The Scottish Subaru BRZ adventure

[JB!]

So in October, I did something fun and a bit stupid, and finally bit the bullet and bought a Subaru BRZ... this is how it went.



I am not a morning person. This hour of the day was not much fun.



My incredible value train ticket to the nearest station to the dealership in Falkirk (£53!!!)



The Lake District.



Murrayfield, I got excited somewhere around here.

I got picked up from the station in the car, drove it back via their usual test drive route, car was spot on.






Pictures do not do World Rally Blue justice!!! Love the colour. Rear lights need to go, but that can wait.



Met up with Brad off PH Forums who looked round the car for me before I went to get it!

Then I drove the North Coast 500!



Fort William



My new dash (Headunit has to go!)



Just incase I broke my phone!



The view over Helmsdale for my first night!



John o Groats!



Wick Harbour, met up with a mate who works in Wick and lives in Thurso so had a play with his Megane Turbo for the day! Was good fun, alot of torque steer, and surprisingly revvy!



Thurso Beach



An evening in Bettyhill...










My 4 favourite pictures of the entire trip! The scenery of the west Highlands is insane, totally mind blowing.



Lochinver





The ferry terminal and dock at Ullapool



Somewhere near Ullapool!



Looking moody in Carlisle



Total miles from Falkirk to home via NC500 & Fort William!

• ******************************************

So one thing I noticed a day or so into my trip was the brakes were pretty terrible. Plenty of meat on the pads but no bite at all.

Closer investigation and i found Jurid marked on the fronts. Cheap pads from Euros or wherever.

A little asking around on the GT86/BRZ Driver's Facebook page and I bought and fitted these:







Performance Friction fronts and Yellowstuff rears.



In Derby this week...

It's going to a local detailer to clean 1500 miles of grime off and seal it for winter on Saturday, so more pictures then!

Next up is swap a set of wheels off my Fabia over onto it for winter, and my personal plate, then save for an exhaust and some TOMs rear lights.

Edited by JB! on Sunday 6th November 22:52

[JB!]

Butter Face said:

That's a hell of a distance for a BRZ! Top work!

Thanks!

Right colour, right gearbox and a cracking price! (I can't find any sub 16k cars for anywhere near what I paid)

[JB!]

Thanks folks!

Excited to see it properly cleaned tomorrow, no doubt I'll get it filthy again!

[JB!]

On it, thanks folks!


Just had it de-swirled and it looks incredible!

Pictures:









Can't believe the difference, even on a 3yr old car.

This thing is also making me reconsider my collection of toys...

Edited by JB! on Sunday 6th November 22:57

[JB!]

6cylGolf said:

Agreed, op get on it.
Nice alarm clock by the way

Thanks! I still can't get out of bed for st though.

[JB!]

Tinkshusband said:

clowesy said:

Very nice, love this blue. I know they're mechanically the same but I'd always go BRZ over a GT86 just so I could pair this colour with some nice gold/bronze wheels.

gold sti bbs would look good on this.

Funny you should say that...

Thinking these:

[JB!]

James B said:

Great looking car and glad you enjoyed the NC500 trip. Some very familiar locations chosen for pics that our lot used when we did it in May.

Also, if you're looking for a great double DIN headunit to replaced the one there then I'm selling one of these;
https://www.cnet.com/uk/products/pioneer-avic-fdb/...

I'm going to hold off for a little while, really need an exhaust first!

[JB!]

Ved said:

Looks really good. I had a brief stint in a GT86 which didn't really do it for me but I'm keen to try again as I should hopefully be getting a new car next year. As you're local I'll have to keep an eye out. Certainly not seen any BRZs around here before.

Local yep, Live and work in the MK area, there are a few GT86s but not seen another BRZ locally yet.

[JB!]

feef said:

No Applecross? You missed a trick!

epic drive tho. I did similar on the bike a couple of years ago. Will need to do it again once the Mazda's back on the road

Yep did it, not really a driving road though, stunning scenery but alot of hype.

If it was two lane, I'd definitely make more of it, but as it is, just a good picture and not much else (lunch at the inn was good though).

[JB!]

I Am Milk said:

JB, do you work on the right hand side of Silbury Avenue (if your back is facing the station)? I see a blue BRZ parked there most days. I work on the other side.

I'm always tempted to park my ginger GT86 next to it, but the free staff parking is too good to pass up on.

Back to the station I work LH side of the city, on the old Hockey site.


if you do social media, JDMK lads are decent and the Driver's club seems friendly enough, would be good to find fellow "twins" owners in MK.

[JB!]

I Am Milk said:

JB! said:

Back to the station I work LH side of the city, on the old Hockey site.


if you do social media, JDMK lads are decent and the Driver's club seems friendly enough, would be good to find fellow "twins" owners in MK.

Ahh, well you're not the only Blue BRZ owner in MK then - I assume you wouldn't pass up on the free staff parking your end either

I'll check it out on Facebook - I don't live in MK, I only work there but if it's a good community I'm interested.

Adiós

The game of track down the other owner begins!

Ha!

Thanks

[JB!]

Swapped my spare wheels over end Nov;







Really like the Gunmetal against the Blue, but next pair of tyres can be bigger than the 205/40/17 on there now.

Also the Rainsport3s are much nicer to use than the awful standard tyres on greasy roads!

[JB!]

Yazza54 said:

Nice, love the blue. Hope it's reliable for you... heard some horror stories on various forums including this one

Seen only one or two terminal issues, so out of thousands of units, I'm not too worried, you only see the cars with issues in tech sections of forums, nobody posts to say "my car is mint"

Worst case it will get a forged bottom end or engine swapped, the chassis is ace and rear lights aside, i like the styling.

[JB!]

Update time!

Really enjoying the car with the extra grip of the Rainsports.

My upgraded pads have finished off my standard used front discs, so ordered some StopTech discs.

Also bought an FT86SpeedFactory Flasher/Indicator programmable relay, as the lack of lane-change 3 flash was doing my head in!!!!

May have also bought some KW V3s as well...

[JB!]

KW Coilovers and Superpro rear lower arms and toe arms on!



With a proper alignment, the car is on rails! Very pleased!

I also took it round Wales for 4 days!

Black Mountain pass:



My hotel for the first night:





Some awesome metal in the carpark!:






Day 2, Rhyader mountain pass:



And elsewhere:



Stayed in Portmeirion:









Also went into Caernarfon that night:



Day 3 Snowdonia and Denbeigh:



And day 4 I didn't grab many pictures at all.

...but I did collect a Perrin stainless 3" cat back

[JB!]

Thanks!!!

Just saving up for some 18s, Ideally two sets, one Summer and one Winter so I can have different tyre options.

[JB!]

Sillyhatday said:

I just had to scroll up. I didn't realise they were 17" wheels! Looks really good on them.

I would probably have winter wheels for a car like this. I've seen the snowy struggles of the RWD brigade

Any idea what wheels your after?

Braid Fullrace and i've just done a deal on some Work Emotions.

[JB!]

Got a lovely deal on 3 18x8.5 ET38 Work Emotions, Just waiting on the 4th wheel to arrive from Japan...

Will be running Rainsports again, as I'm intending these to be winters long term, with Braids or the new 1552 GT wheels as summer wheels.

[JB!]

Thanks!

Just waiting for this 4th wheel to turn up

[JB!]

New wheels on!!!!