I think some people need a reality check...

[Heero]

TBH... the genesis coupe is in a comparable price range and Hyundai did a much better job with the interior on that car. I understand the whole Won vs Yen thing... but still. You would think the little things like the climate control would be at least look a little modernized.

Don't get me wrong, the limited BRZ's interior is nice and I actually like it more then the GCs. But the FRS and the BRZ premium?

[regal]

Well to be devils advocate, this is not an economy car. The 6spd 140 hp turbo 1.4 GM motor in the sonic econobox is beating the crap out of this car (with a tune) in a straight line for $10k less. That power train is amazing with ovr 40 mg hwy in a shitty chassis that weighs as much as the fr-s. If GM puts it in a small nible inexpensive IRS rwd, the fr-s loses big time. I don't understand the comparions to the genesis heavy weight, that is a big pony car that happens to be inexpensive since the Koreans make every thing from scrap (they make their own steel and casting!.)

Probably a lot of folks would have prefered an engine like this in the FR-s over the boxer which added alot of cost to the vehicle with the only main advatage being lower cog.

IOW's FR-S has great chassis, subarau boxer engine is choice may turn out to be a poor decision? Some may say the engine choice was a political/deav/favor choice not an engieering one. Its going to be very expensive to even gain 30 hP with this 12.5 c.r. engine. Limiting the hp was obviously a choice made to keep the gvt from requiring heavy safety reinforcement. A small powered turbo engine is a way around this red tape because aftermarket gains are inexspensive, creating enthusiasm. The boxer on the other hand is "locked in". Hopefully that will kep insurance rates down.

[armythug]

Originally Posted by Rossman

Said it before, saying it again: who cares what other people think/are doing? As long as you are happy with the car/your purchase, great!

Not sure why you even care, really.

This. There will always be some people who just won't think like you. There will always be ungrateful, whiny people that will never be satisfied. Just do you and let the fools be fools.

[drifter]

Originally Posted by FRSowner

This is a $25,000 car. In today's marketplace, that's 'bargain basement'.

umm..This is also a "FIRST YEAR PRODUCTION CAR", we are HELPING OUT the manufacturers, as well as ourselves, by reporting these little bugs.

[FRSowner]

In response to a few replies to my initial posting...

I've owned Porsches and BMW's in the past. Great cars but I think they are over-rated and the replacement part prices are ridiculous, so I do have some knowledge of 'higher end' cars. Those experiences do allow me to put the FR-S in perspective though.

I really don't care what others think but I do enjoy a forum that is upbeat and positive. I *think* for many owners of FR-S/BRZ's , that is their first NEW car and their expectations are too high. For those that have not purchased one yet, the near constant negative reports posted might drive them to another brand/car.
Because of some of these negative threads, I have gone out and looked at my taillights more than once, listened to my engine for chirping more than once, and a couple other 'issues'. My car exhibits NONE of the 'problems' posted. Maybe I got a good one or *maybe* some owners are a bit paranoid or have super-human sight/hearing that I do not posses.

I do have my gripes about my FR-S (see the 'what do you hate about your car" thread) but it's more of a design thing than actual problems.

I test drove many other comparable cars before buying (HYundai GC, Mustang, MX-5, Camaro and lots of used cars like the Z3, Z4, etc) and I chose the FR-S because I felt it was the best value for the money and it does what I want it to do. I won't be posting complaints that it doesn't haul 2x4's or do the 1/4 mile in under 13 seconds because that is NOT what is was designed to do. I have realistic expectations and my years of car ownership experience allows me to determine what car is a piece of shit and what is not. So far (@ 900 miles), the FR-S seems like a great car. Ask me again after 15,000 miles and I might have a different opinion, but I hope not.

I'm didn't make that post to piss people off but some people seem to bash these cars for the most irrelevant reasons.

Also, I find it somewhat odd that up until this posting, the majority of the responses on this thread are from those guys that have other brands of vehicles listed in their mini-bios under their name. Hmmmmm...

[.Alex]

The radio does not bother me because its an easy fix, but the lack of steering controls does. If my $16k xB came standard with them, the FR-S should at least have them as an option.

[ft86Fan]

The first day I picked up my and and was driving it home I thought to myself, "this is a $25,000 car?", I felt like I just stole it.

[russv]

I am actually quite happy with the quality of the car. My previous Mini Cooper S was the epitome of cheap and cost more money and had a poor reputation for reliability.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by FRSowner

This is a $25,000 car. In today's marketplace, that's 'bargain basement'. Too many people are complaining about poor quality stereo, no steering wheel controls, poor visibility, and other bullshit 'issues'. I think many of them would be better off selling their FR-S/BRZ and buying something that has better ergonomics and accouterments, like maybe a mini-van?

Seriously, many of you don't realize what a great package deal this vehicle is. I've owned MANY cars and unless something major pops up repeatedly on cars across the world like engine fires, crankshafts cracking in half, wheels falling off, etc., it's NOT a big deal at this price point. Rattles in the dashboard, speaker covers that don't stay attached, and other trivial stuff is just going to piss off the dealerships when people keep bugging them about it and take away their time and resources to deal with real problems. This car is NOT perfect. Little flaws like these should be taken care of by the owners.

