Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Thursday March 28, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC Subaru Models > BRZ Forum

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-30-2014, 10:35 PM   #1
gravitylover
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 334328
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mahopac NY
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ Premium 6MT
Mid Life Crisis White

Default Would you buy it again

After two years in my XV I'm thoroughly bored with the car. It's got 63,000 miles on it and I've spent enough hours in it to make myself crazy over every sluggish and bouncy episode. Yeah it's great in bad weather but ... blah There are mechanical issues starting to pop up that I don't want to deal with and I don't think should be happening yet and the thing has way to many rattles for its age.

Some of you have had your cars for a while now and I need to know what you think. Are the niggling issues really something to be concerned with? Is the low clearance actually a problem? How reliable has it been and if there have been problems have they cost so much you regretted the purchase? From what I'm reading it seems to be a good car in that respect but I figured I should ask. I'm looking at a (certified) used '13 6 speed with 15k.
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
gravitylover is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 10-30-2014, 11:04 PM   #2
soslow
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 95027
Join Date: Sep 2005
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Default

Yes, I'd buy my BRZ all over again.

But it is far from brilliant as a daily driver and hardly workable as an only car.
soslow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 12:54 AM   #3
gravitylover
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 334328
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mahopac NY
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ Premium 6MT
Mid Life Crisis White

Default

At the moment the other car in the house is an 06 Outback but if the weather is bad there is pretty much NO chance my wife would let me take it for the day. I'm working on getting a 4 X pickup or Astro AWD for those days, I'd need it to transport mt bikes and the inevitable Home Depot runs anyway.

Is it really unbearable in the winter? I've had a few lightweight rwd sports cars and didn't die and this one seems to be so much better balanced that it seems the right rubber would make it not only easily controlled (within reason of course) but probably fun too.

You say it's not a great DD. Why?
gravitylover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 01:02 AM   #4
soslow
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 95027
Join Date: Sep 2005
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Default

Its perfectly fine in the winter with snow tires.

Minus the 10 minute warmup time and windows the stick.

It's brilliant if want you want is a sports car that's better at being d every day than most other sports cars. But if what you expect is a normal car than look elsewhere. Of course mine is 110+db loud so that certainly makes it less friendly.

I love my car but the only reason I can DD it is because my fiance has a regular car for all the things I can't do with it.
soslow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 01:28 AM   #5
gravitylover
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 334328
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mahopac NY
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ Premium 6MT
Mid Life Crisis White

Default

Thanks. Yeah that was my impression from tonights test drive. More comfortable than others but not touring car comfy. Heh sticky windows and Subies, an issue I'm all to familiar with. A little shot of lock deicer solves the problem. Is there a block heater available for this motor? I have one on my XV and it's indispensable, the heat comes up within two blocks of leaving the house on even the coldest mornings.

Am I right in that basic maintenance costs are pretty much on par with other Subarus?

I see in a couple of other threads people debating the use of carseats, sounds like an unnecessary PITA to me. What about when the parents are 5'2" and 5'6" with twins @ 4'11" and done growing? Will the kids hate me? Remember I'm looking at a 6 speed so for me to really reach the clutch right the seat was kinda far forward, in the auto I sat in on the lot I had it at least 3 or 4 clicks further back.

Has anybody put a hitch on? I need to use it for a bike rack not towing.
gravitylover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 01:29 AM   #6
soslow
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 95027
Join Date: Sep 2005
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Default

Its fine with car seats. Take her car if taking the whole family.

Some people have cone up with clever bike rack solutions, using the tow point mounts.
soslow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 01:37 AM   #7
gravitylover
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 334328
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mahopac NY
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ Premium 6MT
Mid Life Crisis White

Default

Thank goodness I'm well past car seats, my kids are 15. Tiny like their still 11/12 though...
gravitylover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 09:27 AM   #8
CopperTopNWOR
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 295724
Join Date: Sep 2011
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: NW Ohio
Vehicle:
2022 WRX
WRB

Default

Their are available tow hitches on the market for them. Can typically handle up to a mini trailer with a set of tires and a toolbox on it. A lot like a miata in that respect.

