Long Distance Kidnapping: Smudgeous' WRB 6MT BRZ Limited (Orlando, FL)

[Smudgeous]

Edits:
6/24 - Added additional images from first stop after dealership. Mom and sisters had some fun getting behind the wheel
6/24 - First modifications - tint and exhaust tips
6/26 - Finally added a picture of myself in the car, right before leaving the northeast on my way back to FL.
6/27 - Debadging lettering on rear
7/14 - Chrome fender accent and valve stems
7/19 - WC Lathe Werks custom shift knob
7/21 - New wheels + tires
7/22 - Perrin crank pulley and Automation Lighting LED kit #2
7/30 - Eibach Pro Kit lowering springs and Perrin 2" stubby antenna

This was originally planned to be much shorter in length, but when the smoke of my fingertips on the keys finally cleared, I found that it had grown. Hope you enjoy!

Where to begin..

Initial D first captured my attention and converted me into a fan of the joys of rear-wheel drive goodness (in fact, its first 3 stages and Battle Stage 1 all aired in each consecutive year of high school). Not soon after graduation, I started looking online to purchase my very own RWD car. I eventually decided on a white 1985 Nissan 200SX (that looked suspiciously similar to Takumi's AE86) that was located in Virginia Beach, a healthy ~350 miles from my hometown in western NJ.

Despite being a blast to drive when it ran, the car was approaching its legal gambling age when I purchased it, and I eventually had to retire it. From that point forward, I'd been driving cars only meant to get from point A to B, FWD across the board. Along the way, I also moved from NJ down here to Orlando.

Then in 2009, when I caught wind of the FT86 concept, I started doing the occasional following up, checking google every few weeks to see if anything new had been announced. The updating frequency started to increase as time wore on and more and more was being revealed, until I finally threw down my pre-order on March 24th on a WRB limited. I was still not completely decided on whether I would stick with the BRZ or decide to cancel and go ahead with an FRS, but I realized the BRZ was the harder-to-obtain option and figured I'd cover my bases, just in case.

Since then, I'd been calling Subaru of America weekly, hoping every time that my order would be taken off the wait list and receive an ETA. Last week, I started calling around to other dealerships within a 100-mile radius in order to see if any were available. The only option I ran into was a red premium for a couple thousand over MSRP, which I declined.

Then last Tuesday, after yet another call to SoA ended in disappointment, I spied This thread. A 6MT Limited in WRB? My pulse rose as I clicked the title, but after seeing that it had been posted a week and a half earlier. I then scrolled down and read the last comment.. Still available, as of 1 hour prior to the current time! I immediately contacted grst1 to ask for his sales contact and his own name, for mentioning him as the referral.

After calling what seemed like a dozen times, bouncing between voicemail inboxes, I eventually got ahold of the salesperson, and found out that the car was still available. She mentioned that it was indeed WRB, 6MT, and the Limited trim, and even had the auto-dimming mirror with compass that I had originally ordered on my pre-order, as well as Xzilon treatment and the rear bumper applique. I impulsively grabbed my credit card and slapped down a deposit to hold the car, all the while knowing that I had a narrow window of 2 days off (Friday and Saturday) to get financing, insurance, and a one-way plane ticket all straightened out in time.

After getting everything figured out last-minute, I was coerced into ladies' night at a local club, resulting in me forgetting to charge my phone before bed, and waking up 50 minutes before my plane was scheduled to leave. I threw on clothing and managed to snag my laptop backpack on my dash out the door, but forgot to bring my camera, GoPro, etc. By the time I got to the airport, I was informed it was too late to make my flight, but luckily, there was a second one 2 hours later that they put me on. When I arrived at the airport, my salesperson was outside with my name on a sheet of paper in her window. The entire drive to the dealership was a constant struggle to prevent from blurting out "are we there yet?"

When we arrived, it took all of 2 seconds for me to locate her on the lot. In direct sunlight, that blue seems to become turquoise. We headed inside and took care of the paperwork, and I was finally given the keys and temp tag. For the rest of Friday, I was able to visit friends and family from various points of NJ and NY, then headed back south. Due in part to the lack of sleep on both Thursday and Friday nights, I chickened out on driving all the way to Florida, and instead opted for wine tasting and steak dinner aboard the Amtrak auto train.

During the ~500 miles I drove on Friday and Saturday, I didn't seem to be acknowledged much on the road, though when it was parked, I did receive a lot of questions and comments. One of my favorite was the comment while talking with my uncle while he was checking out the car.. some guy pulled up in a minivan and asked, "Is that the new Subaru BRZ?". I had to look around for a while to make sure there was no video camera around, as the way he said it sounded like it came right out of a commercial.

Once Sunday morning came, I drove it from the auto train to work, and seem to have been here ever since. I feel like making excuses for offering to drive places for food, and can't wait to hit 1,000 miles to uncover the fun zone of her engine. I definitely enjoyed the ~30 mile drive to the dealership I had preordered the original car this afternoon to refund my preorder. The sun was shining brightly and it looked amazing enough that an older woman who was talking with a salesman asked if she can look at my car as she walked up to it. She then asked me to tell her everything about it, which was pretty much music to the ears of a guy like me.

[Dave-ROR]

Nice story! But you did know there was a WRB 6MT Limited at Mastro in Sanford this weekend available right?

[Smudgeous]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Nice story! But you did know there was a WRB 6MT Limited at Mastro in Sanford this weekend available right?

While I do not regret the fun weekend roadtrip, I will say I'm a bit steamed about that. My salesperson from that same dealership mentioned there was still no word on my vehicle via a little update phone call that she made on Wednesday. You'd think that she'd have given me a heads-up about the one available, wouldn't you?

