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Thoughts on FiST as a first car

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Indianapolis
#1
I am planning to have my son drive the FiST as his first car when he gets his license in about a year. He is a budding enthusiast, which I like, and want to support his interest. But also don't want something too dangerous. There are pros and cons for the Fiesta as a first car, here is how I see it -

Pros:
FWD - no power oversteer / drifting
Manual - good to learn and teaches better car control
Handles well - good to learn
Not too much power - HP starts with a 1 on a completely stock powertrain
Hatch practicality but not big enough to haul 4 adults very far - I don't think the FiST would be the car of choice for a group of 4 teenagers, which is a good thing
Safe - modern car crash safety specs with airbags all around
Insurance is relatively cheap

Cons:
Too much power for a beginner
Small car
Good handling encourages aggressive driving

Thoughts?
 


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Mentor
#2
I can only think of positives! Cheap, pratical, gas sipper, and fun but not dangerous. Plus if he is into cars as he grows he will have tons of options on how to make the car reflect him better if modded. Take him to an autocross or even an empty parking lot and have him find the limits of the car. Not to encourage aggressive driving but to hopefully get him aware of what to do just in case he pushes it too hard?
 


XR650R

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#3
I wish you were my dad! [twothumb]

Seriously, I think it might be a little too fast for a brand new driver. Maybe get him a used fixer-upper, first. When he proves he can be responsible with it, trade it for a FiST.

The regular Fiesta also handles well, and has all the airbags, etc.
 


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Mississauga
#4
It's a lot of a car for a new driver... I would start with the 1.0L ecoboost not the 1.6L.
That or go with something that has an aftermarket but it's not a fast car out of the box.

If your son is an enthusiast any car will become his own.

If I had a son or daughter I would not trust them with a Fiesta ST a first car just because they could go into a corner with way too much speed.
The handling on this car would definitely inspire some bad driving habits for a beginning/learning driver.
 


Plainrt

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#6
I honestly think it's too much of a car for first driver. Rear end can be tail happy etc and we all know it makes great power beating on around town etc.
 


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orlando
#7
I would have lost my license in a Fist in the first week if i was 16-17. I didn't race or anything like that, I was getting speeding tickets in my Ford contour 4 banger. To much car.
 


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Ellicott City
#8
I've gotta side with the majority here. I'd like to think that I was a pretty responsible well balanced kid back when I got my license. That is until I got behind the wheel alone and turned into an a$$hat. More than enough tickets and close calls. My eclipse gsx that I had saved for years to buy made me think I was a big hotshot driver... until I crashed it causing about as much damage as the car was worth at the time. $4000 later, I suppose I learned the lesson the hard way. Regardless, I think a used 1L ecoboost, the non-turbo 1.6L fiesta or Civic hatch would be a great starter. They have all the pros you listed and none of the cons. Edit: except for "small car" con.
 


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Long Beach
#9
The FiST doesn't have a lot of power compared to other cars, but I can see a beginner driver getting in trouble with all the available torque at lower rpms. I probably would've killed myself or at the very least, gotten into a lot of trouble if I had this as my first car.
 


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#10
Err on the side of caution. If hes truly an enthusiast, hell probably enjoy any old car just for the sake of driving. Start with something slower, and less costly IMO. Thousand dollar car teaches many lessons...
 


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#11
Err on the side of caution. If hes truly an enthusiast, hell probably enjoy any old car just for the sake of driving. Start with something slower, and less costly IMO. Thousand dollar car teaches many lessons...
Yeah I agree with this the most. When I got my first car, it had spun a bearing and needed the engine rebuilt. I was excited to get it done so that I could just drive anything. The FiST is a lot of car and is hard to justify handing it to someone who has driven very little before. Coming from a bicycle, even the base Fiesta will be plenty quick!
 


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#12
You know your son, you know who he hangs out with and what type of kid he is. I know plenty of friends that started off with fun cars and they are all still breathing. A fist will cause him to drive a little wreckless. Expect a ticket or two over the next couple years. He'll have the most fun he's ever had though and be smiling all the time(I know I did). Maybe buy a Cobb AP and flash in the economy tune for the first 6 months. My parents got me an old ford ranger as a first car. I had a swapped Mr2 spyder at 17 that I drifted around with and my first crotch rocket was at 17. I vote for either buying him a used, little beat up, reliable first car for a few months to a year and then the fist, OR buying him the Fist, but keeping an eye on him and his driving habits. Dad of the year award goes to you!
 


