Considering 2013 Scion FR-S with 50,000 Miles

[potentialclubmember]

Hey guys, long time lurker, new time member. I'm finally about to pull the trigger on an FRS and just have some basic thoughts and understandable worries. The car I'm looking at is a 2013 FRS with 50,000 miles, it's got a spoiler and the touch screen display, so it looks like it's the better of the 2013 FRS.

However, my concern is buying a sports car at 50,000 miles. It has one previous owner and was regularly maintained, even going above the normal maintenance by way of replacing fuel pump (probably from the chirps) and a few other things. Should I be worried about purchasing this with this many miles? What's a good price that I should consider this for? Are there any mechanical issues that I'll run into at this mileage? What am I looking at in terms of replacements at this mileage? Do I replace any belts or things when I buy it?

Also, the car is out of warranty so should I get an extended one? Any info would truly help, I know you guys are EXTRA knowledgeable. Thank you so much.

[Slammillionaire]

Buy it and enjoy

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by potentialclubmember

Hey guys, long time lurker, new time member. I'm finally about to pull the trigger on an FRS and just have some basic thoughts and understandable worries. The car I'm looking at is a 2013 FRS with 50,000 miles, it's got a spoiler and the touch screen display, so it looks like it's the better of the 2013 FRS.

However, my concern is buying a sports car at 50,000 miles. It has one previous owner and was regularly maintained, even going above the normal maintenance by way of replacing fuel pump (probably from the chirps) and a few other things. Should I be worried about purchasing this with this many miles? What's a good price that I should consider this for? Are there any mechanical issues that I'll run into at this mileage? What am I looking at in terms of replacements at this mileage? Do I replace any belts or things when I buy it?

Also, the car is out of warranty so should I get an extended one? Any info would truly help, I know you guys are EXTRA knowledgeable. Thank you so much.

Check local (within 100 miles or so) prices for that many miles. What people here pay can be deceiving since prices can swing wildly from one region to another. What can be a great deal in LA can be totally out of line in Lowerbuttcrack Idaho or vice versa.

If the price is right for a car with that many miles then I wouldn't worry about it. Any of the more common issues that the 13s had showed up well under that mileage so if it doesn't have them it probably won't. If it did have them they are probably repaired already.
Other than fluids and possibly filters you should not have to change anything for a while.


I would not buy an extended warranty but simply hold that money for any repairs.

[Beachin86]

Have you checked the CarFax? When I was shopping for mine, I checked the ones I was considering and tried to stick with single-owned cars. I know for some people it's not a huge deal, and sure a single aggressive driver will cause more wear and tear than the average Joe. But it did give me peace of mind to know that mine was only a single, 3-year leased vehicle before I got it (also a 2013) and that owner put less than 10k/yr as far as mileage, not to mention I could get a history on the service performed. Lastly, if there are more owners within a short time frame, I'd be suspicious that something might be wrong with the car.

While I would agree with Tcoat that an extended warranty might not be necessary, I went ahead and bought Toyota's elite warranty (again, for the peace of mind). It cost 2k total and added about 20/month to my payment. If anything covered goes bad, I only pay the $50 deductible. I'm also coming from a very old, ugly, salvage sedan so I wanted to make sure I was completely covered should the worst happen to my shiny FRS.

I'd be more afraid of the shady dealers, like the two I found who were offering bargain values on the FRS I wanted, only to find out that most of their cars were damaged and not all of those had damage reports to go along with them. Might be something to consider if you happen to not be browsing 'Yota dealers.

Good luck on your purchase and send us pics once you're in the club!

[8RZ]

Take to your "trusted" mechanic and have them give it a once-over. I'd have no issue with buying a car with 50k on the ticker as long as it checks out (no leaks, weird noises, drives fine, etc).

[DarkSideFRS]

Originally Posted by Beachin86

But it did give me peace of mind to know that mine was only a single, 3-year leased vehicle before I got it (also a 2013) and that owner put less than 10k/yr as far as mileage

i would never buy a lease return with the way i am beating up on mine.. i do the minimal maintenance on my leased CRV aka oil changes when oil life hits 0% regardless of how long it took to get there

as for OP, it all depends on the price... if carfax looks clean and the price is right, then go ahead.. u should also look for signs of mods (assuming the car was converted back to stock) as that usually indicates a more aggressive driver

[guybo]

1) get it checked out by a real mechanic- put it on a lift, check for codes etc.

