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Life After Motorcycle: GR86/BRZ Worth a Look?

-alan- said:
Or.. buy the lower priced one and keep the $5695 for your preferred upgrades / track day slush-fund..
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That's what I did when I settled for a mid-spec Subaru Legacy. Spent the cost difference trying to get it up to GT spec with Bilstein shocks, bigger brakes and wheels, leather etc. That still didn't make it a GT, which was what I really wanted.
 
Update, Part Quatre:
Wherein my decision-making skills become even more suspect…

I withdrew my upcoming MX-5 order and entered an immediate order for a BRZ Limited with 6-speed manual trans.

Reasons? The impracticality of owning a tiny two-seat convertible that I barely fit in and has virtually no interior storage space became increasingly obvious. Driving it in Wisconsin winters would be a royal pain, as Mazda advises not running the car through automated car washes; this would make it very difficult to rinse off the road salt that accumulates during winter driving.

I also don’t relish the need to periodically apply water repellent to the Miata’s fabric top, or to clean out the water drainage filters to ensure runoff from the top doesn’t seep into the passenger compartment.

On a more obscure note, I realized I would rather not own another car that uses only direct fuel injection. My VW Golf is on the cusp of needing the walnut shell blasting treatment to clear out carbon deposits, a process that is not cheap. The combined direct/port injection scheme of the BRZ should minimize such carbon buildup.

In short, I appear to be a lazy bastard who just wants a fun car that doesn’t require frequent attention. That said, the BRZ will certainly rivet my attention at the gas station thanks to its crappy fuel economy. Sigh…
 
I had one brief spin in the old version of BRZ. It's a very finely sorted car with the usual Subaru plastics and design inside, which is a shame I think, but given the right road, it was lovely to drive hard. That's what it does (unlike the MX5 or even the Toyota) it loves to be thrashed and chucked about. If you don't do that then i think the Toyota is the better car, but if you do, Subaru rules.
 
I think I'd be more of a BRZ type than an MX5 one too. Good call.

Subito said:
. That said, the BRZ will certainly rivet my attention at the gas station thanks to its crappy fuel economy. Sigh…
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It ain't the quantity of miles per gallon that's important.. it's the quality of them.. :)
 
I know the MX-5 is a nice drive. It handles beautifully in Grand Tourismo. But the lack of back seats - even if it is to store my jacket on a warm day or my work bag - is too limiting for me. I also have an irrational fear of vandals slashing the fabric top when parked in less salubrious places. For me, and it is still under active consideration if I should buy another ICE car, I would have the BR-Z|GR86 over the MX-5.
 
James said:
I also have an irrational fear of vandals slashing the fabric top when parked in less salubrious places.
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ISTR Mazda offered a metal folding roof as an option on the Mk III if that's the only thing stopping you.

Or there's the RF, but go for the facelift model. AIUI, that addressed the problem of excessive wind noise with the roof open.
 
Rockmeister said:
I had one brief spin in the old version of BRZ. It's a very finely sorted car with the usual Subaru plastics and design inside, which is a shame I think, but given the right road, it was lovely to drive hard. That's what it does (unlike the MX5 or even the Toyota) it loves to be thrashed and chucked about. If you don't do that then i think the Toyota is the better car, but if you do, Subaru rules.
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I humbly disagree :), the MX-5 loves to be driven hard that's where it shines, the problem is too many old farts drive them and never go above 3000 rpm, the MX loves the higher rev limit !
 
MartinC said:
I humbly disagree :), the MX-5 loves to be driven hard that's where it shines, the problem is too many old farts drive them and never go above 3000 rpm, the MX loves the higher rev limit !
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The 2019 facelift uplifted the redline from 6800 rpm to 7500 rpm.
 
Seeker_UK said:
ISTR Mazda offered a metal folding roof as an option on the Mk III if that's the only thing stopping you.

Or there's the RF, but go for the facelift model. AIUI, that addressed the problem of excessive wind noise with the roof open.
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The RF doesn't look as nice as the soft-top. I suppose it is designed for people who don't like the full convertible experience.
 
Update, Conclusion:
In the extremely unlikely event anyone gives a flying toss about this thread, I hereby offer my sorry conclusion to my vehicular quest. Following my new favorite mantra—“F**k it, I give up”—I abandoned my sports car search and bought another motorcycle.

To wit, a spiffy new (0 miles on the odo!) 2022 Yamaha MT-07 in Matte Raven Black, my first-ever Yamaha and first-ever black bike. I grew so very tired of trying to wangle a place in line for the chance to buy a $35,000 sports car (Miata, GR86, BRZ) that I don’t fit in all that well. My VW Golf is constantly reminding me how much I like to be comfortable in a car.

So I decided to plunk for the almost comically inexpensive MT-07 ($7,899 US), mainly because it is widely acclaimed as “fun.” My previous 2019 Triumph Street Triple R was clearly superior to the MT in every objective way, but I wouldn’t describe it as all that much fun. Fast to be sure, even scary if you are so inclined, but not that many laughs. So I am hoping the MT will be the spiritual successor to my 1991 Honda Hawk GT, which I owned for 28 years, rode for 65,000 miles and enjoyed endless giggles on.
 
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Congratulations Subito, have fun. A mate bought an XSR700 tribute in silver with the factory upswept exhaust, looked the business and he really enjoyed it even after having previously had an XJR1300 which speaks volumes really.
 
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