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I drive a truck right now and it's getting rather old. Can't get rid of it as I need it for a few things but I was thinking of picking up a vehicle on the side to have some fun with. I found a 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited with 9.5k miles around my area... asking price is 22.9 but these vehicles are selling new now for 27 and change so i'm thinking somewhere between 20-21 would be good!
The only concern is reliability, consumer reports does not have a good rating and i'm wondering what is the scoop with this vehicle? Normally Subaru and Toyota are rock solid.
The reviews I've read say good value, good handling, but underpowered relative to what's available at the lower end of the next class, only a few thousand more.
You might as well buy a new one. If you're looking for a sports coupe around 20K I would look for a higher quality somewhat older car; 2013 Mustang, 2011 Nissan 370Z or something like that. Lots more car for your money there.
At 20K you'd be paying market price for a 2013 model and the value will drop quickly on a budget sports coupe, like having a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon.
I think new, a car like the BRZ might be a good bang-for-the-buck sporty choice, but used I would look for more car for your money.
And yes, it's technically a Toyota/Scion FRS clone.
The reviews I've read say good value, good handling, but underpowered relative to what's available at the lower end of the next class, only a few thousand more.
You might as well buy a new one. If you're looking for a sports coupe around 20K I would look for a higher quality somewhat older car; 2013 Mustang, 2011 Nissan 370Z or something like that. Lots more car for your money there.
At 20K you'd be paying market price for a 2013 model and the value will drop quickly on a budget sports coupe, like having a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon.
I think new, a car like the BRZ might be a good bang-for-the-buck sporty choice, but used I would look for more car for your money.
And yes, it's technically a Toyota/Scion FRS clone.
Totally different cars though. Tiburon, there's absolutely nothing sporty about a Tiburon aside from looks. Maybe the newer Genesis coupe but not the Tiburon. At least with a 370Z or Mustang they're actually sporty although more muscle car than sports car.
I'd go older and look at an S2000 personally. That's really the one car I regret selling. Then again, uh... maybe not. They just hold their value too well. Similar minimalist car but with some teeth up top that the BRZ/FRS doesn't have. At the end of the day though, I'd just rather spend $20k on a much older S2000 with more miles personally. It's pay to play with older sports cars though. Cost of ownership on the S2000 would be significantly higher although it and the Miata are about as reliable as sports cars get. Miata might be something I'd look at as well. Much better value for the money, not all that different than the BRZ. Personally, I love convertibles though so that's a plus to me rather than a drawback. Otherwise it's RX8 (no) or Mustang/370Z which are different cars but the next closest thing.
Just as far as reliability, the two big ones I've heard about are the fuel pump and shifter mechanism. Hopefully they've been fixed by now. Otherwise it's more your normal I own a sports car and it rattles, makes strange noises, leaks. I tend to take those complaints with a grain of salt on sports cars as they're just what you deal with across the board. It's not a Camry and the kinks don't get ironed out. 370z is basically the same. Either get a Miata or a Porsche if that type of stuff is an issue.
Pssst...It's built by Subaru at their Ota Gunma factory, and has a Subaru engine.
I think that it would be more correct to state that the Toyota/Scion versions of that vehicle aren't really Toyotas or Scions.
I owned one for about a year. The fact I no longer do should speak volumes. However, I will provide some details.
Ride and drive: Fabulous if you like a chassis which near excellence chassis dynamics. The steering and your ability to place the car in turns and hold lines, and adjust the line at the limit with the throttle is incredible. It is scalpel precise. Good feel through the steering wheel too. The car is not going to win a drag race (so if big power is your thing, just stay away), but if get some rev's into it the car is light enough to be quick, and also has enough power to get yourself in trouble on stock tires if you are brave enough to turn off traction control.
Build quality and reliability: This car is built ON THE CHEAP. I cannot stress this enough. All the money went into the chassis, and nothing was left over to build a quality car around that chassis. It has minimal sound deadening so it is not quiet inside. The carpet is ultra thin. It has a cheap and chintzy feeling all about it. So if your into luxurious accommodations, this is not the sports car for you. Worse, IMO, is this leads to problems. The internet is littered with complaints about the center of the dash collapsing in these over the HVAC. The interiors scratch and show wear at an incredibly early age. The paint on the exterior seems very susceptible to chips and abrasions.
