Tribute to my 2013 Galaxy Blue BRZ

[g0ast]

This time was going to happen eventually. Each mile that went up was one mile less I had to enjoy you.

I bought my 2013 Subaru BRZ in Galaxy Blue Silica, Automatic, Limited in March of 2013. I bought it at MSRP because I needed a car now and I didn't want a lame Mustang and I didn't want the "Scion" brand.

I knew the dark blue was a rare color, but even I wasn't expecting it to be discontinued after just its first year. I remember doing production research for the 2013 model year that only 8% of BRZs for the US market were in GBS, of those only 1/3 were automatic, and of those 1/2 were the higher Limited trim. All in all about ~16k were sent to the US market and my guesstimate was my BRZ was 1 of about 1200.

I almost missed out on this car, too. I tracked the orders of BRZs going to the US and which dealerships were getting what. This particular car was 1 of 1 at that moment I was in the market and it was going to a dealer in San Diego. I called the dealer and was ready to put a deposit down right then, even while the car was still literally on the boat from Japan. The salesman said someone already put a deposit on it and devastated, I said I understand. If anything changes let me know because I can put down $10k right now, and that was that.

Two hours later guess who came calling.

I waited 2 more weeks and they said the car was ready for pickup, so I got a one-way flight and got the car. It was so fresh off the truck they were still taking the protective covers off it - virgin.



I had you for 13 years and through it we've driven 235,000 miles. Buried in those miles were two cross-country trips including living in the heat of Arizona summers, Minnesota winters, California sun, and Maryland East Coast vibes. We experienced the Indy 500, drove through post-tornado Joplin, MO, drove around the National Mall in DC, drove down the PCH, and we even went to Mexico for a weekend.

You didn't have a lot of space but you had just enough to carry my whole life when I took you with me to live in 5 different states as I progressed through my career, and you never complained about it.



My other best friend took rides in you and remembered just where he should stand so he was able to look out the window; on my left arm and his left leg on the door arm rest. He loved how he was able to look out the window without having to stand up.



We met others like you, but no one was like you. Sure some had your paint color, but they were the not-as-cool Scion variety. In the 13 years we were together I only ever encountered exactly 3 GBS Subaru BRZs in the wild.



Through all of it you let me change what you looked like, what you sounded like, how low to the ground you were, and the kind of shoes you wore, and we were happy with the end result. Some experiments didn't work out as well like the rear underbody diffuser and the several front lips and side skirts.

Your front bumper is the 6th version since your manufacturer decided to use plastic clips to hold it on the frame and they popped the first time we did so much as nick a parking curb or take a steep driveway straight on. Your back bumper is your 3rd one.

You've been hit twice by incompetent drivers who couldn't respect how unique you were. Fortunately for both of us none of them caused frame damage. Just repainting, dent repair, and replacement if needed. Your driver door was replaced after a huge gust of wind flexed you so badly backwards that you couldn't close right. Ironically I was your first assailant because I wasn't ready for the responsibility of a lower profile car and I scraped the bottom of the front bumper right off the dealer lot. My first thought was "there goes my trade in value".

So here we are, 13 years later and 235,000 well-lived miles. You were giving me signs you were getting tired. I did my best to get you back to your proud self. I replaced the battery, de-carbonized the intake valve and MAF, and did what I could with all the fluids. I didn't touch the transmission fluid though because my mistake was not doing it earlier in your life and by then it was too late to change it out.

Ironically the transmission lasted longer than the engine did. You gave me signs something was wrong. When we drove up any kind of grade you seemed tired, your RPMs would flutter a bit and you even lurched a little. I took you to the "doctor", a Subaru specialist repair shop, and they gave me the bad news - the dreaded head gasket failure.

It made sense. For several years I had to continuously put in more antifreeze as the reservoir kept coming up empty. I thought it just happened over time. I should have noticed sooner, but it wasn't like the repair would have been any easier. Now my options from the shop were to replace the head gasket only for the engine to potentially blow anyway from the risky open heart surgery you would have had to go through, and your age didn't help either putting a new part into a fading engine. Or option two was doing an engine swap. Similar by definition, but still highly labor intensive and too expensive - both options were about $6500 total either way.

So I decided it's time to move on.

I'm also at a point in my life where I need a car with 4 doors and a more usable trunk. I'm finding I'm carrying more things than I used to and more often. Even though you were able to carry my whole life and everything I owned in your meager space available, what I've been having to do lately is beyond your flexibility. I don't want to move on from you but I need to move on. If I had the resources and money I would fix you and keep you for as long as I could as a collector car because I know how rare you are already, and 13 years later who knows just how many of your brethren are still on the road.

Sure they make new ones now, but you were the OG that everyone else followed. No one looks like you either. Your blue turned heads and the hundreds of compliments I've gotten over the years proved it. Even the shop I got the bad news from, every single mechanic there couldn't believe I said you had 235,000 miles on your odometer. One tech said you were a "miracle" car. He's a BRZ owner himself and said he's never seen a BRZ with mileage close to what you had.

I write this knowing that by Monday morning we will be taking a 3 hour drive to San Diego to trade you in for my new (old) car - a 2018 Lincoln MKZ with 111k miles on it. It's a beautiful car, too. I even found it in dark blue. There are very few made like it, much less still around. I think my experience with you, my BRZ, made me realize I will miss you, so getting a dark blue car with factory chrome delete and all black trim means I have your style burned into my memory. I couldn't see myself getting another car with any other color because I'm so used to seeing you shine in the sun.

So this is my tribute to you. At your age you're likely to be auctioned off to some yard to be parted out, your final stage of life collecting dust while others disassemble you never knowing the life we lived in our 13 years together was great because you were always there for me.

Monday morning we'll take the ocean-view route, and I'll pull over halfway to take one last picture of you in your glory overlooking the dark blue sea like you are in all your glory, knowing I'll never see you again.

I know one thing. This final drive to San Diego will be one that I'll drive just a little bit slower.

Thanks for being my car.

Ryan