Griff's Garage

[Desertbreh]

That's grrrreat.

Weirdly she didn't like the red one I had booked and hated Neptune bloo and actually digs the orange, overall I think she thinks the car is dumb.

What would have been the brilliant call here?

[MexicanYarisTK]

Well, as you all know, I picked up a 2023 GR86 10th Anniversary Edition last week, whorange Here is my initial experience and review.

I had the BRZ order in since July or so, originally slated for December delivery. When December rolled around and it was clear that there would be further delays, I started calling around to see if GR86 allocations were more available. They did seem to have improved a bit and I started seeing the whorange edition on Toyota's site. Over a few days I became very fixated on this car and started calling all over, looking in the Northeast, FL, etc. I spoke to many dealers, some offered me the car at anywhere from$3K-10K markup, a few had MSRP allocations available but would only sell in state (CLT market gets zero of these cars for whatever reason, people here are pickup men I guess). The vast majority of them were just already spoken for though. I became a bit obsessed and started checking every day. I finally found the car I bought at Kirk Toyota in MS, called them, they said they would sell out of state at MSRP plus a $1K out of state fee. This was sub optimal but their doc fee was also about $600 less ($395, everything here is around $1K) and they were willing to pick me up from Memphis, drive me the 80 minutes down, etc. so I said fuck it. They turned out to be a bit throughout the process but seemingly honest and upheld their end of the deal. I picked it up without any real hitch and drove back home.

The trip from Grenada, MS to CLT is around 700 miles. Since I flew in and did the on a Saturday, I didn't get out until 2 PM or so. I opted to take a slightly longer road home, stay the night in Chattanooga and go home over the Tail of the Dragon and some other mountain roads. This was good fun but it was raining/cold/snowing a bit Sunday morning so I couldn't send it too much on the mountain roads (I have also been adhering to the break in period pretty well.

On to the car:

The Good:
- I love the looks of this car, I'm 100% glad I paid extra for orange, the black duckbill is awesome, it's a great shape, etc.
- The obvious is the handling, while I haven't yet tracked or driven in full anger, the car is just super balanced, it's not the drift missile of the first gen on all seasons but it doesn't understeer at all anywhere I've been able to explore so far
-Interior - the seats are fantastic, the orange accents are fun, everything is very well laid out, HVAC easy to use and works well
-Tech: I haven't really had any cars with modern features but turning LED headlights, CarPlay, heated seats, etc. is pretty cool
-Inputs: probably the best part of this car, the steering and shifter are the best in the biz, the steering wheel/knob feel good too. Brake pedal is firm and feels good, I haven't really fully tested the brakes
- The motor - I'm still in break in so I can't speak to outright power but man, I love natty aspirated engines, the instant nature of the throttle response is and the free revving nature is
- This thing is a much easier daily than a Corvette, tighter turning, easier parking, haven't found any scrape, etc.
- It's quite comfy and fits a 6'1" 190 pound dude well, great space for weekend trips for two, can take the dog, etc.

The bad (most of this is expected):
- Ride quality isn't great
- It's very loud inside, tire noise and drone (I need to see about the interior sound coming through stereo, I also have the GR exhaust)
- The stereo sucks and my wife said the mic on BT calls sounds shitty
- Backup cam resolution is poor
- Back seat is pretty useless (still it's pretty practical for what it is, sooo much more room than say a Miata or S2000)
- The visibility is not very good, blind spots are always there (at least it has a light when cars are there and large mirrors) and side visibility isn't the best either, it would probably be better for shorter people. No one mentions this about this car. It's not as bad as a Camaro but still a bit
- At the moment the only trailer hitch available is this thing: http://www.slambertperformance.com/shop/twin-hitch but more coming soon

Didnt get to read the whole comment until totd and will later on, but i must say, this is how car buying should be followed by euro order and blasting on the autobahn. Also what about soooopra's in clt in regards of markup asking for a friend.

[D Griff]

Well, as you all know, I picked up a 2023 GR86 10th Anniversary Edition last week, whorange Here is my initial experience and review.

