"F40LM" (mclarenf1gtr) 01/25/2015 at 17:46 • Filed to: None

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FR-S/BR-Z owners of Oppo: I need your advice...

So I'm looking at picking up an FR-S, and I wanted to hear from you guys/girls:

Do you regret the purchase?
Are there any options that are a must have (either you have them or realize you should have got them)?
Are there any options which you have which aren't worth it?

Any other information from an honest owner would be much appreciated.

Tareim - V8 powered > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 17:52

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Nope I do not regret it one bit, most fun daily driver I've had (and that's out of 7 cars) I'd say a must have would be either reverse camera or parking sensors depending on preference just to make parking that little bit easier.

the rear additional diffuser is nice but I'm not sure if that's an option on the frs like it is on the brz though you can pick them up cheaper online.

push start/keyless entry is a nice feature and very convenient I'd advise you to go for (though standard on brz)

EDIT: also an armrest/cover for the centre console is a must probably the #1 thing I'd recommend

Yossarian > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 18:05

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Have a BRZ Limited. It's the best handling car I've ever driven, doesn't feel slow to me, NAV is good, Xenon HIDs are amazing, don't like the leather/suede seats that came with it, definitely prefer the cloth used in the premium trim.

The crickets that come from the engine are really annoying and there's no known fix for it. Supposedly using 93 octane fixes it but I'm stuck with 91.

Ride on the freeway is kind of harsh but bearable.

Honestly the biggest letdown of the car is the engine. It's not particularly fast to rev, and really needs more torque.

BadMotorScooter > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 18:07

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No regrets, it is a great car. At the very first I felt like it was underpowered, but after I learned the car a bit, I now think it is just fine and doesn't need more power. I have an FR-S with the TRD exhaust and really like the sound. Also have the TRD intake, which I can't compare to the stock intake since I had it put on day 1, but the car feels responsive to me. I recommend the limited edition versions as they come with auto HIDs, keyless entry/start, auto climate, etc. Nice features.

signintoburnerlol > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 18:25

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Let's take a look.

I'm at 52k miles right now. At 50k i had major oil leaking issues , my crank seal was deformed and dipstick oil ring was split. Luckily, the car was still under the power train warranty.

Now these were hard miles, lots of redline and hard driving. Should an engine crap out like this at that many miles? Most likely not. Some of the Subaru flat fours are known for having the seals crap out at various miles, anyone can make excuses. I'm not the only one who had leaky engines, you can view the forums for all the problems. It's easy to say your car is a lemon, but there is no doubt that these car have some flaws.

As a first car, this is great out of the box. For someone who owned some sporty and interesting cars already? That's where you start modifying. It's a great car from the factory, but it's more enjoyable if you start making it your own. The automatic is great, but it's no dual clutch. It's a great torque converter for the price. Manual is good too, but we already know this.

Don't get any of the TRD options unless they're free. The TRD springs are pretty nice. The exhaust is okay, there are better ones out there. Forget the TRD sway bars, you need to upgrade every other suspension component before touching sway bars.

MovedOn > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 18:38

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I've got an FR-S and feel it's a great car, as long as you understand what you are buying. Most of the criticisms are valid. The interior is a little cheap and the engine could have more power. But solve those issues and you have a $30K car instead of one at $25.

The car is an absolute blast to drive, but I'm not sure I could live with it as my only car. It's a little harsh on the freeway and requires more attention then most cars do. Because the steering is so responsive, the slightest input will have you wondering into another lane.

When the road gets curvy, that's where the car shines. I'm someone who really likes a car that you can oversteer and this thing will do it with ease. Honestly, it's almost to the point the car seems unstable at times. (My frame of reference is a succession of 4 Miatas over 25 years.) So a word of caution, if you're not used to driving a RWD car, leave the traction/stability control on while you learn your way. Otherwise, this car will surprise you.

The bottom line for me is this, if you're a driving enthusiast, there is nothing else like it at the price. If chassis dynamics are not important to you, there may be better choices.

