Thinking of getting an FR-S, but is it for me?

[dnieves]

It's funny that with the 2006 Civic Si the 8th Civic forum was similar to this one: it's hard to shift in cold weather until the car warms up (duh), 197hp is not enough (here it's 200hp), the 3rd gear synchros suck and Honda hasn't done crap to fix it except replace it with the same parts (for the twins replace synchros with crickets), paint is thinner than air, and OEM Michellin tires are overpriced and crappy.

[Granovsky]

I thought they did fix the 3rd gear on Si's? In any case, I'm sure you much rather have crickets than defective synchros
One of the reason why I'm still considering an FR-S is that the only somewhat persistent transmission complaint that I've found was some 2nd gear issues when cold for some owners. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Granovsky

I thought they did fix the 3rd gear on Si's? In any case, I'm sure you much rather have crickets than defective synchros
One of the reason why I'm still considering an FR-S is that the only somewhat persistent transmission complaint that I've found was some 2nd gear issues when cold for some owners. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Some have it but it is a simple work around. Just drive 5 or 10 seconds longer in first and you shouldn't have an issue. I have never had a problem even once.

[pantdino]

As a daily driver the FR-S is more fun than the E36 M3 I drove for the last 15 years and is now a weekend car. You sit low and the car is fun at legal speeds. It actually has the same power and weight as the Dino and feels a lot like it--very tossable like a big go-kart.


A very different experience from a front wheel drive Civic, no matter how much power it has.

[dnieves]

Originally Posted by Granovsky

I thought they did fix the 3rd gear on Si's? In any case, I'm sure you much rather have crickets than defective synchros
One of the reason why I'm still considering an FR-S is that the only somewhat persistent transmission complaint that I've found was some 2nd gear issues when cold for some owners. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The syncros are fixed depending on who you ask - I think the 9th gen models are A-OK. I have never had a problem with my FR-S manual transmission - then again I try to let if warm up as much as possible before taking off (5-10 minutes or take it slow for a mile if there's zero warm up). As perfect as the Si was it was still notchy, occasionally it wouldn't fully engage & pop out of gear, and once in a blue moon slight grinding -none of these have happened on the FR-S.

The nice thing about the FR-S is that at worst it'd be mistaken for a BRZ (or a substantially more expensive car) whereas with a Si:
1. Can be mistaken for a grandma's Civic
2. Can be seen as a potential upgrade bin for thieves
3. Can make you sad when you see ricers driving the same car
4. Forum members outside of Honda think you have a Fast and Furious mentality for having a Civic

[Granovsky]

Originally Posted by pantdino

A very different experience from a front wheel drive Civic, no matter how much power it has.

Would you say there's a noticeable difference when the car is driven in the in the city (i.e. fun but not constantly pushing it)? Let's even say that we're comparing to the 8th gen Si so that the power is roughly the same - is it that different? My theoretical knowledge surpasses my driving experience by alot and I haven't driven that many cars. Even when I do drive a new car it takes a while for me to start noticing the difference in character, beside obvious things like power and ride comfort...

Originally Posted by dnieves

The nice thing about the FR-S is that at worst it'd be mistaken for a BRZ (or a substantially more expensive car) whereas with a Si:
1. Can be mistaken for a grandma's Civic

Yes, thank you! I like a lot of things about the Civic. But at the end of the day, even if it's a loaded 2015 Si coupe, you walk out of it and see that at it's heart is a family compact. And that's what an average person probably thinks when he hears "Civic".
Now, mind you FR-S is still a Scion, which from what I understand has a reputation of it's own (although I'm not fully familiar with people's general attitude towards Scion). But just by looking at it, you can tell that it's a purposely build coupe and that even the exterior design wasn't all dictated by fuel economy and practicality. I'm one of those people who would rather choose an expensive, classy base model over a souped-up, modded cheaper car for the same total price. Not that that's really the case for Si vs FR-S, but you know what I mean. All the matter of taste of course.
But Civic will always be a Civic.

Originally Posted by dnieves

2. Can be seen as a potential upgrade bin for thieves

I'm not sure what you mean, do you think that a Civic would be more attractive to thieves than the FR-S?

Originally Posted by dnieves

3. Can make you sad when you see ricers driving the same car

Yeah, back to that "Civic" image. Even though when I drive mine, I find that the last thing I'm thinking about is how I look. But owning a car isn't the same as just driving a car.

[dnieves]

I'm not sure what you mean, do you think that a Civic would be more attractive to thieves than the FR-S?


There are tons of stories of losers stealing engines, seats, mufflers, wheels, spoilers, Si badges, and various bits & pieces they put in their plain Jane Civics. I used to like finding idiots that disguised their Civics to be Si but they had the plain Jane blue digital speedo.

[VTEC]

Originally Posted by Granovsky

Would you say there's a noticeable difference when the car is driven in the in the city (i.e. fun but not constantly pushing it)? Let's even say that we're comparing to the 8th gen Si so that the power is roughly the same - is it that different? My theoretical knowledge surpasses my driving experience by alot and I haven't driven that many cars. Even when I do drive a new car it takes a while for me to start noticing the difference in character, beside obvious things like power and ride comfort...


Yes, thank you! I like a lot of things about the Civic. But at the end of the day, even if it's a loaded 2015 Si coupe, you walk out of it and see that at it's heart is a family compact. And that's what an average person probably thinks when he hears "Civic".
Now, mind you FR-S is still a Scion, which from what I understand has a reputation of it's own (although I'm not fully familiar with people's general attitude towards Scion). But just by looking at it, you can tell that it's a purposely build coupe and that even the exterior design wasn't all dictated by fuel economy and practicality. I'm one of those people who would rather choose an expensive, classy base model over a souped-up, modded cheaper car for the same total price. Not that that's really the case for Si vs FR-S, but you know what I mean. All the matter of taste of course.
But Civic will always be a Civic.


I'm not sure what you mean, do you think that a Civic would be more attractive to thieves than the FR-S?


Yeah, back to that "Civic" image. Even though when I drive mine, I find that the last thing I'm thinking about is how I look. But owning a car isn't the same as just driving a car.

Meh I don't think you should worry too much about the name or image. There are always gonna be people who say a Civic SI is just a civic, or a Scion is just a cheap Toyota, or a gencoupe is just a Hyundai. If the car is sporty and fun to drive, who cares what they think.

Sure if you got the extra cash to spend on a car that's sporty and a luxury name brand at the same time, get a bimmer coupe with 6MT RWD and sport suspension. Or a G37S/Q60S coupe with 6MT and RWD. But if you're comparing Honda vs Scion, it's the same shit. Just go with the car that you feel is more fun to drive and don't worry about the name

And yes an 8th gen civic SI is a hot target for thieves because of the K20 engine that you can swap into older civics like EKs and EMs. I dont think the 9th gen civic is targeted so much since its a K24 and engine swaps and not as common