900 miles in with the new BRZ.

So last month I picked up a 2015 BRZ Limited.

My 2006 Miata had a few issues crop up suddenly that made me quit trying to sell it and just trade-it in (Top started leaking, BOSE stereo started crapping out and I had no desire to drop the money necessary to fix the 10-year old car).

I thought about waiting for the 2015 GT Mustang, but knew like the 2013 I had, the running costs would be crazy.

Enter the BRZ. Handles great, plenty quick for a street car, low consumable cost, etc. Ergo is great, seats are super comfortable (and heated for winter which is nice), the stereo while not awesome is more than acceptable with good clarity.

The car is an absolute ball to drive even on the stock tires, I suspect it shall be ridiculously fun once I'm done with it. The car is still currently stock except for Open Flash Tune.

Plans include: Coilovers (FEAL, Ground Control, RCE...haven't decided yet)
Wider wheels and tires, likely 18" over 17" because the car looks great lowered on the bigger wheels.
Intake, header (UEL so I can get the boxer rumble), full exhaust
MAP oil cooler (since apparently these run very high oil temps when pushed)

Idea is to have a fun daily driver that I can take to the occasional HPDE/Auto-X that doesn't beat me up on the street.

Everyone I know that has one loves it. I'm sure you will too.

Very Cool.

Everything I've read about them was positive until I picked up the Consumer Reports (yeah, I know, I usually ignore them too, but my wife was in the makeup isle, so I knew I had a half hour to kill in the grocery store) which has the FRS/BRZ listed at the bottom of available sports cars for "predicted reliability". Anyone know if there is something specific going on or is it just CR being a bunch of cranky old farts?

kazoospec wrote: Everything I've read about them was positive until I picked up the Consumer Reports (yeah, I know, I usually ignore them too, but my wife was in the makeup isle, so I knew I had a half hour to kill in the grocery store) which has the FRS/BRZ listed at the bottom of available sports cars for "predicted reliability". Anyone know if there is something specific going on or is it just CR being a bunch of cranky old farts?

I think when first released their were problems with taillight condensation and DI seals failing. Also apparently the HPFP has a reputation for being noisy, they've redesigned it but the noise can still come and go......sounds like a cricket (chirp chirp chirp), but apparently there is no worry about failure, just annoying.

I like and approve of your suspension plans, Myles, Clint and Tony all know their suspension setups and FEAL stuff is excellent as well. You'll be happy with whichever route you take.

Most of the reliability issues that give the car a low consumer report rating are ones that will not strand you on a back road. They are mostly annoying little things. Like odd noises, tail light condensation, etc. Mine has had none of these so far.

z31maniac wrote: I think when first released their were problems with taillight condensation and DI seals failing. Also apparently the HPFP has a reputation for being noisy, they've redesigned it but the noise can still come and go......sounds like a cricket (chirp chirp chirp), but apparently there is no worry about failure, just annoying.

My co-worker has had that fuel pump changed twice already. I think the OEM is still trying to figure it out...

Going in to year three with mine as a year round DD in Ontario.

When new, the car had enough niggling issues that it had to go to the dealer a few times. Enough that the wife unit refers to my car as the "Remon"

Because they are built to be light-weight and down to a price, they do not like cold weather. My 1990 Miata was better in all respects as a winter car.

There are a few things that I do not like about the car, but the bottom line is every-time I go for a drive, even the mundane commute to work, it makes me happy to be there. You will find very few OWNERS who are not enchanted with the way the twins go about their driving business.

The crickets are certainly there with my 2015 FR-S. It doesn't bother me and I really didn't even notice it until I saw how much people bitch about it.

Almost 4k miles and no issues at all.

rotard wrote: The crickets are certainly there with my 2015 FR-S. It doesn't bother me and I really didn't even notice it until I saw how much people bitch about it. Almost 4k miles and no issues at all.

I noticed crickets the other day. But it's been intermittent. Once I found out it doesn't hurt anything I quit caring.

I'm REALLY tempted to throw the E85 tune on it once it has in the intake/header. There is a station just a few miles from work on the way home that sells it.

In reply to z31maniac:

The DI seals are still failing and killing engines even on the new ones...

member here (ae86andkp61) has a 13 FR-S, and he believes he has "solved" his "cricket"....

He uses straight gasoline... not the typical mixed fuel. In Portland there are a few gas stations selling 100% gasoline, not mixed with any alcohols.

Unfortunately in OK, no reputable stations sell 100% gas that is 91 octane.

What is the Open Flash Tune?

http://www.openflashtablet.com/

Yeah, the crickets are quite a bit noisier with blended gas. I agree that the car is a blast to drive. I just turned 5000 miles on the FR-S and the "issues" have all been somewhere between minuscule annoyance and inconsequential.

Don't go too wide with the wheels and tires and ruin the responsiveness of the car. I've actually stepped down in tire size on mine to 205/45-17 on 17x7.5 wheels and love it. Better acceleration/deceleration, lower CG, smoother ride, and more of a blast than stock with Max Perfomance level tires that are way better in every performance aspect than the stock rubber - most especially in the wet.

Oil cooler is a VERY good idea... I can easily get to 230F daily driving while not even trying. Few moment of acceleration and up to 230F. Even got it to 240F... but that was at a state FRS/BRZ meet in August the Texas hill country where we did some...um...canyon runs.

You don't want an UEL header and such, you really want something like this right :

Auto Factory Youtube video...

While the car has minor annoyances and small issues, there is nothing for the 99+% of units made that can be categorized as a "reliability" issue. As NOHOME points out too... there is something about driving the car that makes EVERY SINGLE drive something to look forward to. You will even make excuses to go out for a drive, maybe even 'forget' needed items when shopping... LOL

Well I'm thinking I'm going to actually AUTO-X with this car more than HPDE. So wide tires won't hurt as bad.

I count at least three FRS BRZ owners in this thread. Nice to see the GRMers voting with their wallets and actually buying these! Congrats, all you lucky dogs