Long timer Lurker/BRZ owner looking for some advice

[Tsuin]

First post finally!
About a year ago after going to a Subaru lot countless times drooling at the BRZ's i finally saved up some money and traded my 09 Mazdaspeed3 in on a brand new premium DGM BRZ. Even before buying it i had started making a build list and planning a balls to the wall build. I decided i was going to save for the first year and put a few miles on it before i did any mods, which i have been able to somehow do.
Up until the past couple months as i near 10k miles i am having ALOT of second thoughts on continuing to own this car now however. My life is now going in a different direction as far as my financial priorities go and things change. I keep asking myself "do i really want to dump thousands of dollars into this car just to get it to perform how i want?" As i am sure a lot of other 86 owner's have asked themselves. Don't get me wrong, this car is amazingly fun and a fantastic N/A car, but i find myself wanting more from it. The only way i can stand to own it is to go forced induction i feel like unfortunately and i cant justify the amount of money for it anymore, nor can i dedicate the time and hassle that can come along with going forced induction.

I wanted to see what everyone else is thinking as i'm having a really difficult time trying to make a big decision.
I have figured i have a few options going forward:

1. Trade my car in for a used Fiat 500 Abarth. I have found several in my area with less than 20k miles that are priced around 14-16k and really clean. It's a car that i could live with and i could still enjoy driving on a daily basis. I would pay around $130-$180 a month depending on several factors and save a lot of money for the next year to two years. The goal here would be to buy something really nice with the money i saved that i wont have to dump so much money into performance in order to enjoy. (thinking maybe an STI, maybe the new speed3 if it ever gets confirmed, a newer model used M3, 2015 Golf R..you get the point)

2. I skip the idea of option #1 and go ahead and find something now to trade for. It would be a car i'll like a lot more and not feel the need to spend as much money on to enjoy. I could afford to do this no problem, but do i really want to add more debt and go backwards when my car is already paid down significantly?( been looking at a few things such as a used 370Z Nismo, E46 M3, G37 coupe or sedan, 2015 WRX, EVO 10, Genesis coupe R-spec)

3. Fuck it all, Start modding the BRZ, eventually buy a forced induction setup and stop trying to financially justify the amount of money it will take to do what i want to it.

[Tcoat]

Any of your options are going to cost you a crap load of money since you have had the car such a short time.
Your call but keep in mind that no matter what you get you may want something different in another 6 months. The grass is always greener syndrome can be an expensive habit to get into.

[yomny]

The one thing that the 86 lacks is a bit of power but I honestly think you'll miss the cars personality if traded. I think you should keep the car.. after all it may become one day a much sought after classic like the AE86. Mod it little by little.. maybe some minor suspension stuff to give it a nice stance.. and possibly a full quiet exhaust with a tune.. leave it at that and have a blast with it. I know you'll want more but I think at that point the car will not only look good but perform nicely as well, it wont break the bank and you could keep this gem, specially the one you got with all the goodies. Word of advice.. save up and do things once and do them right. I personally rushed and desperately started modding and I wish I would have gotten the rpf1 wheels I wanted and maybe some KW or RSR coils instead of what I have now because I know I'll eventually get what I wanted . Take it from me.. I had an FRS when they first came out.. early 2013 or so. Sold it because I couldn't mod and it was slow, got an STI.. well guess what for some reason I now have another FRS lol.

[Helios]

You really only have option 1 and 2 because you don't want to invest time and money in modding the BRZ. So, what matters to you most? Saving money and buying a car you want later OR adding debt to buy a car you want now? Sounds like an easy choice to me. Remember, a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow.
I'd personally go with option 1.

[Champster]

I am one of those guys who don't plan to mod the BRZ. If you want a faster car, there's plenty of nice used cars you can buy for the price of a new BRZ.

But before you trade in your car i think you should figure what you really want in your car so you don't make another mistake.

I would go for the E46 M3 though.

[RobertPaulson]

i can tell you this right now, if you trade the car in for an abarth or any other turbo charged car (speed 3, gti) you will end up modding it looking for more power and be in the same boat, but with some weird ass car like an abarth. (don't get me wrong, the sound mean as fuck)

i would just keep the brz, look into a header and tune to get rid of the dip and get a bit of rumble out of the car and just keep driving it until the focus rs comes out or the new awd mazdaspeed if they ever make it.

[Tsuin]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Any of your options are going to cost you a crap load of money since you have had the car such a short time.
Your call but keep in mind that no matter what you get you may want something different in another 6 months. The grass is always greener syndrome can be an expensive habit to get into.

Yeah i totally get your point, the reason my mind has changed though is things in my life have changed. Just got a lot busier with other things and there's to many other mods i would rather spend that forced induction money on if i had another turbo car.