As long as you aren't like soslow and put a loud exhaust on it the car is just fine as a daily
CopperTopNWOR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 09:30 AM   #9
Andrew025
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 303408
Join Date: Dec 2011
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Portland, Or
Vehicle:
04 STi
WRB

Default

I would buy it again, except I would get the limited instead of premium.
Unlocking the car, getting my daughter in the car, carrying stuff out of the car while holding keys to lock/unlock gets old.

I got mine for a pretty good price though.
Andrew025 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 10:09 AM   #10
OrbitalEllipses
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 178811
Join Date: Apr 2008
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: MoCo
Vehicle:
2011 White Corolla
Over 400hp

Default

Would buy it...but not new. If I was in the near $30K market again, I'm not sure what I'd do, but it would need more factory oomph.

15K miles isn't all that much, a year and a half of driving around. Mine turned 6 weeks ago and I just hit 20K miles. The only out of warranty type issues I'd worry about are the various window seals and light gaskets that seem to go. A catastrophic engine failure can't really be predicted. As long as the price is right, I'd do it again...I just don't think the price was right the first time around.
OrbitalEllipses is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 10:19 AM   #11
Annihilator817
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 296742
Join Date: Oct 2011
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
'16 STI, '11 WRX,
'96 328i DSP

Default

My 11 WRX is a total POS. Worst car I've ever owned.

Unreliable, handles like ****, basically tears itself apart due to the ridiculously soft bushing and mounts.

It'll be the last Subaru I ever own for sure.
Annihilator817 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 10:46 AM   #12
Cbgrandtheftauto
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 184977
Join Date: Jul 2008
Chapter/Region: South East
Location: TN
Vehicle:
99 Impreza RS
'13 BRZ

Default

I love my BRZ! I feel I paid to much for it and the monthly payments are stupid high for what it is. I feel I should pay what some local FR-s owners pay monthly.

The car does suck in the winter. Reprogramming the windows every day gets annoying. When it iced over here I could t get out of my driveway with those horrible Prius tires. Wider wheels and stickier tires has helped in the summer and at AX. I do have dedicated snow tires fir winter use, but they go on my RS since I got it fixed.

I do love the nimbleness and the excellent fuel economy it gets! My RS gets good mileage as long as you keep it out of boost, but I can beat the **** out of the BRZ and still get better mileage!
Cbgrandtheftauto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 11:06 AM   #13
OrbitalEllipses
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 178811
Join Date: Apr 2008
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: MoCo
Vehicle:
2011 White Corolla
Over 400hp

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annihilator817 View Post
My 11 WRX is a total POS. Worst car I've ever owned.

Unreliable, handles like ****, basically tears itself apart due to the ridiculously soft bushing and mounts.

It'll be the last Subaru I ever own for sure.
Good thing this thread is about the BRZ.
OrbitalEllipses is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 11:17 AM   #14
Annihilator817
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 296742
Join Date: Oct 2011
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
'16 STI, '11 WRX,
'96 328i DSP

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses View Post
Good thing this thread is about the BRZ.
Though it is in the BRZ section, it is most certainly not specifically about the BRZ.

OP is talking about his XV Crosstek, another about his LGT.
Annihilator817 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 11:37 AM   #15
OrbitalEllipses
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 178811
Join Date: Apr 2008
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: MoCo
Vehicle:
2011 White Corolla
Over 400hp

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annihilator817 View Post
Though it is in the BRZ section, it is most certainly not specifically about the BRZ.

OP is talking about his XV Crosstek, another about his LGT.
He is bored of his cars and wants to know if we too, are bored of the cars we bought...which is the car he is looking at buying.

