GR86 What car are you all moving from?

[ritch]

Hi all, just thought I’d see what other members cars that are departing for their shiny new GR86?

I’ll go first, I’m leaving behind a 17 Lapiz blue golf R 310 pre opf. Whilst fast it’s a bit of a blunt instrument.

 

[Seano1878]

I sold my performance blue i30N last year when prices went a bit apeshit and ended up buying a MK8 performance pack Fiesta ST for a really good price considering the market. May keep the FiST or sell it and get something like a Megane RS275, I’m undecided. The GR will be looked after and garaged, want to keep it for a long time!

 

[Seano1878]

Yes, the megane and i30 N are both classical cars which a new GR86 driver could move from, going by stereotypes. The ST, not so much.

What made you go for a GR86, if you (presumably) thought the GT86 wasn't on your radar?

I tried a GT86 a couple times in stock form and loved them but thought the motor lacked a bit, this new model seems to have rectified this and brought it in line with a lightly modified GT86 which is a sweet spot on our modern roads with more and more ways of catching us out for speeding. The philosophy behind the car resonates with me and I also love the looks!

The fiesta is more fun than the i30N, it’s ridiculously chuckable and in wet weather you can slide it easily, such a sweet chassis but I may need a bit more practicality hence the reason I’m looking at the Megane.

 

[GR86GRY]

Selling my 987 Cayman and wife's Leon FR which will basically make the GR86 a "free" swap

Keeping the 18 A4 Avant but will move that to the Mrs for daily and kid duties.

...not quite ready to let the Cayman go yet so I'm hoping for Sept delivery on the 86!

 

[Seano1878]

Sounds good. The GR86 does look great, agreed.

The thing that's always held me back with the Fiesta ST is it looks. To me it just looks like the old geezer's bog standard Fiesta, 3 doors down from me

I’ve never been that bothered by the looks, mine is a more door too for the practicality that brings, although I do get some stick over it

I’m currently looking at an old RAV4 too for crap farm tracks and getting myself to remote parts of the highlands. I’d like to keep a hot hatch in my life but three cars feels excessive.

 

[mackie]

840i Gran Coupe - which is an 1800kg 5 metre limo basically - albeit one with a adaptive dampers, electronic LSD, big brakes etc. Think big RWD-only M340i. Quite a departure but I've had compact stuff before like a Z4 Coupe 3.0si and Ford Puma 1.7.
Might look to get the new Civic Type-R to sit alongside as we could do with something large and practical in the household. My wife daily drives the MX5.

 

[GR86DG1987]

Selling MK1 TT 225 that we've had for 8 years (and has been a pain in the arse as something breaks every time it gets used) and possibly Smart Roadster Coupe I've had for 10 years though I'm very reluctant to let the latter go . Have been warned by other half that having 5 cars is an outright NO, might be able to stay at 4 but at same time the ease and costs of only running 3 would make a lot more sense.

 

[KobayashiMaru86]

Mk2 FL Octavia vRS running 282bhp. Been a mostly good 7 years with it and not bad for a stop gap car (had a Z4M before it) but been slowly more unreliable and needed recovering mid last year. Plenty spent with a so called specialist but problem remains. I'll either sell it or I'll keep it for tip runs as it's so cavernous it's good for that and worth more to me than anyone else.

 

[GRunt]

Selling my 987 Cayman and wife's Leon FR which will basically make the GR86 a "free" swap

Keeping the 18 A4 Avant but will move that to the Mrs for daily and kid duties.

...not quite ready to let the Cayman go yet so I'm hoping for Sept delivery on the 86!

may i ask you why do you want to sell the Cay? for some fresh experience? i'd thought the Cay is quite the same recipe but an other class.

 

[GR86DG1987]

Yeah, i hardly ever see those on the road. Mad looking things

Yeah they are pretty cool and seem a lot quicker than 80bhp would suggest.
The other consideration was an mx5 ND. Had an NB years ago that the smart replaced which was brilliant apart from the rust.

 

[Seano1878]

Yeah they are pretty cool and seem a lot quicker than 80bhp would suggest.
The other consideration was an mx5 ND. Had an NB years ago that the smart replaced which was brilliant apart from the rust.

Remember my mate poking his finger through the sills on his NB great fun that car but so rusty!

I’ve always liked the MX5 and really wanted an ND when they came out but they’re not practical for road trips for me. I do a couple weeks around Ireland and Scotland pretty much every year and we take a lot of luggage, the GR is actually pretty practical with the seats folded as below.

 

[521williams]

I currently have a Gr Yaris which I will either sell to make way for the 86 or maybe try and hold onto both.

