Reasons you sold/or are going to sell your brz/frs

[s0sl0w]

A modified car is only as reliable and fast as the modifier is intelligent. For 25k you're not going to get a new car that meets safety standards, has amenities and is livable on a daily basis that will go to the track every weekend with aplomb. The fact that you would bitch about that shows your idiocy, which is why I'm not all surprised you've had "a bad time" You cannot merely throw "race parts" at a car and a race car make. You hate the car amd think its garbage because you have expectations that are based in fantasy.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by kiichiro

how do I really feel? I spent alot bought two cars test alot of shit said thanks and wont be buying a subaru again, unless it a 2004-2005 sti

1-design: shit poor cabin resonance, poor post production rattles, and noise mitigation
2-production:3rd set of leaky assed tail lights, leaky assed air mix flap seal in ac system
3-aftermarket: clutch did not hold advertised power, shame on ACT clutches and teh oe tranny is just garbage, now say it with a french accent
4-tuning:revving while the clutch is in while in gear, as a result of a tuned motor seems par for course, ecu is garbage, throttle body and drive by wire meh at best
5-design:oil pressure inadequate for building up motor, waste of resources/glass ceiling the turbo version motor is the one to build off of not the NA 'garbaaagge'
6-warranty:no way to enjoy car without voiding warranty and 'askin for it' more garbage that not one part on this car comes ready for track, not one well may be the diff at best
7-oe driveline lash unacceptable under higher power, solid driveline creates NVH from the diff forward, what is up with that lame mount setup, and thos emotor mounts, omg aweful
8-oe steering and suspension bushings are a joke on a sports minded car/coupe
9-oe driveline bushes are also a joke for a car meant o be tuned, leaving heims as only option
10-soft strut and shock mounts on body requiring reinforcement, im fine with heims on a car that can deliver, this one can not without the commitment of a shop and dedicated car, private parties its not worth it unless youre using it to advertise and sell parts; this is not a miata or a s2000; its inferior in design, production and in its essense, so its handling is good, that doesnt make up for crap that wont hold up for anything past a 55 mph commute past 80k miles; our vortech sc on teh street car held up better than the car did
11-repeat #1

we left one stock and oe suspension had too much wear at 80k, crap oe parts really
we tuned the heck out of the other one with race SC, race suspension and race exhaust and race caster and camber bits it was race -ish but still getting passed by a v6 passenger car with a lil work
even the vortech race kit has its limits that are not high enough with our 6 rib belt; we would need to go to a 8 rib setup and were unwilling to invest in that modding
i'm just tired of worn belts, leaking seals and as great as sc is for street, it didnt do what I wanted it to do for me on the track with any degree of reliability, if it wasnt a seal it was a belt, if it wasnt that it was a slipping clutch, not the fault of subaru except nothing supplied tsock can be tracked, its BS

I was unwilling to go turbo for track given this cars packaging

in the end the multitude of vendors and parts made a car that performed but would need to be a trailer queen and need a significant amount of reinforcement to be what we want iot to be at a race track

and felt unwilling to commit to a built motor given the known issues with fuel delivey(not the pump every vendor try to sell you that wont fit oe,) but the fuel tank design is so poor its only fit and designed for passenger car usage, didnt want to invest in fuel cell and proper fuel delivery return pressure system like whats on most higher end sports cars now days
the oe tranny is limited in what it can take, and after a few e85 track days its clear where the wear is when you dump fluids

they are not holding value on market which has more and more of them popping up with low miles for sale
we sold both and got two used P cars and our values are stable, suspension well sorted and needs little work, both cars come factory with 300hp and 400hp respectively and short of going full on for recreation track time will be more than what the 86 platform could offer

my next step would have been to do a vette motor and tranny swap
I think I will keep the new porsche and maybe pick up a stingray when they come avail used

unless I find a 2004-2005 STI to play with, I'm done with subaru, till the brz come down to well under 10k, and then it may be worth buying one really rough , gutting it and tracking it after a LSx motor swap caus eteh chassis is a half decent one out on the track, absolute crap for a daily driver tho

that said aftyer just one track day in my 911s, i regret the time and money wasted, aside from the experience its not worth it

everyone I know except the hard core mechanics have came, and withdrawn

when you add in the mishandled forum, its no wonder the good guys all got banned and the info present was, well skewed, and far from the organic forum experience I have ha don other sights
this place just reflects the car
the 86 is just a toy kids

Why do you care so much about being passed by other cars? Seriously who cares man, what are you 17?


