Premium vs Limited - Agonizing Decision

[Shinji2787]

The keyless entry and start is beyond amazing.

That alone is worth the extra. And heated seats.. man have I missed those .

[wbradley]

Its worth it unless you prefer to spend limited available funds on different mods. Then, you might consider the base or the Scion.

[slizoth]

I would have really loved the keyless entry and the push button start. It's kind of a pain to get in and out of the car when you're tall and not having to hold keys or pull them out of my pocket would make it a smoother transition. That being said, I still opted for the Premium and have no regrets. The features didnt jump out as important to me and just because Im taking out an auto loan doesnt mean Im not spending my money.

[Sigh-on-Rice]

How about think like this.
You pay $1,600 over Premium for all those now.
5 years down the road, you sell the car for $850 more than Premium.
You end up spending $750 more than Premium.
That's only $150 per year. $12.50 per month. 40 cents per day.

[Texas BRZ]

Originally Posted by bdbx18

My head hurts. For $1.6k, is the Limited worth the extra goodies? I'm been driving a econobox for several years now so anything is an upgrade at this point. The Limited offers an extra bit more that I don't need but would appreciate in a new car.

What I would like are:
- keyless entry and ignition, gimmicky, quirky sensors, meh or fantastic ?
- leather and alcantara - does it offer more durability or better looks

Questionable:
- security system - does the Premium not have anything other than remote locking and unlocking?

What I won't miss:
- heated seats, nice for colder winters so its a nice to have but won't miss it
- heated mirrors - same

Any thoughts on whether this is worth $1.6k extra?

Less is more for me, so I'd opt for the Premium... But I'm not your average car shopper, so I wouldn't follow what decision I'd personally make.

If you're going to daily drive the car and really use the car every chance you get for several years down the road... Then you may want to get the Limited. You don't want to question yourself on why you didn't get the option you could've opted for in the beginning.

A $1,600 difference makes the decision that much more forgiving, so don't stress yourself out much... I wouldn't worry about the price difference in this case. Choose what you will appreciate, and then don't look back.

Although, after I re-read your opening post... It seems to me that perhaps you would be more comfortable with going with a Premium (less options) since you're coming from an economy car. I have a feeling you won't feel bad one bit after owning the lesser model of the two... Still a fantastic car, but I'll leave the final say to you, of course.

All the best.

[Jayde]

Originally Posted by rapidcars

Definitely worth it in my opinion. Keyless entry is awesome. No more fondling for keys when carrying things.

[chermo12]

IMO it's definitely worth the money for the extras you get. In the end, it comes down to personal preference. I ordered an SSM Premium 6MT since I didn't HAVE to have the extras. I'm probably going to use the difference on protecting the car (ie: RustProof, Clear Bra, OptiCoat, etc..) At first, the FR-S had my attention. But I wanted the slightly more refined/classy look the BRZ has. My choice was heavily swayed by the standard HIDs, LED Lighting & NAVI. Also, the interior just feels nicer in the BRZ, when I sat in each in the showrooms. So I felt the higher price was justified.

Now, as for the Premium vs Limited features (in Canada, the Premium is just called 'BRZ' and the Limited version is called 'BRZ Sport-Tech'), just ask yourself a 'Yes I have to have it' or 'No I could live without/Never use it' answer to each extra feature listed. If you end up saying yes to most of the features in the Limited, you better get the Limited in the Color choice you want. That way you won't regret anything later.

For many, people can't live without those extra features and it's great that they're available. In my previous car, I had Heated Alcantara Recaros where I probably used the heated seats 2 or 3 times total in the 3 years of ownership. I'm going to miss the Alcantara material though, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Since, I'm in Canada, I think all BRZ's get Heated Mirrors. I also had auto climate control, which is nice to set it and forget it, but at times I still ended up fiddling with the settings and kinda missed the full control I had with more basic controls. Also had fog lights which i hardly used. But recently, both the fog lights cracked and it wasnt covered under warranty, so it turned out to be an extra expense to fix a feature I don't really use. Not saying it would happen to my BRZ, but I never really use the fog lights since HID was all I needed. The spoiler is a nice touch, but when I look at the BRZ's lines, I think it looks way cleaner wingless. Almost exotic. Again, personal pref. Lastly, the keyless/push start system in the BRZ, I feel, is one of the better systems out there. But call me old fashioned, but I actually like having the physical key.

My apologies for the long post, but like you, I really thought about it when making my decision. Get what YOU feel is worth it to you, since it's YOUR car. The price points for the FR-S/BRZ Prem/Ltd is justified imo. I highly doubt most people would feel ripped off or shortchanged on whatever model they choose. Everyone has their reasoning.

Cheers,
Chris

[Eurasianman]

I was in the same boat. In the end, I determined that I originally wanted the car for what it was, not for what it had. I was originally going to go with an FR-S, but the fact that it was priced higher than the BRZ premium made it a no brainer. No regrets

[Superhatch]

Originally Posted by Admiral Ballsy

Fixed?

He meant price premium.

Ahhh...gotcha. Multitasking fails me again.

[BRZfan]

Wait until late end of next week:

If B. Obama wins the presidential election get the Premium.
If M. Romney wins the presidential election, get the Limited. (you'll probably get a better job, eventually)

[TurnOne]

Political statements excluded, I say the Limited is more than worth it from a feature to dollar standpoint.

[AUmarvin]

If your thinking about it so much..... Just suck it up and get the Limited. You know that deep down you want it, but your tight arse tenancies are making you question the value.

At the end of the day, if you dont get the Limited, your going to regret it a little bit every time you walk up to the car.

[olorin]

I would have liked the upgrades the limited has except I hate the spoiler. YMV. Regardless, I love my GBS Premium, and the cloth seats are very nice.

[ProudtoBRZ]

Ordered a premium and then changed my order to a limited. I think the proximity key/push button start is worth it alone! Such a nice convience.