What's the purpose of your ST?

[M-Sport fan]

^^^So maybe I should not be as hesitant as I am to take mine, setup with the same size Pro Race 1.2s and RS-RRs onto the stage roads to work the local Rally America events, especially since I am still on the factory suspension, at factory ride height?

Although I suspect that those fire roads you travel on to get to the trailheads are MUCH MUCH smoother than the stage roads I'd be bouncing down.

 

[Capri to ST]

^^^So maybe I should not be as hesitant as I am to take mine, setup with the same size Pro Race 1.2s and RS-RRs onto the stage roads to work the local Rally America events, especially since I am still on the factory suspension, at factory ride height?

Although I suspect that those fire roads you travel on to get to the trailheads are MUCH MUCH smoother than the stage roads I'd be bouncing down.

If you haven't seen this, it speaks well to the stock car's capability on rally roads-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM1nkR8pkX4&t=2s&list=FLur65YQuzud3gXqwZTZTrxQ&index=1

 

[Feisty Fiesta]

Wanted a fun, reliable (well, more reliable than my 98 GTI VR6 was...), yet practical DD that gets good gas mileage, that I can autocross/canyon carve with.

 

[rpt50]

I got mine as "my last car". I'm retired now (not when I bought it tho) and I've seen way too many old people buy a big luxury car as their last vehicle. After a few years the car is way too big for them, the fuel economy makes it too expensive to drive, and they can barely see over the hood. .. (As it turns out, as you age, your peripheral vision increases [most likely a survival thing as you need more warning of things coming from the sides since your reaction time goes down] and cars seem like they're coming into your lane. That's part of why olde people drive so slowly and cautiously. Anyway I wanted something that I could use as a sports car, that would carry anything I'm likely to want to bring home, and gets good fuel economy. Also important a DOMESTIC automobile as foreign parts and and labor rates for foreign cars are real killers (especially on a fixed income)
From the time I first saw the Mazda 2 and later at the same (new) car show I longed for the platform. I was just about ready to get a stripper model when the ST was announced......... ..... ... .. .


No other car even comes close to filling the bill.

Wow. This sounds like me. I unloaded my Miata for something fun but more practical that I could drive into my retirement years. Yea, I miss the drop top, but this car feels like it will run circles around a Miata.

 

[Zormecteon]

Wow. This sounds like me. I unloaded my Miata for something fun but more practical that I could drive into my retirement years. Yea, I miss the drop top, but this car feels like it will run circles around a Miata.

Interestingly enough, ... I recently purchased a Miata! I've had convertibles since 1980, when I bought a Rabbit Convertible. (They weren't called Cabriolets then). I sold it when I got the Healey (avatar pic). The Healey is up for sale, and I need something that the top comes off or goes down. I got the power hard top, as I'm tired of not being able to lock things up, and tired of taking two people to put on and off the hard shell. I mentioned somewhere else here in the forums that I had acquired a Miata and that it just doesn't have the power of the the FiST, and that the FiST seemed to corner just as well. Someone replied that the Miata was "slower but faster". I now understand what that meant. Sure, in a drag race (which neither car was really built to do) the FiST wins. I don't have the guts, and it's not safe on the road to really prove it, and while the FiST IS a great cornering car, the Miata will catch it in the twisties. Well, you know, you had one...

Interestingly enough as a complete aside .. A while VW a named it Cabriolet, it is not really one. A cabriolet can be driven with the top partially retracted (looking like a Targa Top) or folded completely down, and while people refer to the Miata as a Roadster, it is NOT one, it is a convertible. A Roadster has a top that can be completely REMOVED and stored (in the trunkor not) and the side windows also must be removable and stored (think side curtains). There is also a difference between a convertible and a drop head coupe as a drop head coupe has a top that can be folded down, but IT is lined (a headliner), not just a simple piece of canvas that folds.

 

[Speedboosted]

Wanted a car that could do a lot of things for me including getting good mpg, have a warranty, be fun, decent in the snow, comfortable, around $20k, and look good. Also wanted something to daily so I could start turning the Mustang into a more serious track car. I looked at a few vehicles and had it narrowed down to the Fiesta, a 15+ GTI, and a newer Fusion. All three got good mileage and had a warranty, but I was worried about VW maintenance and I was afraid the Fusion was going to be too boring (was a 1.5 Eco at least). After driving a Fiesta with the Recaros, I was sold! Had it for almost a month now and couldn't be happier.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I have a neurological issue that rendered me unable to ride motorcycles (a problem, as I had 11 bikes at the time - can’t keep hands tight on grips). I missed the daily stress relief of riding, so I went to purchase a car that gave me the most bike-like experience. Test drove a 370 (just blah), a few mustangs (boring), a few miatas (too tall of torso), a fiat 500 Abarth (fun!) and a fiesta st (fun but too quiet). I originally purchased the 500 Abarth, as it had the most raw “character” of the bunch. Fiat wound up buying the car back as their dealer network seemed unable to actually repair anything. Car sat for over 2 months with a failed input shaft bearing without being worked on. I lemon lawed it and went with my number 2 pick, the fiesta st. The fiesta is definitely more refined and a little less fun, but it scratches the itch of riding bikes. It’s very similar to the Abarth, though I really miss the sound and overall character of the little fiat. I just sold my Grand National a while back so I’m hunting for a fun weekend car too. Have been kinda looking for a plymouth duster or dodge demon, but only half heartedly. Hands don’t work well enough to wrench on stuff anymore.

