I joined the club! A few questions & comments...

[imnotsureaboutbrz]

I wouldn't sweat the name change, I mean hey look at mine... and I'm a new BRZ owner myself... and I'm loving every moment I can be in the car. I like you are not used to being lined up with in traffic. Hell this was taken by my buddy just after we picked up the car from the port...





*^still processing*

The car had like 10 miles on it and I 'owned' it for like 30 mins... I was not used to that kind of attention. But being my older/wiser self, just be you. I love to autocross but I never street race. But like my buddy said after that... "This is your life now" Welcome to the fold.

[Protege13]

Originally Posted by Shinchu

congrats! its a good feeling, isn't it? I wanted this car since it was a concept also, finally able to do it last year.

what are your plans for upgrades? what kind of driving you plan on doing?

It is a good feeling. I still can't believe i got one!

Loaded question... right now I'm just using it to commute, this car will be my daily, but I plan on taking it to a track this summer to try that out. I think I'll discover it along the way

Originally Posted by extrashaky

You'll also get a lot of douches tailgating you, trying to intimidate you. Because the visibility of this car can be pretty low, you will learn to drive defensively and anticipate the stupidity of other drivers by their behavior.

One thing I've found that helps with tailgaters (sometimes, not always) is a TapTurn relay in place of the stock flasher relay. It has a strobe function and a "wig-wag" (alternating sides) strobe function that rapidly flashes your tail lights. When someone tailgates me, I turn on my wig-wag strobes as a warning. About half the time the idiots will back off.

Thanks for the tip! Luckily, my pleasure driving used to be on sport bikes, so I learned to drive assuming no one could ever see me, ever. I'll be mindful to keep that same mindset with my FRS.

Originally Posted by StraightOuttaCanadaEh

Welcome to the club! I also bought an 86 recently and noticed two things almost immediately:

1. people will randomly compliment you, especially parents with their kids for some reason. It's nice, they all smile and say "nice car", or "my kids love your car" etc

2. douchebags will always act insecure around you in their suped up cars. I don't know if they're saying "I'm faster than you" or if they wanna engage in some racing. Definitely not into that on a public highway, but I suppose it can be taken as a compliment. I tend to ignore them.

Congrats and enjoy your new baby!

I've already gotten a bunch of comments from older ladies in the neighborhood telling me my car is "beautiful" and "fancy" - I don't think they know what it is, but they aren't wrong! I've even had a few car guys stop me and talk about it.

I'll definitely ignore the douchebags. I'm just happy cruising along in my sweet ride listening to the engine

Originally Posted by LOLS2K

Congrats on the new ride!
Get yourself some 3M adhesive remover and I guarantee that you'll never use GooGone again. This stuff works miracles:

https://www.amazon.com/3M-03618-Adhe.../dp/B000BQYA7W

Thanks so much. I'll definitely look into using this stuff instead!

Originally Posted by ToySub1946

"I drive a V8 Dodge Charger at work, and it's pretty fast but the handling sucks."

I have a 2005 Mustang GT. Sits in the garage since I bought an FRS. Mustang just does not handle worth a shit compared to the FRS. Gotta sell that Mustang soon.


"on my first drive home in my FRS I noticed a LOT of SUV's wanted to race me on the highway. They'd get right next to me and match my speed whether I sped up or slowed down."

I've never seen this as being someone wanting to race me. I believe they've just never seen before a car like mine, are wanting to check it out closely. I always ignore it.

That's an interesting thought, you might be right. Maybe people are just curious what kind of car it is. In my area I don't see many FRS or BRZ, so it's kind of exotic I guess. 80% of people drive SUV/crossovers, 15% sedans and probably like 5% sports cars. Usually the only sports cars I see on the road are really high end Porsches, GTR's, and the like.

[finch1750]

Nice to see you finally got one. Have to PM an admin about the name change iirc

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by finch1750

Nice to see you finally got one. Have to PM an admin about the bame change iirc

Pretty sure that even the Admins can't help change BAME.

[VTEC]

Originally Posted by Protege13

Well, I did it. I finally bought a 2015 MT FRS in Halo this past Saturday. Finally got a good deal, and a great experience at the dealership. They were nice and professional; Castle Subaru in Portage, IN in case anyone is interested. No one was pushy or high pressure.

I have some questions and comments right off the bat:

First of all, I was a little worried because everyone said this car is slow. Maybe the new-ness hasn't worn off, but this car feels fast to me. I drive a V8 Dodge Charger at work, and it's pretty fast but the handling sucks.

On that note, on my first drive home in my FRS I noticed a LOT of SUV's wanted to race me on the highway. They'd get right next to me and match my speed whether I sped up or slowed down. One guy wouldn't give up, so I downshifted and completely smoked him, it was no contest at all. So once again, maybe it's because my previous car was a 2003 protege in bad shape, but this car feels pretty fast to me, even in comparison to my work car.

