Which would you choose? (996, BRZ or 135i)

drummerfromdefleopard wrote: In reply to Woody: I don't break rules in a constructive flounder effort, I halibut them.

Oh no...

I've spent considerable time in a 996 and it didn't impress me. It was fast and capable, but not much fun.

The 135i also doesn't trip my trigger.

I'm a big fan of the Frizbee twins, so that's what I'd do. They have a light-nimble, visceral feel that I love. I also think the design is an attractive one that will age well.

Unless you throw the Cayman into the equation....... those are pretty tough to beat-- but I'd want a nice nest-egg set aside for maintenance / service.

I think I'm still attracted to the hype of the BRZ and wish I could have an opportunity to drive one. I'm not a huge fan of the looks but of those three I still think that's what I would choose.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Internet OE vs Internet OE. The dealers never have stock and take too long to order stuff.

The German cars are too risky for the depth of my pockets. I'm done with having to pay exorbitant amounts of money for a company's poor engineering or manufacturing decisions. The driving experience is good but so over hyped. My vote would be FRS / BRZ.

Spend the savings in "maintenance" and "parts" on track days.

If I were to get something German, it would be a mid-engine Porsche.

I bought a 996 about 14 months ago, and love it. My 6 year old daughter fits with her booster in the rear seat behind me just fine (I'm 6'4"), and my 2 year old son fits in his high back booster behind my 5'4" wife just fine. I wouldn't recommend this for a road trip, but anything around the 1-2 hour mark isn't an issue.

The BRZ does intrigue me too, but I don't think the rear seats allow for as much room as the 996 does. I haven't tried putting the family in one, but going on looks I don't think it'd work for me.

The 135i is on my radar for when I get car ADD, and the 996 gets boring/old to me.

In reply to clutchsmoke:

no worries or fear, anytime I see a what car thread with a limited number of options I think, they want something similar to these, yet none is really the answer to what they want. They want something similar, but it hasn't come to them yet, and they can't quite put their finger on it. Otherwise we'd get a learn me thread on a specific vehicle that is being leaned towards heavily.

So you're currently driving an M3/4/5? Let me take that burden off your hands and maybe you'll find inspiration.

Buying a BRZ would have been a lot less damaging to my wallet, but I happen to like my 996...

E46 M3 over a 135i, every time.

pres589 wrote: Can I put in a vote for doing a restore/update on the M3 you already have? 996 sounds nice but the motor scares me, BRZ just never did it for me, and the 135i is over weight and overly complex.

Would this 410 hp BRZ do it for you?

Porsche....996 especially. I say that because the rest of them are going to depreciate while I bet the 996 has hit about the bottom of the depreciation curve.

Lets pump that budget up and go 996TT.

Of course the 135i can make 410 hp in its sleep.

If you're used to driving an M car, the FRS or BRZ will feel slow to you.

A 996 would make a nice toy, but yes, very intimidating car for a DIYer.

135i is not that heavy and is fairly DIY friendly for a new twin turbo coupe.

drdisque wrote: A 996 would make a nice toy, but yes, very intimidating car for a DIYer.

They're not that bad. They're not Miata simple and they're fiddly, but a lot of the work is perfectly DIY-able if you're willing to take the time. Just don't expect things like a plug change to take five minutes.

There's also a huge Porsche DIY community out there.

In reply to Tyler H: Ha. It'll honestly take a lot for me to let it go. Alpine white, magma leather, tckline suspension, and Arc8 wheels. I'm not sure the BRZ/FRS would do it, but a 996 or high hp 135i might do it.

In reply to BoxheadTim: That actually brings up a good question. Is something like a clutch replacement on a 996 a DIY job?

drummerfromdefleopard wrote: In reply to clutchsmoke: no worries or fear, anytime I see a what car thread with a limited number of options I think, they want something similar to these, yet none is really the answer to what they want. They want something similar, but it hasn't come to them yet, and they can't quite put their finger on it. Otherwise we'd get a learn me thread on a specific vehicle that is being leaned towards heavily.

Oh I know what you mean I just was chuckling at your play on words and how it was a total "Dad joke".

ZacAutox wrote: In reply to BoxheadTim: That actually brings up a good question. Is something like a clutch replacement on a 996 a DIY job?

It's doable if you're willing to take your time, but you probably want access to a lift if you want to preserve your sanity.

IIRC on the 2WD ones you "only" need to drop out the gearbox to do the clutch.

Interesting question. I have a '15 BRZ that I bought new about 2 months ago. It has pluses and warts. For starters, every trip is a journey, in a good way. It simply begs to be driven. Nice shift and steering feel, easily thrown around, and it about the perfect size.

It's not all rosy however. It is slow, especially compared to my old 370Z. The mid range acceleration is particularly bad. And while the shifts are short and nice, it is very crunchy on the change. I am going to do a fluid change and if that doesn't fix the problem, then it will go to the dealer for transmission work. Yes, it's that bad. It also has the "cricket" problem and developed it at about 500 miles.

The worst for me though is the seats. I have an appointment to have them modified by a shop this coming week, and if they cannot fix them, I will sell the car. As it is, I can hardly drive it. Of course this is my problem, with my back, but it is clearly not meant to be an "old" persons car. In fact, the day I was at the upholster, there were three Twins there getting seat work. So its not just me.

Interestingly, I am off to look at a 135i this evening, and it may be my DD even if I keep the BRZ. I am also looking at a 335i coupe tomorrow.

Not gonna look at aftermarket seats before selling the whole car?

GameboyRMH wrote: Not gonna look at aftermarket seats before selling the whole car?

After market seats for newer vehicles are becoming "not an option". With side airbags in most vehicles and the various sensors attached to the seats for the airbags systems it is becoming impossible to replace seats and still have the safety systems work.

My 2010 Transit Connect has side airbags built in to the seat, sensors for the seat belt, and a sensor for the seat position to regulate the deployment force of the air bag. And that is just for the driver's side. The passenger side has an air bladder in the seat to measure the weight of the passenger also.

In addition, most of the major aftermarket seat manufacturers have been cutting back on the number of adjustable back type seats they offer.

GameboyRMH wrote: Not gonna look at aftermarket seats before selling the whole car?

As said above, you lose all the airbag function going that route, but more importantly, I can't find one I like that fits into the spot. That is why I am going the custom route. The reclining nature of the driving position is perhaps the biggest problem, so not sure what I am doing with solve it. If I didn't have disk problems in my lower back and neck, I would probably like these seats. Well, maybe not the head restraint, it simply sticks out too far forward and has no adjustment.

Cotton wrote: Lets pump that budget up and go 996TT.

That makes it easy. 996TTs are the best bargain in the Porsche world right now, as long as you can get past the headlights, which you may actually be able to do with the engine that's in the back.

TBH I don't know why everybody is getting so excited about the headlights. It's not like they're visible from the driver's seat or something.

In reply to racerdave600:

I am interested to hear how your attempt at seat mods works. I am not a big fan of the FR-S seats; I am fairly tall and a bit broad, and the wings on the top of the seat back are too narrow/low, so they hit my shoulder blades in a really awkward way...and it is about my only complaint about the car! I also don't want to go aftermarket and get into problems with the airbags.

How is the fuel mileage on the 996 or the 135i?