Soon to be owner, need expert advice from awesome forum.

Buy it! That’s $16,100 base price. You would be hard pressed to beat that deal. Unless you find a 18 with Recaro’s close to around the price of my car. Remember I have two more options Tri Color Paint $595 and Ebony Wheels $375. Plus my back up camera. So that car is priced real good.

For what it’s worth, the 17’ will come equipped with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay

I would go new.

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This is why I would suggest the ‘17.


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My '15 came with this already ^^^

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get a new one, or like me I got a salvage one with new paint on the front, a new radiator and 7,000 miles for 8 grand drives great. But i'm at the mercy of the dealer/shop should something happen, just like a used 14k car. I'll prob slide it off angeles crest hwy and kill myself with a smile on my face on a weekday

I'm hearing a lot of the same things. Advice well received. I appreciate all the feedback. Always helps to hear these things from real owners, real drivers.

Recaros.....I will say now that I've had my car for about 3yrs. the driver seat is broke in quite well....When I let my old ball & chain drive and I sit Bitch...the seat is noticeably more stiff In the bolster area. I'm getting ready to throw the rocket box on the roof and drive it to Florida in July...all the way to the KEYS from Mn. Not my idea but at least I get to drive the FiST.

Thought 16's and up only came with Apple play and Android ?

Unless the previous owner swapped or installed it some how. Mine definitely has it, and it's definitely a 15. I remember the sales guy had to explain it to me and show me how to hook it up (all my previous cars have been a bit on the old side aka lack of technology).

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Most interesting.

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Wow, that's pretty rare that someone would go through all that hassle, and then trade it in, as that's the only way it would have it... otherwise definitely only '16+ come with Sync 3 and Android Auto and '17 added the USB hub model for Apple Car Play as well, at least for '16 one can get the hub for $40 if they want Car Play... Unless you are talking about My Ford Touch AKA Sync 2, it has the same 6.5" touchscreen but much... less robust software and processor and doesn't support AA and CP through the USB hub.

It might be... As far as infotainment I am at the stage of being impressed by autosync and micro SD slots lol. Either way it works great for me lol

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Do you know the build date of your car? Maybe they started phasing in sync3 halfway through the model year.

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Exactly, as long as it works for you, I just wanted to clarify for those specifically looking for Sync 3 as there is a BIG difference to a lot of people... Since yours has microSD, I believe that's just for navigation, which AA/CP makes moot on '16+ but Ford still offered nav too for those 4 FiST owners in the world without a smart phone, LOL.

No, it was a clear cut model year change, he was just mixing up the previous MFT system.

I would agree that a 16+ with Recaros is worth getting, and I would get a new car, it's nice to have a car no one else has (possibly badly) driven. Sync 3 is a definite improvement starting with the 16's, and I say this even as mine is right now in the shop getting a new APIM (Sync 3 module) on warranty after it wouldn't update, and Ford diagnosed a bad APIM. I may feel differently if this repair doesn't help.
The stiffer RMM is nice, I haven't felt the need for an aftermarket one, and it's definitely nice to have one with the new head design that will hopefully avoid the problem of burning up coolant that led to the recall on earlier ones.
I also like the Recaros, they are quite tight when new, even for me at 6' and 165 lb., but they do relax some with use and are really helpful when whipping this agile little beast around turns. They also upscale a pretty basic interior, giving a little more of an enthusiast feel. The FiST is the cheapest car you can get with factory Recaros.

Sorry, but I just don't get why everyone with Recaro's has to INSIST on pushing and pushing and pushing them like you are a POS for not getting them... This is NOT directed at any one personally, this is an overall point: The Recaro's are 2 thousand dollars on a car worth around $18k without them, some of us just can't justify it and also need to get in and out of our car multiple times per day and all that bolstering makes it a little more difficult too... and by getting in and out multiple times per day we are going to wear out the bolsters and make them look like crap, with worn spots etc... Again, not directed at anyone personally, but it's a personal choice as much as color to me: someone either wants them or not, tracks their car and insists on them or uses it for deliveries or is on a budget like me... Bottom-line is if you think you want them and can afford them, go for it, but it's not something to just keep pushing on people like you are going to make a difference on what they feel they want or need in an expensive option like that... FWIW, my stock seats actually broke in more over time so I sink in more and feel more bolsted naturally compared to new for sure.

With the '14 beware of:
-MS Sync being a joyful pain to deal with
-The vent where the dashboard meets the windshield clicking because that part is garbage.
-A developing crack and/or cracked head on the motor due to an engineering flaw from the factory. This was only a flaw for SOME of the months of the 2014 production cars (IIRC November 2013-January 2014). This crack in the head not only leads to the head malfunctioning and loss of power, but also, as we have seen in some cases, a horrendous and agonizing engine-bay fire.

As far as the '17s go, I haven't heard a peep of issues, but that may just be due to their low mileage at this point.

Because the cloth seats stuck ass. I've had both, and would not recommend cloth to anyone, not even the budget minded.

There is a reason "wtb recaro seats" threads come up once a week here.