They're hyped up way more then they deserve. In stock form the engine is a piece of shit, it handles as well as any other entry level jap shitbox, the brakes are rubbish, the headlights do nothing, the interior is basic as fuck, the exterior looks are shit tier and only reason people think they look good is they have only ever seen ae86 with 8 inch wide wheels, 50mm off the ground with a body kit and bolt on flares.. In stock form they are just another jap shitbox hatch back.
Having said all that if you're willing to spend big money on one.. They are very light, they are rwd and have a short wheel base so they can be made into a total track weapon. But honestly what car with 50k spent on it won't be..
A ke70 corolla is a way better starting point as most 86 parts interchange, so you get all the aftermarket for the 86 without the fucking ridiculous fanboy tax of an 86.
Tldr basically any rwd 80s jap shitbox can be made to be just as good if not better.
A close friend has an ae86 with a 3sgte engine with a to4z turbo, revs to the moon, the turbo lag is ridiculous when driving on the street but when it's in high rpm it is ridiculously fast, it feels like you're skipping almost as you pause for a moment after a gear change then are thrown down the road when the to4z has enough rpm to spool. When he first got it, before he spent money on it, I was so underwhelmed after watching the drift bible and initial d.
