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captdownshift
captdownshift PowerDork
9/3/17 12:51 p.m.

Is now the time to consider the reality and merits of a $20k LS powered sports coupe with fantastic chassis dynamics?

mad_machine
mad_machine MegaDork
9/3/17 1:50 p.m.

almost everyone I have seen on the road has been owned by somebody young who beats on it. How are they holding up?

wearymicrobe
wearymicrobe UltraDork
9/3/17 1:50 p.m.

Are they really that low. I would love to get one for the wife in a automatic.

captdownshift
captdownshift PowerDork
9/3/17 1:53 p.m.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

There are several in the mid Atlantic for less than $13k

Knurled
Knurled MegaDork
9/3/17 2:09 p.m.
captdownshift wrote: Is now the time to consider the reality and merits of a $20k LS powered sports coupe with fantastic chassis dynamics?

The engine with a decent exhaust sounds way too good to take out in favor of something that sounds like a contractor's Silverado.

thestig99
thestig99 HalfDork
9/3/17 3:14 p.m.

Didn't realize they had come down that far in price.

Do they have LSD's?

I'm having bad thoughts.

http://www.subtle-solutions.com/product_info.php?products_id=284

racerfink
racerfink UltraDork
9/3/17 3:35 p.m.

Or WRL GP3 class racecars?

captdownshift
captdownshift PowerDork
9/3/17 3:47 p.m.

In reply to thestig99:

that's not a bad thought, but rather it's a proper one.

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
9/3/17 5:53 p.m.

Damn. There's one for 11 large local. Slammed, etc. Looks to have been owned by somebody young who beats on it.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
9/3/17 6:57 p.m.

At this stage they remind me of the RX-8. Great chassis, only one motor that doesn't excite enough people. Plummeting values.

stroker
stroker UltraDork
9/3/17 7:07 p.m.

"Frisbee Twin"?

MrChaos
MrChaos Dork
9/3/17 7:15 p.m.
stroker wrote: "Frisbee Twin"?

FR-S/BR-Z or 86

NOHOME
NOHOME UltimaDork
9/3/17 7:34 p.m.
mad_machine wrote: almost everyone I have seen on the road has been owned by somebody young who beats on it. How are they holding up?

As a person who owns one, I have to say that it seems to be more of a digital thing:

If the car is slammed and stanced, then yeah...maybe stay away.

The majority are owned by people like me who want a fun toaster to drive to work and probably still have the factory air in the tires.

The saggy pants crowd will be the second hand owners, so maybe the key is to buy from the original owner.

Then again, if you are going to yank the engine, gearbox and rear-end, what does it all matter? No rust=go for it.

The can-bus stuff seems to be getting sorted out by the aftermarket, so if yo need all the stuff to work, it is possible. Front swaybars seem to remain the biggest swap hurdle.

DirtyBird222
DirtyBird222 UltraDork
9/3/17 7:48 p.m.

Sheesh not here in Central Florida. The cheap ones are rebuilt titles with automatics. They are still pulling a premium of $16k+

OldGray320i
OldGray320i Dork
9/3/17 8:18 p.m.

Are they reliable otherwise?

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
9/3/17 8:22 p.m.

2.5 years and nothing else but oil changes. So, yes.

secretariata
secretariata Dork
9/3/17 8:46 p.m.
Appleseed wrote: 2.5 years and nothing else but oil changes. So, yes.

Same here. Need to do fluids in the trans & diff soon...

OldGray320i
OldGray320i Dork
9/3/17 9:04 p.m.

Nice. Can LSD be had?

Can one turn off electronic nannies?

secretariata
secretariata Dork
9/3/17 9:23 p.m.

In reply to OldGray320i:

Yes, comes stock with Torsen LSD and google FR-S "pedal dance"...

OldGray320i
OldGray320i Dork
9/3/17 9:49 p.m.

Looking online a bit, seems like a lot of knick knack problems on one website, I'll have to research a little more.

I need to thin the heard, would obviously want something fun. Thought about a 128i, but brakes are expensive, and wheel/tire fitment is limited.

Thought maybe s197, but I like lighter weight.

These things are 10-15k here in SoAZ.

secretariata
secretariata Dork
9/3/17 11:16 p.m.

I bought mine a little over 2.5 years ago with just under 10k miles on it. Now has about 30k miles. My only complaints were the "torque dip" which was resolved with an OpenFlash tuner ($500) and the fake carbon fiber panel to the right of the radio rattles occasionally. I use it as a DD and have not used it for autox or taken it on track. the only sporty car that I've kept for a longer period of time was my Miata...that one made 5.5 years. 350z made 6 months, 01 Mustang GT made 1 year, 86 Mustang SVO made 1 year, 86 CRX made 1 year, 89 CRX Si made 2 years, e36 has made 9 months...

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
9/4/17 7:38 a.m.

My coworker's FR-S has been reliable since he bought it over 2 years ago.

Otherwise, I agree with NOHOME. If you want to keep it generally stock, buy an unmodified car from the original owner. If you plan to do an LS swap, is the drivetrain and/or suspension condition all that important?

Schmidlap
Schmidlap HalfDork
9/4/17 8:13 a.m.

I bought a 2013 FRS in June of 2015 and haven't had any problems except the drivers side window forgets where it is sometimes. The car has frameless windows so when you open the door the window drops down about 1/2 an inch, then when you close the door it goes back up into the weatherstipping. At least it's supposed to. Mine usually does this, but sometimes there's a small gap between the window and the weatherstripping and I have to close the window manually. Not a big deal, but if it gets worse and starts letting rain in when parked, it will need to be fixed.

NOHOME
NOHOME UltimaDork
9/4/17 8:18 a.m.

Had mine since the first day they came out in Ontario. I use it either for the 5 mile drive to work everyday, or for marathon 1000 mile/day blast to some beer drinking destination. Not much in between and it works well for both applications.

I have no idea what it is that the car lacks sufficient power to do and nobody has been able to give me that answer either? That said, I would love to try one with an LS conversion. Maybe an opportunity for FM to leverage their late-model LS swapping expertise and expand the business.

RX8driver
RX8driver Reader
9/4/17 8:34 a.m.

If you're just wanting to swap in a V8, why not start with an RX8, it's got bigger brakes, a better suspension, room for bigger tires and can be had much cheaper. Seems like a win-win. I've never quite understood why they aren't a more popular swap platform compared to similarly or even higher priced competition that's objectively inferior as a swap candidate.

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