So no, it is specifically about the BRZ.
OrbitalEllipses is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 12:20 PM   #16
chanomatik
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 159474
Join Date: Sep 2007
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: Northbridge, MA
Vehicle:
2017 Impreza Sport
Lithium Red - OLDKID

Default

He's asking ABOUT the BRZ and comparing it to his other cars. And I'd never buy another 2011 WRX (or any WRX) again, but I wouldn't nix all of Subaru based on my experience with that half-assed car. I actually think the other vehicles in the lineup fare better under scrutiny because they serve more specific purposes. The WRX is too middle-of-the-road. Either go with the STI to have a better start for something that drives better, handles better, and is relatively more reliable, or get another Subaru that has more room, gets better gas mileage, and is less expensive to replace parts for in a pinch.

Concerning the BRZ, I have almost 50k on mine at 24 months of ownership. I tend to agree that it's not something I'd buy for almost $30k brand new, but used, I'd definitely purchase again. Maybe if it had an FA25 making about 225HP, I'd buy again for full MSRP.

The windows don't stick if you park your car under a cover. I've had my car parked under a port tent from Costco for a full winter and now this winter and haven't had window issues anytime I park it under one. The winter prior, yes, window sticking issues ALL THE TIME.

The car doesn't make enough power to make you question the transmission's ability to take abuse. It's an Aisin transmission mated to something that only makes about... 160WHP? Not much. And the engine seems robust enough. I don't worry about it.

I worried about my WRX all the time and it proved it was worth worrying about since the shift fork broke and the next owner blew up the engine. The lightest mods were thrown at it. So sad. So sad.
chanomatik is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 04:54 PM   #17
itwillboost
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 289693
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: New Jersey
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ
Sterling Silver Met.

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses View Post
Would buy it...but not new. If I was in the near $30K market again, I'm not sure what I'd do, but it would need more factory oomph.

15K miles isn't all that much, a year and a half of driving around. Mine turned 6 weeks ago and I just hit 20K miles. The only out of warranty type issues I'd worry about are the various window seals and light gaskets that seem to go. A catastrophic engine failure can't really be predicted. As long as the price is right, I'd do it again...I just don't think the price was right the first time around.
I agree 100% but I was just offered a chance to trade my car in and get a new fully loaded 15 STI for 20k and I turned it down. I love my car, if I wasn't so impatient I could have definitely saved quite a bit though.
itwillboost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 06:39 PM   #18
Jaxx
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 177
Join Date: Aug 1999
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Vehicle:
The 93 W/EJ20K-sold
Subaru-less :(

Default

No. transmission is terrible 0/10

The 2nd gear syncro is garbage its been bad since i drove it off the lot (with 68 miles on it)
i have had 8 subarus before the FRS. All but one have had the "glass" transmission nothing has compared to this crapbag. My 93 wrx with 178k miles shifts better.

its the cheapest car i have ever owned payment wise .. should have spent the extra $ and gotten a 15 wrx

fwiw it is a 13 frs series 10, purchased(leased) may 31 2014, 0 down,0 deposit,$247.00/month, 36 months, 15k miles per year

Last edited by Jaxx; 10-31-2014 at 06:56 PM.
Jaxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 08:48 PM   #19
soslow
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 95027
Join Date: Sep 2005
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Default

Lolwut.

Change the fluid. Even on stock fluid the trans was fine except for cold mornings. Sounds like you got a bad unit.
soslow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2014, 11:03 PM   #20
gravitylover
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 334328
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mahopac NY
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ Premium 6MT
Mid Life Crisis White

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annihilator817 View Post
My 11 WRX is a total POS. Worst car I've ever owned.

Unreliable, handles like ****, basically tears itself apart due to the ridiculously soft bushing and mounts.

It'll be the last Subaru I ever own for sure.
BZZZZ, wrong answer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses View Post
He is bored of his cars and wants to know if we too, are bored of the cars we bought...which is the car he is looking at buying.

