Mikelly Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 So as some of you know, my truck was hit by a telephone company bucket truck last week and I'm jacked up a bit. I also JUST sold the Turbo miata project car we bought last September, and as NONE of you know (Except the handful that follow me on FB) my GT3 is being sold. Got a lot going on all at once, no? So I'm in a rental car for the next 2-3 weeks while my truck is put back together, and I'm seriously thinking about holding off on another exotic until the economy settles down. So in the mean time I am looking at buying a new (this is NEW for me) daily driver. I'm wanting something RWD that is LESS than $30K that I can commute in, do track days in when needed, and just enjoy as a daily driver. I am SERIOUSLY considering the Subaru BRZ. Thoughts and opinions, please! I am not opposed to USED (generally not a fan of buying a new car) but it does have to be RWD and does have to be fun for my 150 mile round trip commutes. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R3VO 3VOM Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Id say go for it!! The BRZ is niceeeeee. Can you get those cool TRD bits for it though like you can the scion counterpart? Those body parts look nice to me; really accentuate the styling. But you can always look into the 350z. Always thought the NISMO ones looked amazing. Those can be had for around mid-high 20's. Or nice G35. Those can be reallllly cheap depending. Orrrr you can look into the previous generation genesis 3.8 track. The styling on those though is very subjective to each person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazeum Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) BRZ / FT86 has been elected Sport Car of the Year here in France. They say handling is superb but there's a lack of Power. I would look for BMW otherwise. A 330ci or Z4 could be nice also as DD. My dad had a Z3 Coupe with 3.0, it was a very nice DD. Edited February 28, 2013 by Lazeum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I was going to say S2000, but it won't be as comfortable as a BRZ/FRS on that long commute everyday. I commute in my S2000 once or twice a week, a 100mi round trip each time. I've tracked fuel consumption for a year now, and I'm averaging 28mpg overall. The factory hardtop alleviates some wind noise and gives me another inch of headroom. At 6'2", I'm a tight fit in the cabin but I deal with it. Not only is it a great sports car but the reliability is up there with any other Honda. It's what convinced me to get the S instead of an E36 BMW M Coupe, which I'll admit I still drool over! I've driven the FRS and it's a fun yet still comfortable car. I felt like it slotted in nicely between a Miata and S2000 in terms of performance, but was more utilitarian and easier to live with than either one. It seemed like a better compromise for daily-driving when compared to the S (more comfy, but less power and maybe slightly better mpg?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Don't question it just do it! I fully support the purchase of a BRZ by anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 A couple things reagrding the FRS/BRZ from what the local autocrossers have found out:1. They sell them on shit tires to make drifting easier for the clownboys. 2. Once you put sticky tires on the car the lack of power ends the power drifting and exposes some serious understeer built into the chassis. 3. There are easy and not so easy ways to fix #2. 4. Everyone I know that has one (and some are national championship level autocrossers and road racers) loves the car. 5. FRS seems preferred over the BRZ but that may be due to production volumes favoring Toyota and Toyota dealers more willing to deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) John, I've talked with two owners who have experienced the same issues with severe understeer and it doesnt' seem to matter if it is the "further setback" on the motor of the BRZ or the FR-S. I've actually considered a slightly used NISMO 370Z now in the mix as well as the Cayman. I love the package of the BRZ/FR-S but the whole lack of power thing makes me wonder if I'll be "happy" long term in it. Mike Edited March 2, 2013 by Mikelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 AE86 is the sports car of the year here in NZ, just like france, through Toymota NZ is calling it the AE86 not the FT86. If used is in the mix tho, Boxster/Cayman or Z3 would be worth a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Donovan_ Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I can dig it. I think it looks great and from what I have read it seems to be a fun little car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 If you're looking at a BRZ you're going to end up putting a turbo on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 The thing about choosing a car is the same as Rule 1 of this site... There is no BEST. In the end it will just boil down to having you arse planted in as many different seats with your foot planted on the gas pedal until you find one you just don't want to get out of. Go bug the dealerships for test drives and rack up a few hundred miles and then come back and tell us what you just bought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Have you watched the BBC Top Gear covering these cars-it's funny! Jeremy drifts the BRZ while reading a book-it's that easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 The new 5.0 is