Dpro

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#13
Personally I think the FiST is a great car for learning how to really drive. Perhaps it's because I came from a different time. Kids got Mustangs, Camaro's, etc... As first cars because they were cheap. Small cars were a new thing, I.E. Datsuns and Toyotas ya Honda's had just arrived on the scene and were sneered at. Lol
First car I really learned to drive in was a Datsun 510, I am grateful I wrecked my very first car ( Ford Mustang) by trying to go around a corner at speed it could not make.
Fact is just because a car may be slow does not take away the ability to drive it fast, get tickets, etc... That is solely on the driver or in the case of living in Speed trap U.S.A. ( Palo Alto Ca) speeding tickets were inevitable. The minute I moved out of Palo Alto the amount of speeding tickets I got dropped exponentially. Lol
I do feel RWD is better for a first car than FWD strictly for the sake of learning car control. Except FiST's are pretty good at teaching that as well even though it's throttle off oversteer vs throttle on.

Now 510's were 2000 lb cars with 96hp FiST's are 2740lb's cars with 180HP ( 197 on over post) . So while it is a little more powerful it's not a terribly fast or powerful car.
I would say you want to look at a inexpensive car more so than anything. I feel like FiST's are still pricey in that department. I would be looking at a car that costs under 10k and possibly under 5k. The idea being if something does happen it's not a sizable investment.
Perhaps an Ecoboost might not be bad for the sake of cost. You can get them for u ponder 10k. Then he could aspire to a ST.
Though I would also be looking to a 90's Japanese RWD vehicle as well. If they wer not so rare these days I would recommend a Nissan 240sx in a heartbeat. Under 5k RWD sports car. A Miata is another one.

Those are just my thoughts. If spending the money is not a big deal or you want to a hand me down on your FiST go for it.
 


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#14
Like you, i had a $1,000 ford ranger 4cyl 5-speed and it was a great vehicle to learn how to drive in. I could never really go fast enough to kill myself and that was a good thing. But because i was an enthusiast I worked and saved as much as I could to get my DSM (96 eclipse gs-t) and I was so proud of that car... worked on it constantly, washed it religiously and improved it in every which way I could. I just don't see a 16 year old kid having the respect to handle, maintain, and appreciate this much car. Sure it doesn't have alot of hp on paper but this would have been considered a pretty damn fast car when i was first driving. And with others have mentioned, it has a pretty aggressive set-up, suspension wise, and he could easily lose the ass end and end up in a tree. These cars beg you to drive like an ass-hat and it takes maturity not to....and i know if i had this car as my first car (and didn't pay for it) it might not have ended well....
please get him something he can grow into and learn how to fix and improve. Start off on an affordable platform that has aftermarket support and that will grow his inner-enthusiast more than anything. Growing up it wasn't about whose daddy bought them the fastest cars (those always ended up wrecked...almost all of them, i have many stories) it was about the kid who had the $2,000 civic that he did a b18 swap and gutted the interior and set up the suspension and did all the work himself....he was the one that got the respect.
 


Capri to ST

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#15
I also think a FiST is a bit fast for a first car. Not that it's crazy powerful, but it's as fast as some 60's and 70's muscle cars, many of which got wrapped around trees by young drivers.
When my car-crazy friends and I started driving, we drove whatever we had as fast as it would go. A slower car gives more margin for safety.
If I had a son who was a new driver, I'd get him a slow car with decent handling and tires, so if he took a turn too fast he'd have a better chance of getting through.
 


