Buying an FRS (i know there's a million)

[djmm]

Mine one (touch wood) - built in Feb 2014, doesn't have any chirping issues. Well at least not that I am aware of from normal driving.
No body creak, brake rattle when your foot is on the brake, yes, but I think that's common.

So far I could find no fault/defect on this car (going towards 1,200 miles). Goddamn blindspot is annoying though.

[FRSpappa]

April 2014 with 1150mi, crickets and slight dash rattle on hot days, that's all...😎


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Drive]

Crickets every day here!

[Mini Cooper S]

Is there a thread on ft86club.com about FRS's being stolen? I want to buy one soon too but need to know about theft prevention first.

[NayKu]

Originally Posted by CruiseZen

I think some of the quality control problems associated with production have been worked out in the 2014 models. I've had my Monogram for 5 months and it has zero issues other than the chirping fuel pump. That isn't a big deal for me since the noise isn't that loud. (I can only hear the crickets when I'm outside the car.)

What is the difference between the Monogram and standard model?

I'm almost positive I will buy the 2014 Model, but I may purchase the 2015 one. Is there any small issues they addressed with the 2015 model?

Thanks everyone for the input.

[NayKu]

Oh, and for anyone wondering what color I'm going to get; Hot Lava or Raven.

Haven't decided if I want to wash my car twice a week... It rains here a lot.

[hypercarfanatic]

Originally Posted by NayKu

What is the difference between the Monogram and standard model?

I'm almost positive I will buy the 2014 Model, but I may purchase the 2015 one. Is there any small issues they addressed with the 2015 model?

Thanks everyone for the input.

The monogram is essentially the BRZ Limited with all the FRS touches. Example - row of "fighter pilot" switches, dual climate control, spoiler, push button start, HID lights, ect. Thats just what I can remember off the top of my head, but look here for more info: http://www.scion.com/cars/monogram_series/FR-S/

[hypercarfanatic]

Originally Posted by NayKu

Oh, and for anyone wondering what color I'm going to get; Hot Lava or Raven.

Haven't decided if I want to wash my car twice a week... It rains here a lot.

Unsolicited advice here...get Raven

Not only do red cars get ticked at a higher rate, but IMO black looks better and will draw less attention from the people you don't want, and more from the people you want attention from.

[NayKu]

Originally Posted by hypercarfanatic

The monogram is essentially the BRZ Limited with all the FRS touches. Example - row of "fighter pilot" switches, dual climate control, spoiler, push button start, HID lights, ect. Thats just what I can remember off the top of my head, but look here for more info: http://www.scion.com/cars/monogram_series/FR-S/

What color do you have?

Ahhh. Fully understood. So it's like the "premium" version. I'll probably buy the monogram just for the nicer climate control settings. Although, I don't need it, it looks "nicer". The spoiler looks fairly nice as well. Could care less about the navi.

Yeah. I know that Red/Yellow/Orange sports cars seem to grab a lot of attention. Period. I'll probably go with Raven. I don't mind washing my car.

What I love about the Raven is black can make a 25K look like a 40K car. Very interesting affect it has.

I found a picture a while ago, not sure what group this is, but I love the rims and headlights on this. I don't know if he has any body work done, but I believe I see side skirts and a different bumper. Any help with this would be cool.

[hypercarfanatic]

Originally Posted by NayKu

What color do you have?

Ahhh. Fully understood. So it's like the "premium" version. I'll probably buy the monogram just for the nicer climate control settings. Although, I don't need it, it looks "nicer". The spoiler looks fairly nice as well. Could care less about the navi.

Yeah. I know that Red/Yellow/Orange sports cars seem to grab a lot of attention. Period. I'll probably go with Raven. I don't mind washing my car.

What I love about the Raven is black can make a 25K look like a 40K car. Very interesting affect it has.

I found a picture a while ago, not sure what group this is, but I love the rims and headlights on this. I don't know if he has any body work done, but I believe I see side skirts and a different bumper. Any help with this would be cool.

