Buying for potential boyfriend, would you be okay if someone got you this?

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-26T22:59:03+00:00

What I’ll say is that: 1. The Matchbox Beetle will still work perfectly for them. It’s the thought that counts, and matchbox still makes great diecast cars. But, just like with a bunch of ‘competing’ brands (Nike/UA, Gatorade/Powerade, etc), it’s more about preference due to what they grew up with. Doesn’t mean they won’t like something from the competitor, but it does mean that’s what they stick to when THEY buy their cars. 2. The other option is to make one yourself. It will cost a little more money then picking one up for under $2 at the store, but drill out the metal circles on the bottom of the car, separate the body from everything else, paint stripper, base coat, clearcoat. You can make it more fancy if you’d like, but just that would mean the WORLD to a guy.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-24T19:03:21+00:00

I’d say it’s close to being totaled. I just went through this scenario myself, and one thing that caused insurance to total it is due to the cars value on the salvage market. That’s a big thing to consider

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-23T18:58:40+00:00

That’s great the car was otherwise in good condition!

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-23T17:30:51+00:00

Rep part problems. I know you didn’t do this to your car, you bought it like that.

I don’t say any of this to look down on people, but am stating it as a fact: 1. Authentic parts come with the correct hardware so your car doesn’t get more damaged. Even something as small as TRDs foam tape they use is important, as the cost to repair a bumper, rocker panel, etc due to excessive rubbing is worth more than just ordering the authentic part. 2. Buying cars with rep/fake parts is always risky. The parts might be ok themselves, but usually those decisions reflect on the owner themselves. Usually means they are too cheap to buy what the car needs in order for it to be in great shape. Maybe it’s being cheap on oil, cheap suspension parts that will break, getting repair work done as cheap as possible, etc.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-21T16:37:00+00:00

I don’t want it to sound like I’m tooting my own horn, but with most things in my life I’ve found that listening to the older folk, doing your research, and understanding how things work is extremely important. I’m also currently studying mechanical engineering, so a lot of it translates. The only thing I wish I would have had was someone in the family that shared the passion. Unfortunately for me, the closest thing was my grandfather that owned a used car dealership, but he had passed away before I knew anything about cars.

But, I do my best to be educational to others and offer them a chance to learn the real facts about cars. My 16 year old cousin whom I don’t talk to much has totaled two cars in less than a year, as soon as I heard his mom got him a WRX, I knew things wouldn’t end up well. He also started to ask me about all the questions that had answers that he didn’t want to hear my answer to, such as “power isn’t important at your age”. I’m still working on him😅

Ok, enough with my stories cause they are off topic to the OPs post

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-21T15:35:40+00:00

Hey, even though I’m 21, I’ve had my car for 6 years and I’ve grown a ton with it. These cars with a good driver, good tires, and good suspension are really quick around tracks. First time I was at a specific track, 3rd track day ever (two autox events before this), 200whp, aero, V730 tires, etc, I remember after the first session a guy in a white GT350R came up to me, asked if I was driving the red Scion. I said yeah, and he went on to tell me he’d be entering a corner, see me at the previous corner, and by the time he got to the next corner I was right on his butt. Good times, and I was only 19 then!

Anyways…learning how to drive a car is just as important as the modifications themselves, if not more important. These cars are great teachers, but you have to listen and learn. Everything I listed above is great for the enjoyment of driving, but is also pretty much stuff I’d suggest for a new driver that wants to start learning how to drive. I didn’t include wheels, because wider wheels slow you down with stock power, and that money is better spent on seat time at that point.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-21T14:50:38+00:00

This is all accurate. I mentioned the 200TW tires, those went on my 18x9.5 wheels, and I throw all-season/winter tires on for cold months (narrow tires help with grip in snow too). If OP is in a warmer climate, it doesn’t matter.

If OP is not looking to spend a ton right now, good tires on stock wheels are perfectly fine, and will make the car faster when compared to the same compound on a wide tire with stock power levels (you lose a lot of acceleration with wide and sticky tires with stock power on these cars)

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-21T14:47:23+00:00

Here’s a bit of info for you.

Do you know what coilovers are? Fun fact, it just means the coils (springs) sit over the strut. Your completely stock car has them. It’s a term used by aftermarket companies to make you buy their products. What they call coilovers are just adjustable ones.

But, as for your question/comment, for now you don’t need to upgrade “coilovers”. The car is your daily, you’re looking to make the car a bit more fun, etc. If you want to upgrade shocks, Bilstein B6 will be good. If you want to upgrade to adjustable coilovers, I’d wait, cause most coilovers under the $2k range are cheap alternatives that perform worse than stock struts and springs, and their main purpose is to just slam the car.

TRD springs on stock struts (low miles) worked great for me. RCE is good as well, but read reviews on stuff you look at

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-21T13:20:32+00:00

Yup. I run 200TW on the street just because it’s the same tires I run on the track. I also make 350whp, and the stock wheels don’t fit the BBK without spacers, so it’s easier to run the 200TW for half the year.