OP
R
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Thread Starter #16
Like you, i had a $1,000 ford ranger 4cyl 5-speed and it was a great vehicle to learn how to drive in. I could never really go fast enough to kill myself and that was a good thing. But because i was an enthusiast I worked and saved as much as I could to get my DSM (96 eclipse gs-t) and I was so proud of that car... worked on it constantly, washed it religiously and improved it in every which way I could. I just don't see a 16 year old kid having the respect to handle, maintain, and appreciate this much car. Sure it doesn't have alot of hp on paper but this would have been considered a pretty damn fast car when i was first driving. And with others have mentioned, it has a pretty aggressive set-up, suspension wise, and he could easily lose the ass end and end up in a tree. These cars beg you to drive like an ass-hat and it takes maturity not to....and i know if i had this car as my first car (and didn't pay for it) it might not have ended well....
please get him something he can grow into and learn how to fix and improve. Start off on an affordable platform that has aftermarket support and that will grow his inner-enthusiast more than anything. Growing up it wasn't about whose daddy bought them the fastest cars (those always ended up wrecked...almost all of them, i have many stories) it was about the kid who had the $2,000 civic that he did a b18 swap and gutted the interior and set up the suspension and did all the work himself....he was the one that got the respect.
Thanks for all the replies and opinions here. Very thoughtful responses. This argument above is probably the strongest point against the FiST. And it is not so much about the ST being a good or bad choice, but rather the experience of earning and doing something yourself. I do not want to unintentionally spoil him, but rather support his enthusiast interest (as we both like cars and it is fun to share the interest and hobby). I am planning to take him to some HPDE track days so he can learn car control on a track, and hopefully also learn to respect speed and not do that on the street.

Practically, I already have the FiST. It isn't my daily driver though. If I did trade it on something slower/cheaper for him to use as a first car, I think we'd both be shopping for something more sporty in no time. But I do completely get the meaning of having him learn, and then search out a car that he wants to earn and make it his own. He does like the FiST but he doesn't see it in the same way as a RWD sports car, so that search might happen even if he does start with the ST.

My first car was a $1000 RWD Japanese coupe that maybe had 100hp. It was very slow and I still managed to put it in a ditch. I don't think it is the additional power of the ST that makes it any more risky, but rather the handling that gives a sense of security and encourages faster driving. That is both a good and bad trait. He will have to learn to respect the car, the same as with any car. An ill handling RWD vehicle, like an old pickup, is arguably more dangerous as it is easier to lose control. At least the ST handles well, is very controllable and forgiving, and has good stability control (even though it is defeatable).

Lastly, if I were to look for a different car for him to start I would insist on something of relatively recent model year, for safety reasons. Modern car crash protection is much better than cars even 10 years ago. So if I looked for a good used Civic, for example, I'm not sure it would be a whole lot less $ than the value of the ST I currently have.
 


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#17
With great power comes great responsibility. Really, the FiST is not a lot of power compared to other modern day cars, but being a turbo it can utilize the power pretty quick. While you do have very good points of why it is a good first car, it is a FIRST car and IMO he need to learn some responsibility and respect for the road. I started out in a manual 81 Toyota corolla wagon (My first HOT hatch LOL). I sold that after a year for a 81' 280 ZX (Turbo) got my first speeding ticket and first accident in that car. By the time I got my 92' Mustang I never got one speeding ticket in that car. My point is, the FiST is quick, mix that with peer pressure, impressing girls, and what not is not something I would give to my son as a first car. Sure let him take it out every now and then, but I am with others that he would be better off with a beater, something he can learn to fix if it breaks down, but still safe.
 


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#18
I almost forgot about the mykey. I believe that this can limit the cars ability to go above a certain limit, or just get a eco tune that limits the turbo and then destroy the AP.
 


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Cotati
#19
I agree going with the 1.0L Ecoboost Fiesta. I looked at the online videos and they are plenty of fun, lots of torque without being dangerous. Probably less insurance to boot.

Not many mods available, short of lowering it and putting ST wheels on it. Mountune offers an air box, maybe a short shift if I’m not mistaken.

On the other hand, I taught my 18yr old nephew to drive my FiST and he drives pretty conservatively and cautiously. I’m the maniac. :D
 


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San Francisco Bay Area
#20
I vote for trading in your FIST for a 1.0 Ecoboost Fiesta. My parents were naïve enough to give me my dads SVT Focus as my first car and I put into a curb within 6 months. Granted, I probably wouldn't own a FIST today if it wasn't for my first hatch but I think I would have been better off starting with the base trim and growing into a higher performance car.
 




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