Are these cars worth the money? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

gt8613 · 10-07-2014, 05:12 PM

The twins certainly claim to have the true marks of a sports car... Lightweight, low cog, impressive handling, a good engine...

However do these cars actually perform or are we simply buying into the marketing?

Is this car truly worth $30k or are there better options out there?

I am not talking pure hp numbers....

but overall performance. People say the twins are the best below the Cayman... Can you completely agree to that statement and bet your money on it?

NOHOME · 10-07-2014, 05:26 PM

forget it.

Stealthy · 10-07-2014, 05:37 PM

You're going to get biased/subjective answers.

I will say however, for the smile it puts on my face, I'm happy with what I got.

Turbo95eg6 · 10-07-2014, 05:46 PM

Who cares.

funwheeldrive · 10-07-2014, 05:51 PM

Buy a v6 Mustang.

Jonsey · 10-07-2014, 05:51 PM

Do the cars actually perform, absolutely. A few upgrades and the car really performs.

Are they the best car below 30k? That's a tough question to answer when the Miata is always lingering in the background - completely proven, very fast with a few upgrades and cheap to operate on a track. I wouldn't trade my car for a Miata but if I were to be looking for a strictly track car, I might pick up a used Miata that is already track prepped at a fraction of the cost of an 86 solely for financial reasons. However, I much prefer the 86. It will humble many more powerful and expensive cars when driven well.

lastexile1987 · 10-07-2014, 06:12 PM

A lot more factors go into a persons decision such as aesthetics and used car markets. The major argument you will see is that a used s2000 is going to be a better deal. At this point, once I get some FI for my brz, I will be perfectly happy with it, but that is just me.

strat61caster · 10-07-2014, 07:14 PM

Define perform.

My car performs spectacularly when I try to achieve 34 mpg on a highway trip.

My car performs spectacularly compared to my washing machine when trying to get to work on time.

My car performs terribly when I'm trying to make compost with it.

My car is a huge disappointment when it comes to baking risotto.

My car performs much worse on the track than a 2006 Base Cayman that I got passed by on the last track day I attended.

My car performs much better than the '14 911 I passed on the last track day I attended.

My car performs worse than my 25 year old pickup truck when it comes to total cost of ownership and utility.

My car performs very well when the goal is to put a smile on my face.

Does any of that help?

Speed2th · 10-07-2014, 07:30 PM

for that amount of engineering and background (1st toyota and subaru project!), i think the car is very well priced. Power was not the objection of the Ft86 objection. I love my BRZ and never regret. It hits everything I want: fun to drive, reliable, good looking, and good fuel consumption.

Turbowned · 10-07-2014, 07:32 PM

Coming from someone who considered and drove the following vehicles before purchasing his BRZ:

2007 Porsche Cayman
2005 Lotus Elise
2013 Subaru WRX
2010 Nissan 370Z
2010 Mini Cooper S
2007 Honda S2000
2011 Mazda MX-5
2011 Audi TT quattro

I can confidently say that the BRZ was the best all-around choice among the bunch, at least for my needs. If I replace it with anything the car will have to cost at least twice as much, i.e. BMW M4, Alfa Romeo 4C, Porsche 911 997, Aston Martin DB9.

DG-86 · 10-07-2014, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gt8613

The twins certainly claim to have the true marks of a sports car... Lightweight, low cog, impressive handling, a good engine...

However do these cars actually perform or are we simply buying into the marketing?

Is this car truly worth $30k or are there better options out there?

I am not talking pure hp numbers....

but overall performance. People say the twins are the best below the Cayman... Can you completely agree to that statement and bet your money on it?

This is purely a subjective question with no definitive answer. That being said, I am extremely happy with my decision that I purchased a twin. I personally think it was worth every penny.

DarkSunrise · 10-07-2014, 07:43 PM

Not at all. That's why we all went out and bought one.

GreenMonster · 10-07-2014, 07:47 PM

Best bang for the buck...

There's not much out there for cheap rwd vehicles. Miata, Mustang and that's about it for under $30K new.

aristo · 10-07-2014, 07:48 PM

You've already invested 400+ posts worth of time here on the forums, you may as well buy one.

10-07-2014, 05:12 PM	#1
gt8613 I dream of BRZ Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: Prospective BRZ owner. Location: Home. Posts: 548 Thanks: 615 Thanked 84 Times in 66 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Are these cars worth the money? The twins certainly claim to have the true marks of a sports car... Lightweight, low cog, impressive handling, a good engine... However do these cars actually perform or are we simply buying into the marketing? Is this car truly worth $30k or are there better options out there? I am not talking pure hp numbers.... but overall performance. People say the twins are the best below the Cayman... Can you completely agree to that statement and bet your money on it?

