elenien's Long Journey

[elenien]

A Long Journey

Disclaimer: Feel free to completely ignore this. I was mostly bored. I don't have anything revolutionary to say or any fun modifications to show off Also... it's long.

First off, considering the majority of the forum members are male, I think it is important to note that I’m not; I’m female and 30 years old.

I would say that I love cars but that isn’t quite true. I love driving and I like the cars that make driving fun. While I am interested in the mechanical and electrical aspect of cars, that isn’t really my main focus and I’ve never really had all that much time to devote to learning. For me it is all about driving and feeling part of the car (though I'm not sure this extends to really knowing how to drive).

My road to the FR-S started many many years ago with a used car my sister bought. At the time I couldn’t drive and could only appreciate it as a passenger, but I loved that car from the moment I “met” it. When I finally did get to drive it, it didn’t disappoint me.


1991 Nissan 240sx (S13) Fastback, Manual Transmission

Sometime when I was in college, my sister got a new car and passed the 240sx on to my mother, where I finally got a chance to drive it around during breaks. When I finally graduated from college, my mother got another hand me down (this is just how my family works), and I ended up (finally!) in possession of the 240sx. Unfortunately, by this time in its life it had already been through 3 engines and was starting to fall apart. I drove it happily for a year until it finally gave up. I didn’t have the time, resources, or money to fix it like it needed to be, so with great reluctance, moaning, and a ton of regret, I had to let it go. In its place, I ended up with another hand me down; my brother-in-law’s old 1995 Honda Prelude, also a manual.



The Prelude was a good car, but very different from the 240sx and it could never quite live up to it. I loved the 240sx, and I tolerated the Prelude, having always to remind myself that it was just so much better than a sedan. Always I was plotting for the day when I would get a new car, one of my own choice. Not that I ended up with bad hand me downs…not at all… but for once I wanted something I actually choose (well, that would have been the 240sx but that ship had sailed...)

Ultimately, because I’m annoying responsible and couldn’t justify getting a new car when I had a working, completely paid for one already, I drove the Prelude for 6.5 years, and only started seriously searching for a new car the first time the Prelude failed smog and ended up requiring $350 to fix. That was after I had just spent $300 getting the ignition switch replaced. A lot of money? Perhaps not, but I knew that was only the beginning. While Hondas are known for going forever, the Prelude was getting old, had nearly 200,000 miles on it, and soon would require bigger and more expensive repairs (it just didn’t sound healthy anymore…). So began the car search...

At this point I should take the time to point out that I don’t like muscle cars (i.e. The Mustang, Challenger, etc), nor do I like Corvettes. In my new car search, those were already crossed out. I wanted something more along the lines of the 240sx (small and light and fun, but with some cargo capacity). I also wasn’t interested in a 2-seater. While the back seats in 2+2 sports cars aren’t the most practical, I like having the option of emergency seating if it’s needed, plus the extra storage space it provides. That left out the Nissan 350/370Z (even if I was willing to pay that much), and the Miata.

The two I was mostly left with were the Nissan Altima coupe, and the Hyundai Genesis coupe. The Altima looked okay on paper and I was fond of the exterior. The Genesis was an unknown, so I was mostly focused on the Altima…. Then I saw it in person and I drove it. To say it was a major disappointment would be an understatement. I didn’t really see how it was much different from driving a sedan (okay, so maybe I have no perspective anymore).

I was greatly disheartened, so I dropped in at the local Hyundai dealer and drove the 2011 Genesis Coupe. It was certainly better than the Altima; the steering had weight, the driving position felt nice, back visibility was overwhelmingly better, and I could almost forget it was a huge car… almost.

At that point, spring 2011, I still wasn’t ready to make a decision and soon life got busy. Before I knew it it was March of this year and I was still driving around in the Prelude.

In April, with some outside pressure (parents who worried I would break down on a deserted highway in the middle of the night), I decided it was time to really get serious about getting a new car. The 2013 Genesis was released, and while I wasn’t overly thrilled by the external modifications, I was still okay with them and I was pretty much decided on getting it. What else was there after all...

