GR86 Having a bit of an ownership wobble - talk some sense into me perhaps?

Dal3D said:
Had a bit of a wobble today when the details of the Mk2 GR Yaris came out.

But then I remembered I already have a 375PS 4wd Focus RS in the garage :ROFLMAO:
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Me too. Only our other car is a MK8 Golf R and not an FRS.

The reality is likely to be a cost to change of £10k. Not sure there’s £10k more fun to be had vs the 86.

Maybe as a replacement for the Golf when the time comes but I’m hearing “too small” already.
 
Hachi-roku said:
There was a young lady from Bangor
Who slept while the ship lay at anchor
She woke in dismay
When she heard the mate say:
Let's lift up the topsheet and spanker!
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"Thinking of taking Ms Fox to North Wales for a break"
"You going to Bangor?"
"Nah, probably be too tired from the drive"
 
:rolleyes: Ok so who's gonna start the 'Joke of the Day' thread
 
Silver Fox said:
Thank you all very much for your measured, considered, articulate replies. Such great people on this forum.

I really do appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

@ShootinJack - yes it does make me smile when I drive it; even if it has to be the right road at the right time. Fair question - perhaps key to it all really!

@Sonic - sensible response thank you - I shall try your excellent tailgating management approach!

@Onehp - "The car is for you, not the other way around" - great point elegantly put.

@Conscript - I think you've nailed it (as you often do), re. the weather/time of year. Crap time of year to enjoy driving. Early morning drives is an option though.

@Alex-GR86 - I agree, I could make more effort to make memories with the car. Well put!

@SRGardening - good point re. evaluating in the spring/summer. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity for more memorable drives before then, and the values aspect will help if I don't!

@v8s - "I don't think you can get a better car for the money vs performance and fun" - hard to disagree with that really for new cars.

@kalniel - great points across the board thank you. Re. the specialist servicing - I've purchased the Toyota service plan annoyingly, wish I hadn't and had found an indy!

@KobayashiMaru86 - appreciate your thoughts. I always take time to read your posts carefully and never fail to learn/benefit from them. Remember to take care of yourself and here's to the replenishment of your hwyl.

@Alistair31 - track day might actually be a good idea, cheers.

@Vistalite - excellent all-round points - obliged! (Site visits in my case means offices rather than building sites - I was using the term more generally).

@GS6R4 - sound thoughts with bonus chuckles, thanks for that!

@RumbleandSway - excellent quotes - thought provoking and relevent. Obliged.

@Chris Mc - cheers for the link - I enjoyed watching that!

@LittleMav - you are right, some excellent contributions as always from our esteemed members here.


I'm going to make sometime to enjoy the car over the coming days and reflect on the positives. A day or two of sunshine wouldn't hurt.
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Silver Fox said:
The move into a new year often initiates and encourages reflection.

I've come to the end of a full year with my GR86 and I'm pondering whether I'll see another full year with it.

This isn't a reflection on the car which is of course generally excellent (but we all know that).

The following concerns are generally personal to me and my own situation, and are all fairly minor in isolation. When combined, they have prompted consideration of what to do next.

Factors

Lack of use: My car has done less than 3k miles in 12 months. A recent job change means I'll be using it even less, as I'll be working from home and getting the train for office and site visits. Seems daft having such a relatively high value car sat around doing nothing for most of the time.

Capability: The GR86 is so accomplished it is very tempting and easy to explore the capabilities which can result in driving at let's say higher speeds. I sometimes miss how the GT86 was, in that the driver needed to work much harder (which was more rewarding) with resulting lower velocities. Is the GR86 just too 'good'? Do I really want something slower, and, well, objectively a bit more crap?

Me: Linked to the point above, I have found myself enjoying the car in a manner which has at times edged towards lightly-nobbish driving (when there's no one else about). This is not commensurate with the UK's modern road, traffic and enforcement context, and has already resulted in some domestic strife and an imminent speed awareness course. Often i find I want to or should just waft about. The GR86 isn't really a waft about kind of car.

Other people: I'm getting tailgated and raced and cut up a fair bit in this car, often by SUVs and other jacked up stuff. This doesn't happen when driving our other car. It's tiresome.

Toyota: I'm a bit irritated with how challenging it has been to for example arrange a service. The whole missing equipment list thing does rankle. The "gone in 90 minutes" thing was ridiculous. I miss the personalised, high quality customer service I had recently with Italian brands.

Money: If I had a cheaper car the money could be used for other things.

Alternative: Get something older, less capable, slower, and interesting for a third to a half of the GR86's value and find a good independent specialist to look after it.

