Used 2018 Subaru BRZ Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2018 BRZ, so we've included reviews for other years of the BRZ since its last redesign.
The Perfect Sports Car - For the Price
Ken, 02/04/2016
updated 02/13/2018
2016 Subaru BRZ Series.HyperBlue 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
22 of 22 people found this review helpful
Keeping in mind that you can get the BRZ for less than $30,000 it is, in my opinion, the best sports car of the modern era. The driving position, steering feel, and ability for an amateur driver to push the BRZ to the limit is the reason that it makes every driver smile. The point of the BRZ (or the FR-S, or GT 86 since they are all essentially the same car) is to make a grown-up feel like a child again. The car makes me giggle, and flatters my abilities to the point where I never feel unsafe. I was in a unique situation where I was able to purchase one of the 500 Hyper Blue BRZ's and as long as I never wreck it, I expect it to be a future classic. So whenever I get the chance, I take it for a blast through the hills, or if I can leave a little early, I take the long way to work and arrive with a smile plastered across my face. In a world where most of us drive grayscale people carrying boxes, the BRZ feels extra special. It's a reminder of how much fun driving can be, and without putting in too much money, it has the comforts, look and finish of a far more expensive car. The interior has Hyper Blue stitching to match the paint, and with black accents, the BRZ feels just right. The controls are where you expect them to be, and the large, centrally mounted tachometer runs happily up above 7000rpm before a light flashes at you to shift up before you ping it off the limiter. As driving experiences go, it is hard to get more smiles per gallon for my money. UPDATE: after 10,0000 miles the BRZ has become an extension of me and I am happy to say I still love it. UPDATE 2: after 16,000 miles it’s still perfect for me.
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A fun daily driver - but with a cost
James, 02/22/2017
2016 Subaru BRZ Limited 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
The big thing to know about this car is that Subaru/Toyota wanted a cheap performance car that would make drivers smile. They succeeded, but the cheapness can come back to bite long-term owners. I have daily-driven the car for a year and 14,000 miles, so I have had the proper seat time to write a review. The two companies decided to put the whole budget into the drivetrain. My car in this respect has been solid. I replaced the transmission, differential, and engine oils myself, and the engineers really put a lot of thought into how to do that easily. On the flip side, most nuts and bolts on this car are made out of very weak metal, leading to all the wheel studs being stripped in just a few changes. The interior rattles like crazy, the speakers buzz at higher volumes, which are needed because of loud road noise. I had two sets of tail lights leak, and my headlight ballasts went out and needed replacement. The list goes on. The car will continue to drive and handle beautifully, but the non-essentials will entropy around you. The maintenance bill won't be in the thousands, but I have constantly had $100 here and there to replace the cheap parts. I am 6'2" and 190 pounds and am triangle-shaped. Think broad shoulders and small waist. This car's seats are the most comfortable I have ever sat in. I want these for my office, house, and every car afterward. That being said, if I was an inch taller or 20 pounds heavier, I would hate them. All of my 'larger' friends hate riding in the car. My wife is tall and thin, and she hates hunching over to get in/out of the passenger side. Holding on to the steering wheel makes the driver's side easy. People like to say this car is slow. For muscle-car owners who love straight line speed, this car is not for you. I don't want any more power out of it, because I get to floor it during daily driving, and I don't get speeding tickets. It's exhilarating without being too dangerous. Countless journalists have raved about the balance and steering - all I know is that the car feels super secure going 30+ mph over suggested speed limits on turns. If I was looking at a BRZ and similar cars today, I personally would just save my money and buy a Mazda Miata RF. That being said, I still roll the windows down on a warm day and just go for a drive to relax. This car does this at a great price, and I would recommend it to a friend - if they are willing to deal with the mentioned issues.
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2018 Subaru BRZ for sale near you
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Enter every road curve with joy in my heart
motokoto, 05/12/2015
updated 05/15/2020
2014 Subaru BRZ Limited 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
This is a car to increase your quality of life. I love it for where I live in the San Diego foothills with no deer. However, if I lived back in the Hill Country of Central Texas, I'd have sold this car within 6 months. The headlights are set ridiculously low so literally heaven help you if there are deer on the road ahead. You won't see them until they're through your windshield. The dealership's Service Dept told me I can't get them raised up because they're high density headlights. I think the headlights are a huge safety risk in areas with large-sized wildlife. Other than that, I adore this car for the thrill of driving it. Kudos to the excellent engineers! Update: Have had the car for a while and we still love it. We have no intention of trading it in for anything else. My only gripe of note continues to be the low position of the headlights, but the freeways, canyon and foothill roads we drive don't make this a big issue for us in SoCal. No elk bounding across a Wyoming plain. Just rabbits and the coyotes are too savvy to get hit. We have found you can't always reliably shift from 4th to 6th. Seems to insist on a pit stop at 5th. Again, not a deal breaker. We've had no issues needing repairs. Everything still seems tight. This car is all about the Curves and we love it for that. Update 11/13/17: Still no repairs have been needed. I still LOVE this car! Everything I wrote above is still true. But so is my complaint about headlights. I went to Subaru twice and was told no upward adjustment possible. Didn't look at replacing them though. Not a problem in heavily populated Southern California and if you know the roads. I wish I could easily replace the speakers. They buzz on certain octaves. I don't blast them but I do play them loudly sometimes. You kinda have to because the car is a typical sporty car with some noise inside. I hate the display though. No steering wheel controls so you have to use the display for music. This is the worst point of the car. The internal temp controls and clock are perfect but music and maps is a major pain to manipulate. It's easy to read the maps on the display though. My husband and I are still very happy with this car purchase. As soon as a take a sharp curve, I fall in love with this car all over again. Like being a kid in a go cart. Update 5/14/2020: The car's still performing great. Driving is just as fun. We've followed all recommended maintenance and have had no mechanical or any other problems. It's our play car so our mileage is low, about 28K at this point. My gripes are the same as on the first day. Headlights aren't good for rural areas where wildlife leaps out at you although they're perfectly fine in populated areas. The speakers should be replaced and the entertainment panel. Happily we checked into an aftermarket Android Auto install plus better speakers and it's easy to have done. We just procrastinated since we drive our other vehicles more and they have it. I feel comfortable to recommend this as a reliable Used Car, made in Japan, if the previous owner wasn't an idiot driver and that you calculate in an Android Auto panel plus speakers upgrade. My car is a manual so automatics might be different.