Before I made my final decision though, I wanted one more test drive. That is when things went “wrong”. The car I test drove, the 2013 MT, felt very disconnected, high, big, and not all that great to drive. I also had the hardest time parking it after the test drive, the turning circle was huge. I couldn’t understand it; I hadn’t had these problems with the one I had driven a year before… I think… was I not paying attention the first time? Which experience was accurate? Once again I was crushed and returned home to think things over.

I was working hard on rationalizing away the things I didn’t like about the Genesis (big, wide turning circle, floaty feeling when driving) when I went on edmonds.com one more time to check some numbers. That is when the Scion FR-S finally came up in the search. It was the first time I’d seen it listed, and I’d been on edmonds.com a lot at the time.

Because of the ‘Scion’, it didn’t register at first what it was. I’d heard rumors of the Toyota/Subaru project of course, but I’d never followed them closely and given how long I’d been hearing them I had kind of written it off as never actually happening… but then there it was… a car with specs that were almost exactly what I wanted. It was small, it was light, it was good looking, everyone was saying wonderful things about it … and it was April. The car wasn’t going to be released for another month, and even then I would have to find one to test drive.

Given how disappointed I was with most of my test drives, I wasn’t about to put any money down on something I’d never driven. But just looking at the specs, I knew I had to wait and give it a try no matter how long that took. To say I was excited was an understatement. In a way, I’m very glad I’d forgotten about it until then, otherwise that would have been painful

The month passed (slowly), I started checking edmonds.com and dealer websides daily looking for listings… the release date came… and two days later my local Toyota dealer came up on edmonds.com with a Black MT FR-S. The minute I saw that listing I knew I was doomed and starting working out financing… just in case. That was the exact combination I would want if I liked the car. Then I went on the Toyota website to schedule a test drive and the only thing they had listed was a Black AT. I was somewhat disappointed, but maybe this was a good thing… I would be able to drive the AT and see if I at least liked the feel of the car before I moved forward. I wasn’t in a hurry.

I emailed the dealer from their website listing to set up a time to test drive. Not long after, they emailed back about how they would like to know the transmission and color choices I was interested in, as all they had currently was a Black MT. I could come in and test drive that if I wanted (they didn't sound hopeful). Um… okay… so now I were back to being doomed. With a quick reply, I told them that actually I was specifically interested in the MT (without mentioning color choices. I wasn’t about to give them that leverage) and would love to come test drive it (they sounded more hopeful after that).

Two days later I walked into the dealer and met it for the first time. Many had inquired about the FR-S, they said, but everyone else wanted an AT. I was the only one interested in the MT (not likely, I thought, to last though).

And then came the time to find out if it was really as good as the hype...

While I was initially surprised at how light the clutch was, I adjusted quickly and within minuets realized I wasn’t going to make it out of the dealer without the car. While perhaps not perfect, it was certainly close. I had told myself on the way over that it would have to be at least as good as the the Prelude, something the other cars weren’t, and it was better. Love at first drive? Maybe….

Two and a half hours later (they were having computer issues), I drove away in my new FR-S, not even feeling slightly remorseful that I’d left the Prelude there. Almost three weeks later, I haven’t regretted one thing… well, other than now I have to worry about the paint. I didn’t care what happened to my 17 year old Prelude It's also possible I miss the 240sx less now...



Things I most like:
(1) Its size and how low it is to the ground.
(2) The responsiveness of the steering. (It is, at least, better than the Prelude)
(3) How it takes corners.... it makes me smile every time.

At the moment it’s just going to be my dd (and my only car), but who knows what will end up happening in the future I expect this to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[Zenith]

Nice story ... I enjoyed it! Glad you're enjoying the car after such a long and thoughtful process.

[mezdup]

great story and congrats on the car!

[R8]

Originally Posted by elenien

For me it is all about driving and feeling part of the car...

Exactly how I feel! Female here too I'm so glad someone else said this. I sometimes feel kinda odd being so into driving, yet not really into "modding" or tinkering with the mechanical things like so many enthusiasts are.

