Chris Harris Drive: GT86 / FR-S vs 370z vs Cayman S

[raz0rbladez909]

Originally Posted by shadoquad

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I'm a Z owner. Reviews have never been friendly to my car, and the FT86 is a darling for magazines and auto reviewers. I'm ok with that.

I've driven both, and I preferred the Z. Your impressions/drives/results/opinions may vary. I have no problem with that.

If we all liked the same cars, this would be a much more boring world, imo.

Don't get me wrong, you are probably not one of the people I was referring to when I said that. I like the 370z as well, it just seems there is a select few 370z owners who chose to join the forum, and do nothing but bitch/moan/trash talk about the FRS.

[shadoquad]

Originally Posted by raz0rbladez909

Don't get me wrong, are probably not one of the people I was referring to when I said that. I like the 370z as well, it just seems there is a select few 370z owners who chose to join the forum, and do nothing but bitch/moan/trash talk about the FRS.

Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. I've seen a few folks who've done that. It's disrespectful, considering that this forum is set up to discuss the FT86.

Edit: but we're going off topic. I think folks should cross-shop these definitely, drive them all, and pick the one that best suits them. Can't go wrong with these RWD coupes, imo.

[Frost]

I will be cross shopping this category of vehicle in the near future but my one concern is that during the test drive how many dealers will actually let you rip it up and go to anywhere near 10/10ths in order to appreciate all cars equally? I mean we are looking at the Mustang, 370Z, Gen coupe, MX5 and of course the BRZ.

If the dealers only let you go to 80% then by this review the 370z should be tops along with the Gen coupe. Buyer beware indeed.

[FR-S/GT-86]

Originally Posted by Hanzo

He didn't say which one he would choose.

VERY true, though I think it was pretty obvious. He's got the 86 nailed, as far as I am concerned. He literally personifies exactly how I feel about my car and why I bought it.

[helloimgil]

Chris Harris is awesome.

He had a few points where it felt like he took the words out of my driving soul.
[ 4:30 ] Talks about cornering and bashing the throttle just a little to get it to move a little bit.... I have found myself doing this for over a month now on every opportunity I get (almost got in trouble since I did it in front of a cop once LOL)

[ 5:05 ] We're enjoying performance because of it's nature not because of its quantity.

[ 8:03 ] ~~~ The Toyota is a smaller plate of expertly prepared flavors (vs large quantity of food that might not be very good)

How fun would it be to hang out with this guy at a cars and coffee event.

[carbonBLUE]

Originally Posted by raz0rbladez909

Don't get me wrong, you are probably not one of the people I was referring to when I said that. I like the 370z as well, it just seems there is a select few 370z owners who chose to join the forum, and do nothing but bitch/moan/trash talk about the FRS.

at my friends apartment, i always park next to a guys 370z we both have car covers, when im out for a smoke i see people staring at our covered cars wondering whats underneath lol, plus that way we both dont have people hitting our cars with doors

ive never had a problem with any 350z or 370z they seem to like my car in the real world and not in the interqwebzzsdfsdg

[Spaceywilly]

Yeah a used Cayman would've been my first choice but it was way out of my price range for a nice one. I didn't see any for less than 30 when I was looking. Cayman and 335i were the other cars I cross shopped but I couldn't find any deals.

[blu_]

Originally Posted by shadoquad

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I'm a Z owner. Reviews have never been friendly to my car, and the FT86 is a darling for magazines and auto reviewers. I'm ok with that.

I've driven both, and I preferred the Z. Your impressions/drives/results/opinions may vary. I have no problem with that.

If we all liked the same cars, this would be a much more boring world, imo.

I think if everyones posts were like this we wouldn't have BS drama in threads trying to prove what car is better than the other... it works both ways.

[Enemies]

Originally Posted by Hanzo

He didn't say which one he would choose.

Sounded to me like he thought the used Cayman S would be the best car for the money. But if you're going to buy new he'd recommend the 86.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by Frost

I will be cross shopping this category of vehicle in the near future but my one concern is that during the test drive how many dealers will actually let you rip it up and go to anywhere near 10/10ths in order to appreciate all cars equally? I mean we are looking at the Mustang, 370Z, Gen coupe, MX5 and of course the BRZ.

If the dealers only let you go to 80% then by this review the 370z should be tops along with the Gen coupe. Buyer beware indeed.

I honestly love a car where you don't have to push it to 10/10ths for it to be fun because in the real world we shouldn't be doing that anyways. I think what he said about the Z being great at 8/10ths on the street is actually a great thing for a daily driver but he never said how the 86 feels under 10/10ths.

[shadoquad]

Originally Posted by Frost

I will be cross shopping this category of vehicle in the near future but my one concern is that during the test drive how many dealers will actually let you rip it up and go to anywhere near 10/10ths in order to appreciate all cars equally? I mean we are looking at the Mustang, 370Z, Gen coupe, MX5 and of course the BRZ.

If the dealers only let you go to 80% then by this review the 370z should be tops along with the Gen coupe. Buyer beware indeed.

I have found this to be incredibly inconsistent across dealerships.

And even across different dealer lots within the same brand.

A Subaru dealer recently told me he would have to run a credit check to let me test drive a base WRX. I said, "When I show up in my 370z that I bought new, will you still subject me to the credit check?" He held firm.

Conversely, I test drove a used Corvette Z06 last weekend. I was greeted by the sales manager, who informed me that the salesmen I had spoken to on the phone was engaged with other customers. He handed me the keys and encouraged me to sit in it while I wait. As it dragged on and took longer, he came back, took my license, and said, "Why don't you take it for a drive? He'll probably be free when you get back." And just like that I got a free test run with no salesman in a 505-hp sports car.

Again, no rhyme or reason as far as I can tell, it just seems to be differing policies at different dealerships.

[jimmillion]

Originally Posted by Spaceywilly

I definitely don't think they are giving out checks, and Chris Harris is one of the last people I would ever suspect of that. But, I do think they might be heaping praise on the car in hopes that other auto makers will build more like it. A lot of the reviews where they chose the BRZ/FRS/86 over the other cars is not because it's a great car on its own necessarily, but because it is a direction they want other auto makers to take and they are rewarding toyota/subaru for taking the first steps.

#COTD


oops wrong site...

[white_knight]

Nice review. Chris Harris is cool.

I was in the market for a Z for a long time, then overnight, decided to go for an 86 instead. Mostly because of the cheaper price, but now I think it's actually a better looking car than the Z. I'm getting a lot of lip from people because it's a Toyota, but they immediately shut up when they see it on the roads.

[Zaggeron]

Originally Posted by shadoquad

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I'm a Z owner. Reviews have never been friendly to my car, and the FT86 is a darling for magazines and auto reviewers. I'm ok with that.

I've driven both, and I preferred the Z. Your impressions/drives/results/opinions may vary. I have no problem with that.

If we all liked the same cars, this would be a much more boring world, imo.

I have both and they are quite different, but good in each of their own ways. The Z wakes up when run hard -- the pounds melt away, the shifts are nice and snickety. This is in direct contrast to how it drives when going slow or in traffic.

I liked the video, but I'm not a particular fan of the "car is no fun unless it is loose" philosophy. For me, a car is fun when it inspires confidence at or near the limit of either your or the car's abilities. And the nice thing about the FRS/BRZ twins is not that the tail end slides, but rather that when it does, the outcome is progressive and predictable. Predictability in a car's handling inspires confidence.