Originally Posted by yomny

The one thing that the 86 lacks is a bit of power but I honestly think you'll miss the cars personality if traded. I think you should keep the car.. after all it may become one day a much sought after classic like the AE86. Mod it little by little.. maybe some minor suspension stuff to give it a nice stance.. and possibly a full quiet exhaust with a tune.. leave it at that and have a blast with it. I know you'll want more but I think at that point the car will not only look good but perform nicely as well, it wont break the bank and you could keep this gem, specially the one you got with all the goodies. Word of advice.. save up and do things once and do them right. I personally rushed and desperately started modding and I wish I would have gotten the rpf1 wheels I wanted and maybe some KW or RSR coils instead of what I have now because I know I'll eventually get what I wanted . Take it from me.. I had an FRS when they first came out.. early 2013 or so. Sold it because I couldn't mod and it was slow, got an STI.. well guess what for some reason I now have another FRS lol.

Thanks for the input! that's why this is such a hard decision. I don't HATE the car, i do love it. If i keep it for awhile and just save up, i could eventually do what i want with it. I keep thinking i'll regret it but other days i just want to get rid of it haha. its a love hate relationship i guess.

Originally Posted by Helios

You really only have option 1 and 2 because you don't want to invest time and money in modding the BRZ. So, what matters to you most? Saving money and buying a car you want later OR adding debt to buy a car you want now? Sounds like an easy choice to me. Remember, a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow.
I'd personally go with option 1.

thanks for the input! I wish it was that black and white of a decision to me but its not. I just don't think i would have as much of a problem investing time and money into something that was already a little faster. I'm constantly back and forth day to day on keeping it or not.

Originally Posted by Champster

I am one of those guys who don't plan to mod the BRZ. If you want a faster car, there's plenty of nice used cars you can buy for the price of a new BRZ.

But before you trade in your car i think you should figure what you really want in your car so you don't make another mistake.

I would go for the E46 M3 though.

Thanks! yeah that's what I'm keeping in mind, what i actually want and what makes the most sense.

Originally Posted by RobertPaulson

i can tell you this right now, if you trade the car in for an abarth or any other turbo charged car (speed 3, gti) you will end up modding it looking for more power and be in the same boat, but with some weird ass car like an abarth. (don't get me wrong, the sound mean as fuck)

i would just keep the brz, look into a header and tune to get rid of the dip and get a bit of rumble out of the car and just keep driving it until the focus rs comes out or the new awd mazdaspeed if they ever make it.

Even if i get an Abarth i would mod it a little. It's not that i don't want to mod a car or don't have money to though.The point is i don't want to have to drop $4-6k just to be happy with it. The Abarth i would prob just do some small cosmetic mods, suspension, and wheels and call it good. But see that's my struggle, i could just do a few things to mind to be a bit happier with it and wait a few more years. I already have it paid down lower than half the cost of it new. appreciate the suggestion!

[chaoskaze]

used M3


BRZ is a tuner's car if you don't live by a mountain.

[strat61caster]

tl;dr I'm going to be a critical asshole, maybe some gears will turn in your head and you'll do some reflecting, form a stronger opinion and move towards a solution you want.

Guys, my financial priorities are changing and I need to save money help me!

Option 1: I want to spend money because fun
Option 2: I want to spend money because fun
Option 3: I want to spend money because fun

I'm sorry I can't really relate to you. Are you stoplight racing? Hard Parking? You certainly aren't tracking and Autocrossing otherwise your alternatives would be radically different. Your line of thinking is not logical to me so with regards to the options you propose I will say the Abarth is the most fun car I've driven on public roads bar none. I think it would be immensely frustrating at the track and merely passable at the AutoX so that's why I got an 86, so I wouldn't take the financial hit in a few years (which would have been atrocious, $23k at the time and they're worth $15k now according to local dealerships? Trade in is what, $12k? Nearly a 50% drop in value over 3 years)

Actually this just got my mind turning, if I eventually turn my FR-S into a unbearable track car or it gets wrecked I could pick up an Abarth DD in a few years for $10k...

Anyway, why do you really want FI is the question I ask. What are you going to DO with it? Because, based on the post it sounds like you want to do it to spend money and impress people, you'll do that with any car you buy, if finances really are a top priority buy something cheaper to own and modify, which is to say no car is cheap to modify with any sort of quality so buy the cheapest car that fulfills the need.

If you want to have a car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds flat just go find a few year old Mustang GT and swap for it, don't touch it and enjoy your longitudinal g's. If you want the status and a semblance of balanced 'sportiness' then go for the M3, again, don't touch it.

Best financial solution is to either go to a car with no payment or use the BRZ for a very long time. Neither of which showed up on your options so I guess finances aren't that high of a priority?

[extrashaky]

I stopped caring at Fiat 500. If that's what you're considering, I doubt anybody here can really help you.

[Tsuin]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

tl;dr I'm going to be a critical asshole, maybe some gears will turn in your head and you'll do some reflecting, form a stronger opinion and move towards a solution you want.

I'm sorry I can't really relate to you. Are you stoplight racing? Hard Parking? You certainly aren't tracking and Autocrossing otherwise your alternatives would be radically different. Your line of thinking is not logical to me so with regards to the options you propose I will say the Abarth is the most fun car I've driven on public roads bar none. I think it would be immensely frustrating at the track and merely passable at the AutoX so that's why I got an 86, so I wouldn't take the financial hit in a few years (which would have been atrocious, $23k at the time and they're worth $15k now according to local dealerships? Trade in is what, $12k? Nearly a 50% drop in value over 3 years)

Actually this just got my mind turning, if I eventually turn my FR-S into a unbearable track car or it gets wrecked I could pick up an Abarth DD in a few years for $10k...

