After owning it for several years - would you still buy it again?

[accel]

I do not have BRZ/86 but considering one.

I used to own Honda Prelude as DD and autocross car - was very happy with it - fun to drive and reliable - and maybe I shouldn't have sold it. But it was front wheel drive, fairly heavy and max tire width you could install without dealing with rubbing issues was 215 (stock 205)...

So I sold it justifying I needed a 4 door 4 seat car, and I wanted it sporty, manual trans, and there was no alternative to BMW 3 series at the time. Almost at the same time I bought Mini Cooper S (manual transmission, LSD) to my wife.

Pretty soon I realized that was big mistake on my end. Mini Cooper saw two flat bead towing trucks in several years. Something that no other car did to me. Big engine carbonization issues, HPFP failure, some genius made coolant and oil flows separated by a plastic gasket inside the engine. Sure enough it cracked eventually... it also consumed 1+qt per 1000 miles and that was considered ok - everyone gets that... radiator fan would randomly turn on after the engine shut off. No engine temperature gauge.... They fix\upgrade something all the time with TSBs/recalls/extended warranties - adding shields to turbo piping of fixing oil pump that was setting cars on fire after you turn the engine off... So we were scared to drive the car too far from the service center. I sold it with great relief.

BMW didn't have this many small things, but got the engine replaced out of warranty. BMW partially accepted their fault and covered 70% of the replacement. So I thought, at least new engine is beneficial. But then electric water-pump fails, AC smells like shit (evaporator leaks), you cannot even replace the battery without some computer programming that is not available to you in reasonable way. So, I think I am giving up. Will fix it and sell.

I worked on Prelude for the pleasure of it (and sometimes fixing it) - suspension and other tweaks, but working on the car just to make it run and because it is ridiculously expensive to go to the dealer.... that's not my peace of bread. I do not want to deal with car makes that waste your time, energy and resources anymore.

Looking my way back towards japan cars, hoping I still can find something fun and reliable.

So, from this point of view... Would you recommend BRZ\86 or not? Does it have serious long term ownership issues?

Also, between the twins which one would you suggest? From just going through brochures I could see that Toyota has Hill Start Assist (can I turn it off?) and Subaru does not. Also, I see they have different infotainment systems. From my experience with one in Outback - Subaru's not good as it does not integrate )yet) with Android Auto or iOS thing.... what other not obvious (but important) differences these cars have?

[funwheeldrive]

Unless you love the looks of the new 86, there is no reason to buy it over the BRZ. The BRZ comes with more stuff out of the box for less money. It also has Hill Start Assist. You should be able to turn it off.


I owned a 2001 Prelude SH. It was a nice daily driver, but heavy and a little numb. My 1998 GSR was a lot more fun, and reminds me of my FRS.


Have you driven one of these cars yet? That's what I would suggest first.


I have owned mine for over 3 years and I can't think of a car I would rather own, but I have a son so I need the rear seats. If I didn't need rear seats I would probably driving a used Cayman S.

[sofrsnsokleen]

I had a love hate relationship with my fr-s when i first got it, but it was mainly due to me fkn up on my financing lol.

Now that i've come to terms with that and have been living with it for a few years, honestly i'd buy another one if I was in the market for another sports car. It's a car you either love or hate, and that love or hate depends on you as a driver and enthusiast. If you want fast acceleration, and a car you can race people in and win, this isn't that car. This car feels like you're in a race every time I drive it. Having to rev this car high and being able to brake and turn on a dime is a ton of fun, and besides the blah radio and afterthought cupholders (which i think have been fixed in the new models), its a really really fun, cool looking car.

HOWEVER, i'm most likely going to hold onto mine until the wheels fall off and my next vehicle will defintely be big enough to haul a drum set.

[cjny]

Coincidentally, my last 2 cars before the BRZ were a Prelude and a MINI Cooper S. Really liked the Prelude and when it just got too many miles I bought the MINI looking for fun handling. Found out it really didn't deserve the "go cart handling" rep it has and, as you said, was easily the least reliable car I've ever owned. Super happy with the BRZ. It handles like I wished the MINI did, similar acceleration to both of your previous cars. Seriously check the back seat for functionality, though. I find it less useful than even the MINI.

[accel]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

Have you driven one of these cars yet? That's what I would suggest first.

I do not want to do this yet.
If I will be impressed, I could just buy it

I'd like to collect some information and be a little more cold blooded this time. Despite all the issues that came soon, the Cooper was very engaging car to drive...

[funwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by accel

I do not want to do this yet.
If I will be impressed, I could just buy it

I'd like to collect some information and be a little more cold blooded this time. Despite all the issues that came soon, the Cooper was very engaging car to drive...

You should at least sit in one. This car isn't very impressive on paper. Once you sit down in the low bucket seat, you will start to realize why people enjoy this car.