a pretty good performer for the price, though it is more of a porker than you're used to (Datsun, z3, miata, corvette, etc). Friend of mine just picked up a new 2013 for a little over $25k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I really like the BRZ, and I think you know what you'll get there. The new 5.0 is one bad arse stang. Probably won't win to many time trials, but 11's on the 1/4 with a stock engine? That's wicked fast for the price and it's one of the better handling stangs in recent years. A used 04-06 STI can be had for about half your budget in GREAT shape. I know it's not RWD, but they're EXTREMELY fun, AND comfortable AND easy to daily. Main downside is that some of the expendables are spendy (like brakes and such), but I'm sure you'd expect that with the territory. The 370Z seems like a great car on paper. I still haven't driven one... Not exactly eager to so I haven't gone out of my way to find one to drive. I wouldn't be against you getting one I guess. Just.... meh. Again, not RWD but maybe a fun DD is the mini. Like a typical bimmer once they hit 5 years old they kind sink in value. You can get a CLEAN cooper S with low miles for a song and a dance. Just enough power to be fun on the street and a good enough platform to throw around a track imo. They're kind of the modern day CRX platform if you ask me, and I wouldn't mind owning one. There's also the Genesis Coupe, but if I recall correctly you've already got an opinion of hyundai and I don't blame you. They're not for everyone. The mac daddy of all options though, if you can find one near your budget.... .... ....you ready mike? 2011 BMW 1 M Series... Little over budget, but turbocharged inline 6 in a relatively lightweight 2 door? Sign me up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I should add that I was trying to keep track times in mind and remember watching a motor trend video a while back where I thought a new 5.0 gt ran a faster lap time than the BMW m3. I was wrong...turns out it was the boss 302, which is over the $30k limit. A little over 2 seconds faster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 BRZ/FR-S is off the table now. Talked to several guys who have put appropriate tires on them and found them to be "Miata-like". Actually looking at a 2011 Ford Mustang GT and a Mistubishi Evo MR right now. The GT3 will be gone by the weekend, so I'll have space to park something. My goal is to get something I can commute in, have fun in, and drive at the track when the Zcar is not functional, which as we all know is like, well, All the time. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackdogNY Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I first must say that I really like Mustangs, my brother had a '90 LX 5.0 hatchback, a really fun car....but if you ever get snow or rain in your neck of the woods, AWD is a much better choice for daily use. The Mustang will be useless if not dangerous in the slick stuff. If you like Ford stuff how about a Taurus SHO. Fast, AWD, turbos and room for kids/puppies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) BlackdogNY, I have a dodge Cummins 3500 diesel for the nasty stuff... So here's what happened yesterday. Guy flew in from Ohio and handed me two checks for the GT3. I hand him title and keys and he heads off happy with the condition of the car and everything that came with it. On my way to meet this guy, I got a call from a dealer about my inquiry of a 2012 Mustang GT premium package car they had on the lot. It was still available and has 95% of what mattered most to me and was the right color, Silver/black trim. So, off my wife and I go the 50+ miles west to check this car out. After driving it, and settling on it, we start the negotiations. My wife is an amazing negotiator, as I was ready to just buy it and pay them what they were willing to come down. In the end, we got this car for $22750, and when we considered their lending options, they came back with 1.44% interest on a 60 month note. We decided to go ahead and buy the car, put $5K down on it, and drove it home. I'm absolutely shocked at how much car you can get for that much money. The 5liter coyote motor and the 6 speed manual trans are very impressive. Heel/toe shifts are cake in this thing and no pedal or shifter upgrades will be required to make it happy shifting at the track. The sound is intoxicating from this thing. Can't imagine how good it would sound with the right pipes. I'm also impressed with the interior layout and the seats, which are leather but not heated. And the Sync system with the sound system that came stock in the vehicle sounds better than some systems I've installed in cars over the years. Over all I am happy with the purchase and plan to drive it rain or shine. Having a 150 mile round trip commute really is a bit easier when you have some creature comforts to get you by. So We'll wait out the economic crisis before I buy my next supercar. And when the replacement arrives, I won't feel bad about parking the Mustang outside. I expect to have it at the next track event at NCCAR on March 24th. Mike Edited March 10, 2013 by Mikelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Oh that makes me so happy mike! And I really love that it's got none of the fancy "look at me" bits that kind of drive me nuts about most mustangs. I hope she takes care of you for a long time to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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