I’ve been torturing myself like crazy. I’m wavering somewhere between 25% and 90% NOT purchasing a new 86. If we could buy something like the Japanese spec 86 RC here (left) I’d probably be quite certain. Don’t get the unfinished bumpers and the big empty space on the dash? I do. In Japan subtracting painted bumpers, alloy wheels, navigation, red interior and a few other tidbits knocks about $10000 off the price. $15000 FR-S… Who wouldn’t buy one?
Hell, I’ve spent a lot more than that on my AE86 and it doesn’t have the painted bumpers or navigation either…
I’ve always envied that about other markets – the availability of stripper, no nonsense versions. I mean, it’s so bad in here that I remember with some model years of the Miata, the only way get LSD was to get all the fattening leather, AC, and other doo dads not related to going fast : / Other cars were the same.
We’ll probably see something similar or atleast close to a stripper version come to our continent. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe R-Spec is a near stripper version that was released in the US but not in Canada. The Evo VIII and IX RS, something we didn’t even see the regular version in Canada. The 2000 CR is another example, probably the most stripped down version of a production sports car from a big company (that isn’t Lotus), some even have the option of radio and AC delete, plus no soft top just a removable hard top. Again was released in the US but not in Canada.
But atleast it’s on the same continent, barring any importation laws against it… they are somewhat attainable.
Good reminder! That means I have to wait though… which might be the smarter thing anyways. Guy that I talked to at the dealership was talking about a blown version as well. Seems like probable bull shit, but I’d be pissed about owning an NA one when a supercharged one exists. And if a super charged one exists, then I probably don’t want any part in it.
And then I realized that what I might actually want is an IS300, since it actually has a useable backseat and a Toyota power plant. Or maybe I’d rather have a GC Impreza 2.5RS because the torque advantage it has over the FT86 basically washes out any power advantage. It too has a useable backseat, and 4WD is a good plus for anything I’m going to daily. They are both only a fraction of $30000.
So the only reason I should buy an FT86 is because I’m incredibly wealthy and I’m a collector who wants a new alternative to the AE86 that will have a place in my garage forever because I can’t sell it. If I buy one, I guess everyone will know how much money I do or don’t have…
I would say that a used Suby makes a lot of sense as a single car at your stage in life. A real backseat and potentially four doors for the kids, AWD for the winter, relatively modern and safe for the wife. Still lots of ways you can tinker with it, still fast and competitive in autocross if you choose to attend…and you can afford one. For almost all the same reasons, the Celice is not a bad idea either.
When we were at your stage in family/life, May and I were driving a $3,000 Camry, or a $2,500 Cressi, or a $2000 Heep Cherokee. I’ll therefore consider you lucky with those choices available to you 🙂