For a performance car, it's true the FR-S is kinda slow. But people really over exaggerate how slow it really is. All you hear is about how you'll get smoked by minivans and Camry's all the time lol. The truth is, if you know how to work a manual transmission, there is no way a minivan or 4 cylinder Camry will be able to pass you. Yes a V6 Camry will smoke you, but V6 Camry's are called sleepers for a reason and 90% of Camry's are just the regular 4 cylinder model.

So I'm glad you didn't listen to all the bullshit and took the plunge. Congrats and welcome to the club

[Protege13]

Originally Posted by VTEC

For a performance car, it's true the FR-S is kinda slow. But people really over exaggerate how slow it really is. All you hear is about how you'll get smoked by minivans and Camry's all the time lol. The truth is, if you know how to work a manual transmission, there is no way a minivan or 4 cylinder Camry will be able to pass you. Yes a V6 Camry will smoke you, but V6 Camry's are called sleepers for a reason and 90% of Camry's are just the regular 4 cylinder model.

So I'm glad you didn't listen to all the bullshit and took the plunge. Congrats and welcome to the club

Thanks! I kinda figured people exaggerate. I know there's plenty of cars faster than my FRS, but I'm fine with that. It doesn't seem to have any problem getting up to "oh shit I might get a ticket" speeds, and I don't drive like that on public roads anyways, so what would I need that speed for anyway?

The exit ramps on the other hand have been pretty fun

[why?]

Originally Posted by Protege13

Thanks! I kinda figured people exaggerate. I know there's plenty of cars faster than my FRS, but I'm fine with that. It doesn't seem to have any problem getting up to "oh shit I might get a ticket" speeds, and I don't drive like that on public roads anyways, so what would I need that speed for anyway?

The exit ramps on the other hand have been pretty fun

Congrats man. Just watch out on those exit ramps in the rain, the stock tires love to slide around and the traction control will let it slide especially in the wet. Really fun if you are expecting it, but kind of freaky the first time it happens.

[arrow34]

Originally Posted by why?

Congrats man. Just watch out on those exit ramps in the rain, the stock tires love to slide around and the traction control will let it slide especially in the wet. Really fun if you are expecting it, but kind of freaky the first time it happens.

Takes some getting used to when the nannies come on. I actually enjoy the slip more now. But be prepared for it!

[bkharmony]

Originally Posted by Protege13

Thanks! I kinda figured people exaggerate. I know there's plenty of cars faster than my FRS, but I'm fine with that.

I'm new to the platform, and I'm finding that speed really is just a matter of driving it properly. It's more like riding a motorcycle. You've got to plan ahead to stay in the power band, unlike a Mustang where it's just "mash pedal go fast!"

I'm a rider too (mostly vintage sport bikes), and I feel that experience has helped me understand this car better (I hope), as well as driving defensively and positioning my vehicle for maximum visibility.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Protege13

.................
The exit ramps on the other hand have been pretty fun

Careful there!

Reminds me of back-in-the-day, just after I moved to Connecticut from California. I screamed off of a ramp off the Merritt Parkway, in my MGB, ...... I came off hot!

That's when I discovered that the ramps were paved with bricks and the exit ramp and the entrance were one in the same and they were short, tight ramps .........


humfrz

[Protege13]

Originally Posted by bkharmony

I'm new to the platform, and I'm finding that speed really is just a matter of driving it properly. It's more like riding a motorcycle. You've got to plan ahead to stay in the power band, unlike a Mustang where it's just "mash pedal go fast!"

I'm a rider too (mostly vintage sport bikes), and I feel that experience has helped me understand this car better (I hope), as well as driving defensively and positioning my vehicle for maximum visibility.

Yeah, I'm kinda feeling the same way. The car definitely feels kinda like a motorcycle in the way you have to drive it, like you described. Hoping my bike experience pays off!

[fizzymike]

Originally Posted by Protege13

Question - how do you guys remove decals from the dealer? Anything special I should know about the paint on this car? Or just go for the normal soap/heat/floss/goo gone routine?

I used a heat gun although a hair dryer would work. Use with floss/fishing line and a spray adhesive remover. The adhesive remover make it easier and removes any stubborn adhesive or dirt.

[SoNotCool]

Originally Posted by humfrz

CONGRATULATIONS on your new purchase ....... and WELCOME to FR-S ownership .....

About racing people or people racing you ....... I suggest you just not do that (unless autoX or on a track).

Why not?

Because:

* if its a Mustang (on the straights) ..... they will beat you

peeks in ....
let me correct this slightly ....

*if its a mustang, it will most likely turn into you (especially on the the straights) ..cause we all know mustangs cant drive straight .....

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by SoNotCool

peeks in ....
let me correct this slightly ....

*if its a mustang, it will most likely turn into you (especially on the the straights) ..cause we all know mustangs cant drive straight .....

....... and THAT is another reason never to race a mustang ......


humfrz