86

[powerglide]

Up until the other day I was in complete agreement with Jeremy Clarkson that no car built in the last 15 years or so is any good.  Why, for example, is it so difficult to buy a new car with a manual shift tranny?  Why is everything micro-chipped, and thus destined to fail without warning at some time in the future?  Why can't you buy a car with manual window winders - does your house have electric windows, 4GS?  Everything that has gone wrong in my W140 has been to failure of some box of electrics.  My 1969 Holden with a 307 Chevy motor just goes all the time, and if it needs new points or plugs or something you get some warning in the form of a fall off in performance.

So what happened the other day? - well, I test drove a Toyota 86 GT with a most perfect 6-speed gear box.  Sure, it has microchips, but it is not burdened with useless gadgets and all the crap you don't need.  And the build quality? - DB, eat your heart out!  This is the first car for which I would give up my W116s - and may yet do.  This, children, it the game changer! Game, set and match.

[oversize]

I hate the look of the 86s, but they may improve with updated versions.

Just wait for the new A45 before you make a purchase!

The nicest car I've driven so far is a Jaguar XKRS.  But I've yet to try a SLS on the road....

[ZCarFan]

Up until the other day I was in complete agreement with Jeremy Clarkson...

Odd... I find that I almost never agree with him.  In general, I will say I've spent a lifetime furthering my knowledge of automotive systems and application and the intense shallowness of mainstream car-related entertainment is a mockery to my efforts. 

Still better than my opinion of top Gear USA.   Two things happened after watching part of two episodes of that crap:  1. I vowed to never turn on the History Channel again.  2. I vowed that I will not give support to those who destroy perfectly good cars to prove how damn superior they are. 


Now for the on-topic.  I pondered the BRZ/FRS/86 and ended up getting a V6 Mustang with the performance package.  It does have power locks and windows, but little else.  I did get the 6-speed manual.  The Toyota-ru was nice, but I just felt at home in the mustang.  Nice car though.  To think we were so impressed with my friend's MKIII Supra, but the new car is better in all ways.

[powerglide]

There is a waiting list of close to one year for an 86 in Oz, but I have just been offered one arriving in a month or two due to a cancellation.  BUT - I discover that the spare wheel has been deleted and in its place there is a foam thing with an aerosol flat-tyre filler (you need 5 wheels/tyres in Australia, because you always get a flat 500 miles from anywhere, and the run flat/ aerosol alternatives are for folk that still believe in the tooth fairy).  Also, the boot mat is now flat, adding a little to the boot space, but no longer accommodating a spare.  I think I can buy a 5th wheel and tire the same as the other four, and I will live with the boot mat thing and try to buy one of the original kind.  Why do they do this?

This thing is a HOOT to drive!  Just need to convince wifey that it is a practical family tractor (it does accommodate a toddler seat in back).  There is also a guaranteed service price for three years because Toyota are worried s***less over the new Hyundai i20/30/40 models.  I can't tell you how good this car is.  The Subaru Impreza motor is good - if a little under powered for a sport car - but the manual tranny is simple magic.  The ratios are perfect, and it shifts smoothly and easily up or down.  Children, it is a very, very good thing.  Long time since I smiled when driving.  Best car I ever drove was an Iso Rivolta.  Second best was an Alfa Berlina.  Third best was a W126 420SE.  Fourth best is my W140 S420, and I am about to trade this car for an 86.  May still keep the 280SE because it's a W116 and they're still in a class of their own.  My '69 Monaro always gives me a buzz to drive, but I can't leave it anywhere and expect it still to be there when I get back.  The 86 just looks like any other Jap coupe - not worth pinching.  The harbinger for this was the Lexus 200 6-speed, which is like a Swiss watch.  The bad news with that car with is that a clutch change will set you back five gorillas, and there are a few other smaller drawbacks that prevented me buying one a couple of years back (and yep, they came with five grown-up size wheels and all).

[ZCarFan]

The "86" is also well-regarded here in the U.S. though I believe they are available on the lots.  I am neutral on Subarus, but have always thought highly of Toyota.  The aforementioned Mk III Supra was the car that changed my mind about cars and what "performance" could mean.  It was an almost unbelievably robust car that withstood abuse at my friend's hands that would leave most cars literally in pieces.

Interestingly, I too face the need to move a few cars after my purchase and am pondering keeping one of two 280SEs, a W116 and a Euro-spec W126.  It comes down to a decision between the aesthetics of the W116 and the almost bland competence of the W126.

