GR86 Why did you buy a GR86 / what do you hope to experience from owning it?

KobayashiMaru86 said:
The 86 feels special, even if going to shops, probably because it's a complete palette cleanser to everything else. Sure it has flaws but is characterful. The FK8 Type-R felt similar in that it felt special even when daily driving but when you drove it hard it was amazing but only suitable for Mexico driving as that's an easy ban here. The GR Yaris I felt it was like a normal Yaris unless you were going Warp 10 and even then it still felt a bit too easy. Some like that though.

Hoping the GR is the same but the GT forces you to drive properly, which is something I've missed. Had a Z4M before and while nowhere near as fast as that, inputs all had to be spot on to get it to work well. My current vRS when not broken is pretty accomplished but far too easy and you can get away with murder. Another reason I want RWD again. Been biking everyday since February and love the engagement and the tactile feel of the whole process. It's something the Golf R crowd will never understand. I don't want easy performance. I want to be the part in the process that makes a difference.
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Got rid of my R as it was so uneventful and just bland, but very efficient. In contrast the C63 was full of character but always had a sneaky feeling it wanted to kill me 🤣
 
The W204 could be a bit sketchy but the W205 felt pretty safe. My dad had a few over the years, his biggest regret was selling a fully optioned facelift W204 PP+ with diff, drivers packs etc, that car was brilliant and never gave a bit of trouble. He had one of the first C63S in the UK and it spent a month or two away with engine management issues.
 
Seano1878 said:
The W204 could be a bit sketchy but the W205 felt pretty safe. My dad had a few over the years, his biggest regret was selling a fully optioned facelift W204 PP+ with diff, drivers packs etc, that car was brilliant and never gave a bit of trouble. He had one of the first C63S in the UK and it spent a month or two away with engine management issues.
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I had a couple of W204s the engine is addictive but the W205 is a much more sophisticated car And traction control set up. Both are quick but all too easy to be doing 3 figures, getting it go wasn’t a problem , getting it to stop and turn over the North Yorkshire Moors was very “interesting” 🤣
 
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GRMX said:
Yes, fair enough. I get baffled though as although you have RWD, similar price point, 'sports car' etc etc, (forgetting one is a convertible and the other not- kind of big difference lol), the audiences seem completely unalike.
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The only reason the buyers of MX-5s and 86s are different is because in the UK, people have a very different attitude towards MX-5s. I worked for Mazda a while back and it was very rare to see someone under 50 buying one.
In America and other places, they are seen as (entry level) sports cars which people can tinker with and use on track to build their driving skills and learn how to control a car on the limit, just like the 86.

It’s much more to do with mindset and attitude that they’re “not comparable” in the UK.
 
GRMX said:
One's a convertible and the other isn't. Totally different cars.
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And yet a lot of people consider them both when looking for a budget sports car, as they have more similarities than differences.

I know I have, having considered an MX5 ND2, as well as a Porsche Cayman/Boxster 987.2, before finally settling on the GR86.

Whilst I enjoyed the top down experience of the Miata, ultimately the GR86 offers a similar driving experience with a tad more power and practically. The limited availability likely leading to slower depreciation and more unique presence on British roads were just a cherry on top.
 
GRMX said:
The driving experience of a GR86 and the ND with the top down are totally different.
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Your posts regarding no buyers cross-shopping between the two cars seem even more bizarre by the fact you've been pondering over trading in your MX5 for a GR86...

Obviously driving a convertible with the top down feels different to driving a coupe with a hard top, but that is just part of the driving experience. With the British weather being what it is, for someone looking for an affordable daily driven sports car, the top down driving is just part of the experience to consider. If you want a 2nd or 3rd weekend-only car and have space in the garage for it, then the MX5 would often make more sense due to the added experience of top down driving. But don't pretend two naturally aspirated, lightweight, rear wheel drive cars, with similar power to weight ratio don't feel familiar on the road.
 
GRMX said:
Remember, two FWD, turbo, similar power to weight ratio can be different too, as I found when i test drove an i20 N about 2 months ago, and a Fista ST MK8. And just as two similar FWD power to weight crossovers can feel different too.
Two cars which on paper can seem simiar can, in reality, feel totally different. Well, to me they can be, anyway.
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So you test drove two similar cars, with different characteristics that happen to always be put against each other in reviews and on the same buying list for people in the small hatch market but think it’s abhorrent to compare the MX5 with the GR86…? Cool.

You sound like someone who thrives on wasting a salesperson’s time test driving everything and buying nothing (a tyre kicker), knowing that they’re not paid hourly and only on results. Strange really, considering how much you love bragging about all that CASH. I’m sure if people were wasting your time/money, you’d have something to say about it.
 
LukeC22 said:
The only reason the buyers of MX-5s and 86s are different is because in the UK, people have a very different attitude towards MX-5s. I worked for Mazda a while back and it was very rare to see someone under 50 buying one.
In America and other places, they are seen as (entry level) sports cars which people can tinker with and use on track to build their driving skills and learn how to control a car on the limit, just like the 86.

It’s much more to do with mindset and attitude that they’re “not comparable” in the UK.
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Not sure what sort of track this US owner is taking their MX5 (Miata) on 🤔🤣
 
I knew I'd want one as soon as I heard it'd now got a little more power than the GT86, and with electric cars now looking like the future I thought this would be a last chance to buy a car like this.

As well as that I think they've got the styling spot on, the Yaris always looked a little awkward on side view to me, the rear quarter looked too long to my eyes.

I got close to buying one of the last 370z Nismo's, but the second I read about the GR86 I knew that's what I'd buy.

