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Old 11-01-2014, 04:25 PM   #43 (permalink)
Magic Bus
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As others have mentioned, it's an apples to oranges comparison. Not saying one fruit is better than the other but they are totally different cars so pick one that fits your budget and tastes.

I assisted my son in buying an FRS 6 months ago. A 13 with under 4K miles for $22k otd, a good bargain for a 22 year old engineer. I've also had the opportunity to drive it a lot so here are my impressions.

The Z has the nicer interior overall but the FRS has better seats if you're slim like my son & I, larger than a 34" waist would probably suck.

The FRS cannot seat 4, no way in hell. I'm only 5' 7" and in normal driving position, no one can fit behind me, not even a kid. At best it's a 3 seater. You'd have to move the passenger seat all the way forward and then you can fit someone less than 5' 6" behind there and both people on that side will be cramp.

Speed, no comparison as we are comparing a 6 vs 4. Handling, depends on what you want. The Z is on rails and takes some speed to bust loose, while the FRS can be playful at lower speeds and is controllable so I can understand why people who autocross, enjoy this car.

Ride, the Z is the better ride as it 's firm yet very smooth on tiny road imperfections and not harsh on larger road imperfections at all. In the FRS, you feel everything all the time and it's not quiet either, this would get very tiresome after awhile for this old guy. However the Z likes to tramline vs the FRS.

The FRS is a great starter sports car, but in time it would get old for most, as the natural desire for more speed would take over. So the progression for most would be FRS to Z and no way having experienced both, would I ever go Z to FRS.
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