Where in California are you located?

[accel]

Originally Posted by cjny

Coincidentally, my last 2 cars before the BRZ were a Prelude and a MINI Cooper S. Really liked the Prelude and when it just got too many miles I bought the MINI looking for fun handling. Found out it really didn't deserve the "go cart handling" rep it has and, as you said, was easily the least reliable car I've ever owned. Super happy with the BRZ. It handles like I wished the MINI did, similar acceleration to both of your previous cars. Seriously check the back seat for functionality, though. I find it less useful than even the MINI.

Kids grow, and rear seats are mostly for a dog (this ruled miata out) and occasional passenger.

[accel]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

You should at least sit in one. This car isn't very impressive on paper. Once you sit down in the low bucket seat, you will start to realize why people enjoy this car.


Where in California are you located?

I took my time to seat in one at auto show several years ago. Could be fancier, but very solid and tough - was my impression. I believe latest upgrade made the interior better, but not sure.

I am in SF Bay Area.

[e_lunatic]

bought mine new in 2015. love, love, love it every single day. It's a very fun car to drive, I get very good gas mileage (avg 28mpg) even though I don't exactly baby it (I don't drive like I'm racing it everywhere but do some spirited driving once in awhile). as was already said the back seats are only useful for putting a jacket or maybe a small dog back there.
I do use it as more of a 2nd car but it's mostly because I don't want to put a ton of miles on it or thrash the interior from being dirty when I get off of work.

Every time I walk towards or away from the car I still look at it and smile. Really hard to beat that almost 2 years after purchase.

[HKz]

Short answer yes but this thread is silly if you haven't done a test drive, you should judge it for yourself. Hill start assist is on both the 17+ 86 and BRZ and is indeed something you can turn on/off. Both infotainment systems are roughly about the same, neither have Android Auto/Apple Car Play which I don't give a rat's ass considering you have to plug your phone in every time..I'm totally satisfied by just the standard bluetooth connection though music can sound pretty compressed at times.

There really aren't too many differences besides the front and rear bumpers. The 2017 BRZ still uses the older style bumper/diffuser and the 86's rear bumper has slightly different body lines + diffuser (pretty minimal though). While you can generally get a better interior with the BRZ (and the GT86 outside NA), almost all the FRS/86 Toyota's special editions feature the same upgraded interior so technically that window is open too..

E. The new Performance Pack offered on the BRZ is actually the biggest difference which is pretty significant considering Toyota has yet to offer anything similar or even put it on their latest special edition 86...though these are pretty easy mods if you want to upgrade the suspension, brakes, tires and wheels yourself..

As far as reliability you shouldn't encounter anything major as long as you keep the engine stock..

https://www.truedelta.com/Scion-FR-S...1096,2013-2016
https://www.truedelta.com/Subaru-BRZ...1097,2013-2016

[PNW-BRZ]

Would I buy it again? Well, yes I did! I have a 2015 BRZ that I purchased new, love the car. I've owned over 30 vehicles and this one has been the most enjoyable to drive. I also purchased my Son a FR-S for his first car. I prefer the BRZ (bought the limited) since it came with extra's that I wanted for a price that made it worth while. Go to Toyota and Subaru and try out both and see what you think. The car may not be the one for you, but take one for a spin and see what you think.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by accel

Looking my way back towards japan cars, hoping I still can find something fun and reliable.

So, from this point of view... Would you recommend BRZ\86 or not? Does it have serious long term ownership issues?

Yes, and no.

As others have mentioned, you need to test drive one to know if you want it or not.

Fun, yes.
Reliable, like most other cars.

Would I recommend? Yes and no, depending on if you want more power, more space, more comfort, or whatever you want out of your car.

Most of the problems people deal with are lack of power (addressed by mods), improved handling or braking (addressed by mods), or just general practicality issues. Most of the conversation around reliability is really split between people that know how to work on (and solve) their own car problems, and those that don't. Too many people go out and put ECU tunes on their cars, when they don't understand or realize the consequences it may bring if something goes wrong.

So, just go test drive... save yourself the questions.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by accel

I do not have BRZ/86 but considering one.

Hello accel and welcome to our happy gang .......

Too bad you had some miserable experiences with cars .....

I've had my FR-S for 4 years now ...... and yes, I would buy it again.

It's pretty much "what you see and how it first drives" is want you get. It doesn't get any faster with age, nor do the back seats get any larger......

Even if you leave it stock, most likely it will exceed your driving capabilities.

If you don't mess with the engine ...... it won't mess with you.

FR-S or BRZ ? ...... makes no difference, which ever tickles your fancy most.

If you get one, come on back ...... if a forum search doesn't answer your questions, our panel of experts can answer most of them .......


humfrz

[Gunman]

Yes. No doubt about it, since 2013, I love my BRZ.