2) Negotiate into the price the fact that at 60k miles it'll need plugs and that service is expensive.

[xuimod]

Originally Posted by potentialclubmember

Hey guys, long time lurker, new time member. I'm finally about to pull the trigger on an FRS and just have some basic thoughts and understandable worries. The car I'm looking at is a 2013 FRS with 50,000 miles, it's got a spoiler and the touch screen display, so it looks like it's the better of the 2013 FRS.

However, my concern is buying a sports car at 50,000 miles. It has one previous owner and was regularly maintained, even going above the normal maintenance by way of replacing fuel pump (probably from the chirps) and a few other things. Should I be worried about purchasing this with this many miles? What's a good price that I should consider this for? Are there any mechanical issues that I'll run into at this mileage? What am I looking at in terms of replacements at this mileage? Do I replace any belts or things when I buy it?

Also, the car is out of warranty so should I get an extended one? Any info would truly help, I know you guys are EXTRA knowledgeable. Thank you so much.

Where's the car located? I ask because my old FRS (that I sold to a dealership) is at the same mileage and still for sale.

Remote chance you might be looking at my old FRS.

[potentialclubmember]

Originally Posted by xuimod

Where's the car located? I ask because my old FRS (that I sold to a dealership) is at the same mileage and still for sale.

Remote chance you might be looking at my old FRS.

South Carolina, about 2 1/2 hours away from Asheville.

[potentialclubmember]

Originally Posted by Beachin86

Have you checked the CarFax? When I was shopping for mine, I checked the ones I was considering and tried to stick with single-owned cars. I know for some people it's not a huge deal, and sure a single aggressive driver will cause more wear and tear than the average Joe. But it did give me peace of mind to know that mine was only a single, 3-year leased vehicle before I got it (also a 2013) and that owner put less than 10k/yr as far as mileage, not to mention I could get a history on the service performed. Lastly, if there are more owners within a short time frame, I'd be suspicious that something might be wrong with the car.

While I would agree with Tcoat that an extended warranty might not be necessary, I went ahead and bought Toyota's elite warranty (again, for the peace of mind). It cost 2k total and added about 20/month to my payment. If anything covered goes bad, I only pay the $50 deductible. I'm also coming from a very old, ugly, salvage sedan so I wanted to make sure I was completely covered should the worst happen to my shiny FRS.

I'd be more afraid of the shady dealers, like the two I found who were offering bargain values on the FRS I wanted, only to find out that most of their cars were damaged and not all of those had damage reports to go along with them. Might be something to consider if you happen to not be browsing 'Yota dealers.

Good luck on your purchase and send us pics once you're in the club!

Yeah I checked the carfax. It only had one previous owner and it's 3,000 miles less a year driven than the average. They bought it and sold it in the same town as well, so it seems like a person that just got it for work and to use as their daily driver and that's it.

[xuimod]

Originally Posted by potentialclubmember

South Carolina, about 2 1/2 hours away from Asheville.

Oh ok, not my old car.

My old car is located in Austin TX.

Good luck with your purchase.

[URACK]

Originally Posted by guybo

2) Negotiate into the price the fact that at 60k miles it'll need plugs and that service is expensive.

This is what I was thinking - take cost of the spark plug service into account if you don't plan on doing yourself.

Other than that, if its got a good consistent maintenance record and no unusual you should be ok.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by potentialclubmember

Hey guys, long time lurker, new time member. I'm finally about to pull the trigger on an FRS ............

WELCOME to the forum .......

It sounds like a good car ...... if the price is right for your area.


humfrz

[ApexEight]

Not going to read everything in here but here is my 2 cents:

I bought a 2014 FR-S Base with about 50K miles on it. It ran really well and all, but it had 3 owners before me, and one of them was a pretty serious enthusiasts and was not afraid to tinker with the car.

I just traded it in for a 2014 BRZ Limited with 76K miles on it. Gladly. This car feels so much newer.

That just goes to show that mileage is just a number. My best advice is to go to the dealership with a level head and not get too excited and really be particular. Comb through the entire car and take it on a thorough test drive and pay attention to all of your senses. Don't make compromises; you'll regret it later, trust me.

Like others have said, if you can get it checked out by an independent mechanic if possible. Could be worthwhile, but looking underneath my FR-S, it looked just like BRZ. Sometimes little things lay below the surface that you can't detect even when getting the car on a lift.

Good luck!