Need Adice Buying Used

[RobertPaulson]

Originally Posted by BrianW

One thing has me a bit concerned and I will eventually ask before my next step is IF he only drives this car in summer...WHY are there 20,000 Km/Miles on a 2013 car?
Add to that the cold intake filter he added.

Does anyone else think the mileage of 20,000 is a lot for a two year old only summer driven car that hasn't been tracked?

I have a 2013 with 30k miles on it and it sat for 1 winter. its not that hard to put 15k miles over the summer months, to put things in perspective, i've put 5k miles on my car since january 1st.

if this car really only has 20k KM then he's hardly driven it. even 20k miles isn't much, But if you do buy this, i would look to find a stock intake, CAI tend to fare worse on the 86 than a simple drop in filter.

Originally Posted by BrianW

I just googled FRS problems and I gotta say I'm a bit concerned now.
Could this be why there's so many 2013's for sale?

I thought it was mostly from the warranty expiring due to mileage.

because you have a bunch of people who bought an impractical car and after a year or two realize its not for them.

Originally Posted by BrianW

Thanks for the welcome.

I'll tell you one thing...I won't miss taking my Miata's hardtop on and off manually every fall and spring.

Yeah, it's not the modifications that have me concerned (after all the car is made to upgrade) it's whether it was regularly tracked...so I'll ask...cheers!

why are you worried if the car was tracked? so long as the owner maintained the car there shouldn't be any concern, also how many tracks do you have around calgary?

Originally Posted by BrianW

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

There's no doubt I'll get a Carproof (Carfax) report and get a mechanic to look at it... It's comforting that he has no problem with this.

But, Would it be wise to take it to the Scion dealer where HE took his car for maintenance or the dealer near me? (or even stay away from a Scion dealer inspection altogether and use a Japanese Specialty mechanic who works on all types of Japanese cars and offer something Scion can't ? (a pressure test for the engine.)
He's oddly pushing for the Scion dealer he didn't use and is further from his location. (I think I just answered my question)

Anyways, before I invest any further time into this car it I want to see and drive it in the sunshine.
This car is black and I noticed a few scuff marks or scratches even in the dim light already.
(I'm hoping there's a polish made especially for black cars that will buff it out.)

Yes going to the dealer he maintained the car at is a good place to ask questions about the car and see how its been maintained. But just know carfax or whatever its called in canada does not show you the true story of a car. My last car which was totaled only shows a minor repair on the car fax.

Originally Posted by BrianW

That "young buck" came from a WRX STi forum where they said stay away from a used one because the kids definitely modify them...race the crap out of them to the point of ruin...them put back to stock to resell.
Perhaps that has got me a little too paranoid.

This car needs to be an investment for me as I'm handicapped with Rheumatoid Arthritis so I'm unable to work and I'm spending half my inheritance to which one day I may need back by reselling.

There's GOT to be FRS owners like me with my Miata who never once took their car to the track to do drifting or whatever you kids are up to!

um, you're spending half your inheritance to buy this car ... as an investment. I hate to burst the bubble but a car is never an investment.

a car is a money pit.

[thill]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Damn!
You had to bring up the S2 as an investment as I think you're right

That's the car I've been looking for the past two years.
Unfortunately most sellers think they're collectables already and are asking way beyond their worth.

But now you've put a serious seed in my mind to pass on this FRS and keep waiting for a S2

And yes I know that it's almost certain that an S2 has been tracked.

I hear you. I have been watching for used S2K's in my area for the better part of a year now and the only cheaper ones I see are either salvage titles, or in pretty rough shape. Clean ones cost almost the same as a barely used FR-S..

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by BrianW

This car needs to be an investment for me as I'm handicapped with Rheumatoid Arthritis so I'm unable to work and I'm spending half my inheritance to which one day I may need back by reselling.

Mistake, this car will dip below $10k in value within about 10 years unless production gets halted this year.

Edit, <7 years, as we're talking about a '13. My reference is NC Miata's ('06) are starting to dip into that price range 10 years from their introduction.

[Sideways&Smiling]

Originally Posted by BrianW

That "young buck" came from a WRX STi forum where they said stay away from a used one because the kids definitely modify them...race the crap out of them to the point of ruin...them put back to stock to resell.
Perhaps that has got me a little too paranoid.

This car needs to be an investment for me as I'm handicapped with Rheumatoid Arthritis so I'm unable to work and I'm spending half my inheritance to which one day I may need back by reselling.

There's GOT to be FRS owners like me with my Miata who never once took their car to the track to do drifting or whatever you kids are up to!

Cars, and especially the FRS/BRZ, aren't investments. Don't buy.

The car should only be bought by someone who enjoys the style of the car (good looks, RWD, simple & stripped down down-to-earth "fun" car) and is 100% okay with what they're getting.

[BrianW]

Originally Posted by RobertPaulson

why are you worried if the car was tracked? so long as the owner maintained the car there shouldn't be any concern, also how many tracks do you have around calgary?



um, you're spending half your inheritance to buy this car ... as an investment. I hate to burst the bubble but a car is never an investment.

a car is a money pit.

You're not quite understanding my concerns.

I want to recognize the signs if a car has been tracted and ABUSED only to be put back to stock to dump it on a unsuspecting buyer.

As far as my "investing" I'm not looking to replace stocks...I want a car that's fun to drive as I need a car to get around and yet want to find one that keeps its value best as one day I WILL need to resell it when money becomes tight.

[BrianW]

Originally Posted by Sideways&Smiling

Cars, and especially the FRS/BRZ, aren't investments. Don't buy.

The car should only be bought by someone who enjoys the style of the car (good looks, RWD, simple & stripped down down-to-earth "fun" car) and is 100% okay with what they're getting.

Yes I know...see my last post.

And I'm here to find out what i'd be getting.

[RobertPaulson]

Originally Posted by BrianW

You're not quite understanding my concerns.

I want to recognize the signs if a car has been tracted and ABUSED only to be put back to stock to dump it on a unsuspecting buyer.

As far as my "investing" I'm not looking to replace stocks...I want a car that's fun to drive as I need a car to get around and yet want to find one that keeps its value best as one day I WILL need to resell it when money becomes tight.

buy a subaru wrx then, they hold their value far better than the brz/frs does.

also, just because a car has been to the track does not mean its been abused. Honestly the abuse you're alluding to with the WRX/STI crowd are people who do power mods without a proper tune, and just before the car falls apart stock out and sell. this isn't as much of a concern in our world because you can't just install a big downpipe and run an OTS tune. You need to be more concerned with the maintenance of the car, that should be your biggest concern as far as the health of the vehicle.

like i asked earlier, how many tracks do you have around you? if the answer is 0 then you know how often the original owner took it to the track.

[BrianW]

I've decided to wait a little longer for a S2000 or see if a better FRS comes up...one priced at it's actual value and hopefully still under warranty.


Thanks for the input everyone!

[Tcoat]

OK I have been good but I can not continue to read this thread's title and restrain myself!

[BrianW]

Just trying to "better my odds", Tcoat.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Just trying to "better my odds", Tcoat.

Ahhhhh need these ones then!