omg.. having to drive something else...

[MarkS]

My daily driver is a 1996 Saab 900 SE. It's well-worn but it feels pretty sporty to me until I've spent some time in either the FR-S or my 2005 Mini Cooper S--the Saab is vague and floaty by comparison. The Mini is similarly nimble and has about the same straight-line performance as the FR-S, though is ultimately more grippy thanks to tires and some suspension mods. The Mini would probably be a little faster on a track. Between those two, I'd have a hard time deciding which is more fun. And we have a Porsche Cayenne S which, while it never ceases to surprise me how good it feels for a vehicle of that size and weight, it obviously feels far different than the FR-S.

[Mikem53]

Originally Posted by teamturbo

I have an FR-S and a BMW Z4M Coupe, so I'll make a comparison. Both cars are amazing, but the M feels so stiff in comparison. Stiff short shifting transmission, stiff fast catching clutch, heavier steering, and not as good of a driving position IMO. Both are razor sharp, but I like the easy feel of the FRS's clutch, shifter, and steering. I also find that with the Z4M I cruise slow like an old man. With the FR-S, I just want to rev it and push it.

Same reasons I sold my other cars.. Both were much faster than the FRS.. And I spent most of my time avoiding tickets and wannabe racers.. Ended up leaving them at home and driving the Honda most of the time.. The Frs I refreshing to drive and I can flog it and play speed racer all day without breaking too many laws..

[Mikem53]

Originally Posted by MarkS

My daily driver is a 1996 Saab 900 SE. It's well-worn but it feels pretty sporty to me until I've spent some time in either the FR-S or my 2005 Mini Cooper S--the Saab is vague and floaty by comparison. The Mini is similarly nimble and has about the same straight-line performance as the FR-S, though is ultimately more grippy thanks to tires and some suspension mods. The Mini would probably be a little faster on a track. Between those two, I'd have a hard time deciding which is more fun. And we have a Porsche Cayenne S which, while it never ceases to surprise me how good it feels for a vehicle of that size and weight, it obviously feels far different than the FR-S.

I had a 05 MCS as well.. I pull a smaller pulley on the blower.. A milltek exhaust and intake.. That car beat me up in city traffic.. The suspension is harsh and it really didn't handle that good for the abuse you had to take..
The blower whine was cool.. The seats not near as good.. Most of all.. I couldn't get past the clown car looks.. Miss the headlights.. Not much more..
The FRS is more refined and has a better suspension and comfort.. And the mini owners are just weird!! No offense... I too am weird..

[MrSlay]

Though my previous ISF and my current FRS were bought to do different things, I really feel like the FRS is too simple in stock from. Similar to teamturbo, I find the clutch, steering, and shifter extremely easy to operate. Compared to my ISF, I dont get as much of a thrill driving the FRS around town. Dont get me wrong, the FRS is amazing to drive spiritedly when the situation arises. But for someone who lives in a city, the FRS needs more power to be a daily driver IMO... I presume thats all going to change when parts start to arrive though.

[jmh]

Needs more power to be a daily driver? Uh, no. My girlfriends Golf Mk4 needs more power to be a daily driver. Under 100hp at the engine from factory, wouldn't be surprised if it was 20hp below that now. You have to floor it to keep up with traffic. Just a terrible car. Driving it makes me angry.

(Also I sold my JZX100 Toyota Chaser as even though it was fast, I would never choose to take it on a drive over the 86 as it just wasn't as fun. I loved that car, thought I would keep it. The constant feeling of it trying to kill you did get the adrenaline going but the super light steering was hard to take after the driving the 86.)

[MrSlay]

Originally Posted by jmh

Needs more power to be a daily driver? Uh, no. My girlfriends Golf Mk4 needs more power to be a daily driver. Under 100hp at the engine from factory, wouldn't be surprised if it was 20hp below that now. You have to floor it to keep up with traffic. Just a terrible car. Driving it makes me angry.

(Also I sold my JZX100 Toyota Chaser as even though it was fast, I would never choose to take it on a drive over the 86 as it just wasn't as fun. The constant feeling of it trying to kill you did get the adrenaline going but the super light steering was hard to take after the driving the 86.)