Probably my last ever new car.

Daughter has already put her name to it for when I'm finished.
 
LukeC22 said:
A dirt one?
But hey, look, two electric blue similar cars!
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It looks like a full sized kids toy 😳. There is also a blue Corvette in the background 👍

PS where abouts are you in West Yorkshire? I was out at Penistone before “moving East“ 😉
 
I love the ND MX5 and have very seriously considered one to replace the GT86. Soul red 2.0 ND2 with all the trimmings, yes please. As a prospective buyer what stopped me was the MX5 was just a bit too impractical, it suits the bill of a 2nd car perfectly but not so much a daily. I did the whole 2 car thing but ended up not driving the 2nd car enough. I've had a VX220 before so I know the deal with a compact dedicated 2 seaters. The GT/GR suites the daily role much better, simple as that really.

The only reason these 2 cars are compared is they both live in a tiny market segment. They often get compared to used cars. Can you imagine doing that in the saturated hot hatch or compact SUV market? There is nothing comparable.
 
Looking for a fun car to drive again, sold my Civic Type R FK8 last year in preparation for our first kid and was initially going to use my Forester STI as the family wagon. Decided to get something fresher and sold the Subaru at the start of the year. Driving an A4 Avant TDI at the moment, and while it does everything it should, comfy, practical and a nice wagon to cruise in with the DSG, it certainly isn't sporty.

In hindsight, I should have kept the Civic, was tempted to buy another one, but the prices went crazy on them (of course this after I sold mine 😅).

Was initially looking a MX5 ND2, but something about the GR86 just ticked all the boxes for me. Looking forward to driving a RWD car again too, the last one I owned was a S14a, but that was a lifetime ago...
 
Only reason I wouldn’t consider an MX5 is the practicality. Great cars but not as usable as something like the GR86. Plus to my eyes the GR looks miles more purposeful than the MX5 and a better platform for a fast road / occasional track car.

I’m planning on getting an aftermarket exhaust for mine as part of the appeal of a boxer engine is the unique burble. Sadly it looks like there will be a clamp down on aftermarket exhausts in the coming years with new noise cameras.. I feel like at 27 I missed the prime years of performance cars! Enjoy them while you can, look at the changes over the last ten years and see how they’re accelerating year on year.
 
I've bought another GT86, this time a GR86. Because it's a good car for the money in short.

Long story:
I've currently got an i20N and probably performance/handling wise the GR might even be a downgrade. But cars aren't always about raw numbers. They're about looks, aesthetics, feel and even emotion.

To me a GT86 or a GR86 just looks better than the ubiquitous sea of turbo-charged hatchbacks the GR stands out as different (so does the GT86 tbh). It might not be the fastest... but it's far from boring. It makes the GR Yaris look pedestrian to me.

I've always enjoyed different... I always picked less common cars. I don't know why, but I don't like to have what everyone has. It's why I chose a Hyundai over a Ford Fiesta... it's why I chose many different cars over the mainstream or pereceived better choice. I like different. I like unique. Even if that comes with some compromises.

It's a lot of money for a good chunk of cash, but a very fair chunk cash at that. Combine that with a 5 year warranty (extending to 10 with servicing) and you've got a fun and affordable solution to driving. It's also "fairly" practical, you have more than 2 seats, 3 certainly, 4 if you're feeling adventurous / travelling with quadriplegics.

But it's a decent boot, you've got space to carry a life with you and still have fun. All cars have compromises and this is no different, but for what you get vs what you lose. I think this is an excellent trade. The benefits are far greater than the sum of the negatives to me.

Long-term I'll be looking to Super-charge this, because I never did forced induction with my previous 86s and I want to see what all the fuss is about!

I'm looking forward to having a car I look back at when I leave it (not looking forward to parking it in general, due to idiots) but that feeling you get going "wow that's my car". I always had that with my GT86 it felt special even though it wasn't a million pounds. (FYI, I've had F-types/Caymans etc).

I'm also looking forward to some light modifications. A small part of me loves to modify cars and make them your own, tastefully though. Adding tinting/roof wrap/de-badging the GR86 badge. Getting it ceramic coated... caring for it.

Heck, I'm currently investigating cordless leafblowers to dry the car (EGO 750) so I can avoid contacting it with drying towels... you don't always have that feeling about cars but this one I do. Negative of that is that you worry about your car.... but that fades with time luckily, otherwise you'd be a paranoid mess! haha

Anyway August/September can't come soon enough. I've enjoyed the i20N but it's not a me car, it's a bit boy racer and a bit beneath me haha. I'm a bit older (33) and the GR86 is a much more mature car.

Here's some of my old GT86s. (I had 3... and yes, I change car a lot. BUT BUT BUT THIS GR86 WILL BE THE LAST FOR A WHILE (I keep saying to myself and I really do want to make this a car that lasts me more than 5 months (my current average swap time)
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Raw numbers wise the GR86 seems to have the jump on the junior hot hatches like the ST and i20N, although the i20N is very mature in the way it goes about demolishing a twisty road! I enjoyed my test drive of one, probably more than the i30N I had at the time.

In that Australian group test the BRZ they tested put in a better lap time than the i20 though so maybe the GR is more capable than we think?
I’d have kept that electric blue GT86 though, they just look so right! 😍
 
GRMX said:
Nice write up.
Interestingly though, you're not the only person (on forums) who've had an i20 N for a short period of time and are getting shot of it?
If you (presumably) went for the GT86 to the i20 N, I doubt the GR86 will be a million miles away from the GT86 though.
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i20 is fine, it's just boring. Hatchback, everything done to it. Not really much to do.
 
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