What's your stance on buying new vs used? Would you have gotten an 86 used?

[forzajuve]

Buying a used FRS/BRZ is risky in my opinion, more so if it is a used manual transmission.

The car is sort of marketed as a revving machine. So I would only assume that some drivers are less experienced and will thrash the car, especially engine and clutch. How many, not sure but it has to be a lot right. Meanwhile the experienced conditioned manual driver would know how to treat this type of car.

I would be leery of a used 86. My first thought would be, what was their break in period like?

[marky]

of course i would buy a used 86..AE86 that is

FRS/BRZ/GT86 has to be fresh out the box.. its the only way to go.. if you buy use as of now your only like saving 2/3/5 grand.. treat yourself and get it new.. life is ticking.... enjoy it now tomorrow could be a day late

[Clembo]

I typically buy used specialty cars - Corvettes, Mustangs, Miatas, etc. The ones I own now were half the sticker price and have been near-perfect cars once I detailed and maintained them to my level.

Just have to be cautious, pay attention to detail and look for subtle clues. All my used cars were stock one-owners, had all original paperwork from day one, all receipts for dealer service and clean histories. You're still taking a slight chance but $20K is sure a lot better than $40K. And I've bought new cars that gave me many more headaches than any of these.

If you are buying used, best to see the car before the dealer 'preps' it for sale. That's the best way to assess how the previous owner(s) actually cared for it.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by chickdigger802

I really needa find a way to get a test drive in one of these somewhere where the speed limit is a bit higher than 45 mph :/

You won't be impressed. Everything interesting about the car can happen under 40 mph; redline in first, in the powerband in second, braking, downshift, turn in, the way it settles, rolling the power on and shift, that's the magic in a car like this. What are you going to do on the freeway? Hit redline in third gear? Sure you can do the same things at a higher rate of speed but honestly that's just asking for trouble.

[chickdigger802]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

You won't be impressed. Everything interesting about the car can happen under 40 mph; redline in first, in the powerband in second, braking, downshift, turn in, the way it settles, rolling the power on and shift, that's the magic in a car like this. What are you going to do on the freeway? Hit redline in third gear? Sure you can do the same things at a higher rate of speed but honestly that's just asking for trouble.

well... someplace with curvy roads would be nice too, not this straightaway with a school zone behind the dealer ;P

Wonder if I can rent one of these somewhere for a day...

[CamryDS]

I'd buy a used car, not 5 years old -- just 1. Because the price difference can be haggled with at that point.

This is based on the fact that this car has been out for more than 1 year. Anyway, this is my 1st and only new car I've ever bought. =) What can I say, I'm a sucker in that sense.

[enigma]

I personally bought my FR-S used. Bought it with 3700 miles on it. With the factory warranty transferring over, the savings in purchase price, and the fact that it already had a couple of nice mods that I would've done myself, it just seemed like a more logical choice to me. My interest rate stayed exactly the same new vs. used, I saved a fair amount of cash, and I put the car up on a lift and inspected it for any signs of abuse, regardless of the fact that it had 3700 miles.

Would do it again in a heartbeat. Have put over 5000 miles on it myself so far and haven't had any issue with it and don't anticipate any issues from previous owner 'abuse.'