I had the BRZ order in since July or so, originally slated for December delivery. When December rolled around and it was clear that there would be further delays, I started calling around to see if GR86 allocations were more available. They did seem to have improved a bit and I started seeing the whorange edition on Toyota's site. Over a few days I became very fixated on this car and started calling all over, looking in the Northeast, FL, etc. I spoke to many dealers, some offered me the car at anywhere from$3K-10K markup, a few had MSRP allocations available but would only sell in state (CLT market gets zero of these cars for whatever reason, people here are pickup men I guess). The vast majority of them were just already spoken for though. I became a bit obsessed and started checking every day. I finally found the car I bought at Kirk Toyota in MS, called them, they said they would sell out of state at MSRP plus a $1K out of state fee. This was sub optimal but their doc fee was also about $600 less ($395, everything here is around $1K) and they were willing to pick me up from Memphis, drive me the 80 minutes down, etc. so I said fuck it. They turned out to be a bit throughout the process but seemingly honest and upheld their end of the deal. I picked it up without any real hitch and drove back home.

The trip from Grenada, MS to CLT is around 700 miles. Since I flew in and did the on a Saturday, I didn't get out until 2 PM or so. I opted to take a slightly longer road home, stay the night in Chattanooga and go home over the Tail of the Dragon and some other mountain roads. This was good fun but it was raining/cold/snowing a bit Sunday morning so I couldn't send it too much on the mountain roads (I have also been adhering to the break in period pretty well.

On to the car:

The Good:
- I love the looks of this car, I'm 100% glad I paid extra for orange, the black duckbill is awesome, it's a great shape, etc.
- The obvious is the handling, while I haven't yet tracked or driven in full anger, the car is just super balanced, it's not the drift missile of the first gen on all seasons but it doesn't understeer at all anywhere I've been able to explore so far
-Interior - the seats are fantastic, the orange accents are fun, everything is very well laid out, HVAC easy to use and works well
-Tech: I haven't really had any cars with modern features but turning LED headlights, CarPlay, heated seats, etc. is pretty cool
-Inputs: probably the best part of this car, the steering and shifter are the best in the biz, the steering wheel/knob feel good too. Brake pedal is firm and feels good, I haven't really fully tested the brakes
- The motor - I'm still in break in so I can't speak to outright power but man, I love natty aspirated engines, the instant nature of the throttle response is and the free revving nature is
- This thing is a much easier daily than a Corvette, tighter turning, easier parking, haven't found any scrape, etc.
- It's quite comfy and fits a 6'1" 190 pound dude well, great space for weekend trips for two, can take the dog, etc.

The bad (most of this is expected):
- Ride quality isn't great
- It's very loud inside, tire noise and drone (I need to see about the interior sound coming through stereo, I also have the GR exhaust)
- The stereo sucks and my wife said the mic on BT calls sounds shitty
- Backup cam resolution is poor
- Back seat is pretty useless (still it's pretty practical for what it is, sooo much more room than say a Miata or S2000)
- The visibility is not very good, blind spots are always there (at least it has a light when cars are there and large mirrors) and side visibility isn't the best either, it would probably be better for shorter people. No one mentions this about this car. It's not as bad as a Camaro but still a bit
- At the moment the only trailer hitch available is this thing: http://www.slambertperformance.com/shop/twin-hitch but more coming soon

Didnt get to read the whole comment until totd and will later on, but i must say, this is how car buying should be followed by euro order and blasting on the autobahn. Also what about soooopra's in clt in regards of markup asking for a friend.

I assume it's similar, although a few may have something. A couple tried to upsell me to a Supra, which at least is a somewhat legitimate ask... I loathe when dealers are terrible at reading the room and try to get you into a Tundra because it's on the lot when you're calling about an 86.

[D Griff]

Weirdly she didn't like the red one I had booked and hated Neptune bloo and actually digs the orange, overall I think she thinks the car is dumb.

What would have been the brilliant call here?

She liked the 328i.

[Valkyrie]

That's grrrreat.