Anyway, why do you really want FI is the question I ask. What are you going to DO with it? Because, based on the post it sounds like you want to do it to spend money and impress people, you'll do that with any car you buy, if finances really are a top priority buy something cheaper to own and modify, which is to say no car is cheap to modify with any sort of quality so buy the cheapest car that fulfills the need.

If you want to have a car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds flat just go find a few year old Mustang GT and swap for it, don't touch it and enjoy your longitudinal g's. If you want the status and a semblance of balanced 'sportiness' then go for the M3, again, don't touch it.

Best financial solution is to either go to a car with no payment or use the BRZ for a very long time. Neither of which showed up on your options so I guess finances aren't that high of a priority?

Hey man no offense taken (in reference to the critical assholeness), i'm asking for people to help so i appreciate the honesty! I get what you're saying though. The whole idea of getting an Abarth is getting something cheap to save money for a few years that i can drive and be okay with until i got something better with the money i saved. Its a better alternative to some other car that's similarly priced, basic, dull and would make me want to drive off a cliff everyday i drove it.

Regarding the other point, it's not about tracking the car or racing as much as it is just being able to even pass someone without downshifting twice. A little of my previous vehicle background: supercharged Cobalt SS, then a modified mazdaspeed 3 ... to a BRZ. I don't want speed just to go stoplight racing, again its not about that honestly. I live in Kansas and the twisty roads here are just few and far between. It's flat and straight with some small windy roads out of the cities that aren't really even worth taking. In my opinion you don't need to be tracking a car or doing AutoX to want a fast car necessarily, nor does that mean you want to impress people. With that being said i would say i'm more into the show car/hardparking scene more than anything but that has nothing to do with me wanting to go forced induction. I wouldn't do that for "scene" points or to impress people. I guess you can say i just like the feeling a faster car gives when driving it, especially because of where i live.

Regarding the last points, I see were your coming from but i think your confusing me with some of the other idiots who bought an 86 thinking it was some fast sports car and would be the coolest thing on the streets. I knew what it was getting into it, i just learned over time that it doesn't makes the most sense to own anymore and then after some things changed within my life, going down that road for a BRZ with a lot of power just isn't going to be as doable or make as much sense as it was when i bought it.
Not trying to sound defensive at all though, just explaining my logic i guess. But yeah that's what i'm trying to figure out is if i should just keep the BRZ and just have it for the long run. I think this does help put some things in perspective though. I'm leaning more heavily towards getting rid of it.

[Tsuin]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I stopped caring at Fiat 500. If that's what you're considering, I doubt anybody here can really help you.

You very obviously did not read my post, troll. The only point to getting one would be to have lower payment's for a year or two and save up some money for something later on, whilst still having a car that's somewhat enjoyable and non-mundane. You are missing my point ENTIRELY. If you are that close minded you obviously know nothing about the cars nor have you driven one. I doubt anyone agrees with that statement either.

[strat61caster]

Cheers and thanks, some feedback based on what's highlighted below:

Originally Posted by Tsuin

The whole idea of getting an Abarth is getting something cheap to save money for a few years that i can drive and be okay with until i got something better with the money i saved. Its a better alternative to some other car that's similarly priced, basic, dull and would make me want to drive off a cliff everyday i drove it.

Regarding the other point, it's not about tracking the car or racing as much as it is just being able to even pass someone without downshifting twice.

Regarding the last points, I see were your coming from but i think your confusing me with some of the other idiots who bought an 86 thinking it was some fast sports car and would be the coolest thing on the streets. I knew what it was getting into it,

I'm sorry the BRZ didn't pan out, it's very clear that this car will be a pain in the long run for what you want, and I think the Abarth will be a mistake, it will be even more frustrating given what you've said about your driving habits and desires you will still need to drop a gear to get into the power on that thing, only a minor improvement in passing power imo. Might as well live with what you got or go full frugal mode and get something totally bland imo, you didn't even make it past the 1 year mark in the 86.

Life is short, if I was in your shoes I'd go check out some lightly used Toyobaru competition that blows it away with torque: GTI, Mustang, 370Z, Focus ST, etc. and take the loss while planning on keeping that car for a long time (5+ years).

However I don't know if you have the patience to make that worthwhile or if you'll take another financial hit because 'the grass is greener on the other side' as you miss the handling of the 86 and want try out a Miata or a new Mustang or whatever (M3) or if 'financial situation changing' actually means in 2 years you'll have a family and all of a sudden NEED an SUV.

idk, just things to ponder.

[@Art_Mighty]

Originally Posted by Champster

I would go for the E46 M3 though.

I wanted to comment on this specifically because I came from an E46 M3 to this car. Mostly because the M3 was getting up in miles and I was getting tired of dumping money into it to maintain it.

So an FR-S, a turbo kit (with supporting mods) and three years later I would probably do it again or buy a 370z brand new.

The motor in this car is useless but it's CG, weight, suspension and steering rack are superb! I would stick with it.