Some semi-idle thinking: Toyota GT86

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:24 pm

Anyone with first hand experience of ownership please?
Esp interested in road manners and ride, practicality for 2 week tours in Europe (say) etc.
My impression is a great car needed a stouter engine than the Subaru none-turbo engine (why did they do that?)
Thanks.

gridgway · Post by **gridgway** » Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:48 pm

I've not owned one Graham, but had an extended test drive. I really enjoyed it, but I couldn't decide whether it would work for long term ownership.

Handled really well and if you used the revs and hoolied it, it was brilliant. So pootling and hooning would be great. Middle ground driving may well be frustrating.

I can't comment on long term livability as I think a caterham is a fine comfy everyday car!

Graham

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:27 pm

Thanks G, maybe a TT would be the better option.

gridgway · Post by **gridgway** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:15 pm

Might be worth a test drive Graham, they seem good value now, and having looked, they do look nice

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:18 pm

Daughter has one now after a string of 4 MX5's and adores the TT.
I have good and bad days with the Boxster, and thinking of leaving it somewhere and go mainstream but want something a bit different but must be practicable for tours.
Wife fancies an early one.

Other temptation is a Nissan 370Z.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:15 pm

I’ve had multiple TTs, highly variable, some of the extremes:

Front drive sport (2010) looked fabulous. Dreadful to drive, bottomed out on the arches, snappy unpredictable handling. Horrible torque steer.

Quattro sport (well Haldex) (2011): Loved it.
Would happily have kept it. Compliant damping, refined, fun.

Various others, neutral about them, not that fussed!

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:22 pm

Daughters is a 3 year old haldex TT high line.
Rides far better than my Boxster, dsg is wonderful, goes well enough for uk roads, just that they are everywhere, and the windows freeze in winter...
Mind, a lot of things happen with a Box too.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:28 pm

The windows are a feature

Same on an A5 coupe, short drop doesn’t work when frozen, so you wrench the doors open and then shut them with the glass outside the chrome!

rhd racer · Post by **rhd racer** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:04 pm

My A5 sportback does that on all 4 doors - not much fun! Always on the days I am in London and late for the early train. Almost as annoying is the boot full of water every time you open the tailgate!

I always thought a TT was on a Golf chassis, so other than the 2/4 wheel drive thing would be pretty reliably good. Have I got that wrong Gary? Have only driven one, being a v early 240bhp petrol when it was nearly new in 2000 or so. It was like a spaceship then compared to most things on the road

Is a Honda S2000 too old for you to consider Graham? They have always looked like proper fun, combined with pretty brilliant reliability. Can get a hardtop to please your wife too.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:16 pm

Yes, Golf platform.
Maybe there was something up with the front drive sport I had, but it spat itself very sideways on a bump at the same speed that leaves most cars undisturbed. Never trusted it after that.

I’ve got an A5 sportback at the moment and I know what you mean about the boot. It’s Ok if you are parked on a flat surface then the water lands exactly in the drain channels as the (power) boot opens. Only just though!

Due to the wonders of our car scheme I only keep them for 4 months so we get through loads!

gridgway · Post by **gridgway** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:28 pm

Then there's the golf. Not a special car but my daughter has just bought a 2.0 diesel blue motion something or other and it's a real hoot!

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:40 pm

S2000's are now a bit leggy, but are very nice, Mrs H agrees (!)
A simple Golf GTi is a promise to myself when I give up hillclimbing and no longer need the big Skoda to tow with.

Ideally want to px the Boxster with little cash from me as this is a fun car in the fleet, so no nasty surprises, and means a dealer is involved...
Fact that AUDI can't fix a door freeze prob is not good, what about all that winter testing?

Think I've fixed the coolant leak on the Box'r but still drips coming out of the under floor plastic panels, so need to remove and take a look.

These are the hassles I get naffed-off with.
Still get the cold start white smoke on occasions, the ultimate turn-off.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:45 pm

When we do winter testing it’s proper cold (like -20 or less overnight) and it’s dry, so no real ice on the car, not the classic UK rain that freezes. Jug of hot water before you get in sorts it all out so not the end of the world.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:48 pm

Highly recommend any GTi from Mk6 onwards, again been through loads of them!
A manual mk7 GTI+ with cloth seats (tartan of course) is the perfect all rounder. Way more engaging than a R which is fast but dull.

Sam · Post by **Sam** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 8:42 am

Gary71 wrote:Highly recommend any GTi from Mk6 onwards, again been through loads of them!
A manual mk7 GTI+ with cloth seats (tartan of course) is the perfect all rounder. Way more engaging than a R which is fast but dull.

Agreed. I thought I wanted an R but the lack of excitement and the boot space taken up by the 4WD system means a GTi works much better 99% of the time.

The GTi is still a little bit boring though. If you can get past the styling (which I can’t) the Civic Type R is a much, much better machine in terms of ride and handling and general driving fun. I reckon I’d get in the Civic and just go for a blast, the Golf doesn’t have that appeal. But in the Honda it’d have to be at night so no one saw me and I didn’t have to look at the interior.

DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker