When did you "know"?

[Ultramaroon]

...just sayin'

[RaveSaint5]

I test drove it last last year. As soon as I did, I had a huge smile on my face. I drove the Civic SI, Accord Coupe, Genesis Coupe, a bunch. None of them did what the BRZ did to my face.

[Jhood]

Back in 2012.. my college campus parking lot. Watched a SWP BRZ start up and fly outta there, dude drove it like he stole it. Had aftermarket rims and a very loud turbo, I had no idea what in the hell it was lol but I knew that I needed one! I was a little dissapointed when I discovered the lack of power and the fact that it did not come stock with a turbo, but I finally dove in about 4 months ago.. and of course I had to buy it in white

[Djmikec]

For a loooong time I wanted a Scion TC. I really like the look of them (the old body, before they became more boxy); but my 1999 Corolla just wouldn't die.

Then one day on a whim, I went and test drove both a Scion TC and the FR-S that was sitting right next to it. The TC felt just like driving my Corolla, so I was like "what's the point"? (I felt that way when test-driving a Genesis Coupe as well.)

But as others here have said, driving the FR-S was just way more fun and put a big smile on my face. So that sealed it. Doing some more research made me switch from FR-S to BRZ.

My Corolla still hasn't died, and probably never will. But I went ahead and ordered a lightning red BRZ anyway. Should arrive just in time for summer.

[dodj]

When I first saw it I wanted one. When I saw the price I knew I was gonna own one. Two events were about 6 weeks apart. Had to wait for the dealer to get a WRB one.

[Koa]

2012

[housecat]

Originally Posted by Flo

Can you pinpoint the moment you decided to get a BRZ? I am 99% there but I still have some doubts.

February 22nd last year. It was the moment I was offered the invoice price, 2.9% APR for 5 years, and free t-shirt and wheel locks for a brand new 2014 Limited BRZ with only 25 miles on it. This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. I had deliberated for a month on which car was right for me, and this deal took the cake.

But here's my story. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find a RSX-S with ~54k miles on it in nearly mint condition. I loved that car and never wanted to replace it. Alas, it's gone now. When I lost the car, I felt so empty. I really wanted another RSX-S, but there was none in such good condition within 500 miles. I wanted a car that would remind me of my RSX. For a month I drove the family pick-up truck around while researching the best car for me. A Civic SI? Or maybe an S2000, WRX, MX-5, etc? I went to multiple dealerships to look at both used and new cars. Being a young guy, most of them shrugged me off probably thinking I wasn't even in the market to get a car.

But then I went to a particular Subaru dealer (not sure if it's appropriate to mention their name since I shared the deal I got). They were the best dealers I have ever interacted with. The salesman wasn't just a salesman, he actually was enthused about cars and knew a lot more about them than the typical sales person. And everyone there treated me with respect and courtesy, like an adult and not a kid. The first day I walked into that dealership was the first day I ever drove away in a new car, the BRZ. And I love it.

Is it a good replacement for the RSX-S? For the most part, yes. They are identical in power and weight; furthermore both have very driver-focued interiors that make it feel like a true sports car. I miss having the roominess of a hatchback, V-TEC, and a redline of 8500rpm. But a trunk is more efficient than a hatch in terms of weight savings, and the BRZ has better torque, and most importantly RWD. The BRZ is much more difficult to shift than the RSX, but I guess that is the reality of a proper sports car transmission. I would say that the RSX-S is a sporty car, and the BRZ IS a sports car. I believe the BRZ is the best replacement available; manufacturers just don't make cars like they used to (think MR2s, Integras, Celicas, etc). Sure, I might find a decade old used car to buy, but my folks were wanting to help me get a brand new car so that I have a very reliable transportation.

Overall, the primary reasons for me choosing the BRZ are that it fits my lifestyle (young guy without a big dog or family), its fun to drive, reminds me of my RSX, looks beautiful, the dealer was awesome, and I like the idea of driving a purist driver's car.

Originally Posted by Flo

Am I the only one having arguments with themselves about this car? Did you take a long time deliberating the pros and cons or just lay down your cash the day they rolled off the boat?

Sometimes I second guess my decision on a BRZ. I never really got to test drive a WRX or Mustang. But the truth is that wasn't the kind of car that I was looking for in the first place. A lot of people on the internet want us to believe that everything under 300hp is slow and useless. But I later realized that their needs from a car are simply different than my needs. And when I think, "I could've got a Mustang and had 300hp," my reaction is "but then I would have a Mustang."

