My FRS Journey and my Third FRS (AT vs MT related)

[LLYNCES]

How does somebody end up owning 3 FRS's? Well I thought I would share my story with you guys.

The very first FRS I owned was a 2013 Firestorm Automatic bought in January 2014

This was honestly one of the happiest days of my life that I will always remember, it was my first real new car. I was car searching and came across the FRS in a youtube video (never heard of it prior to this point) At first I was more interested in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe (more power) but after watching a few youtube videos, seeing some reviews, I decided to go out and test drive the FRS first. I took the MT out on a test drive but stalled it like 4 times so we went back and grabbed the AT (embarrassing but whatever) long story short I ended up with the AT a few weeks later and I was very happy with my choice. The reason I went with the FRS is because well....as most FRS/BRZ owners know, there is something special about this car when you get into it compared to most other cars - you actually feel like you are in the car where as most other cars detract from that same handling/balance experience. I had some regrets later on that it was the AT and not the MT (I took a lot of flack for this from people, especially at work) and started wishing I would have gone with the MT and the white color (honestly the whiteout FRS is beautiful and in my opinion the only color that compared was the blue, and I hate blue but ultramarine on this car is gorgeous in person) Well...as fate would have it, I totaled the car. Somebody ran a stop sign and smashed into me. My insurance company paid off the car. I also survived the accident so there is that (A SUV smashed into be at like 80KM/HR) sideways and they ended up rolling over top of me. I came out with a few busted ribs, whiplash, concussion but the car saved my life. Honestly this is an incredibly safe car, I don't think people realize that.




The second FRS I ended up with was a 2013 Ultramarine FRS MT that I bought in Febuary 2014




I bought this beauty used with 10,500km on it, the 2014's were already out at the time but I was fine paying less for basically the same car and there is barely any difference between the 13's and 14's. I wasn't a fan of blue and still am not, I even said that when I bought the car. However, I liked the blue on this car and it was finally my chance to go with MT. Again I was very happy with my choice, I learned how to drive MT on this car and drove over 50,000km on it. The first thing I noticed obviously was the car was a bit faster off the line when compared to the AT. It's not THAT noticeable, but the car is launchable whereas the AT is not which makes the difference I guess, and some slight gearing differences. The more I drove it the more I enjoyed it. Something weird started to happen though....I started missing my AT and the paddle shifts. It's odd because I had so much regret from getting the AT due to the crap I was getting from people to begin with, and here I was with the MT now starting to miss my old AT. Oh yeah, the car also had aftermarket exhaust on it which sounded amazing, but honestly I kind of missed the stock exhaust a bit.

My Third FRS was HALO 2015 FRS that I bought in June of 2016



Well as fate would have it I ended up going to the body shop to repair some scratches on the car and saw this pretty HALO 2015 FRS sitting outside, and guess what? It was an Automatic. Right then and there I decided to trade in my Ultramarine frs after getting a higher than expected offer on it (and after test driving the 2015) The first thing I noticed was how different the 2015's felt on the road, they drive smoother and the body roll isn't as bad, the handling feels a bit more tight. The main thing though was, I had my paddle shifts back, I had my sports and snow modes buttons back, and the car was just more relaxing (to me) to drive. If I wanted to manually control the revs I could - but I could also sit back and relax and not shift if I wanted to as well - and there is something about the downshifts with the AT that was hard to match for me in the MT. I actually find the AT to be just as fun as the MT thanks to the paddle shifts and responsive transmission, and gives a more relaxing driving experience in the city.

So 3 FRS's later and I finally got what I wanted. No it's not the whiteout FRS specifically, but the white on both colors looks amazing. In conclusion I just wanted to let you guys know that I really enjoyed both transmissions and while the MT is great, I really missed my automatic and I really find it in some ways even more fun to shift with. So to any of you AT owners out there, be happy with what you got, trust me it is great.

As for the new 2017 rebadged Toyota's well...maybe in a few years we will see, maybe I will go back to the MT. This car is amazing, regardless of what year or transmission you own and while it's not the fastest, it sure is one of the most fun to drive.

