Open Letter to Potential FR-S Buyers & Disillusioned Owners

[regal]

Prospective buyers:

This car is an NA RWD Subaru that handles pretty nice on windy roads.

Its great for those who live in a windy road terrain, fun to drive.

This car is not :

- a light weight Elise or even '86, its much heavier than a Miata

- its not a toyota all they did was dream up the concept so forget the million mile club

- its not a good choice for those who live in a flat straight roaded area, buy a WRX or 'Stang

[paulca]

I also feel a little sorry for you US guys and it probably has a bearing on your car choice. A whole lot of your roads are straight, 90* turn, straight, 90* turn, straight. I know there are twisties, but over here in Ireland there are many, many a road your Mustang would simply not fit down.

The Romans never made it here it seems, finding a bit of straight road longer than 1/4 mile is difficult. In a 20 mile radius around me I can think of about 3 stretches of such road in the 100s of miles of roads and at least one of those is on a motorway.

[paulca]

Originally Posted by regal

Prospective buyers:

This car is an NA RWD Subaru that handles pretty nice on windy roads.

Its great for those who live in a windy road terrain, fun to drive.

Yep.

In Britain you could drive from John O'Groats at the Northern tip to Lands end at the Southern tip and never drive down a straight bit of road.

At the same time a Mustang in the US might not have even crossed a state boundary or seen a corner in as many miles.

[djmm]

Originally Posted by MVJ1975

There's not much sound deadening, so it's going to be on the loud side (I don't notice because I keep the stereo blasting Kylie Minogue at 30. I'm sure my neighbors hate me.)

I gotta try driving my 86 with Kylie Minoque's "Locomotion" on full blast.

Actually the lyrics kinda fit the 86's characteristics.

[Lavalover]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkN4J2l1UaA"]Kylie Minogue - The Loco-Motion - YouTube[/ame]


Since you mentioned it. Brings back memories...

[djmm]

Lol - I've added Locomotion to my driving playlist. It's so damn catchy and easy tune for driving around happily

[shinbatsu]

Gotta admit the car is a bit uncomfortable for long haul drives.

Then again, I live on an island, and to us 40 miles one way is "long haul" haha.

I'm 5' 11" @ 240 (36 waist - fat but not morbidly obese)

Short drives of 30 minutes or less, no problem. I have more an issue with the harsh ride than the seat fitment.

I actually don't mind the seats one bit. I came from a 02' Si and these seats feel much more stable.

I do wish the car had a little better sound deadening. I did the sound tube "delete" and I'm still having to put the stereo on 40+ in order to hear over the noise assault that is this car.

[SCharged]

The car fits me like a glove.. 6'1 185-200 depending on the season.. (like a bear)

I'm ok with absence of sound deadening, but wouldn't mind better assembly to prevent rattles, although I've seen worst.

Power wise, I am content adding mods little by little, and with just an intake, unichip, and overpipe + catless Frontpipe, I'm dead even on a highway pull with an AP1 S2000.... and if you want to see rattles, get into a 12 year old ragtop honda..

I have a header coming.. I think I'm gonna be happy, and have no FI plans at this point... would like to keep it reliable.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by shinbatsu

Gotta admit the car is a bit uncomfortable for long haul drives.

Then again, I live on an island, and to us 40 miles one way is "long haul" haha.

I'm 5' 11" @ 240 (36 waist - fat but not morbidly obese)

Short drives of 30 minutes or less, no problem. I have more an issue with the harsh ride than the seat fitment.

I actually don't mind the seats one bit. I came from a 02' Si and these seats feel much more stable.

I do wish the car had a little better sound deadening. I did the sound tube "delete" and I'm still having to put the stereo on 40+ in order to hear over the noise assault that is this car.

I don't think the USDM BRZ's have the full length underhood mat, so you might want to try that for additional sound management.