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

While I do not regret the fun weekend roadtrip, I will say I'm a bit steamed about that. My salesperson from that same dealership mentioned there was still no word on my vehicle via a little update phone call that she made on Wednesday. You'd think that she'd have given me a heads-up about the one available, wouldn't you?

The buyer posted here.. he bought another car however he did NOT inform the dealership of that so they were still under the assumption it was that guys car. It was supposed to arrive late last week or this week IIRC I'd have to find the post from the buyer on here to see for sure.

I just assumed you had seen that guys post since you saw that other one.

[Smudgeous]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

The buyer posted here.. he bought another car however he did NOT inform the dealership of that so they were still under the assumption it was that guys car. It was supposed to arrive late last week or this week IIRC I'd have to find the post from the buyer on here to see for sure.

I just assumed you had seen that guys post since you saw that other one.

Are you referring to Pre-order in Orlando? That one was posted when I was already on my way to the club with all plans in motion, and said the WRB ETA is the first week in July. Makes me breathe easier.

Interestingly, after I'd already bought the one in NJ, I was told there was another WRB one available in the tiny town my best friend lives in in lowermost upstate NY as well.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

Are you referring to Pre-order in Orlando? That one was posted when I was already on my way to the club with all plans in motion, and said the WRB ETA is the first week in July. Makes me breathe easier.

Interestingly, after I'd already bought the one in NJ, I was told there was another WRB one available in the tiny town my best friend lives in in lowermost upstate NY as well.

Doh, yeah. I misread that thread lol

Hell at least you got a cool road trip in yours anyways!

[Kido1986]

I cant wait for my WRB BRZ Limited! I unfortunately still havent even test driven one as I can never make it to a lot before one is sold.

Can I go for a ride?

[Smudgeous]

Originally Posted by Kido1986

I cant wait for my WRB BRZ Limited! I unfortunately still havent even test driven one as I can never make it to a lot before one is sold.

Can I go for a ride?

Sure, if I can ever get out of work for anything more than sleeping! I had been able to see/sit in the WRB 6AT Premium that Mastro had in Sanford back in April, but I didn't get to play with the Limited's HVAC controls, seats, or the 6MT until I was driving off the lot.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I prefer the HVAC controls over the FRS 6AT I test drove a few weeks ago. Perhaps there was something wrong with the one they had, but they were quite hard to move between position (not to mention being sourced from a Yaris).

[Kido1986]

If you have any free time, PM me. I'd love to take a look at it. Im BEYOND excited to get mine. July 10th seems like a lifetime from now

[Smudgeous]

Update: 6/27 - Car and ground were still wet, but the sun was finally shining, so I finally got some pictures added!

First mods:

6/21 - Tinted with Llumar tints. Charcoal CTX 30 SR HPR on front windows and Charcoal CTX 15 SR HPR on rear. Also opted for Blue AIR 80 BL SR HPR on the windshield, which is almost impossible to notice, unless you're wearing polarized sunglasses. With those on, everything that would normally have some sort of glare/reflection has a wildly colorful hue, ranging from violet to green to red. It looks similar to soap bubbles :P

6/23 - Couldn't stand the US spec OEM exhaust tips, so I went on a hunt to find something inexpensive that didn't show the exhaust pipe a half inch from the edge of the tip. After multiple trips to Auto Zones and Pep Boys, finally found some exhaust tips that aren't too long (All of the DC Sports tips are 9" in length, which run into issues when the exhaust pipe bends to meet the muffler). I wound up going with Pilot PM583. This tip fits pipes 1.75"-2.25" with 2 opposing bolted clamps and ends in a 3.5" rounded outlet (for reference, our stock exhaust pipes are 2" in diameter).

This picture really seems to do a good job of conveying how awesome it looks in direct sunlight.

Tried to get a better angle of the tint job, but the sun was still being stubborn

Despite looking like dirt, this is a combination of water droplets and ground reflections


And finally, the new exhaust tips

[KI_ZN6]

WRB is one of my favourite colours, congrats and hope you are enjoying every second of driving the BRZ. =)

[wallace03]

Nice, but i cant really see your sisters in that picture j/k. Congrats on the car, and im super jelly that you got to go out of state to purchase it. i personally would have driven back, but i also have more spare time.

[Smudgeous]

Originally Posted by wallace03

Nice, but i cant really see your sisters in that picture j/k. Congrats on the car, and im super jelly that you got to go out of state to purchase it. i personally would have driven back, but i also have more spare time.

Yeah, I'm a bit bummed about not being able to check out the Tail of the Dragon on the way back. That's still on my to-do list. At least when I do it, she'll be fully broken in now

I'm really getting antsy to take new pictures after the tint/tips, but with this whole tropical storm + tornados bother going on, it seems sunshine is at least another couple of days away.

[wallace03]

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

Yeah, I'm a bit bummed about not being able to check out the Tail of the Dragon on the way back. That's still on my to-do list. At least when I do it, she'll be fully broken in now

I'm really getting antsy to take new pictures after the tint/tips, but with this whole tropical storm + tornados bother going on, it seems sunshine is at least another couple of days away.

I thought that storm was headed my way last time i heard. I probably will have to wait til the end of next spring semester before i can do any road trips, thats if my car gets here in august like they say it would. not sure if i'd do the dragon's tail since i heard it was quite dangerous, if anything happened to my brz a part of me would die inside. however i did drive up to richmond this spring, and there are plenty of swirly fun roads to drive on. I personally would rather do the pacific coast hwy first, because i havnt been on the west cost since i was about 6yrs old.