[S84kam]

Good read. Lots of wasted money up ahead in the future as well. Why not get something your truly happy with? Sounds like you're not content if your thinking of trading it in so quickly.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by S84kam

Good read. Lots of wasted money up ahead in the future as well. Why not get something your truly happy with? Sounds like you're not content if your thinking of trading it in so quickly.

Lots of money spent yes. Lots of wasted money no.
To get what you truly want is never a "waste" of money. It may be a poor financial decision but that does not make it a "waste". Now, driving around in a car you dislike but are making payments on is a huge waste of money in my eyes.
I took a financial beating to get out of my 12 Lancer and into the FRS but bless that decision every time I sit down to drive.

[86kahl]

So it went,
AT
MT
AT?
I understand completely about the paddle shifting, I had a mkV GLi with the DSG transmission and it was a blast but eventually I missed having the third pedal. Congrats on finally getting the car 100% to your liking, just took three tries :P

[NOHOME]

Originally Posted by S84kam

Good read. Lots of wasted money up ahead in the future as well. Why not get something your truly happy with? Sounds like you're not content if your thinking of trading it in so quickly.

If you think that is a story of wasted money...don't ever have kids!

[why?]

Good stuff, and so true. Happiness is worth every single penny every single time. I agree the automatic in the 86 is not a slushbox, and is worth looking at for everyone.

[cdq85]

i don't feel it's that much wasted money? the first one was totaled and paid for in full (not much he could have done about that one). traded in the MT for an AT should realistically cost 3-4k if done right. I have spent more money on way dumber shit. for example, i spent 7k on a service honda CR500. yes, that's right. 7000 dollars for a damn dirt bike. to be fair tho, i was in college.

[NyC Zn6]

Originally Posted by cdq85

i don't feel it's that much wasted money? the first one was totaled and paid for in full (not much he could have done about that one). traded in the MT for an AT should realistically cost 3-4k if done right. I have spent more money on way dumber shit. for example, i spent 7k on a service honda CR500. yes, that's right. 7000 dollars for a damn dirt bike. to be fair tho, i was in college.

Isn't that the price for two CR500's?

[RichardsFRS]

LOL and in the end, he could have bought a corvette with all the money he spent!

Hope you stick with this one, but bad idea to test drive a manual if you didn't know how to drive one.

[cdq85]

Originally Posted by NyC Zn6

[/B]

Isn't that the price for two CR500's?

lol not these kind. they were custom built from a shop out in cali and brand new i think they are still selling for like 11k. it was the most insane thing i've ever ridden (motorcycle wise).

edit: my mistake, they are now going for 13k brand new. i was lucky to find a used one near me for 7k back in the day. http://www.servicehonda.com/2010-mod...a34/2012-500af

[FX86]

Originally Posted by LLYNCES

d I really find it in some ways even more fun to shift with.

i love making a smooth, sharp turn and upshifting perfectly at redline
with the paddle shifter while having both hands on the wheel in full control...only in AT

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by RichardsFRS

LOL and in the end, he could have bought a corvette with all the money he spent!

Hope you stick with this one, but bad idea to test drive a manual if you didn't know how to drive one.

I could have as well but didn't want a 'Vette. He ended up with the car he wanted and that is what matters in the end.

[LLYNCES]

Originally Posted by RichardsFRS

LOL and in the end, he could have bought a corvette with all the money he spent!

Hope you stick with this one, but bad idea to test drive a manual if you didn't know how to drive one.

Well in my defense I did own a standard prior to the FRS but rarely drove it (a lot of people learn to fully drive standard on this car too, I've heard of guys right out buying this car with no prior experience and learning to drive standard on it) Also it's not like I laid out 100,000$ between the cars. My first one was a write off so it was paid off plus some, the second one was used and I never paid the loan off fully when I traded it off but I did drop 8,000$ onto it when I went to finance the new car and ended up with the same amount owing I had before on my original one when I went to finance the new one.

I view it as more of a journey, most people don't find the right car their first time around either.

[geezerbrzeezer]

Enjoyed the story.

I pushed a clutch in for twenty plus years, and was glad to say goodbye to it - AT with paddles takes the chore out of the self-shift equation (stop and go, snow, hills, left knee going south with age).

Oddly enough, I'm as critical of those who would choose a clutch as they are of my AT choice. I mean, don't those silly fuckers know there's an easier way to get this shit done?

Live and let live.