Weirdly she didn't like the red one I had booked and hated Neptune bloo and actually digs the orange, overall I think she thinks the car is dumb.

Of course it's dumb.

[golftdibrad1]

I shot him a note, we'll see if he has any thoughts.

has named the car Tony the Tiger

That's grrrreat.

[coogles]

Glad you're enjoying the car, Griff! The orange looks great.

[CaleDeRoo]

So when are we disc golfing? I gotta see what the orange is like in person.

[D Griff]

So when are we disc golfing? I gotta see what the orange is like in person.

Maybe this weekend or next, I'll talk to and see what's going on.

[MrH42]

I'm there with you on most of it. It's very quiet and comfortable compared to the S2000. All about what you're coming from I guess.



- Surprised you think the backup camera sucks? I was shocked how good it was.
- There's an audio upgrade I'm considering. https://oemaudioplus.com/gr86-brz/ Don't know if I want to spend $500 on it or not. There will be an amp and sub offered for it at some point too
- I thought visibility was pretty good for what it is? There are convex mirrors available if you want. I considered them, but I get by just fine with the blind spot monitoring.

[D Griff]

I'm there with you on most of it. It's very quiet and comfortable compared to the S2000. All about what you're coming from I guess.



- Surprised you think the backup camera sucks? I was shocked how good it was.
- There's an audio upgrade I'm considering. https://oemaudioplus.com/gr86-brz/ Don't know if I want to spend $500 on it or not. There will be an amp and sub offered for it at some point too
- I thought visibility was pretty good for what it is? There are convex mirrors available if you want. I considered them, but I get by just fine with the blind spot monitoring.

Don't get me wrong, I think the noise/comfort are perfectly acceptable for what it is. It's actually quite comfy and spacious and fits me super well. Just knowing some forum members are considering these, I'd say it's worth noting that it's not going to be an experience like your typical hatch/sedan/CUV, it's certainly more driver focused than refinement.

The backup camera gets the job done but it seems lower res/worse lighting and color than most rentals I get. personally but I could see some people not liking it.

I am sure I'll upgrade audio at some point, just probably not in 2023. It really doesn't sound good and would be an easy improvement.

Forward visibility is good and the mirrors are great fortunately, I just find when I look over my shoulder for a lane change, I can't see a thing. Looking out the passenger side is a bit narrow as well, mostly due to my height I think.

[Valkyrie]

I didn't find mine to be noticeably different from our mazda3 in ride/nvh/comfort/stereo/visibility but I'm small and the mazderp isn't exactly an Escalade.

[max225]

Loved the honest review with all the ups and downs ! Seems spot on to expectation.

What sort of mpg are you getting ? 26? Or 22? I heard 2 schools of thought on those.

Are you doing a break in oil change at 1-2k?

Does it come with Toyota care ? (Free oil changes) ?

Any tax/reg issues so far ?

Total otd was 40?

Any issues quality wise with the car ?

Hope you and Tony have a long and fruitful relationship!

[D Griff]

Loved the honest review with all the ups and downs ! Seems spot on to expectation.

What sort of mpg are you getting ? 26? Or 22? I heard 2 schools of thought on those.

Are you doing a break in oil change at 1-2k?

Does it come with Toyota care ? (Free oil changes) ?

Any tax/reg issues so far ?

Total otd was 40?

Any issues quality wise with the car ?

Hope you and Tony have a long and fruitful relationship!

What sort of mpg are you getting ? 26? Or 22? I heard 2 schools of thought on those. : So far averaged about 27, the computer is spot on to hand calculated which is nice. I think it's going down as I'm now doing shorter trips and such, but the 21 city, 27 highway seems pretty accurate.

Are you doing a break in oil change at 1-2k? Undecided but probably will You did on the Taco, no?

Does it come with Toyota care ? (Free oil changes) ? Yes

Any tax/reg issues so far ? Ha! Well the MS dumbasses are taking their sweet time so I'm still waiting for them to FedEx the paperwork to the DMV so I can go and get this settled, but still rolling on the poorest state temp tags.