And damn you complain a lot.

[Turbowned]

I also thought about selling the BRZ and all the aftermarket parts and plunking down $7-8k cash on a really clean FC3S Turbo, MR2 Turbo, Datsun 240Z etc. but they are getting harder and harder to find, especially in the Northeast.

[Dream20b]

because something that's better always comes around.

[exE36M3]

[ laughing ]

Ok, let me 'fess up... I'm one of the *older* forum members. My profile posts/join date is low/recent, but I've been on bimmerforums since 1999 (LuxoM3).

I quietly laugh every-time someone complains the FRS/BRZ is too slow.

BMW THINKS YOU DON'T NEED THE POWER
1. At a dinner a few years ago with the BMW M Power's, Larry Koch (the BMW M Brand Manager) he said BMW didn't like the idea of building cars with that much horsepower (at that time it was the M5/M6 with 400hp). Although the BMW engineers are car guys, he said you'd never be able to use that much horsepower on the street. Where can any of us successfully open up all 400hp? Let alone have the ability to enjoy it? So why does BMW still sell those 400+ hp cars. Because people *think* they need it.

MY MACLERAN FRIEND LOVED THE BRZ
2. I happen to be friends with the product manager over at Maclaren. He oversees the development of the cars from start to finish and drives them home for the weekend. In order to even drive the cars, he's required by the company to be licensed to drive at 155mph. This isn't a get on the freeway and floor it to 155mph, this is DRIVING.

When he took the wheel of my BRZ recently, he LOVED it and so did his son.


THINK YOU CAN DRIVE FAST? THINK AGAIN
3. I once took a rally school in Silverstone, UK. The cars were Cosworth Ford Escorts putting out about 140hp. At first I took the wheel, learned ebrake turns, how to drift a figure 8, etc. I felt pretty smug by day's end... until the pro driver took the wheel.

I was scareD sh-tless. The car was NEVER straight... the pro drove the entire course at the limit, drifted the turns, ebraked where I thought we'd crash. You know those commercials where they drift a wall of water with a car... the pro guy did it with dirt. It was awesome. And he did it with *only* 140hp.


My point is, it doesn't take a ton of ability to mash a pedal and hit 100mph.
But being able to drive and learn to drive, the BRZ is an awesome platform.

For learners, it's a pure drivers car - once you feel confident, start going to track schools and auto-crosses.
For veterans, it's a pure joy of a car - low maintenance and rewarding handling.

If I had to give any advice to someone who is thinking about selling the BRZ because it's *too slow*... consider a day at a track school or auto-x with a co-driver/teacher.

I daresay the car is fast enough but the *driver is the one who is slow*...

[strat61caster]

@kiichiro

I honestly enjoyed your post, you outline the realities of thoroughly abusing a modern $25k sports car and comparing it to cars double and triple the price and in the end to your surprise it didn't measure up, it's an honest portrayal and is well placed in this thread.

Your attitude and motivations are foreign to many of us, some day soon you'll realize that most cars are toys (and some like the red ones and some like the blue ones) and maybe we can be friends.

[jflogerzi]

Depends if my wife's Fit can handle our kid duties. Planning on 1 kid very soon(with 1 year). I hope to hang on for a while due to value really tanking. Talked to a friend who works at car max and he said auction prices on low mileage in near perfect condition going fort 15-16K

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by exE36M3

My point is, it doesn't take a ton of ability to mash a pedal and hit 100mph.
But being able to drive and learn to drive, the BRZ is an awesome platform.

For learners, it's a pure drivers car - once you feel confident, start going to track schools and auto-crosses.
For veterans, it's a pure joy of a car - low maintenance and rewarding handling.

