For those whose FRS/BRZ is their only vehicle

[PandaSPUR]

Originally Posted by Overdrive

....but it's not supposed to be. It's a bare bones sports car. It's supposed to handle well, which usually means a harsh ride. If a person wants some sporty performance and luxury coddling/road absorbing ride/interiors isolated from the outside world, Lexus is usually just across the showroom floor from the 86.

Yea I know that, I was backing up your point with my own experiences.

[~el~jefe~]

I have a 2006 mini cooper s. I don't know how that compares to a typical car etc. I do know that the wheels and tires make a huge difference. The stock mini S has terrible noisey hard tires. I would probably go for the lowest noise rated tire I could find that had decent grip ratings.

what tires do you use?

[PandaSPUR]

Originally Posted by ~el~jefe~

I have a 2006 mini cooper s. I don't know how that compares to a typical car etc. I do know that the wheels and tires make a huge difference. The stock mini S has terrible noisey hard tires. I would probably go for the lowest noise rated tire I could find that had decent grip ratings.

what tires do you use?

Had the stock wheels and tires for a while. Currently on RPF1 17x9 with 255/40 Continental DWS. Also added Tein Monosport coilovers when I changed my wheels. Overall the ride quality felt about the same. Bumps sucked before, and they still suck now.

I could probably get used to using my car for daily commuting, my music usually drowns out most of the noise anyway. It just isnt the optimal car for commuting in my opinion.

My car only has 10k miles after two years though, its really just a weekend fun car. Mass transit works way better for commuting to work in NYC.

[ThatIllFrs]

This is my only car and after having it for almost a half a year I love it! I was the best upgrade for a car I ever had.

[cfwchoi]

I currently drive 2017 camry. Then I realized that what I want is fun to drive car. (I used to drive rsx type s)
I think brz is practical enough compare to miata or s2000. And it is also affordable.
I will sell this Camry, and brz will be my only ride.

Sent from my LG-H950 using Tapatalk

[perryair]

Originally Posted by ~el~jefe~

did you plug up the sound tube and keep exhaust stock? It measured more quiet than a 2017 mazda3 GT on rough road and regular highway on my decibel meter. Also was out of talking range, the noise, it was very high vs most cars which disturb talking range. Very few cars are more quiet for its size than a 2017 AT I tested on crappy NJ roads. I also did a analog watch test. Only two of five cars I was interested in fully passed it. The BRZ and the Legacy, the rest of the nicer cars supposedly quieter failed. Watch test is when I am wearing the watch and the passenger and I can hear it tick loudly while holding 50 mph and idling. I plugged up the sound hole on the test drive.

I duno. Maybe something changed in 2017.

well heres the thing about the sound tube - again its a choice between enjoying those moments where your car can shine vs making it into just another car. so, our cars are not what anyone would call fast. so when you inevitably stomp on it to get it going the induction sound from the sound tube is about all you hear thats somewhat exciting cause the stock exhaust is so quiet. so when you plug it to make it comfortable for your commute then when you want to enjoy the car, you hear some faint sounds of work being done when youre trying to get on it and that's about it.

i only plugged my sound tube after i swapped the header because that replced the induction noise with better sounding exhaust noise.

[~el~jefe~]

Originally Posted by cfwchoi

I currently drive 2017 camry. Then I realized that what I want is fun to drive car. (I used to drive rsx type s)
I think brz is practical enough compare to miata or s2000. And it is also affordable.
I will sell this Camry, and brz will be my only ride.

Sent from my LG-H950 using Tapatalk

That's a hardcore switch. Camry is a solid car in the SE Package and up.

It basically comes down to the only real sports car with fantastic seats and good gas mileage that looks fantastic, that also has storage. Best looking car coming out i feel is the RF Miata. Just has not much practicality for a single car setup.

[Psilox]

Originally Posted by ~el~jefe~

That's a hardcore switch. Camry is a solid car in the SE Package and up.

It basically comes down to the only real sports car with fantastic seats and good gas mileage that looks fantastic, that also has storage. Best looking car coming out i feel is the RF Miata. Just has not much practicality for a single car setup.

That's exactly how I feel. If would never have to carry anything ever, the RF Miata is one of the finest looking cars produced today. It's also said to be quite fun to drive, but the fact that it can't carry anything more than a couple of small bags in the trunk kind of lessens the appeal for me.

[arrow34]

My Frs is my only ride... I came from a Tc... I miss the carrying capacity. But love the handling and feel of the FRS... so trade off is great... besides.. my wife has an edge... so I can haul what I need.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by soulreapersteve

I'm too poor for a second vehicle (not really but can't find a beater that is fun to drive).

The FRS is my only car and its really practical. Having the backseats that fold down all the way does help, also having absolutely no responsibilities family wise is great.

Ditto

[why?]

It was my only car for a little over 6 months. Never needed a larger one.

Originally Posted by soulreapersteve

I'm too poor for a second vehicle (not really but can't find a beater that is fun to drive).

The FRS is my only car and its really practical. Having the backseats that fold down all the way does help, also having absolutely no responsibilities family wise is great.

Try a Yaris. All you need is a cheap megan suspension and the car is really fun to drive and can get 40+ mpg.

Originally Posted by Rakshaa

I guess it depends on your stage in life. I managed with the 86 as my only car for almost 3 years - the backseat folding down flat is a big help and pretty much makes this car a two seater with EXCELLENT trunk space.

Only since getting married in the middle of last year did I get a 2nd car for the wife to use (Mini Cooper), but we will most definitely need a larger vehicle once we decide to have kids.

If you are young and with no kids, there should be no issue with having an FR-S/BRZ/86 as your only car until circumstances change

You don't need a bigger car with kids. You can fit 2 car seats in the back. There are pictures on the forum, it can be done.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

That and it would just simply have to be bigger to meet all the safety requirements now. The little Datsun was a workhorse and I used to haul loads way over capacity all the time but it was also a deathtrap in any form of collision. Probably be pulped if you hit a good sized animal with the thing.

As of when I worked at a Toyota dealership, 2007 or so, you could order a stripper Tacoma with a 4 cylinder and a stick. You had to special order it but it was a tiny old school pickup. Not sure if you can still do it.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by why?

As of when I worked at a Toyota dealership, 2007 or so, you could order a stripper Tacoma with a 4 cylinder and a stick. You had to special order it but it was a tiny old school pickup. Not sure if you can still do it.

Not sure if you understand how small those little trucks were. A Tacoma is a monster compared to them.

[Overdrive]

True, but a base of base models 2-door, 2x4 manual Tacoma is about as simple and small as you can get for today's trucks. It ain't no old Ford Ranger, but it's the closest you can get to that today.

[soulreapersteve]

Originally Posted by why?

It was my only car for a little over 6 months. Never needed a larger one.

Try a Yaris. All you need is a cheap megan suspension and the car is really fun to drive and can get 40+ mpg.

I wanted a Honda Fit for a little bit, closest I'll get to an EG6 or EK9 of the 90's and no little kids would want to steal it.

Maybe I'll get the Yaris and have a little "fun" with mods to get rid of that itch.. since im planning on leaving the FRS as is for now.