I put a deposit down on a new car today (BRZ)

[Eikon]

can't find digital camera.. grrrr might have to pop in some cell phone pics for now. I think I left my camera in my apartment in Detroit.

[Eikon]

I've got over 300 miles on it now in just two days.

I drove around town looking for a good picture location. I wound up at the original BF Goodrich tire factory in Akron. After that I headed up to Cleveland and had lunch with Torry (EZCheese15). I got a chance to drive his celica all-trac and immediately decided that his engine in my car would perfect. We headed out to a local dragstrip and met Jerry (NSRZ32) and Josh (NSRSheets) and a few other folks. Got to see a ton of SR20de powered cars as it was the annual SR20de convention.

Here are some pictures..

[DJ_B_Easy]

<----Jelly...

[frapjap]

Sexy car- it definitely looks smaller than the publicized photos.

[Ace 2.0]

congrats on the toybaru it is a very beautiful car
do you think you could snap some pics next to another car to show how small it really isi know teh car is built to handle but how does it feel on the dragstrip?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Very nice.

[sbird1]

I am highly jealous. Looks like an awesome car. Just for kicks and giggles you should take a picture of it next to a new Taurus, since they're like the biggest car ever made. Enjoy that engineering masterpiece.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Very nice!

Just for kicks and giggles you should take a picture of it next to a new Taurus, since they're like the biggest car ever made.

[bigbadberry3]

The color looks way better in person. Any interior shots?

[MinisterofDOOM]

I love the rear fog light/reverse light arrangement. Low and out of the way. I just wish the turn signal housings were red and not clear (I have the same complaint about my own car).

Is the center stop light floating above the rear deck? That's really weird.

[Eikon]

Yes, the center stop does stick up a few inches. No idea why..


No interior shots from me at this point, but if you google something like BRZ premium interior I'm sure you'll find tons.
I like the cloth interior.. it's really nice in my opinion.

sbird.. you're right about the taurus.. I should find one.. I think the Taurus might be bigger than most SUV's.. They are like lowered Expeditions.. just not as boxy.

[Razi]

The 3rd brake light floats on the S13 coupe too, looks funny.

Car looks fantastic! I like the blue.

[flohtingPoint]

We headed out to a local dragstrip

What were your run times? That's the interesting stuff =P

[bigbadberry3]

We headed out to a local dragstrip

What were your run times? That's the interesting stuff =P

+1

[Eikon]

Sorry.. Just a spectator this time. I'm going to put at least 500 miles on it... probably more like 1000 before I actually run it at a track. I might just autocross it in two weeks.. maybe..

I did buy a helmet yesterday.

[sx moneypit]

<----Jelly...

[RicerX]

Would love to see the size comparison next to a 370Z. That blue is absolutely gorgeous. I love it.

[Eikon]

Would love to see the size comparison next to a 370Z. That blue is absolutely gorgeous. I love it.

Thanks! I like the blue as well.. Though sometimes I struggle with the thought that so many other BRZ owners also got the same blue. It's by far the most popular BRZ color.. I've always gone against the flow a little bit.. I like unique and rare.. Oh well.. it'll be a low enough run that I probably won't see a lot of other blue BRZ's on the road.


I don't have anything to compare vs. 370z.. but it's definitely smaller. Here's a size chart to compare BRZ to some others.. BRZ is technically the FT86 concept at the time this chart was drawn up. It's the black one. I think it's a little bigger than the miata in real life.. though in this chart they appear almost identical.. The shocker is how huge the Gen Coupe is.. I mean.. I know it's 600 pounds more weight.. and in this pic you can understand why.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Bah, NC miata?! Compare it to a REAL miata

(Yes, I know you didn't take/make that pic/chart).

Seth I wish I lived closer to you, all the stuff you're talking about doing to it... I WANNA BE IN ON THAT ACTION!

[RobPaulson]

hey i heard a rumor that these brz's are going to be hard to get ahold of from the dealer because of some kind of limited release in the USA. Is this true? I am REALLY interested in one of these but really am not in the market for another year....

[Eikon]

hey i heard a rumor that these brz's are going to be hard to get ahold of from the dealer because of some kind of limited release in the USA. Is this true? I am REALLY interested in one of these but really am not in the market for another year....

First year production for the Subaru version of this car is around 3500 units. They said 500 cars per month (May - Nov).. so like 10 cars per month per state.. clearly they don't divide out like that.. but consider that as a frame of reference for the rarity of the car.

The Scion is supposed to be 10k or more for this year.

It's hard to say what production volumes will look like next year.. I'm sure they will make more than this year, but it's hard to know what max capacity is in the Fuji Heavy Industries - Gunma, Japan facility.

Start saving your pennies and when you get a little closer, find a dealership you like and put in an order.. You'll be able to get one.. It's not like some limited production supercar where you have to have some special connection just to get on a list. You could probably get a less expensive used version in a year as well..

[bigbadberry3]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2013-BRA ... 969wt_1165

Mark up!

[VQpwrdSE-R]

OP, I saw and sat in a new red BRZ at the STPR rally In northern PA last weekend. It was the first one I had seen in person. After looking and sitting in it I feel like you made a great purchase. What a great looking car! The bucket seats hold you well. Interior looks nice body lines good. I do dislike the alloys. They need an offset and look like Konig or OZ wheels but aside from the wheels it looks awesome! Great purchase You should be very happy.