My own experience was a big love/hate relationship. I bought the car ending a couple decades of Fiero ownership. I have no issue with the BRZ power level, and the driving dynamics was exactly what I was looking for. However, I just did not want to deal with the problems anymore. By 2200 my BRZ's transmission had bad synchros in it. I had barely gotten it past the break in period... and it certainly was not abused. By 3800, the new transmission put in under warranty had the synchros going bad in it. Google will show you this is extremely common in this transmission, and it is not a problem that has been fixed. I would avoid the manual gearbox at all costs. I had other problems too. That thin carpeting I mentioned above was already showing very significant wear in the driver foot well. I did not think highly of that. I had not experienced the dash collapse yet, but I was getting some condensation in the rear tail light lenses (a common problem), and rust on the window seperator supports on the doors (also a common problem) despite the car having been garage kept, and only really seeing water when I washed it.
After thinking long and hard about it, I decided it was time to sell it and stop chasing good money after bad for what was a second fun car. I intended to keep the car 20 years as a fun summer toy and realized it was never going to make it that far, as I had lost all confidence it would hold up or be reliable in the long run.
So as a former owner, I guess my advice is get it if you really love it. Otherwise, if you just want a fun sports car of any type look elsewhere as I do not think you would be happy with the overall quality or reliability.
Since the new ND Miata has come out, you can pick up the NC (prior generation) models on the cheap. Although the design is dated (it was introduced in 2005), it is rock solid as far as reliability is concerned, and is fun as hell to drive. Sure it could use a little more power, but it's a lightweight car, so 160HP isn't too bad. It won't win drag races without a supercharger, but then again that's not what it was made for anyway. You can get it in soft top or retractable hard top guise. I had both and enjoyed the soft top a little more since you can put it up/take it down with one hand in less than 3 seconds. The power hard top takes 11 seconds either way, and you must be at a dead stop to do so.
Yes, the Miata is only a 2 seater, but let's face it, not much is going into the back seat of a BRZ anyway.
well, the other choice is a '15 WRX for around $25k or so (I priced a brand new '16 WRX limited on carsdirect at $33.5k) but they haven't depreciated enough and the new design has not been on the market long enough for used car inventory to build up.
I sat in one of those a few years back. Not easy to get out of. Told me wife I was looking for a midlife crisis car. I am 44. She was laughing. Looks like my midlife crisis ride is going to be a truck.
I owned one for about a year. The fact I no longer do should speak volumes. However, I will provide some details.
Ride and drive: Fabulous if you like a chassis which near excellence chassis dynamics. The steering and your ability to place the car in turns and hold lines, and adjust the line at the limit with the throttle is incredible. It is scalpel precise. Good feel through the steering wheel too. The car is not going to win a drag race (so if big power is your thing, just stay away), but if get some rev's into it the car is light enough to be quick, and also has enough power to get yourself in trouble on stock tires if you are brave enough to turn off traction control.
Build quality and reliability: This car is built ON THE CHEAP. I cannot stress this enough. All the money went into the chassis, and nothing was left over to build a quality car around that chassis. It has minimal sound deadening so it is not quiet inside. The carpet is ultra thin. It has a cheap and chintzy feeling all about it. So if your into luxurious accommodations, this is not the sports car for you. Worse, IMO, is this leads to problems. The internet is littered with complaints about the center of the dash collapsing in these over the HVAC. The interiors scratch and show wear at an incredibly early age. The paint on the exterior seems very susceptible to chips and abrasions.
My own experience was a big love/hate relationship. I bought the car ending a couple decades of Fiero ownership. I have no issue with the BRZ power level, and the driving dynamics was exactly what I was looking for. However, I just did not want to deal with the problems anymore. By 2200 my BRZ's transmission had bad synchros in it. I had barely gotten it past the break in period... and it certainly was not abused. By 3800, the new transmission put in under warranty had the synchros going bad in it. Google will show you this is extremely common in this transmission, and it is not a problem that has been fixed. I would avoid the manual gearbox at all costs. I had other problems too. That thin carpeting I mentioned above was already showing very significant wear in the driver foot well. I did not think highly of that. I had not experienced the dash collapse yet, but I was getting some condensation in the rear tail light lenses (a common problem), and rust on the window seperator supports on the doors (also a common problem) despite the car having been garage kept, and only really seeing water when I washed it.
After thinking long and hard about it, I decided it was time to sell it and stop chasing good money after bad for what was a second fun car. I intended to keep the car 20 years as a fun summer toy and realized it was never going to make it that far, as I had lost all confidence it would hold up or be reliable in the long run.
So as a former owner, I guess my advice is get it if you really love it. Otherwise, if you just want a fun sports car of any type look elsewhere as I do not think you would be happy with the overall quality or reliability.
Thanks for providing your feedback. I knew the cars were relatively cheaply built and the interiors were nothing to write home about but I didn't realize just how bad the overall product was. I was thinking of getting one as a fun car for the wife at some point but I think I'll look at other cars.
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