If you want a top quality vehicle, spend the money and buy a $50,000+ priced car. This car was a vision and concessions were made to achieve the vision and still make it affordable. Yes, Toyota/Subaru probably pulled existing stuff off the shelf and fitted it to the car. Yes, they probably scrimped a little on the selection of materials to use. That's called cost-cutting measures. If they would have spent more on development, the car would have been priced significantly higher.

Legitimate problems should be addressed (taillight moisture, idling issues) but this 'the sky is falling' mentality because the driver can hear the differential whine at 85 mph really needs to be reeled in. Just my opinion.

this is a forum where people come to talk about the car, both good and bad.

[White64Goat]

The BRZ Limited is closer to $30K with just a couple of accessories, and you think that's bargain basement for a car? If $50K cars or $100K cars had no problems, they're would be no need for service bays at car dealers, they would just need to sell them and since they cost that much, they should have no problems............yeah.....right. Should a $25K car have more problems than a $100K car, not really. I work not far from a dealer that services Bentleys, Rolls-Royce and Maybach's and there is never a day that I go by there that there aren't cars in the shop, so cost has really little to do with gremlins and little problems.

The problem with the moisture in the taillights (and it seems to be the passenger side from what I've read so far) could be as simple as the vendor who is supplying the part to the factory is/was only putting 1/64th of an inch in sealant in the groove when it should be an 1/8th of an inch because someone read the spec. wrong and it is possible that the same vendor is not supplying the left taillight and that's why there has not been a problem with the drivers side.

People who say "It's a first year car or model, I'll wait until next year to buy one"......why? Next year they could make a number of changes to the car and it be worse. Not a valid argument as I see it. I've owned a couple of first year cars (89 Nissan 240SX and 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser) and between the two of them they had 2 or 3 TSB's issued total (1 on the Nissan) and never had much problem with either since after TSB's were issued. The Nissan had over 250,000 miles on it when I sold it and I still have the PT. I also had an 87 Buick Regal T-Type turbocharged and that car was the worst American car I ever owned and it actually got traded in when I bought the Nissan and it was built on a Wednesday, which shot the old "never buy a car that is built on a Monday or a Friday" all to hell and it was not a first year car.

[Chewie4299]

I keep seeing it on the forums as well. People are losing it over tiny non-issues. I don't know how many transmission thump threads I've seen when it's been clearly explained that the thump is normal and no harm is being done.

Edit: I'm glad there has been a new sub-forum added to consolidate these threads and hopefully provide the relevant information to someone who was about to flip a shit and post about a new noise they heard with a fresh thread thereby calming them down and educating them before starting yet another mass panic.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by SUB-FT86

I think a lot of people expected since it was a Toyota/Subaru product that it should be perfect. People have a misconception that Japanese car manufacturers especially Toyota is by far the most quality oriented automaker on the planet so I think that's one of the reason these guys are angry.

its a Subaru and people knew that. Subarus make weird noises and rattle like a mofo. Just sayin. Lol

[Enilder]

Originally Posted by FRSowner

In response to a few replies to my initial posting...

I've owned Porches and BMW's in the past. Great cars but I think they are over-rated and the replacement part prices are ridiculous, so I do have some knowledge of 'higher end' cars. Those experiences do allow me to put the FR-S in perspective though.

I really don't care what others think but I do enjoy a forum that is upbeat and positive. I *think* for many owners of FR-S/BRZ's , that is their first NEW car and their expectations are too high. For those that have not purchased one yet, the near constant negative reports posted might drive them to another brand/car.
Because of some of these negative threads, I have gone out and looked at my taillights more than once, listened to my engine for chirping more than once, and a couple other 'issues'. My car exhibits NONE of the 'problems' posted. Maybe I got a good one or *maybe* some owners are a bit paranoid or have super-human sight/hearing that I do not posses.

I do have my gripes about my FR-S (see the 'what do you hate about your car" thread) but it's more of a design thing than actual problems.

I test drove many other comparable cars before buying (HYundai GC, Mustang, MX-5, Camaro and lots of used cars like the Z3, Z4, etc) and I chose the FR-S because I felt it was the best value for the money and it does what I want it to do. I won't be posting complaints that it doesn't haul 2x4's or do the 1/4 mile in under 13 seconds because that is NOT what is was designed to do. I have realistic expectations and my years of car ownership experience allows me to determine what car is a piece of shit and what is not. So far (@ 900 miles), the FR-S seems like a great car. Ask me again after 15,000 miles and I might have a different opinion, but I hope not.

I'm didn't make that post to piss people off but some people seem to bash these cars for the most irrelevant reasons.

Also, I find it somewhat odd that up until this posting, the majority of the responses on this thread are from those guys that have other brands of vehicles listed in their mini-bios under their name. Hmmmmm...

You should also mention how many people had any experience with "higher-end cars." The only reason I am on this forum is to see the pros/cons of the vehicle before I pull the trigger. I don't think that makes my post any less relevant to people who own FRS/BRZ as far as the purpose of "complaints" are concerned.

[Neziah]

You will find the same sort of complaints on any car forum. So nothing new here, that is the nature of manufacturing. Especially in a first year model.