Total otd was 40? $39K

Any issues quality wise with the car ? So far no, it actually is pretty quality. I am going to wash it this weekend but haven't found any paint issues yet (inspected closely at pickup), no rattles, interior seems nicely put together. I'm not as picky as some but it seems like a really nice thing to me.

[MexicanYarisTK]

Didnt get to read the whole comment until totd and will later on, but i must say, this is how car buying should be followed by euro order and blasting on the autobahn. Also what about soooopra's in clt in regards of markup asking for a friend.

I assume it's similar, although a few may have something. A couple tried to upsell me to a Supra, which at least is a somewhat legitimate ask... I loathe when dealers are terrible at reading the room and try to get you into a Tundra because it's on the lot when you're calling about an 86.

at that point you should tell them that you live in Charlotte with an apartment garage, then see what they'll say and they tell like it has a 360 camera feature lmao. I just know for a fact I would struggle parking the Tunda or any full size in my work garage.

[max225]

All great news. My Toyotas have been flawless unlike the teslas…

I did do an oil change in my 21 it had a ton of metal in the initial oil at 3k.

In my 22, I did it at 1500 miles. Didn’t check with black stone though.

[max225]

Also did they address the whole rtv issue in the 23s? It seems to have been kind of overblown ?

[MrH42]

Btw, highly recommend this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1218350810 ... 2716811107

Really well designed for being a 3D printed piece.

[D Griff]

Btw, highly recommend this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1218350810 ... 2716811107

Really well designed for being a 3D printed piece.

Out of curiosity, why do you have the need with CarPlay? I usually just leave my phone inside the console.

[D Griff]

Also did they address the whole rtv issue in the 23s? It seems to have been kind of overblown ?

There was a bulletin about it but beyond that

I've only heard of that one dude's engine going , I'm not really concerned.

[D Griff]

All great news. My Toyotas have been flawless unlike the teslas…

I did do an oil change in my 21 it had a ton of metal in the initial oil at 3k.

In my 22, I did it at 1500 miles. Didn’t check with black stone though.

Well, it's really a Shitbaru, so not exactly the same reputation. The paint quality is better on Subies I think at least, we'll see how the longevity is on these engines.

[MrH42]

Btw, highly recommend this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1218350810 ... 2716811107

Really well designed for being a 3D printed piece.

Out of curiosity, why do you have the need with CarPlay? I usually just leave my phone inside the console.

I like having it up there so I can grab it quickly getting in and out of the car. The console might have a drink or something in it.

Also, sometimes I listen to things on YouTube while driving. Unfortunately, CarPlay controls don't work well with YouTube. Same with Teams if I'm taking a call. It's better to just have the phone out for certain controls.

[D Griff]

Out of curiosity, why do you have the need with CarPlay? I usually just leave my phone inside the console.

I like having it up there so I can grab it quickly getting in and out of the car. The console might have a drink or something in it.

Also, sometimes I listen to things on YouTube while driving. Unfortunately, CarPlay controls don't work well with YouTube. Same with Teams if I'm taking a call. It's better to just have the phone out for certain controls.

I do take Teams calls and it is indeed a bit shit, usually I'm in rentals when I'm doing that

I like listening to stuff on YouTube too but get kind of that if you mute the screen, audio also pauses.

[max225]

Have any of you all tried the CarPlay adapters that let you play YouTube vids on the screen ?

[CaleDeRoo]

I like having it up there so I can grab it quickly getting in and out of the car. The console might have a drink or something in it.

Also, sometimes I listen to things on YouTube while driving. Unfortunately, CarPlay controls don't work well with YouTube. Same with Teams if I'm taking a call. It's better to just have the phone out for certain controls.

I do take Teams calls and it is indeed a bit shit, usually I'm in rentals when I'm doing that

I like listening to stuff on YouTube too but get kind of that if you mute the screen, audio also pauses.

I went with YouTube premium years ago to eliminate ads while watching/listening to documentaries at work and that keeps the videos playing even when your screen is locked.