Agree that is the beauty of these cars, they reward at all skill levels.

Even off the track, they're a lot of fun if you enjoy driving (planning ahead, reading the road, downshifting, winding out the tach, etc.)

This past weekend, I was just running errands around town and had a huge smile on my face the whole time. As they say, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

[Slipstream]

Considering selling it for a few different reasons:

1. Bought the car as a semi-DD/toy. Since my wife and I commute together, the BRZ sits in the garage a lot (she's not a big fan of riding in it). Seems pointless to have a monthly payment going towards a depreciating garage ornament.

2. I miss the practicality of a hatch. Sure, you can carry four wheel/tires in the BRZ, but you can't fit anything bigger than a wheel/tire through the trunk opening. As a homeowner it would be nice to be able to get stuff home without calling the in-laws to borrow their SUV.

3. It gets REALLY cold here during the winter. This car is stiff and twitchy by design, but when it's <10*F out it the ride quality suffers dramatically. Most of my driving is commuting and after a long day at work, being abused by the car for 45 minutes gets old.

The car itself does everything it was designed to do perfectly (well, maybe a *little* more torque...). I have no real complaints at all. It just may not be the right car for me at this point in my life.

[im2lazy789]

I am debating trading my BRZ in now. Mainly looking at getting rid of it because I haven't been able to use the car as much as I'd like. I figured I would be able to use it in the warmer months of NY, but my job has become so demanding with travel that I use the car in June, July, and August and it otherwise sits on a tender the rest of the year. Granted, I have still managed to put on 15k miles in two years by driving it as much as I can those months, but it still sits for 80% of the year.

I am looking to get away from using a company car, and instead just have a useful but fun daily driver than can gobble up highway miles as a cruiser. I will miss the BRZ dearly, nothing else drives as well as this car, everything feels perfect. That said, on long trips I really don't like the car, it is very loud on the highway and the ride can be a bit punishing on the rough roads of the northeast. After 6 hours I have a splitting headache and I groan right before every expansion joint. In the next year the car will require tires (and snows if I want to use the car more), and I would like to upgrade the sound system and add some sound deadening, all together this adds up to around $6,500 which is my additional cost for trading in for a low mileage ATS/A4/3 Series.

That said, if I change to a job that is more local with less travel, I may keep the BRZ. The only issue I have is fitting my wife, kid, and dog in the car, especially if we end up having another child.

[Djratrap]

I've considered selling mine due to the recent warranty visits. Other than that i still love the car.

[Defuser]

For me this car is an almost perfect blend of price, practicallity, performance, and aesthetics.

I could be more practical and drive a Fiesta.

I could be go cheaper and buy a used Civic.

I could go for more performance with a variety of different options.

Aesthetics of course comes down to the eye of the beholder.

I saw someone saying this car is a "toy". Unless you're using your car to make a living, either from sponsorships, advertising, or prize money...use of a vehicle for anything beyond providing a means of transportation would make it simply an amusement. A toy.

Me? I plan to put at least 125,000 miles on this car (toy).

[GTHachiRoku]

I sold mine mostly due to space and family usability. Plus my wife got sick riding in it so we never drove it anywhere together.

My only real regret on the car itself was not going for a fully loaded BRZ. The creature comforts are definitely worth it in my opinion. Now that I have leather, heated seats, auto lights wipers mirror, navi, smart key,etc I don't think I could ever go back.

[xxBrun0xx]

My past cars:
97 Geo Prizm
98 Impreza Outback Sport
89 MR2 SC
02 WRX (stock, then stage 2)
08 STI (stock, then stage 1)

After a while, realized I had way more fun in the MR2 than the STI. Test drove an FRS for kicks one day and fell in love, felt like a modern, luxurious version of my old MR2. Bought a BRZ a week later and it's been love ever since. The problem with the WRX/STI/most other "fast" cars, is that they don't feel special like the MR2 and the BRZ do.

Sometimes the crickets get annoying, and I miss being able to shove people/myself into the seat, but when I nail the last apex of my favorite road, I just don't care.


TLDR; will be passing down to my future children.