I actually don't have one yet, but I plan on getting a monogram in raven around december, or when cash permits.

[pantdino]

Originally Posted by hypercarfanatic

Unsolicited advice here...get Raven

Not only do red cars get ticked at a higher rate, but IMO black looks better and will draw less attention from the people you don't want, and more from the people you want attention from.

I saw an ad in the UK once saying yellow cars get the most tickets but are in the fewest accidents. I'd rather get a ticket than be in the ICU because some soccer mom in a big SUV on her cell phone didn't see me.


And in LA everybody has a black, silver, or white car. I want to be able to find mine in a parking lot. And being a Ferrari fan I love red.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by hypercarfanatic

Not only do red cars get ticked at a higher rate...

Man, this is the truth. I've gone for years without a ticket. Now I've gotten two in the past six months in my bright red sports car, and the second one I was going four miles under the speed limit. I've had cops fall in behind me and tailgate me just to be jackasses. I had one hit me with laser when I had the cruise set on 69 in a 70, look at his gun and hit me again because he couldn't believe a red sports car wasn't speeding.

This car is just a magnet for the asshole species of cop. I'm now logging my speed and GPS data and have a camera ready to be installed to be able to fight the next one that tries to give me a bogus ticket.

Originally Posted by pantdino

I saw an ad in the UK once saying yellow cars get the most tickets but are in the fewest accidents. I'd rather get a ticket than be in the ICU because some soccer mom in a big SUV on her cell phone didn't see me.

This is actually why I went with Lightning Red even though I knew cops love red cars. My Jeep is black, and despite the fact that it's twice as big and considerably louder than the BRZ, I have near misses in it all the time. People are constantly pulling out in front of it or taking my lane. I had an idiot kid run right into the back of it as I was sitting at a stop at an intersection, and he claimed he didn't see me sitting there. Apparently black cars are invisible even in broad daylight.

I drive all over the place for my job and I've lived in ten different cities, and these drivers down here in Louisiana, as a group, are easily the most belligerently stupid drivers I have ever encountered. I need every advantage I can get. I can honestly say that the red helps in that respect. All I have to do to remind myself of that is to park the BRZ and drive the Jeep, and within minutes I'll have some moron pull right out in front of me.

I just got massive steel battering ram bumpers for the Jeep. I'm considering painting them Caterpillar yellow for better visibility.

[FlamingRectumSyndrome]

Originally Posted by hypercarfanatic

Unsolicited advice here...get Raven

Not only do red cars get ticked at a higher rate, but IMO black looks better and will draw less attention from the people you don't want, and more from the people you want attention from.

I drive like an idiot (this car just brings it out in me), am usually driving faster than everyone else (and my commute is through some of the highest density traffic in northern California), and I have yet to get even a dirty look from the CHP. And Hot Lava is just plain gorgeous.

[irxproductions]

I wanted Hot Lava but ended up going with Ultramarine because it was Launch Month and I was just happy not to have another silver car. Since, I've been very happy with Ultramarine.

My issues are well-known around the forum, however here's what to look for:

1. Chirping. There's no fix on this and it can be VERY annoying. My dealer replaced my entire fuel system to no avail.

2. New ECU. VERY early models (mine) needed an all-new ECU to be able to turn off daytime-running lights (DRLs) as well as turning on shift-indicators, remote lock causing horn to beep, etc.

3. Rear Deck Rattle/Tapping. I've gone to my dealer three times for this. I have an excellent local dealer here in Vancouver, Wash. with a great guy who dives in every time. Finally, the third time (which was just earlier this year), he was able to reweld and adjust some suspension bits and pieces that made the rattle go away.

Car & Driver finished their long-term (40,000 miles) drive of the BRZ (scroll down to get to the long-term test results) and it developed some serious rattles and buzzes over its lifespan. They ended their review with "pack your bee suit."

Given that my car is two years old and has less than 11,000 miles, their review has made me cringe (buzzes and rattles drive me nuts) but I still intend to keep the car for the long-term - I absolutely adore it.