BRZ or Bust? Advice Wanted From GS-R Drivers

[jdmitr]

I have been a Honda guy for a very long time. I have owned a ton of Hondas, work on Hondas everyday, build Hondas and I still like what Honda represents. I owned a very rare real rhd (not converted) silver 98 spec Honda integra type R (hence my username). I had it for three years and I loved the car for what it was and I really miss it. It was imo about as close to a raw oem fwd sports car as you could get. That being said the only real reason I would want it back is because of the rarity of it. If Honda had anything right now that stood out and was seriously a fun car and rwd I would have bought it in a heartbeat. There are a lot of things I love about my BRZ over a 14 year old integra. The car is solid and not just solid because it is new but because you can tell it is engineered and built well. I personally can't compare the comfort and appearance of the interior because I absolutely despise gsr interiors. The oem recaros made it better seat wise in the itr but it just doesn't compare. I love driving my brz any chance I get. I am not one to complain about the power because coming from an allmotor background in hondas it feels great. I build and drive cars everyday that have way more hp then my BRZ but i like it. Yeah more power would be fun at times but it is plenty for what it is and I already knew what I was getting before I bought it.

If you don't mind having a smaller back seat then your gsr I think you should try like hell to drive one. I think you will like it...but its something you need to experience.

[Wolfking]

[QUOTE=Pouncer;425332]TORQUE STEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God, I hate FWD cars…

Mustang V6 w/ Performance Package: I really need a better test.
/QUOTE]

To simplify...since there is no new GSR and you're looking for a car in the same class, the choice is clear. BRZ or FRS. Pick your color and fascia. If you absolutely must have a "real" back seat, then report to your local Ford dealer!

[yhng]

Another Honda guy here and have been driving my EK9 hatch for 14 years now and also owned the Integra VTI-R previously, so I know exactly what you mean bout trying to find a suitable replacement.

Suffice to say after test driving the BRZ, I've ordered it to replace the ageing EK9 now
Coming from the Type R/ VTEC engines, I enjoy how the BRZ is just as rev happy and the gear shifting is great. Nice short throws to engage and the steering is sublime. The only thing I would say I find uninspiring is the grunt of the engine compared with the VTEC etc. Nothing like hearing the roar when VTEC is engaged!

[Pouncer]

Thanks for the additional comments, guys. I'm a little concerned about the back seat comments because website specs say they're larger than my Integra's (and equal to the Mustang's). Granted, when the front seats are all the way back, there's no room, but when I sat in an AT version with my assumed MT seating position, I had no trouble sitting behind myself (I'm 5'8"). I'll look into the deposit -> order -> test drive approach later this week.

As requested, here are some pics I took of my 2000 GS-R back in April (currently 135k miles). You can see more here. Anyone who's truly interested can PM for more info.

[jdmitr]

Very clean gsr!

[turbonium]

Having recently drove both a new stock BRZ and used stock GSR(100k+) lately, I would say get the FR-S/BRZ if you want an upgrade, keep the GSR if money is an issue.

I drove a newly bought BRZ and have to say the suspension is much firmer and throttle response is much smoother than a stock GSR. Speed/performance wise very comparable but the FR-S/BRZ has LSD/RWD which makes exiting turns much more enjoyable. Sitting in the FR-S/BRZ, it is much sexier and engaging like if you were in a cockpit. If you ever driven an S2000, imagine that but w/ better/roomier interior but 40hp less. Im still a student in college so i will let you guys enjoy thr brz/fr-s until i have a ft job.

[revedout]

I use to own a 98 gsr back in the days before it it was stolen and although I don't have frs yet, I've sat in few and played around with the back seats. I would say the frs/brz back seats are very similar to the old 97-2001 preludes back seat pretty small. The GSR back seats are definitely more useful similar to the 2000-2005 celicas.