MovedOn > Yossarian 01/25/2015 at 18:43

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There's a service bulletin for the crickets.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthr…

Yossarian > MovedOn 01/25/2015 at 18:50

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I've gone in for it and had the fuel pump replaced. Didn't fix it.

MovedOn > Yossarian 01/25/2015 at 18:59

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Bummer. It worked for me.

MovedOn > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 19:25

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One other point that occurs to me after reading the issues below is that you shouldn't expect Toyota quality and service. I bought mine from one of the biggest dealerships in the area who has a huge service department. Because the FR-S is more Subaru then Toyota, they have not been very good at troubleshooting issues. I had to bring them the three service bulletins relating to my car because they didn't know about them. I still think its a great value at the price, but Toyota build quality is not part of the deal.

VSC-Off > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 19:26

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I have a '14 BRZ Premium with the manual, about 20K miles on it and I came from a '08 Mini Cooper S with manual, LSD, sport suspension and +1 sized Dunlops StarSpecs.

Do I regret the purchase? No. Do I sometimes think about what life would be like with that really nice white '13 WRX wagon that the dealer had in the showroom? Yes. It's easy to live with this car, though. No major issues but be ready for the annoyance of the fuel pump when it begins to chirp at idle. Besides that, headlights are great, power is adequate, I'll talk about the handling in a moment, and the seats hold you in well.

As for the handling, it is not as buttoned down as the Mini. Even without the Dunlops, the Mini handled every corner I threw it into and the Dunlops hooked up even better. Ortega and Angels Crest highways were not a problem. Mid-corner corrections were not a problem, too. The tires on the triplets are obviously not the most performance orientated rubber on the market so I upgraded to a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Still not the most performance orientated rubber on the market but very close. This upgrade helped but I was expecting more of an improvement. Turn-in is fine but the rear wants to step out every chance it gets and mid-corner corrections can be nervous when you're running at 8/10. When I'm done with these tires, I plan on going with wider wheels and tires.

As for options, the Premium has all the options I want.

Let us know how things go.

TheOtherBRZ > F40LM 01/25/2015 at 19:41

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Well, I hope you read this.

I have a 2013 wrb brz, and it was great for a while but the flaws started showing. The crickets will be immediately notable regardless of 93 or 91 octane, the way to get rid of them is through non ethanol gas.

I regret my brz because its consistently shown me it's built full of compromises, interior quality is cheap at best, stuff falls off the interior, there are rattles, and driver side in America is smaller than the passenger so it always feels cramped and I'm a smaller guy.

After you own a brz other cars become boring and threatening to drive. Anything with more power feels like too much power and less fun to ring out, but the brz will always feel perfect. My brz under steers and has annoyances when traction control kicks in at any speed which lessens the enjoyment considerably.

I love the car and have had little service issues besides body panel fitmemt, crickets, interior trim falling off, and oil leak from shoddy Subaru dealership.

Honestly if I were to do it again, I'd choose a bigger quality grand touring coupe instead of this back to basics toy car.

Tim > F40LM 01/28/2015 at 17:02

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No regrets. Enjoying better tires PSS, Unequal Length Header, OFT, Modified Intake.

BRZ Limited. Find one with low miles and you can get it cheap. No tax. I don't think it's worth paying a premium for a BRZ or a Limited, but if you can find a limited for the same price I have to say not using a key anymore is really nice. I walk up to the car with all sorts of crap in my hands and not having to find or use a key is nice!

Build a bike rack for it or a custom outside rack and you can carry anything. I do all of my costco shopping runs with it, I've fit Mountain Bikes inside, on my custom rack etc.

Weathershield mats are worth it. Go for it.
You'll have fun taking every single turn too fast every single day. It's great.

Tim > Tim 01/28/2015 at 17:10

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Oh and depending on where you live and how much room you have consider having a shitty old Toyota pickup or landcruiser as a second car. I use my LC anytime I want to go on dirt, haul plants, dirt, etc etc etc