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Race car experience
Mot, 04/25/2019
2018 Subaru BRZ Premium 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Sure, for the same money, you can get a more practical car that's roomier, quieter, more comfortable, has a nicer interior, has more advanced technology, and it might even be faster. Boring! Why not get something special instead: a BRZ. From the moment you awkwardly slide into the ultra-low racing seats, you know you're in for a unique experience. The engine is loud (admittedly some of the sound is piped in through the passenger footwell), almost no effort has been made to dampen road noise, you can hear and feel parts in the transmission moving around when you shift gears, the huge tachometer is right in the middle of the dashboard, and the clock looks like it's from the 80s. The car was clearly designed for use on a racetrack, even though it's comfortable enough and has all the amenities for daily driving. You'll never take the short route home, your friends and family will constantly ask for rides, and people who don't know very much about cars will assume that your fancy sports car cost twice as much as it actually did. What's not to love??
Ignore the haters
Michael G, 03/13/2018
2017 Subaru BRZ Series.Yellow 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
This is a really good car. I traded my 2014 genesis coupe 2.0t r-spec in for this car. 2017 limited with the performance package. Pros: amazing handling, great looks, LED headlights give you great visibility at night, performance package, manual is amazing and easy to use Cons: ride is not the greatest over rough pavement, sounds like a tractor at low rpms (its weird) Buy this car if you want a fun car that takes corners like almost nothing else in its price range. The performance package makes it even more capable. With the cons i would add something like “small back seat” but this a sports car (a very small one at that) so go look at an accord coupe, challenger or the new civic si coupe if you want better back seat space.
“Breezie”, the Subaru BRZ
Dane Base, 01/20/2019
2018 Subaru BRZ Limited 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
The BRZ is fun to drive, hugs the road well, and feels safe. It looks and feels fast even if really isn’t that fast having only a 4 cylinder and a non-turbo engine. The 6 speed manual transmission requires a lot of shifting, which is fun to do on rural highways, but can get old & laborious in urban traffic. The BRZ is economical to purchase, drive & maintain; thus it fulfills an important niche in the sports car market.
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Finally get my BRZ
Frogman_Z, 09/23/2018
2018 Subaru BRZ Limited 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
though MT might be the top option in your head, give AT a chance. After test drive of both, I get the AT BRZ, mainly because of LA's traffic. Lol
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Fits like a glove
Don Smith, 06/01/2019
2018 Subaru BRZ Limited 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I have always been attracted to unique cars - 64-1/2 Mustang Cpe, Mazda Rotary Cpe, TR-6, Mitsubishi Turbo Cpe. The BRZ had me hooked from the time I saw the blue paint and first sat in the drivers seat. The smile on my faced broadened to a grin. After adjusting the telescopic steering wheel and seat rake - but wish it had adj lumbar support, the test drive began with the push of a button and the pleasant rumble of the Boxer engine. Not looking for turbo or V8 power, I have been pleased with the ride, the stability and simply the feeling of being one with the BRZ. The short-throw 6M and brakes are easily controlled. It checked all my boxes - great looks, fun to drive, economical, navigation and the right price. My BRZ has taken 50 years off my life and I look forward to many years behind the wheel rowing the 6M on country roads with my wife as navigator.
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Do Your Homework!
Scott Smith, 08/09/2017
2014 Subaru BRZ Limited 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
There are lots of printed road tests of these cars (BRZ, FRS, and 86). There are plenty of videos as well. Read and watch as many as you can so you will know what to expect. The car is small and my '03 Kia Spectra GSX had some conveniences the BRZ doesn't have. Everyone seems to think the "burz" is underpowered. Not necessarily! Power is judged by how you apply it. I got my burz to be my daily driver, and it has plenty of power for that role. If you can live with the small size, harsh ride, some road noise, just OK radio, and if you understand that it's really not a four passenger car, and that it requires premium gas, and more, you'll be fine. Like I said, educate yourself and know what to expect. All that being said, I knew what I was getting. These are driver's cars, and that was what I wanted. I didn't even test drive mine. The salesman probably thought I was crazy, but I had done my homework. After all of the above, I hadn't even gone two miles after picking it up and I caught myself grinning from ear to ear. The car drives like a go-kart! This is a car you need to check out thoroughly before committing to.
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Most fun car I've ever had
Dearbo21, 03/26/2018
2015 Subaru BRZ Premium 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Once I got used to the rear wheel drive, this car could really hug corners. The gear shifts were perfect. I loved that the dash didn't have a lot of extra information. It was simple and basic, all information available in one place (i.e., one clock, 1 speedometer, etc). After coming out of a car with overwhelming amounts of useless information in the dash, the red lights and simplicity were welcome. Also it had every extra thing I wanted, heated seats, soft leather, bluetooth, adjustable headlights, option to see outside temp, mpg, etc. Tight gears and steering, perfect handling. I will say that I test drove the automatic and would not have bought that car. All the difference was in having the manual. The back seats are all for show, they don't hold anything more than the 40 lb dogs with the back laid down. I got weathertech mats for front and back and they fit perfectly.
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