Thanks for reading. Thoughts as always welcome. It's been useful to type all that out even if no one reads it! Might just keep the car anyway.
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I know what you mean. I’m sitting at Toyota main dealer waiting for my first service to complete after 2k miles last year. I do feel that prices will steadily go up after 2024 and new deliveries stop.

I just picked up a new Subaru Crosstrek as my daily driver and the 86 has pride of place on the driveway except on Sundays! 😉

She’s a keeper for sure! 👍
 
The prospect of an auto gry with an updated bespoke interior is very tempting, in reality i’m thinking its going to be max 25k trade in value for the 86 vs a low 40s rrp for the new gry which will make it a hard pass,
 
Swizzle said:
The prospect of an auto gry with an updated bespoke interior is very tempting, in reality i’m thinking its going to be max 25k trade in value for the 86 vs a low 40s rrp for the new gry which will make it a hard pass,
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Same sort of thought process here. Additionally, it's early days with my GR86 and I've yet to drive it in decent weather, so haven't truly experienced how it feels when unleashed. I've have also spent several £k on modifications, including PPF, Ceramic Coating, Underbody protection (to be done), a raft of throw-in bits and bobs (gearknob, floor liners, boot liners, car mats etc), and powder coating to name a few. I like the thought of an Auto box in the GRY, so I may just take one for a test drive, place an online order and drop a deposit - if it's to be the same as the GR86 process then there's the option of cancelling right up to the point of delivery if I decide not to buy.
 
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Thats one of the few advantages of the online order system!
 
The news of the new GRY gives me continued confidence in the longevity and strength of the GR brand, but it hasn't turned my head much away from my 86.

I'll be most interested in the true UK allocation given it'll be the first GR production fully under the UK ZEV mandate.
 
GaryG said:
Also had a wobble and recently test drove an A110…wasnt for me, fortunately. Just like the 86 too much and felt I’d been there done that since I ran an Alfa 4C for 2yrs.
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Tell us more about the 4C please, it was my dream car but unluckily never had the chance to drive it, i've often heard mixed reviews about it...
 
GaryG said:
Also had a wobble and recently test drove an A110…wasnt for me, fortunately. Just like the 86 too much and felt I’d been there done that since I ran an Alfa 4C for 2yrs.
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How was the A110 in comparison to the 86? I like the idea of lightweight and more power. The turbo, auto, price, and only 2 seats takes the edge of it.
 
I'm wobbling again...
Maybe because we've just been to Spa and back in the Focus and I forgot how good it is on continental roads (with varying speed limits - cough) and just how "jack of all trades" it is.
Do I "need" the GR86? 🤔
I'm now also having mega wobbling mad thoughts of going a bit "exotic" after seeing all the nice cars at Spa...

#confused
 
I think this would be a car you'll regret getting rid of. It gets so much of it just right. Maybe go for a hoon in it to remind yourself?
Very different to the RS, granted, and not many 'need' the GR but we're equally glad we have one!

Side note : I think the shape of this car already looks quite exotic, so wouldn't look out of place at Spa! Take the GR next time? 🤔
 
KobayashiMaru86 said:
For me the only car the GR86 goes for is a decent spec 911 or Cayman GT4. That would only be if I could afford to maintain it too.
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I've never driven either of them, but I have been a passenger in a GT4 and the engine is immense, but even so, I'm not sure that with either of those, you'd be able to extract as much fun on the road as easily as you can in the GR to justify the extra cost. But yes, if money was no object, I think that would be the step up for me.
 
Beans said:
I think this would be a car you'll regret getting rid of. It gets so much of it just right. Maybe go for a hoon in it to remind yourself?
Very different to the RS, granted, and not many 'need' the GR but we're equally glad we have one!

Side note : I think the shape of this car already looks quite exotic, so wouldn't look out of place at Spa! Take the GR next time? 🤔
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Took the '86 to Le Mans last year and it did look very good 👌😍
 
Conscript said:
I've never driven either of them, but I have been a passenger in a GT4 and the engine is immense, but even so, I'm not sure that with either of those, you'd be able to extract as much fun on the road as easily as you can in the GR to justify the extra cost. But yes, if money was no object, I think that would be the step up for me.
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And that's the issue with lots of new cars. With the 86 I can use it all which I love. I've been looking at BMW estates for the eventual replacement for the Swift and someone had the M3 touring on test. It left them feeling frustrated as it's got so much go above 80mph, in the UK you'd never see it on the road. You'd be better off with a M340i instead.
 
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