[WhiteRose]

Originally Posted by UltramarineLuck

I get that some people do want that - I'm not saying no one should do that, but that they should really consider their options. Many people that shop for cars like this don't really understand what they're getting themselves into and they come to forums like this to see what you can get out of a car that only costs $25,000. In reality, the $35k-$40k segment offers many better options that will run faster than a modified FR-S with better interiors and fewer headaches, because they were designed out of the factory that way. That's the point.

You might be right. Coming out of the "factory." Of course, 35-40k cars will be better. Hell, it better be better. I understand what you're saying but here's what I will say to you, sir. This is a "modify-able" car. Tada-san said so himself. He left tons of room in there BECAUSE he wanted us to have the room to mod it ourselves. That is a GREAT business strategy. Matter of fact, SO GOOD that the aftermarket has SKYROCKETED in terms of helping to modify the twins. Bulletproof Automotive/Powerhouse Amuse, HKS, GReddy/TRUST, Aimgain Int., Volk Racing/Gram Light, 6666 RB, KW suspensions, BC, Tein, and the list goes on and on. Came down to the point of the 86fest where it was half car show half autocross. This is what the community is like. We are tuners. We love to mod. We love the challenge. So making this thread was utterly pointless. I'm just jotting down the facts. I'm not trying to burn you nor was it my intention. And it's true. You should look for another car if you're planning on not modifying the car.

[JamesBond000]

Me want car *check

Me Love car *check

Me Make Car Faster *check

Mission Accomplished!

If it was about saving money id get a prius LOL

[rs999]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Curious why you've eliminated the middle ground of modding it moderately and enjoying driving it as it was meant to be driven. I've done very minor mods to mine (Perrin CBE, tires/wheels, brake pads, fluid) and am enjoying the hell out of it, especially on track.

This car is basically a 2+2 s2000 or miata. Plus, the car is naturally aspirated, so adding a blower to this car sends it down the path of unreliability.

I say just enjoy it for what it is which is a curve carver.

If you want to forced induction something buy a GTI, Subbie, or Ford ST where the block was made to be pressurized.

[rs999]

Originally Posted by JamesBond000

Me want car *check

Me Love car *check

Me Make Car Faster *check

Mission Accomplished!

If it was about saving money id get a prius LOL

A Prius would make a nice companion car for the FR-S.

One comfortable, slow, fuel efficient car for commuting that is a hatchback for cargo.



And one curve carver for driving fast:

[PoorMansRacing]

A lot of 86 owners seem to shit on the platform. Some of it's fair; some of it's a bit excessive. Sure, the car is slower than many other platforms. Sure, the clutch almost goes full retard. Steering response and feel in the front could be (and is possible to) improved. But the handling out of the showroom is fabulous. The CoG is phenomenal. The diff is great. Unlike others, I think the stock braking response is great - it bites; it can lock up. Little things about the car make me love it more, like helmet headroom, the placement of the motor, the weight, the technological simplicity, ability to work on the car yourself, etc.

I've put a lot of money into this car, and most people think for the same amount I've spent I could build a faster, better vehicle for half the cost. But this car dominates my racing class. It dominates its stock class. If you truly get to experience pushing this car to the limits, I think many people would change their tune. Maybe I'm spoiled. If you spend money on the right parts, you will have one of the grippest cars out there.

I also daily my racecar, as embarrassing as that sounds. It's extremely loud and super stiff; not to mention the NVH is nearly bearable. It's still a fine car to daily. (When it was stock, it was a very enjoyable daily driver.) Sitting in DC traffic is more enjoyable than any other sports car I've owned. I currently average about 29.9 MPG; when I'm racing, it's drops down to 25.6 MPG.

At the end of the day, this car is super easy to work on (spark plugs...well, that's a different story). The aftermarket is great and not overly expensive. The OEM parts aren't outrageous. The support I've gotten from local shops and engineering groups has been like none other. People are still excited about this platform, and it shows in the racing world. I believe the same can be said for stance as well.

If you want a high HP sports car, this isn't for you. To even reach 400+ HP, it seems you'd have to dump $10-$15K into it. Adding another 50-80HP is in the $4-$5K range. But if you want a car that eats corners for breakfast, this is for you. The investment isn't terrible, and it's well worth it.