Mods are way cheaper for the fiesta!

 

[captainmorbid]

^^^


Did you check out the Polaris car/trike?


Though I still have bike, the heater on it sucks! I wish I could cram 11 bikes in my fleet!



I don’t commute, I stage rally to work...




Sent from my iPhone using messenger penguins

 

[Clint Beastwood]

yeah figured i'd start prepping the wife for the idea of an atom or an exocet at some point instead. I don't like the 3 wheelers. If I can't ride a bike I don't want to ride a fake bike. If I was Vegan I'd object to face bacon on the same grounds

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Where I live, there are lots of people that bought bikes 15+ years ago, ride them for a few weeks each summer, but they otherwise sit in garages. Once their carbs get clogged people aren't willing to fix them so sell them cheap on craigslist. I buy them, clean carbs, and have perfectly good bikes for trivially cheap.

 

[DaveG99]

Wanted a fun car. I missed turbos since my last one was my 97eclipse back in the day. Checked out 5.0 and focus st and chose the FIST. I daily drive a 2016 chevy silverado.

 

[Blown]

Wanted a cheap manual factory turbo commuter I could tinker with

 

[pelotonracer2]

It's my daily driver... slash.... continual project car. It gives me something to do when I'm bored with that other car in my garage. lol

 

[polyphonic]

My Fiesta ST is 1 of 3 cars that I own. I call it the party car because of how fun it is to drive I have been driving it daily since I purchased it back in September and it has been an absolute blast. I use my Corolla for beater duties and yuck weather. The ZL1 is the garage queen that I like to take out for special occasions.

 

[apex1]

I have been wanting a small, light, good handling car for a few years since I sold my last MX-5. I have my motorcycles but there are times when having a fun car is something I prefer. Although I sometimes commute to work in it because it's fun, it's not my daily driver. The FiST is soon going to be stored for the long Ohio winter since it will never see salt. Sure it's not an expensive sports car, but I plan to treat it like one just because that's what I want to do with it. Having everything under the car free of rust in a couple of years will make me happy and since I daily drive an SUV, the FiST can hibernate when there's salt on the roads and so much salt down that you can taste it in the air and it permeates everything. So it has a clear bra installed, mud flaps and gets washed with a foam cannon and 2 buckets. And I drive the living sh*t out of it once it is thoroughly warmed up. Soon to come is an e30 tune and I'll go from there. I really like this car.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I have been wanting a small, light, good handling car for a few years since I sold my last MX-5. I have my motorcycles but there are times when having a fun car is something I prefer. Although I sometimes commute to work in it because it's fun, it's not my daily driver. The FiST is soon going to be stored for the long Ohio winter since it will never see salt. Sure it's not an expensive sports car, but I plan to treat it like one just because that's what I want to do with it. Having everything under the car free of rust in a couple of years will make me happy and since I daily drive an SUV, the FiST can hibernate when there's salt on the roads and so much salt down that you can taste it in the air and it permeates everything. So it has a clear bra installed, mud flaps and gets washed with a foam cannon and 2 buckets. And I drive the living sh*t out of it once it is thoroughly warmed up. Soon to come is an e30 tune and I'll go from there. I really like this car.

Even though I am one of those guilty ones who yes, do claim this is not a one off expensive exotic, and it should be driven/enjoyed every day, IF I could keep it totally out of the salt soup with a beater ride as well, I also would.
As it is, unless it is an emergency, I do not have to take it out when there is wet salt on the roads, but like your area, so much EXCESS is dumped on the roads that it becomes a salt dust which yes, you can actually taste in the air at times.

 

[Intuit]

What's the purpose of your ST?

It's used whenever the conditions aren't favorable for the motorcycle. For example if the MC requires maintenance, have passenger(s), hauling too much gear to go on my back, fog, wet leafy streets, snow/ice accumulation.

My requirements and preferences for a car...
1) Manual shift.
2) Reliable.
3) Four door. (not going to shoe-horn any relatives in/out the back seats)
4) Domestic nameplate.
5) Smaller than Focus, but not too small to be useful for example, not Fiat Abarth tiny.
6) (for modern vehicles, good handling is generally synonymous with being smaller than Focus)
7) Exceptional power in stock form.
8) Exceptional styling.

The Fiesta ST ? Check, hopefully check, check, check, check, check, check, and check.

 

[M-Sport fan]

It's used whenever the conditions aren't favorable for the motorcycle. For example if the MC requires maintenance, have passenger(s), hauling too much gear to go on my back, fog, wet leafy streets, snow/ice accumulation.

My requirements and preferences for a car...
1) Manual shift.
2) Reliable.
3) Four door. (not going to shoe-horn any relatives in/out the back seats)
4) Domestic nameplate.
5) Smaller than Focus, but not too small to be useful for example, not Fiat Abarth tiny.
6) (for modern vehicles, good handling is generally synonymous with being smaller than Focus)
7) Exceptional power in stock form.
8) Exceptional styling.

The Fiesta ST ? Check, hopefully check, check, check, check, check, check, and check.

+1!+ (and THEN some) to everything above, except #3, since I do not schlep kids/relatives in the back seat anymore, and would have bought the 2 door if it were offered in North America.

 

[Intuit]

Just weld the extra doors shut.

 

[AntTrain]

I drive it on the weekends on the street to meets/shows but I built the car to do all sorts of racing but specifically road racing. I don't daily the car.