10-07-2014, 07:43 PM	#12
DarkSunrise Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Drives: 22 BRZ (Previously 13 FR-S) Location: USA Posts: 5,794 Thanks: 2,165 Thanked 4,242 Times in 2,220 Posts Mentioned: 48 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Not at all. That's why we all went out and bought one. __________________ "Never run out of real estate, traction, and ideas at the same time." 2022 BRZ Build 2013 FR-S Build

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10-07-2014, 05:26 PM	#2
NOHOME Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: RAVEN Location: LONDON ONTARIO Posts: 787 Thanks: 86 Thanked 786 Times in 341 Posts Mentioned: 12 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	forget it.

10-07-2014, 05:37 PM	#3
Stealthy Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Drives: 2014 WRB Bravo Romeo Zulu Location: Canadia Posts: 107 Thanks: 62 Thanked 57 Times in 30 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	You're going to get biased/subjective answers. I will say however, for the smile it puts on my face, I'm happy with what I got.

10-07-2014, 05:46 PM	#4
Turbo95eg6 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Drives: 2014 BRZ SWP LTD Location: The 503 Posts: 2,174 Thanks: 331 Thanked 2,266 Times in 858 Posts Mentioned: 18 Post(s) Tagged: 3 Thread(s)	Who cares.

10-07-2014, 05:51 PM	#5
funwheeldrive Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Drives: BANNED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH Location: MODS ARE ON A POWER TRIP Posts: 3,447 Thanks: 7,830 Thanked 3,022 Times in 1,409 Posts Mentioned: 38 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Buy a v6 Mustang.

10-07-2014, 05:51 PM	#6
Jonsey Senior Member Join Date: May 2014 Drives: 2013 FR-S Location: DFW Posts: 272 Thanks: 369 Thanked 216 Times in 112 Posts Mentioned: 20 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Do the cars actually perform, absolutely. A few upgrades and the car really performs. Are they the best car below 30k? That's a tough question to answer when the Miata is always lingering in the background - completely proven, very fast with a few upgrades and cheap to operate on a track. I wouldn't trade my car for a Miata but if I were to be looking for a strictly track car, I might pick up a used Miata that is already track prepped at a fraction of the cost of an 86 solely for financial reasons. However, I much prefer the 86. It will humble many more powerful and expensive cars when driven well.

10-07-2014, 06:12 PM	#7
lastexile1987 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: Lightning Red '13 Limited BRZ Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 346 Thanks: 87 Thanked 112 Times in 73 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	A lot more factors go into a persons decision such as aesthetics and used car markets. The major argument you will see is that a used s2000 is going to be a better deal. At this point, once I get some FI for my brz, I will be perfectly happy with it, but that is just me.

10-07-2014, 07:14 PM	#8
strat61caster - Join Date: Nov 2012 Drives: '13 FRS - STX Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 10,367 Thanks: 13,741 Thanked 9,483 Times in 5,000 Posts Mentioned: 94 Post(s) Tagged: 3 Thread(s)	Define perform. My car performs spectacularly when I try to achieve 34 mpg on a highway trip. My car performs spectacularly compared to my washing machine when trying to get to work on time. My car performs terribly when I'm trying to make compost with it. My car is a huge disappointment when it comes to baking risotto. My car performs much worse on the track than a 2006 Base Cayman that I got passed by on the last track day I attended. My car performs much better than the '14 911 I passed on the last track day I attended. My car performs worse than my 25 year old pickup truck when it comes to total cost of ownership and utility. My car performs very well when the goal is to put a smile on my face. Does any of that help?

10-07-2014, 07:47 PM	#13
GreenMonster Just doing research Join Date: Mar 2014 Drives: 03 Acura CLS 6MT Location: Southeastern MA Posts: 331 Thanks: 91 Thanked 97 Times in 77 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Best bang for the buck... There's not much out there for cheap rwd vehicles. Miata, Mustang and that's about it for under $30K new.

10-07-2014, 07:48 PM	#14
aristo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Drives: BRZ SWP 14 Location: EST Posts: 108 Thanks: 122 Thanked 44 Times in 17 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	You've already invested 400+ posts worth of time here on the forums, you may as well buy one.

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