Toyota GT86 2019 Buying Guide

In the market for a rear wheel drive, well handling, economical sports car? A car that is easy enough to be used as a daily driver or weekend warrior AND one that does not break the bank? Look no further than the Toyota GT86.

The GT86 (also called the “Hachi-Roku” – Japanese for “eight-six”) was originally introduced in 2012 and was co-developed with Subaru for their version called the BRZ.

Power is delivered from Subaru’s 2.0L naturally aspirated FA20 boxer engine that sits up front and pushes out a whopping (NOT!) 205 horsepower.

Mikaniki Fun Fact: The 86 was developed by the same man that brings us the MK-V BMW Supra – Tetsuya Tada

While 205 horsepower may not seem like a lot these days, the charm of the 86 lies in its weight and handling prowess. It’s a small nimble car that weighs in at only 1,298kg. Power goes to the REAR wheels (as god intended) through a 6 speed, Toyota developed, row-it-yourself manual transmission or a 6 speed Aisin automatic gearbox.

All this equates to a fun corner carver that does 0-100kmph in a respectable 6.8 seconds with a top speed of 233kmph.

For those that are looking for a little more from the 86 – a tire shredding drift toy or a time attack track car, aftermarket options are plenty. It’s easy to find all sorts of aftermarket parts for the 86 that range from turbo kits, superchargers, suspension set-ups and widebody kits.

Check out our page for aftermarket mods or get in touch and we can always hook you up with any sort of customization you would need.

Why get the Toyota GT86?

Here’s a list of reasons why you would want to get yourself the GT86

• Fun 2-door coupe that is easy to live with daily;
• Great for amateur or aspiring racers;
• Looks pretty good;
• Easy on the wallet – 8.4L/100km;
• Inexpensive to maintain;
• Toyota reliability;
• Great aftermarket support.

The prices for used examples range from as low as AED 30,000 for 2013-14 models (with manuals coming in cheaper than the automatic versions) to AED 80,000 for 2017-18 models (source: Dubizzle).

Very little has changed about the 86 from 2013 to present so you can’t go wrong with picking up an early model of the car – aesthetically.

Things to look for

While the 86 is a rock-solid car and is generally known to be very reliable, here are some of the things to look for when buying a used Toyota GT86

• Check if the power steering is working properly – early models power steering is known to fail due to a wiring harness issue. You will want to check if the recall has been done to rectify it.
• Check the battery – the early 45Ah batteries installed on the 86 have been known to cause some electrical problems with the car and the later cars have been upgraded to 65Ah batteries.
• For manual cars, check if the second gear engages properly when the car is cold. The second gear synchros are known to be hard to engage when cold but could also indicate some underlying transmission problems.
• Condensation in rear tail lights is known to be pretty common in these cars. Toyota has had them replaced under warranty and you will want to check if this has been done.

And of course, Mikaniki can sort you out with Pre-Purchase Inspections for used cars for a trouble-free car ownership experience. Check out our Pre-Purchase Inspection section for garage options.

Images from wheels.ca