FR-S vs. Used Sports Car Market

[tree fingers]

Originally Posted by ryun84

I think he's posting a legitimate topic for discussion. It's not like we have much more to talk about. I, personally, would prefer the new Scion/Subaru to a used sports car. The only way I'd go the comparable used car route would be if it were a car I absolutely loved, I personally knew the previous owner babied the car, and the price/condition of the car was too good to pass up. Tough standards, which is why I think I'll most probably end up going new.

The solace of knowing for certain that your car hasn't been abused by someone else must be nice. Regrettably, it's something that I've never experience. So far, I've been pretty lucky, so no complaints from me. Hahah..

[Dimman]

I've said on here before, if Toyota misses with this, I will be buying an MR-S, a hard top for it, and putting in a 2ZZGE/6M combo. Do lightweight, quick, great handling, good economy the way Toyota should have back then.

Can anyone imagine what the MR-S would have been if it were a coupe from the factory, and shared the more aggressive Celica styling cues (instead of the squared baby Boxster), with the 180 hp 6 speed combo? Would've been damn epic...

[Praetendere]

Personally I really like what this car could be, but I could probably get an E30 BMW and swap in a 1UZ and be happy.

[tree fingers]

Originally Posted by Praetendere

Personally I really like what this car could be, but I could probably get an E30 BMW and swap in a 1JZ and be happy.

fixed.

[Praetendere]

Hah, I'd probably go with the UZ. Building it up for N/A power and having an 8k+ redline would be an awesome experience.

[switchlanez]

This discussion is valid and relevant. I've bought pristine used cars with barely any miles and also high mileage abused ones and learned to tool around with them along the way. Used cars in general can be a smart purchase. But if you're specifically going to get a used sports car with a manual transmission that most working class people can afford, you WILLLL find more abused ones than not (from my experience). I'm so over "discovering" issues with used cars... I want a fresh start with the FR-S which will be the first new car I've ever purchased.

But due to the long, grueling wait, my mind has been wandering towards 350Zs, Evos, MR2s, etc. lately. I even test drove a couple C5 Corvettes (both had signs of body repair despite being sold by Chevy dealers w/ clean titles).

I swear, any delays on the FR-S launch will just increase my chances of finding that one clean example of an unmolested, low mileage used sports car!

Originally Posted by Dimman

I've said on here before, if Toyota misses with this, I will be buying an MR-S, a hard top for it, and putting in a 2ZZGE/6M combo. Do lightweight, quick, great handling, good economy the way Toyota should have back then.

Can anyone imagine what the MR-S would have been if it were a coupe from the factory, and shared the more aggressive Celica styling cues (instead of the squared baby Boxster), with the 180 hp 6 speed combo? Would've been damn epic...

It would have been a more affordable Lotus Elise. I also wish Toyota merged the Celica/MR-S into one car, having owned both.

I thought about swapping in a 2ZZ/C60 when I had my MR-S. I imported a hardtop from Japan, too. Things that held me back were the body panels were bolted on (not truly monocoque like the FR-S will be) and the hardtop added virtually no rigidity. For my daily purposes it felt a bit flimsy weighing ~2200 lbs and I decided to sell it. But for the track, it's a perfect weapon (if you can manage the twitchy handling of an MR layout).

[[es vi: eks]]

Ive always had 2nd hand cars.
Ive been pretty happy for what I have owned.
In a daily I dont want to have to replace worn out/perished parts,Leaky gaskets etc. which I had to do quite a bit. I never really been inerested in buying a brand new car.... untill I heard about the FT86.
I had always wanted a equivelant to a brand new Jowett Jupiter/Javlin.
And this is pretty close. Flat 4, 2 door coupe, RWD, Manual Trans.
Partly designed and built by Subaru. Ments to be Fun to drive.
It ticks all my boxes so far.
Best of all its A brand new car and looks good... Hope that the production verson doesnt go to dull/ugly.
Most brand new cars I just plain dont like and couldnt see myself owning.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by Dimman

I've said on here before, if Toyota misses with this, I will be buying an MR-S, a hard top for it, and putting in a 2ZZGE/6M combo. Do lightweight, quick, great handling, good economy the way Toyota should have back then.

Can anyone imagine what the MR-S would have been if it were a coupe from the factory, and shared the more aggressive Celica styling cues (instead of the squared baby Boxster), with the 180 hp 6 speed combo? Would've been damn epic...

I said the same thing over and over again. I wish it looked more exotic with a better engine. I love the 90's generation that a couple members here own with its Ferrari-like swag.

[WolfpackS2k]

This thread is a good one, as for over a year I've been comparing the FT-86 in my head against used sports cars that are in the same price range. I abhor how heavy all cars are getting as the years go by so the FT-86 has me excited. But if they fail to make this car as light as they've promised then I won't have any interest in it at all (kind of like the Hyundai Genesis).

I currently own an S2000 and while it's a great car I need a fixed roof coupe. I'm not a huge fan of convertibles and they're a huge pain at track events since most clubs and tracks don't allow them to compete without aftermarket rollbars.

I plan on replacing my S2000 with the FT-86 (but only if it's a performance improvement) or Porsche 911 (996) or Porsche Cayman S. Being concerned about a used sports car's history is a valid concern, especially with the Japanese ones previously mentioned in this thread. However as you look at used cars that originally cost $60k + the odds that the previous owner abused the vehicle go down greatly. People that can afford cars that expensive generally take good care of them and are mature enough not to abuse them.

It would be nice to buy a new Toyota sports car instead of a used Porsche, as the maintenance of the Porsche will no doubt be higher. But if Toyota can't deliver where else can I turn for a 3000lb (or less) RWD coupe that is less than 10 years old?

[Neutral_Eyes]

I'm tired of used cars. I thought I bought my Miata in excellent condition, but it's beginning to show its age and the lack of previous owner's care.

For the price of a new FR-S, I could fix all those problems and still have money leftover to make it faster than the FR-S. I'd rather have a new car with a warranty and the comfort of knowing that I'm taking care of the car the way I want from birth.

While there are plenty of used cars out there that will outperform the FR-S, I'm thinking (hoping) it provides a different enjoyable driving experience.

[celicajim]

I love the idea of the FT86, but I don't think the cost in upgrading from my 2zz-ge Celica to the FT86 is going to be worth it. Yes it will be newer and handle a bit better but its not really going to be a lot faster.
Unless its cheaper and faster than I think it will be, I'll keep my Celica for daily duties and get a used 200sx Silvia as a track car.

[Dave-ROR]

The numbers for the Elise are also wrong, at least for US cars.

It comes down to what you want. You can get a better pure sports car for FT86 money, or a better GT car, etc but it's going to be used so you'll have maint expenses earlier, they can be harder to finance, etc.

[kuruma]

Its also going to come down to financing for many. Having 25k lying around with out financing is not the easiest thing.

For example, what bank in their right mind is going to finance a 20yr old car? (Supra)

It'll be much easier to get a new ft.

[ft86Fan]

Yeah, I have the same dilemma. I need to get a car for track and I would love to get the FT-86 because on paper its the perfect track car but that also mean that I'll have to wait a while and also buying a brand new car in its first year of production. Been thinking about getting a used Miata or E36 M3 now and use that for 2 years and then get the 86. What do you guys think?