Needs more power to be a daily driver and a two door. Should have explained that. If im going to have a 2 door daily driver, I want it to be crazy, wild, and fun within the 1/4 of a mile between stoplights. The FRS is more fun with corners and space, so for me I rather just drive a 4 door as a daily within the city.

[lgunnz]

I have an 07 350Z that has taken a back seat to the GT86. I love the low end torque in comparison and after swapping to Whiteline front and rear sway bars and endlinks the turn in and handling feel quite similar but the upgraded clutch leaves me wanting something easier to drive around everyday and that's where I love the 86. I feel almost beaten up driving to work and back in the Z.

[rapidcars]

I had the same experience getting into my WRX after a week of driving the BRZ. Everything felt so sloppy and mushy in comparison. Confirmed that I made the right decision.

[MarkS]

Originally Posted by Mikem53

I had a 05 MCS as well.. I pull a smaller pulley on the blower.. A milltek exhaust and intake.. That car beat me up in city traffic.. The suspension is harsh and it really didn't handle that good for the abuse you had to take..
The blower whine was cool.. The seats not near as good.. Most of all.. I couldn't get past the clown car looks.. Miss the headlights.. Not much more..
The FRS is more refined and has a better suspension and comfort.. And the mini owners are just weird!! No offense... I too am weird..

Mine also has a 15% reduction pulley, Milltek exhaust, Alta intake, and a few other things so yours sounds very similar. I agree, it definitely does ride more harshly than the FR-S, though replacing the runflats has helped a lot there but yeah, it wouldn't be my ideal daily driver. The second-gen R56 Minis are more refined but are still fun. I do like how mine feels, though in small doses. It's almost like a vintage car in some ways and that goes for its appearance as well. The supercharger whine and exhaust burble are fun, too. Yep, Mini owners are weird! I'm weird, too, so I like that. The owner community really is a good part of the enjoyment with that car, if you're into such things. People who own them tend to be fun and not take things too seriously or be jerks. We just did an event in northern Michigan with over 800 cars. Minis on the Dragon is a fun annual event, etc.

I have a friend who has a Morgan 3-wheeler on order. Now that's really something that doesn't look like anything else and that I probably wouldn't want to use for a long trip,though it certainly would be fun for special drives.

[IjustwantaGT86]

I had been in the process of replacing a front wheel bearing in my Prius and had been using my F250 pickup to run for parts. That thing is a M/T and it is like rowing a boat to change gears, and I also am now more aware of its turbo lag.
When I got the Prius put back together and took it for a test drive, I about fell asleep behind the wheel as it was so quiet and boring. I don't think I am going to like putting the FRS away for winter and driving the Prius again. However, going from a Prius to a FRS is probably better than going to an M3 to a FRS as it feels like I have all the power and torque in the world!

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Lakers86

I used to love driving my moms 2010 Benz c300... Now it feels like grandmas old caddy compared to the frs.. The Benz's steering feels so sloppy now..
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The steering on the C300 is awful. That chassis deserves better.

Originally Posted by Mikem53

The suspension is harsh and it really didn't handle that good for the abuse you had to take..

There really should be a handling v. abuse metric. I've seen some owners of different cars "upgrade" their suspension and boast about how well their cars handle, but when you ride with them on anything but a smooth road, you feel like you're just getting punched in the rear by the asphalt.

[radroach]

Trying to reverse a volvo wagon out the driveway was pretty funny, it's been beat all to hell and has no brake feel or travel but has a great beefy engine and turbo sound to it.

[ML]

Currently driving my parents '98 Ford exploder.... Although I'm very grateful to them for letting me borrow it while my radiator gets replaced, I feel depressed when I drive it, especially having to listen to the radio(1st world problems huh?). Driving the FRS was the high light of my day, other than seeing my kids, and wife when I get home from work.

[teamturbo]

I also had a 1992 Honda Accord that I used as a daily driver. Personally, I think how the car drove was absolutely fantastic. I don't know what kind of steering the 92 Accord has, but it's perfect. I always felt connected with the road. I also loved the low sloping hood, front visibility of the car, the width of the cabin, and the feel of the transmission. All new cars are so big inside, bubbly, big center consoles, big radios, big knobs, big everything, heavy, either super loose steering or way too heavy. The old Accord was spot on.

I drove a new Chevy Impala the other day. The size of the steering wheel on that thing was ridiculous. The car itself feels like a boat on wheels.