Need to say goodbye to my BRZ 2017 soon

[Mr Breeze]

Originally Posted by Swaggrenox

It seems like the WRX is the best alternative. Have any of you drove one ? How different does it feel ? I'll definitely go for a test drive but wanted to have an idea first.

I'm a pretty big Subaru fan so I had the WRX in mind as well, but it eats gas like crazy apparently.

I saw the 2020 Legacy is getting a turbo back and being released this fall, albeit a different car aimed at a different audience, what are your takes on it ? It's no driver's car but all the changes make it look quite promising.

I owned a 2015 WRX along with my BRZ. Effectively, it was my winter sports car, and I was pretty happy with it. It actually got better fuel economy than the BRZ, especially on the highway. It was roomy, and would "baby" quite well in my opinion.

[terry12t]

Originally Posted by Swaggrenox

First, I gotta say I love this car more than anything. I love everything about it, the looks, the driving experience, the responsiveness, the low center of gravity, everything.

I've been driving it for over 5 years, and I still can't get enough of it every morning, and every night coming back home.

It pains me to know that I'll have to change cars very soon.

I am turning 30, becoming a father soon, and I have parents who needs a lift from time to time, my pregnant wife will soon find it more difficult to get in and out of the vehicle, I will have to have a rear-facing baby seat soon.

I know my time with this car is limited, and I have every reason in the world to get another more convenient car for my situation.

I've researched baby seats a bit, and while it's possible, I don't think it's optimal at all. I also want to move on, and not cause any more trouble to my pregnant wife, my future baby, my parents and as much as I love the car, I know when to compromise.

I haven't driven many cars in my life. I owned a Civic, drove a base model Impreza for a month, tried an old Acura 1.6, and the amazing BRZ. So I need your knowledge to help me choose my next car.

I'm not a big fan of SUVs or big cars, I want to drive a AWD sedan and my budget is about the same as the 2019 BRZ premium's price. I'd love my new car to retain a bit of a driver's car experience. I don't mind buying used but no more than 2-3 years old. I don't care about all the gimmicks that come with new cars. I just want something that is still fun to drive around. It doesn't have to do 0-100 in 5 seconds, but below 8 seconds would be great.

Thank you for your suggestion.

bro, keep your BRZ and just buy another convinent car

[JesseG]

Nooooo don’t sell your beloved BRZ!! Buy a cheap commuter car, like a used Camry. Well I guess a Camry might not be the cheapest option, they hold their value. Maybe the nicest cheap Kia Soul you can find? They are easy to get in and out of, and reliable.
Especially if you have paid off the BRZ, or are close to paying it off.


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[soundman98]

Originally Posted by JesseG

Nooooo don’t sell your beloved BRZ!! Buy a cheap commuter car, like a used Camry. Well I guess a Camry might not be the cheapest option, they hold their value. Maybe the nicest cheap Kia Soul you can find? They are easy to get in and out of, and reliable.
Especially if you have paid off the BRZ, or are close to paying it off.


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Kia souls have timing belts that must be replaced every 60k mi. My friend just discovered this in the form of bent valves!

[JesseG]

Originally Posted by soundman98

Kia souls have timing belts that must be replaced every 60k mi. My friend just discovered this in the form of bent valves!

Damn that sucks! I would guess it’s not an expensive service though? Just something to be aware of if you buy one!


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[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by soundman98

Kia souls have timing belts that must be replaced every 60k mi. My friend just discovered this in the form of bent valves!

We were considering the Kia when the wife got the Imprzza but as soon as I found out it was belt timing I said "NO".
Been there. It is not fun. Interesting results but still not fun.

[JesseG]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

We were considering the Kia when the wife got the Imprzza but as soon as I found out it was belt timing I said "NO".
Been there. It is not fun. Interesting results but still not fun.

You’ve experienced the broken timing belt issue? I’ve always wondered how catastrophic that is to the engine. I guess it depends on how much load is on the engine, or speed.


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[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by soundman98

Kia souls have timing belts that must be replaced every 60k mi. My friend just discovered this in the form of bent valves!

I was recently in a service bay area at a kia dealer and saw three of the same 4 poppers sitting on the ground in the corner.

A friend went full send with his civic and it blew on the highway...ignored the 60k mile internal.
New engine was 3.5k installed lesson learned

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by JesseG

You’ve experienced the broken timing belt issue? I’ve always wondered how catastrophic that is to the engine. I guess it depends on how much load is on the engine, or speed.


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It depends on speeds/conditions when it fails..
I've heard of it failing at idle, or low load in a parking lot and being fine, and others at high load not ending so well..

Cars like older Hondas have water pumps running off the timing belt. Another reason to perform the service is to change that. If the pump fails, it can take out the belt and engine with it.

[jflogerzi]

Originally Posted by JesseG

Nooooo don’t sell your beloved BRZ!! Buy a cheap commuter car, like a used Camry. Well I guess a Camry might not be the cheapest option, they hold their value. Maybe the nicest cheap Kia Soul you can find? They are easy to get in and out of, and reliable.
Especially if you have paid off the BRZ, or are close to paying it off.


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I am looking at this and also I am looking the works stg2 turbo kit. It's carb legal and it would be just a tune to switch back for carb status.

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[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JesseG

You’ve experienced the broken timing belt issue? I’ve always wondered how catastrophic that is to the engine. I guess it depends on how much load is on the engine, or speed.


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91 Talon TSI Turbo
Running over boost - no problems
Crank walk issue common - never had it once
Beat the hell out of it - ran like a clock
Timing belt supposed to be changed at 100,000 Kms - didn't
101.000 Km - belt broke at an idle in an intersection
There were pieces of valves, rods, pistons, heads and other unidentifiable parts embedded in places you would think they could never get. It was a mess!

[JesseG]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

91 Talon TSI Turbo
Running over boost - no problems
Crank walk issue common - never had it once
Beat the hell out of it - ran like a clock
Timing belt supposed to be changed at 100,000 Kms - didn't
101.000 Km - belt broke at an idle in an intersection
There were pieces of valves, rods, pistons, heads and other unidentifiable parts embedded in places you would think they could never get. It was a mess!

That sounds horrible and awesome at the same time! And of course it happened right after the recommended service.
Did you keep the Talon and swap in a new engine, or total it? I have a soft spot for DSM’s. I had a 1997 Talon TSI, I learned to drive manual with it. They had more HP and Torque than the twins.


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[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JesseG

That sounds horrible and awesome at the same time! And of course it happened right after the recommended service.
Did you keep the Talon and swap in a new engine, or total it? I have a soft spot for DSM’s. I had a 1997 Talon TSI, I learned to drive manual with it. They had more HP and Torque than the twins.


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I put a new engine in it and took it up to about 450HP. Then got a new job that required traveling and since it sucked as a DD for any distances I sold it. The guy that bought it stripped it out took it to about 700 HP and drag raced it. To the best of my knowledge it is still doing the drag circuit to this day.

This story ties nicely into the thread topic in that as much as you love a car sometimes life throws things at you and you have to make choices. Keeping the wrong car for your situation and trying to make it fit is not always the best choice.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by JesseG

Damn that sucks! I would guess it’s not an expensive service though? Just something to be aware of if you buy one!


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with efficiency standards the way they are anymore, the majority of engines now are interference-type, meaning that when spinny bits stop spinning, they get in the way of other bits that haven't stopped yet.

with social distancing the way it is, i haven't heard the exact final diagnosis, but i believe they were saying it needed a new top end at a minimum. i believe the quote was close to $2k...