So no, you are not the only one having arguments with yourself. Yes, I did take a long time deliberating the pros and cons (spent a whole month driving a pickup until decision). Don't sweat it; let your heart tell you if the car is right for you. Don't let other people tell you which car you should have.

Originally Posted by Flo

Sorry for the stupid thread I find sometimes typing stuff out and letting other people tear it to shreds helps my thought process.

No, thank you for posting this thread. I've been wanting to share my feelings about the car

[miosaki]

I knew I wanted this car when I went back home to Japan last fall.

My dad and his friends always switch their cars with each other, and while I was there my dad had switched his BMW 1series with his friends BRZ. We spent an entire day driving from Tokyo/Chiba area to Fukushima and back. Even after the 10+ hour drive I still couldn't get enough.
I had my mind set on a RX-8, but I came back to the US set on a BRZ.

Now, I sometimes swap cars with my roomie who drives a 2013 FRS.

[DGMlJDlBRZ]

I had a 1995 Civic Coupe that I had bought in October 2004. Over the years I had modified that thing, the whole JDM/OEM Honda ordeal etc etc. The last couple years of ownership, it continuously failed smog and I had no idea why. I eventually pulled the motor out, tore it apart, and did a semi-rebuild replacing a bunch of seals, all belts, gaskets, etc. No luck, with the motor freshened up, it still failed smog. I initially wanted to replace the Civic with another Honda (TSX, S2K, GSR, TL Type S...), but figured that I didn't want a used car anymore (Civic was a lemon..Whole driver side quarter panel, door, etc. was replaced but Carfax showed that the title was still clean). I even thought about Supras, 350Z/370Z, MR2s, etc. but eventually sold myself on starting fresh with a brand new car.

November 2013, I went to the LA Auto Show and that's the first time I was able to see the FRS/BRZ twins up close and personal. I had seen a couple in person on the road before, but being able to sit in them and all that stuff got me hooked.

At first I wanted an FRS because I liked how the front end looked more aggressive than the BRZ, and I wasn't even interested the slightest at the BRZ. The BRZ front reminded me of the Genesis Coupe front for some reason lol. Around the first week of March 2014, I really started to crunch numbers to see if I could afford it, and I decided it was time. I really had my eyes set on a Hot Lava Monogram FRS in MT, but the only one I was able to find was all the way in Texas.

My dad, brother, and I dropped by the local Scion dealership exactly a year ago today (March 28, 2014) after I got off work to see if they could somehow get that Hot Lava Monogram to California and to just take a test drive in one of their other FRs's on the lot. They said they could, but the salesman that was helping us seemed like he didn't want us there. I asked them if I could see the Raven Monogram they said they had, but someone had already bought it.

So we decided to leave, and standing outside the Scion dealership at 7pm, I asked my dad if we could go to our local Subaru dealership so I can go test drive a BRZ instead. We go, and I asked them if I could see their DGM BRZ Limited in 6MT that was listed on their website. The salesman took us to a lot a couple blocks away where they stored the rest of their inventory, and the DGM BRZ was still wrapped in plastic, had only 5 miles on the odometer, and they had received the car only a week prior to me test driving it that night. I test drove it, and was instantly sold. Damn salesman told me I was the first one to test drive it too. The thing though was that I didn't bring my down payment with me because I wasn't even planning on buying a car that night.

So we talk numbers and eventually I drive home that night with my brand new BRZ. The salesman even took my dad, brother, and I to celebrate after at an AYCE Korean BBQ (salesman was Korean lol).

Sorry for the long story. Even a year later, I still get excited thinking about how I ended up buying my first brand new car.

[donoman]

I test drove an FR-S in late 2012. I thought it handled great, wasn't fast but not slow either. But what bothered me the most was the road noise.

At that time I was driving an M5. It got horrible gas mileage. It was unreliable. I needed a daily driver. I bought a Z4. I love Z4's. I bought a Z4 M Coupe. I bought another Z4 to replace my first Z4. My wife learned to drive stick and ended up taking the 2nd Z4. With my old Z4 and M Coupe to choose from, I consistently picked the Z4. Surprisingly, because it was a 2.5i with 5MT and the ///M is the 3.2 330HP 6MT. It was just easier to drive the little Z4.

