Looking to get another 15-20whp out of the engine, as well as smoothing out that torque dip.

[Thefuzz]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

I went for as stealthy an install as I could. The stock speaker locations were filled perfectly with the Morel Hybrid Ovation 6 3way (6.5/3.5/28mm)

Did the 3.5's fill exactly or is there room for 4's up there?

[Symbiont]

Originally Posted by Thefuzz

Did the 3.5's fill exactly or is there room for 4's up there?

It's designed for 3.5s, but a shallow 4 would fit with a custom baffle.

[Symbiont]

I've been asked a few questions about the shift knob and how it works with the reverse lock, so I updated my original post with a couple different angles of the knob.

I also included a picture of the trunk to show how much space is left over after the sub box is installed.

[Symbiont]

I am going to be donating my baby to Injen (up in Pomona) for a few days next week. Should have a nice intake when it's done.

I'm also taking a look at a manufacturer of carbon fiber trim parts, to see what options are available for rear diffuser, front air dam, and possibly side skirt or rocker extensions.

They also do GT wings, but my girlfriend would smack me if I put a large spoiler on the car.

[Symbiont]

After breaking in the speakers in my install and having it retuned, I wrote up a short thread about what audio solution I chose for my BRZ. You can find it here if you are interested in aftermarket audio.

[Symbiont]

The impromptu Longo Scion meet was a lot of fun. Even though my car was dirty from the drive I took that day, I had a great time meeting everyone.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9736

[Symbiont]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

I am going to be donating my baby to Injen (up in Pomona) for a few days next week. Should have a nice intake when it's done.

I'm also taking a look at a manufacturer of carbon fiber trim parts, to see what options are available for rear diffuser, front air dam, and possibly side skirt or rocker extensions.

They also do GT wings, but my girlfriend would smack me if I put a large spoiler on the car.

Interestingly enough, Injen is also going to try out some exhausts on Delilah. Can't wait to see what they come up with!

I'll keep this thread posted with updates.

[Symbiont]

BRZ almost ready to go. Super excited to see what they may have done with it.