[Eikon]

OP, I saw and sat in a new red BRZ at the STPR rally In northern PA last weekend. It was the first one I had seen in person. After looking and sitting in it I feel like you made a great purchase. What a great looking car! The bucket seats hold you well. Interior looks nice body lines good. I do dislike the alloys. They need an offset and look like Konig or OZ wheels but aside from the wheels it looks awesome! Great purchase You should be very happy.

Thanks!
I love it too!

I'm having a rough week.. I work in Detroit during the week, but I just have a studio apartment I stay in with no garage.. so I couldn't bring the car up here. So Ive gone 4 days away from the car and I miss it really bad!

I agree that the wheel fitment is terrible.. but my understanding is that they did that intentionally.. narrower tires break loose easier and let all the magazine testers get it sideways with ease.. It shows off it's balance really well and makes for exciting driving.

I'm set of finding a way to fit my 18" gramlights on the car... too bad they are 5x114.3. I need to figure out a hub swap of some kind.. 5x100 blows for RWD cars.


Still, my only real complaint with the car is that it needs more power... I'll be working on that over time.

[alms24sebring]

God that is a sexy car. Like there really is not a single thing I dont like about the way it looks. The only thing I dont like about it is that The FRS is the same thing. I need interior pics. Great price too. I cant wait to see some at some car meets

[C-Kwik]

Congrats. Just saw a FRS or BRZ yesterday. Not sure which since I saw it moments before it passed going the opposite direction and they look the same from the back. And unfortunately for me, the rear is the part I like least about the car. Its not terrible, The taillights just don't integrate as well as I'd like. Still, its high on a list of cars I might consider upgrading the GF into after I graduate.

[Eikon]

filled the gas tank for the first time. I'm shocked... 31.9 mpg

I also got into a turn on a back road at night that wound up being a much tighter corner than I expected... I had visions of being the first bonehead to wreck there BRZ. But it stuck like glue a despite the tires squalking with displeasure. Man am I impressed with the handling of this car.

I also figured out how to pair the Bluetooth with my phone so that I can stream audio from any app on my cell phone... Pretty sweet!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Almost 32 MPG and you've been driving quite spirited right? Pretty dang good!

[Eikon]

I don't know that I'd call it spirited.. at least from an acceleration/braking basis.. I've been really gentle. I'm trying to break it in gently. I haven't revved it above 4k yet.

I have been spirited in my turning though..

Most of the miles were running around last weekend.. up to Cleveland, out a dragstrip that was an hour away.. I'd say 75% highway.

Still 32mpg is incredibly good.. seeing as it's rated at 30 mpg highway. For me to exceed that on the first tank is a very pleasant surprise. I fully expect it to continue to improve as the engine breaks in.. most cars see 1-2 mpg's improvement by the time they hit 5k to 10k miles.

Then again.. I'm sure I'll have some poor mpgs after I hit 1k miles and start to play with the rest of the powerband. ;0

[Eikon]

I finally hit 500 miles this past weekend. Still driving under "break-in" rules. I put 300 miles on it the first weekend and little over 200 miles in the 3 weeks since then. I wish I could bring it to Detroit with me during the week.. but I don't like the idea of leaving it in an open parking lot overnight in my apartment complex.


I was going to do an oil change this weekend, but didn't have the time for it.. I opted to do a full detail instead.


I spend almost the entire day on yesterday detailing my BRZ. I haven't had a new car in a long time.. and certainly never a car as beautiful as this BRZ. So I wanted to do a good detail to make sure I do as much as I can to protect the paint for the long term.

Now.. Keep in mind, I'm no paint snob or prefessional detailer. (I'll spare you the exact names of each product as I suspect nobody really cares that much.. though nearly everything was Meguiar's brand.)


Here's what I did:
1.) Spray tires
2.) two bucket method car wash / dry
3.) IronX
4.) Wash and dry again.
5.) Clay bar
6.) Wash and dry again.
7.) Apply paint sealant with rotary buffer.. let sit for 2 hours to seal then wipe off.
8.) Apply paint glaze/polish and wipe off before drying (per instructions)
9.) Wax (Meg's ultimate liquid wax... I think I like a carnuba wax better.. maybe just because I'm used to seeing it dry to a white film..)
10.) Wash windows and then apply rain-x

I have some thoughts on detailing a car..
-My arms are really tired and sore.
-I couldn't do that for a full time job.
-The attention to detail and concentration to do this job really well.. is impressive. (see point above)
-IronX is really cool. It turns all the metallic deposits (iron from rail dust) into a purple dissolving glob and then it all runs off onto the ground. I have some pics that I'll upload later. It's really nice to know that between the IronX and claybar, I've gotten nearly all the contaminants out of the paint surface.

I also have a couple of problems..
- With such a beautiful mirror-like shine, I now have to see my ugly mug in the reflection every time I look directly at the car.. not good!
- having worked so hard to make it perfect, I don't want to ever take it out of the garage again. That's a pretty expensive decoration.


I took some pictures, but they don't do it justice. I'm using a cheap $75 point and shoot digicam. It was a mostly cloudy day.. which is great for waxing a car, but terrible for taking pictures to show off the glassy shine.