I decide I have too many cars. Too many Z4's. So in January I sell my Z4 Daily Driver. Z4's aren't rare but Z4MC's are. I try to Daily Drive the Z4MC and just can't do it. Too hard to drive everyday and didn't want to bring it to Costco or drive to lunch with it. Around this time I test drive a Prius Plug-in, CT200h, NX300 and BRZ. I love the BRZ. Absolutely love it. It's not noisy to me anymore, for some reason.

I need something that gets better gas mileage again. The Z4MC is getting 18MPG and most upsetting, its range is only 225 miles. I end up buying the FR-S almost 2.5 years after my first test drive.

Great damn car!!!

[lionbacker54]

i actually decided when i test drove a used toyota MR2. i was deciding between a BMW 335 and the BRZ, and was worried about the "slowness" of the BRZ. on the other hand, resale value of a BMW is worse with a manual. you lose about a full model year. so, i considered maybe just buying a cheap race car for the weekends and autocross.

well, it was just so fun rowing the gears with that thing that i realized the truth of the saying "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow." and i got the brz.

[colddrip]

when the car was first announced. took me up until a month ago to actually be able to purchase one.

[kpamir]

I've always wanted a 2 door sports coupe , so the desire to own this car purely on that basis was there from the very beginning with the FT concepts.

As far as when I was "sold" on the car, it would have to be about 5 minutes into the test drive.

That sealed the deal for me. There were no questions after that.

[vividracing]

Enjoy my book...

I first heard about the BRZ when I was reading a Consumer Reports magazine talking about the most reliable cars. This was around January or so when I got told that my undergrad present was going to be $15,000 to put down on a new car. I looked up lots of factors, primarily what type of body it was.

At first I looked into hatchbacks, as my 1st car was a crappy Chevy Aveo (the predecessor to the current Chevy Sonic). The hatch was convenient for me. I looked into hot hatches but nothing fun or interesting, all just FWD econo-boxes, they would just be an upgrade to what I had before and I wanted something different.

I looked into coupes for that difference and started with Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Genesis, etc. But I was required to keep the car price under $32,000. I wanted a car with all the bells and whistles, top trim model, best engine, and sadly all those above cars were over my limit by a lot. And the more bare models were boring to me with 4-cyls or 6-cyls but I also wanted a car that was more unique than others, so the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger were out quick. I remembered that Subaru made good cars as my mom's previous car was an Outback and it was really good! I saw the WRX but I couldn't at the time drive stick and tried it before and didn't like it, it was just above my price range though. I looked into the base Impreza and could get the fully loaded one but I would always have the thought that it's nothing compared to the WRX and I'd have buyers remorse.

Then I discovered the FRS and BRZ in the Consumer Reports and looked further into it, a car with limited production and new to the scene, with a Limited package and automatic and it's one of the best cars in its segment? With the very reliable and efficient Boxer engine?

I was sold. But to get the FRS or BRZ? Well, that was easy. I got the one that wasn't a Scion.

The really hard part was actually finding the exact car I wanted.

I finally settled on a Galaxy Blue BRZ Limited Automatic. Talk about a hard car to find.

I looked all over the West coast at dealerships online for their current and incoming stock and some were close, like a Galaxy Blue in Auto but the Premium trim, or a Limited Auto in Grey or something. I had my heart settled on Galaxy blue because it's such a sexy color but super rare which made me want it more.

After a couple of weeks of nothing and lost hope, I stumbled upon a Subaru/Hyundai dealership in San Diego who had a Galaxy Blue BRZ Limited in Automatic being shipped and I called them right away and asked if it was available. They said it already had a deposit on it, and I began looking for a noose for myself (lol). Then just casually I mentioned I had $15,000 cash and really wanted it and the dealer said "sorry, we'll let you know if something comes up" or something like that.

He probably hung up the phone and his manager punched him in the face for losing a quick $15k cause he called me back 20 minutes later and said the car was available! Amazing how throwing a figure like that changes things.

A few weeks later I had my one way plane ticket and cashiers checks and picked up the car and drove back home, but before I did I had the entire front end paint protected to keep it safe and preserved.

I am happily the owner of a super rare 2013 BRZ, since only 1/2 are in Limited trim and only 1/3 of BRZ's are automatic and only 8% were made in Galaxy Blue, which is now a discontinued color. I have one of only about 250 such cars ever made. I'm so spechul!

-RyanG