 

[KobayashiMaru86]

I like those vRS Ocatavias. I wouldn't be allowed near one due to its size and my spacial awareness non-genetics. I was talking to some woman in a LIDL carpark the other week, who had a '70 plate one.
They remind me of a taxi though.

Mine's white too. Good for discreet hooning though. No one pays much attention to a dirty white Skoda and assume taxi so leave it alone.

 

[SJR202]

I've been looking to replace my 2010 e92 BMW 320d which I've had 9 years and now on 155k miles. Its pretty much all the car you ever need and nothing has tempted me to spend 30k+ to swap it for something that is just 'similar', especially as the equivalent 420d didnt really do it for me (felt a lot heavier and bigger).
Have considered a 235i/240i (old shape to obtain a manual), i30N (felt brilliant and is back up) and many other things but the GR86 seems to be a car which takes me back to the type of driving I enjoyed in a daily drive package with every bit of tech I could ask for given the price. Im just hoping a test drive lives up to the hope. (I have just been told my GRY is due 12/09 but I decided a long time ago I dont want one from a daily drive point of view, its very stiff and needs 10/10ths commitment to come 'alive' in my opinion)

Getting hold of a fun practical daily with a manual box has become a unicorn task, Toyota I am really impressed with, just bringing a GRY to market is impressive, keeping a GR86 to sub 30k brilliant, and then to add a manual Supra to the range is just amazing. If they brought the Corolla GR to the UK it would sell out in minutes also.

The only other car that is on radar is the new Civic Type R - I drove the end of the line FK8 extensively around Wales and Scotland with a magazine feature and it might be one of the best drivers cars ever built, if the new one matches or exceeds that it too will be tempting. (especially without the rear wing!)

 

[midlife_sportscar]

A 2010 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Titanium 5 door
Never owned a sportscar (I ran a Honda CR-Z for 3 years but, while fun to drive, I'm not sure it really counts)
I figured this is likely to be the last chance to buy a new, affordable sportscar in the traditional style, so here I am...

 

[ZN8]

A 2010 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Titanium 5 door
Never owned a sportscar (I ran a Honda CR-Z for 3 years but, while fun to drive, I'm not sure it really counts)
I figured this is likely to be the last chance to buy a new, affordable sportscar in the traditional style, so here I am...

Awesome, good on you, you're are going to love it.

 

[GR86GRY]

may i ask you why do you want to sell the Cay? for some fresh experience? i'd thought the Cay is quite the same recipe but an other class.

Basically yes, time for a change. I've had it for 2 years and it is absolutely excellent but I don't often keep fun cars for longer than this. I got in to it for zero money (basically a straight swap money wise for the Golf Gti I had at the time) and can get out of it 2 years later having only really paid for fuel and insurance as the value now will cover what I spent on servicing.

It is supremely capable, even with P-Zero tyres on it which I'm not a fan of. It grips forever, sounds great and I've never felt like i've got close to its limits. Other excuses I'm using to move on.... gearing really is lonnnnnnng like everyone says. It's 13 years old and so has 13 years of stone chips and wear on all its components. It's a 2nd car and with 2 young kids that means most of my driving in it ends up being commuting which is a waste. The radio is truly rubbish, no Android Auto etc either so its not a great commuter.

I would love to keep it really but the Mrs wants less cars in the garage so I'm hoping the 86 is the 2 birds with 1 stone kind of car I need it to be!

(plus there's always another Cayman about should I want another one in the future! )

 

[BanjoGazooey]

Sold my e36 328i track car and V12 Vantage.

The Vantage was an absolute animal to drive but ultimately too fast for any road and too heavy / expensive for the track. I found myself enjoying driving our '16 Cooper S round the local B roads more.
Having a dedicated track car is great when you're on track as you're much less precious about it resulting in much more time on track than most but off the track it's just a burden, esp if you're trying to keep it road legal / MOTd.

Hoping the GR86 will be fill in this big gap! Except noise, cant beat a bmw straight 6 or aston v12 especially with a few cats lopped off. Will be looking at UEL headers depending on their impact on performance

 

[mackie]

The Jaspers are cool. Must be 20 years old or so?

Yep, registered Jan 2001. We bought it back in 2018, 1 owner 42k on the clock and hardly any rust at all. Needs a little bit of TLC now as the sills are starting to go but it's a really nice thing and the Connolly leather interior has aged beautifully. Probably worth quite a lot more than we paid for it now.

I'm constantly tempted to do the Rocketeer V6 conversion but keep it looking stock.

 

[GR86DG1987]

Remember my mate poking his finger through the sills on his NB great fun that car but so rusty!

Yeah the rust was terrible, the sills were OK it was the chassis rails that were horrendous think I would have been the crumple zone in a crash .
But you're right they were so fun to drive one of best cars in that regard I hope the GR86 is same sort of level for feel and involvement.