FR-S or BRZ? Need some advice

[Davie Dynamite]

Hey everyone! Hows it going?! I've been reading the forums for a while and finally decided I need to buy one of these cars... and picking THE one is getting tough. Both have features I really like!

I love the exterior styling (specifically the front bumper) of the FR-S but really like the interior of the BRZ (hate the front bumper)

I know I want white pearl regardless, but which car???

How did you guys choose?

I'm going to be into modifying this car... the Scion seems to already have body kits, etc available. I haven't seen much customizing of the BRZ? Is there a reason for that? Will Subaru get a ton of accessories and parts for the BRZ the way the FR-S seems to be getting?

I just want to make the right choice!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[86_ZN6]

i chose the FRS because of pure pricing. i paid MSRP thats it.

most subaru dealerships have mark ups

basically i just bought the more cheaper and practical FRS

[Innova]

I loved the BRZ seats and standard features like nav and HID's. I think the drl's on the brz look very nice as well. I had a STi for 6 years also so I'm kinda a Subaru junkie.

[fritzy]

I've got a BRZ and love it. That said, it's easier to find an FR-S, they're slightly cheaper, and Scion is all about mod parts if that's what you're into.

[Shagaliscious]

For me, the extra creature comforts that the BRZ offered wasn't enough to out-weigh the fact that I don't like the front bumper nearly as much as the FR-S. Not that I don't wish I had HIDs from the factory, but sacrificing looks (IMO) just wasn't worth it.

[kappaknight]

I originally wanted an FR-S but will be getting a BRZ instead. HID's are important to me and the overall quality of the interior on the Limited version is worth it to me - especially since I'm in it for the long haul. I too dislike the front bumper of the BRZ but it's much easier to change the front bumper to the FRS version than it is to rewire the car for HID's, fogs, etc.

As for body kits, the two cars are identical with the exception of the front bumper so body kits for either vehicles will work on both for the most part. While there probably isn't enough demand for it, I do wish Five Axis would make a front bumper body kit for the BRZ that works with their current FRS kit.

[MONTEMEX3]

Listen to this guy...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_8TAf6yEMg"]Why I Don't Love My Subaru BRZ...Yet. - YouTube[/ame]

[Hanzo]

If you want to modify the car mechanically (performance improvement) then it really doesn't matter which one to go with. If you like the look of the FR-S but want the interior of the BRZ, it's easier to swap out a front bumper cover than HID, climate control, push button start, etc.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by 86_ZN6

i chose the FRS because of pure pricing. i paid MSRP thats it.

most subaru dealerships have mark ups

basically i just bought the more cheaper and practical FRS

Markups are mostly gone from the scion dealers here now but none of the locl Subaru delers did a markup and all but one of the scion dealers went for 3-5k over msrp.

So markups vary by location a lot. I definitely would say more scion dealers did markups than Subaru though

[Stu baru]

Originally Posted by Hanzo

If you want to modify the car mechanically (performance improvement) then it really doesn't matter which one to go with. If you like the look of the FR-S but want the interior of the BRZ, it's easier to swap out a front bumper cover than HID, climate control, push button start, etc.

Bingo!

I'm a devoted Subaru owner, so for me the choice was pretty obvious. Even so, I can't say I really like the front bumper on the BRZ even though it is a very functional design. I find the front end treatment of the FR-S too busy, and really don't like the red seat details at all. Best of both worlds for me would be the BRZ cabin and features, cleaner lines of the BRZ front but bumperless like the FR-S.

The nice thing is that you have a choice.

[kappaknight]

Originally Posted by MONTEMEX3

Listen to this guy...

Is he driving 35mph with all the nanny settings on and complaining about how perfect it is? Lame.

[Chewie4299]

I initially hunted for a BRZ. The additional features that mattered to me were HIDs and the nav/sat radio.

However, since those were the only items that really mattered to me I decided that paying less and minimizing my payments were preferable because I could then modify those items with a more preferable Pioneer unit and purchase and HID retrofit kit for a few hundred bucks. Ultimately I'll probably pay the same as the difference between the two cars to accomplish this but I get exactly the head unit I want and maintain lower monthly payments for the length of the term.

Also I've got a great history with my local Toyota dealership and they really took care of me well. The numbers in the end were better than expected.

In addition Scions are easier to locate than the Subie and the dealers can't play price games. At least they shouldn't be.

Identify what features in the BRZ really matter to you and then decide whether those alone are worth the extra cost to you.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[encity5]

Go to one of the dealerships scion or subie, look at the car, test drive it and if you like it get it, have doubts? Go to the other brand test drive and compare, then get the one you felt was better

Because regardless of which one you get your going to have a smile on your face and will find a way to modify to your liking regardless of brand

[BoostinIX]

Originally Posted by MONTEMEX3

Listen to this guy...

Guy drives me nuts. How much DRAMA do you want at 35mph....It's not an STi on 265's....get over it. Oi....I'm sorry. Did someone sell you on the idea this was a crazy becauseracecar stripped 86? Eeeexactly. You can't push more powerful cars to their limit in traffic either..... What's wrong with predictability? Here I thought knowing exactly what my car would do when I did x to it was a GOOD thing... When are you really getting "CHALLENGED" as a driver on the normal drive to work? Go back to Mustangs and enjoy live axles... /rant.

This from someone who's flipped a WRX and owned 2 STi's :P

The people that seem to have these complaints are comparing them to a completely different car (Mustang GT in this case) instead of comparing them to what the designers had in mind.