[Beastie]

Cool story, bro.   I've been hearing all the buzz about this car too and although sporty coupes are not really my cup of tea I do agree it's a significant new car and that it's a backwards step for the automotive world, and that right now a backwards step is a step in the right direction in many important ways.

You seem very passionate about it... I hope you get one. As you say, it's not often these days that one can get passionate about a new car, let alone a relatively cheap, simple one made by Toyota.

I used to be a Clarkson fan, but that Top Gear show is such a joke that I just don't see him having any credibility any more. These days I'm all about Chris Harris. He's a dreamboat.

http://www.youtube.com/v/romf-G6CZ7g

http://www.youtube.com/v/JUhLXvxlQR4

[powerglide]

Gentlepersons,

Let me tell you that since the last post I drove a BRZ.  It's equivalent to the 86 GTS (I drove the GT first up), and it's a HOOT too!  The one I drove was in Subaru bright blue metallic - a colour exclusive to Su - and it looks good too.  Take your pick, this is really a revolution in motoring!  Take a test drive and then post your impressions.  Forget TG - sorry to bring it up.

This car seems to be made for drifting; that means it handles like an Alfa Giulia.

Z,

I like the 126 el mucho too, but the W116 has ... chrome bumpers, man! Too easy a choice.

:-)

PG.

[ZCarFan]

So, have you bought it yet?  No reason to wait. :-)

I admit, I did not even drive the 86 before picking up the Mustang.  As it is, the Ford has more potential than I can use safely. 

The W126 vs. W116 is complicated by the 126 being a German import with the much stouter engine.  The condition is better also.  Nevertheless, I will retain both untill a number of repairs are made.  Need seat time to make the cut.

[powerglide]

Beastie nailed it: any backward step is in the right direction, and it's all to do with the mechanicals.  The body is ho-hum (86 and BRZ), it's no Giugiaro beauty for sure.  But the way they squeezed 4 seats into such a lightweight, low CG coupe with (almost) a hatch is very good design from a functional point of view, if it misses the mark from the aesthetic point of view.  Hate the LEDs on the BRZ that you can't turn off.  Hate the little bits of bling like that, such as those thingos on the side of the front guards.  Very George Barris.  Don't particularly like the knife-edge body creases borrowed from BMW (if you're going to borrow, at lease borrow something good).

But, children, it's all about how it raises the pulse rate when you drive it!  The deal is you slap $1k down for an 86 and it arrives about 8-12 months later; the BRZ requires $3k and you get it in about 5-6 months.  The 86 GT is the entry-level no frills real deal.  The 86 GTS is the BRZ, and you get bigger brakes and wheels (17"), LSD, and some toys.  BRZ comes with 5 wheels, 86 with 4 (some early deliveries came with 5).  Am I buying?  Hope to.  Obviously a new family tractor comes first.  An 86/BRZ (haven't decided which - the BRZ is a bit better that the 86 GT, but I haven't driven the 86 GTS yet) will come next, I hope.  Wifey doesn't like it because of the poor visibility outside.  And she's right, of course:  (Beastie's point) so many new cars are just stupid in that you can't see the corners of the car when manoeuvring, and the instantaneous field of view is tiny, tiny - so dumb, dumb, dumb, dammitall!  We looked at the new Corolla when at the Toyota shop, and that's gone the same way.  What more can I say?  Well, they fix this 'problem' (ie, design fault) by ... wait for it ... mounting a CAMERA on the rear!  And of course you need the satnav thing to display the image - another couple of grands worth of stuff to go wrong.

Beginning to lean toward the no frills 86 GT.  Need to order a 5th wheel with it.

[ZCarFan]

A U.S. take on things and a comparison to the car I bought.  They preferred the BRZ too. 


http://www.youtube.com/v/pD3hgleEOXA

[powerglide]

Drove the BRZ auto last Friday - it beats everything!  Love the way it blips the throttle when you change down in manual (clutchless, of course) mode.  Love the stiffer front suspension, love the 'go faster' button that varies the valve timing, and the stability control that you can turn on or off.  And the Michelin tyres.  Don't like the 'running' lights that you can't turn off (who thought THAT one up??!! - first saw it on a Volvo in the UK, and that's where it should have remained).

Now, all I have to do is talk wifey around ...