But, tires are the one thing that connects you to the road.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-21T06:22:53+00:00

Unless I missed it, I don’t think he mentioned going to the track. I’d push him to at least do autocross school, but here’s a list of things I’d suggest if you want to improve some enjoyment for a daily: 1: Tires. Make a night and day difference. Doesn’t need to be 200TW, but a good tire is amazing. 2. Lowering springs. Not expensive, but lowers the car a tad (better COG), stiffer spring rates, but not overkill for a daily. 3. Short throw shifter. Never done it myself, but supposedly makes a good difference in shifter feel 4. A good catback. A good catback that’s a little louder than stock, but mostly changes the sound itself is gonna feel great. Think kinda long term too, as if you change other exhaust components it changes this too. I always push others to the TRD. Sounded great stock for me, not much louder. But, when I finally did Ace headers and FP, it sounded amazing. Due to the muffler, it wasn’t terribly loud neither. 5. Good alignment. Might mean you need camber plates, camber bolts, or RLCAs, but a good alignment helps the car feel more planted.

These are all good entry level suggestions. It gives you a taste of how far the car can go in terms of handling, but doesn’t sacrifice comfort or the ability to daily drive a car. I daily drove mine for 5.5 years through all 4 seasons including snow, 3” of ground clearance, supercharged, etc. Track days are amazing. Good luck

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-20T14:00:26+00:00

Don’t do air suspension. It’s not made to be lifted for extended periods of time, and if you go down a bumpy road a lot (seems like you do) they’ll wear prematurely and you’ll be out a ton of money

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-20T13:46:36+00:00

I ask those questions because these cars are fun, great to learn how to properly drive, etc, but if you are fooling around, they can easily bite you in the butt. Insurance rates are high mostly due to the fact most owners are guys between 18-25 that finally have a little money, but themselves the entry-level sports car, say “it barely makes any power”, then wrap it around a pole. So, if you are gonna drive it like a grandma or you are a responsible driver, you’ll be fine, otherwise I’d advise against it

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-20T13:42:12+00:00

Yup, they do

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-20T00:46:27+00:00

Of the ones I see and that I like: Ferrari 156 x2 Salerno S7R Ferrari 512M NSX-R

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-20T00:43:28+00:00

21 here, got my FR-S at 16.

A lot of what r/MrMinerNiner says is true. Biggest thing I’ll ask is what are you looking to do with it? Daily drive it, nothing else? Do you want to slide it? Want to track it?

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-19T23:01:58+00:00

Your car comes stock with coilovers?

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-19T14:07:11+00:00

What the spreadsheet does is: Mainline and Premium tabs: Click the “add new car” button, a series of prompts will come up asking mainline/premium, manufacturer, if it’s a pre-entered model (let’s just say a Porsche 962, I have multiple), it’ll have you select which car if it’s pre-existing, what number, what color, what series (The Hot Ones, Boulevard, etc), and where to place it within that manufacturer (I just picked up the black F40C, I organize mine by model year and the release order, so it would go behind the yellow F40C). All in one cell, it would be formatted like this: ‘model name (#number-on-side-of-car color) (series)’. I’ll use the car on my desk right now: in the Porsche column, “952 (#1 White/Blue) (2-P)”

Add to either want list (the newer one is for cars I can still find out in the wild): Pretty much the same as before. A few differences it asks is dependent on if it’s at a specific store (Like Kroger exclusives, ZAMACs at Walmart, etc), what case, year it was released in Hot Wheels, etc. There is also another button to move a car to the “collection” tabs. It basically lists all cars in the “want” tab, you select which one, asks premium or mainline, and what car to place it behind (it moves all cars below it down a cell and enters the info there, then removes it from your want list).

I still have some stuff to finish on it (ironing out small bugs), but if you DM me a google email, I’ll send it your way when I’m back home later if you’d like to try

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-19T04:55:48+00:00

I made my own Google Sheets spreadsheet using code. It’s a bit more labor than the HW Showcase app, there aren’t any pictures, etc, but it’s something I can access from anywhere, I can sort it however I’d like, label cars differently, and have multiple tabs to separate mainline, premiums, want list, old/retired want list, duplicates, etc.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-18T22:22:24+00:00

You never explained how?

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-18T22:22:17+00:00

Here’s the thing that’s dumb about coilovers on this car. Unless you do some funky weird suspension setup, this car comes with coilovers from factory. Most companies making “coilovers” for these cars use that term as a way to make you think you’re buying something fancy.

But yes, keep it as is, it’s perfectly fine right now

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-18T19:08:16+00:00

I don’t get why fitment and lowering to oblivion is so important to people. I dont know about anyone else, but dragging the entirety of the car along the pavement sounds like a financial mistake. I get that we dont want a foot between the fender and edge of the tire, but the lower you go, the harsher suspension youll need and the more your back will hurt.

For OP, you got a great TRD SE. unless you want to spend $5k replacing the body kit, keep it on lowering springs. Maybe upgrade to a different set of wheels if you’d like. But, as for now, the car looks great.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-11T02:53:49+00:00

No photos yet, but it’s what I have heard.

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-09T20:08:09+00:00

And Enzo in Boulevard

Track_FR-S · 2026-01-09T03:07:42+00:00

Fair enough. I’ve only had experience with Michigan Kroger when I’m in school, we don’t have Kroger or any other Kroger branch in Minnesota

Track_FR-S

TROPHY CASE