And what a great story! I loved reading that, you write nicely, made me feel like I was there experiencing it with you. I hope you keep adding to this as you and your FR-S get to know one another

[Tad_07]

I'm glade you like it, still breaking mine in before I'm too critical of my brz. I too am from the 240 world, but I had more power... Stock to stock I believe the frs/brz handles a little better but I miss the feel of torque the 240 had, then again the last 240 I owned had a skyline engine in it When I became a parent and had to take out a racing seat to put in a child seat I sold all my 240's and went to Subaru...awd, turbo and excellent crash ratings sold me (that and I really loved the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 I had but Mitsubishi is more expensive to maintain).

Originally Posted by R8

Exactly how I feel! Female here too I'm so glad someone else said this. I sometimes feel kinda odd being so into driving, yet not really into "modding" or tinkering with the mechanical things like so many enthusiasts are.

My girlfriend has pretty well stolen my rhd sti swapped impreza wagon..her version of a grocery getter lol

[Lonewolf]

Welcome and congrats! A woman who can drive manual...you are probably harder to find than a guy at a taping of the View....

[elenien]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

Welcome and congrats! A woman who can drive manual...you are probably harder to find than a guy at a taping of the View....

Hm... I'm not sure you would be able to find me at a taping of The View...

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by elenien

Hm... I'm not sure you would be able to find me at a taping of The View...

And that's why you fit right in here

[RRnold]

Congrats! :happy0180:

[Zgrinch]

Great story and congrats on your new ride.

[luxmn]

Originally Posted by elenien

...very disconnected, high, big, and not all that great to...

Genesis, that's what she said about you

congrats on the new car, respect for your ex car.

[elenien]

Originally Posted by Tad_07

I'm glade you like it, still breaking mine in before I'm too critical of my brz. I too am from the 240 world, but I had more power... Stock to stock I believe the frs/brz handles a little better but I miss the feel of torque the 240 had, then again the last 240 I owned had a skyline engine in it When I became a parent and had to take out a racing seat to put in a child seat I sold all my 240's and went to Subaru...awd, turbo and excellent crash ratings sold me (that and I really loved the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 I had but Mitsubishi is more expensive to maintain).

My 240 was... well... I'm not really sure... I think it still had its normal engine. It had two blown head gaskets before I got it and the engine was replaced by my mother and my then 80 year old grandfather (yes, you did read that correctly...). I don't know what they did to it. The 95 Prelude accelerated faster than it though, and new the Prelude was just 135HP, with 142 torque.. It was 10 years old when I got it.

[Edit: Oh wait... my Prelude was the VTEC model... more like 190 HP and 158 torque @ 5500 rpm when new. I knew that didn't look right...]

That said... I'm still in the FR-S break in period so I'm going to reserve judgement on the acceleration. Right now it feels much more sluggish than the Prelude in the same RPM range (below 4000), but the Prelude hit max torque much lower. It remains to be seen.

So far my own real complaint is the headrests, which are trying to destroy my neck.

[Tad_07]

Originally Posted by elenien

That said... I'm still in the FR-S break in period so I'm going to reserve judgement on the acceleration. Right now it feels much more sluggish than the Prelude in the same RPM range (below 4000), but the Prelude hit max torque much lower. It remains to be seen.

So far my own real complaint is the headrests, which are trying to destroy my neck.

According to reviews I've read, its a whole other car above 5,000rpm...will rarely see that with me though. Still haven't brought it past 4,000rpm per recommended break in by subaru.

A health stock 240 should make 125-130hp and 150ft/lbs to the wheels. The last stock 240 I had was at those numbers and it had 150,000miles on it...but I am a maintenance freak. Put ~25,000 miles on the car in one year.

I too am not a fan of the head rest but I think I finally have a decent seat setup so that it doesnt bother me that much.

[5hairpins]

I keep a pretty good lean on my seat so my head rest is perfect, I only come into contact during quick acceleration and at stoplights. Try leaning the seat back a notch or two and raising the seat???