So no, it is specifically about the BRZ.
Yup just about the BRZ and you guys are the "experts."

Not so much are you bored with yours but do you feel it was a good purchase and if it experienced a catastrophe tomorrow would you get another one or move on. Other than the expected internet whining I think the sentiment is most people are happy with what they bought outside of minor things. Having been through a few (15 or so) low option vehicles over the last 30 years I think the complaints about the details are silly.

I want to know the dirt. With a focus on light weight and the economy side of the car is it too light duty to handle being a daily driver in todays world? Suspension bits, brake pads/rotors or stuff like the clutch and associated drivetrain parts, do they last or is that something to expect to need to replace at 50k/75k or ...? What does a clutch cost? Is premium gas really necessary because around here it tends to be 30 or more cents a gallon above regular.

Yes I understand the stock rubber isn't a first choice for my needs, got that under control. I think it may be time to invest in a Seasucker bike rack anyway but with hitches easily available it's nice to know that I can use it as a family ride car sometimes too. I'm still going to get a pickup for the tough work and bad weather...
gravitylover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2014, 02:57 AM   #21
Kostamojen
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 2272
Join Date: Sep 2000
Chapter/Region: BAIC
Location: Fire Caves
Vehicle:
2019 Macan 4cyl
1993 Impreza FWD WRX swap

Default

Yes premium gas is required, and try to stay away from high Ethanol blends. That 30 cents is a fixed cost you can calculate for based off your driving, but you make up for it with the better mileage (I get 33mpg on the freeway).

Anyway, yes I would buy it again. I'm spoiled now, I try and test out any other car and it immediately has to be compared to the BRZ... The twins have such a good seating position and driving feel that its hard to drive anything else now and enjoy it, at least anything affordable.
Kostamojen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2014, 03:15 PM   #22
quentinberg007
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 7887
Join Date: Jun 2001
Vehicle:
2023 Tangerine
2023 3 Cylinder

Default

Yea. I only bought mine 2 months ago, though.

No issues with my 6MT syncros, either. When it is really cold in the morning, it takes a moment to get in first after coming to a stop sign, but most of my manual transmissions have done that.
quentinberg007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2014, 05:03 PM   #23
jprice130
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 288225
Join Date: Jul 2011
Chapter/Region: South East
Location: Harrisburg, NC
Vehicle:
2014 BRZ
WRB

Default

Why yes I would buy it again....and I did!!

I bought a Limited AT BRZ in June 2012 and loved it, but then I got hooked on autoX and realized that the manual transmission was the way to go. So in Aug 2013, I traded in the BRZ for a MT FR-S and am still loving it. I'm married and have 4 kids, so it's obviously not practical for family stuff, but it's been a great drive-to-work / autoX car and I have a mini-van for all the family hauling duties. I also live in NC, so challenging winters aren't really an issue for me.

I had a WRX before and while I do miss boost, I still prefer the BRZ/FR-S much more.
jprice130 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2014, 05:03 PM   #24
noodleface
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 111952
Join Date: Apr 2006
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: Boston
Vehicle:
'21 ZL1 1LE
'23 Solterra '19 Forester

Default

Yes, in a heartbeat. I traded my '10 WRX hatch which seemed to fit my lifestyle perfectly. No, it's not the best daily driver nor the most practical particularly in New England. But, it is hands down my favorite car I've ever owned. If anything, the flaws melt away when I get behind the wheel.
noodleface is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2014, 08:54 AM   #25
gravitylover
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 334328
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Mahopac NY
Vehicle:
2013 BRZ Premium 6MT
Mid Life Crisis White

Default

Heh, jprice is funny.

Thanks guys. I'm on the fence right now and the wife is

I think I came up with a roof rack solution though and there are some great ideas out there for the back of the car so carrying bikes isn't as difficult as I first thought. Space for the gear is a different story
gravitylover is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.