This is my 2016 Shadow Black FiST. It's my first car (I'm 19), and I love it! I got it from a dealership in Fort Myers, FL, with just under 95k miles on the odometer. It's been less than two months since I started driving it, but I've already managed to put over 5000 miles on it, crossing the 100k mark yesterday. Here's the backstory:
I attend a religious boarding school in Baltimore and was without a car for much of the year. A guy who previously attended left an 8th-gen Civic Si coupe behind one of the dorms, and my father eventually agreed to rent it from him for me to use. I learned to drive a manual on that car (incorrectly, but that's a story for another time). It had a rebuilt title and was pretty raw for a daily, but I loved it. However, the car was registered in New York, and between insurance and monthly registration fees, it was costing several hundred bucks a month. My father reasoned that at this rate, it made more sense to just buy a car.
The FiST originally caught my eye because it matched the Civic's 197 hp rating (but with an additional 63 lb-ft of torque!). It had everything I was looking for: 4 doors, a 6-speed manual, light weight, excellent handling, and good fuel economy. After looking for a few weeks, my father found my car listed for $8,375 and decided to get it inspected.
The Lemon Squad mechanic noted that the front two tires had very little tread left, so the dealer replaced them for free. I was still in Baltimore, but we had to get the car shipped to Dallas for inspection and registration. It arrived sitting on four different tires from four different brands. I wanted to replace them right away, but my father wasn't keen on throwing more money into the car just yet. It sat in front of our house waiting for my grandfather to return from a business trip since, funnily enough, my father doesn't know how to use a manual transmission.
Once my grandfather got back, he drove the car to the state inspection with my father in the passenger seat. It was during the drive there when they found out just how cheap the tires were. The front-right tire popped off the sidewall and started rolling down the highway.
My grandfather immediately pulled onto the shoulder only to be met by some Texas roadworkers a few minutes later:
"Hey, was that your tire back there?"
"Yup, that's ours," my grandfather replied.
The workers kindly replaced the wheel on the side of the highway, so my grandfather continued driving, and the car passed inspection on a donut. Thankfully, my father agreed to replace the tires after that.
When I finally flew home for the weekend, we drove it to Discount Tire for a set of Michelin Pilot Sport AS4s. It was Friday afternoon, and the plan was for me to begin the 1400-mile drive to Baltimore Sunday morning, so when DT informed us that three of the wheels were bent, my father asked them to install the cheapest set of alloy wheels they had on site and would fit the car. The only set they had were Motegi MR116 FS5s, which happened to suit the car beautifully. I was ecstatic, and my father's wallet took some semaglutide.
![IMG_20260529_191041[1].jpeg](/data/attachments/70/70149-20ce97453d807cc575b80b280db9cf30.jpg)
(My family does not own the mansion in the background.)
The first leg of the trip to Baltimore was fantastic. I spotted some Oshkosh NGDVs for the first time and passed by a convoy of Pontiac Trans-Ams. At a rest area in Arkansas, I parked next to a Focus ST that had an intercooler, engine mounts, short-shift kit, cat-back exhaust system (if I remember correctly), and a Boomba blow-off valve. I spoke with the owner for a bit. I have to say, he was an awesome guy. He was also from Dallas, and he'd been on his way to do Tail of the Dragon, which is still on my bucket list. He revved his Focus for me, and goodness, that BOV was crazy. We took pictures of our cars next to each other, and I went on my way. I always appreciate interactions like that, since I have ASD, and connecting to other people over cars really helps me build my confidence. If you find yourself in a situation like that, please give the other person the time of day. You never know how much it could mean to them. I was glowing all the way to Nashville, where I stopped for the night.
The rest of the drive to Baltimore was mostly uneventful, apart from some rainstorms and heavy traffic. I arrived at about 1:00 AM Tuesday morning, and my car and I were put to work as the school's unofficial taxi service after that. The car was, and is, a champ. There's enough space inside despite the tiny footprint, and it's efficient, quiet enough on the highway, and so much fun to drive.
In the short time I've owned my car, I've given countless rides to students, run errands for the school, chased a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG roadster down a two-lane, outran a road rager in a GMC Sierra 2500 HD, and transported a stick from White Hall, Maryland to Atlanta, Georgia. I have many ideas and plans for my car in the future, but in the meantime, I'm learning new things, meeting new people, and enjoying every moment of the drive. I'm super grateful to be a part of this community!
![IMG_20260601_101417[1].jpeg](/data/attachments/70/70156-b70373b9b845a8330c3f78a1564fba84.jpg)
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