Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Scion adds ponies to its handling prowess by way of a Cosworth supercharger. Let’s see if its price makes it a cause célèbre.
A “journalist” recently used the Ringo Starr’s 1973 rendition of the Sherman Brothers’ hit “You’re Sixteen” to justify the actions of Roy Moore, the Republican candidate seeking to fill Alabama’s presently vacant senate seat. Moore, as we all know has been accused of predatory behavior towards minors in the past, and is presently on track to win that election.
Since we’re now using Ringo Starr songs as analytical points of reference in all of life’s quandaries, I thought it might be fitting to do so in the matter of yesterday’s 2003 “Ferrari 360 Modena which was really a re-bodied Hyundai Tiburon. In that instance, I think the best ditty to datum on the Starr scale would be the “No No Song” which the former Beatle recorded for his 1974 Goodnight Vienna album.
That seems to be a fitting considering the mad mashup’s $21,500 price, and the massive 97-percent Crack Pipe loss that it faced. I mean, there’s defeat, and then there’s crushing defeat. Alternatively, we could have gone with “All By Myself” from the same album as a nod to those who voted in the minority.
Since we’re talking about minorities—and who doesn’t like to do that—let’s consider the small number of enthusiasts who consider the Toyota 86 to offer ample horsepower. Show of hands, who out there thinks 200 ponies is a sufficient overture for the little BRZ/FR-S twins?
I thought so. Luckily, there are options out there to improve upon that, since the 1,998-cc Subaru FA20D that powers both the Subie and Scion editions can easily give up more with the right cajoling.
This 2014 Scion (R.I.P.) FR-S piles on the ponies by way of a Cosworth-engineered supercharger package. The Stage 2 kit adds a revised intake, an adorable little blower, an intercooler, and all the ancillary bits and belts to make the package work. Once it’s working, it can add up to 80 horsepower to the bad boy boxer motor. A six-speed stick backs that up.
What do those 80 horses cost? Well, somewhere around $6,750 if Google Shopping is to be believed. That’s not all that’s been done to, or perhaps more appropriately, had money dropped on, this 36,000-mile Scion.
You can read the list in the ad, but day-um girlfriend, that’s a lot of going on that’s been going on with this car.
The rest of the car is appreciably clean. The black metallic paint seems to suffer no flaws, and the factory alloy wheels look unmarred by encounters with curbs. The interior is commensurately clean and tidy and only shows an aftermarket double DIN head unit as a non-factory accouterment. The interior on the 86s is tight but tidy, and there’s even a small pair of buckets in back. Those are not intended for human use, but should you need to carry with you a gym bag or bug-eyed Chihuahua, they’ll work just fine.
The ad says that this one-owner car comes with a clean title and recently passed its California smog test. There are no accidents in its history and it comes with two keys. I don’t think people really consider the value in that last aspect enough.
Scion is now deader ’n a doornail, but the 86 lives on under the Toyota brand. Subaru also still sells the lovely little coupe as the slightly different BRZ. Both were revised in 2016 to offer an additional 5 ponies, for a total of 205. The ad claims this one pumps out 246 horsepower at the wheels. That, in case you didn’t pay attention in school, is more.
The price tag for this FR-S is $18,600 which if you’ve been looking at newer editions would come out to be less. Yes, you’re getting three-years of use and 36,000 already under its belt, plus the love/hate aspect of the pressurized Cosworth stuff—and everything else—having been added.
The question is, where does that all balance out, and does it do so at or around that $18,600 asking. What do you think, does this Cosworth’d FR-S feel worth that asking? Or, for that much is this Scion not the heir apparent?
You decide!
Orange County, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to fauxshizzle for the hookup!
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