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Contemplating an ST

3diamondS

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#1
Greetings everyone. I currently daily an Evo X which luckily gets to stay in the garage going forward. I also own an S2000 and my wife drives a 430i gran coupe. The evo and S are low mileage and will be weekend cars. I recently received a promotion and will receive a car allowance. The Fiesta ST looks like the most damn fun a man can have, especially at the used price point. I also love the idea of having some more utility and better mileage (tuned evo eats gas like a monster, even outside of boost). Does the Fiesta accommodate a baby seat? Any huge issues I need to look for? I would love to find one with the recaros. I'm not skinny, but the evo recaros fit me okay. I've also read to buy MY16 and above. Is that true? There's a nice 2015 white one with low miles near me. At any rate, I look forward to test driving one and hopefully joining the jelly bean crew. Attached some pics of my cars. If anyone has questions about evos or the Honda, maybe I can help out.
 


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jmrtsus

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#6
You need to verify if it was a recall car and avoid one that is. My understanding is the non recalled cars, late 15's and up have a newer improved head design. The '17 up I believe have the rear video camera which I wish I had in my '16. Child seats are fine in the regular seats, don't know why the Recaros would be any different. Keep in mind the Recaros in the FiST are Recaro "lites" as I call them, they do not have the adjustable thigh bolsters and have a smaller seat area. Also many, many people absolutely love them, try them first if you have had full Recaros in the past. To me the adjustable thigh bolsters made them super for long distance driving with proper lower thigh support. I think the full seats would not fit in the FiST so we got the "lites". Get a FiST that suits you and you'll love it![wrenchin]
 


Capri to ST

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#7
Another potential owner posted a similar thread recently, so I'm going to copy what I said in that one.
The cars have been quite reliable. One member on here reported close to 190,000 miles on his a couple years ago with no issues. A number of people are running extra horsepower without problems. Our engines were also used stock in the Formula Ford series, which always makes me feel good that they can stand up to the demands of racing.
The only real mechanical issue that I know of of any significance is that on some of the 14's and 15's there was a cooling issue with the head which could cause overheating. I would check the VIN number and see if they're within that recall because the fix was somewhat of a band-aid, a new coolant sensor and a few other things, but it didn't replace the head.
The blend door actuators, part of the HVAC system, sometimes fail and start clicking and need to be replaced, but that's not a real major repair.
I like the Recaros a lot, the car is kind of like a go-kart and they hold you in place when you're whipping it around. I also think they jazz up the interior a little bit, show that it's a serious performance car. I read that at one point this was the cheapest car that you could get Recaro's in. That said, they are a matter of individual preference, because they are a bit snug. I'm fairly skinny, 6 ft and 168 lb so they fit me pretty well, but some people think they are too tight.
 


Se7eN

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#8
I read that at one point this was the cheapest car that you could get Recaro's in. That said, they are a matter of individual preference, because they are a bit snug. I'm fairly skinny, 6 ft and 168 lb so they fit me pretty well, but some people think they are too tight.
If he has an EVO X he is used to very tight Recaro seats. Cause darn those thing are real tight. LOL
 


SrsBsns

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#9
Jumping in to add that late build '15's are fine. Mine was built in late 2015 and it's been great for the last 3 years. Just crossed 60K on my drive from San Diego to Chicago last week.

I had cooling problems early on and replaced my radiator, but that issue seems to be consistent with any year FiST. The specific issues in the '14/early '15 models hasn't affected me. I would recommend upgrading the radiator on any FiST as the first upgrade.

The other advantage of the 16+ is that you get a better version of Sync. My '15 has MFT (My Ford Touch) which doesn't have android auto and isn't compatible with a backup camera. You could upgrade it and there are PnP kits, but they're expensive.

I have the Recaros in mine and I LOVE them. The standard seats don't hold you when you're throwing the car around like the Recaros do.
 


Dpro

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#10
no reason to not buy a '15. Some early builds had the overheating recall, those I'd maybe avoid. But my late build '15 has been great
I was not and did not say 15’s were built bad nor that they were somehow inferior.

The point I was making is at this point in time you are buying a used 5 year old car when you could find the same car but in a newer for almost if not the same amount of money. They are going pretty cheap and the newer the car the better IMO. Unless one finds an absolutely immaculate unabused 15 that is all. My suggestion for looking towards a newer is based in part that most the people that own our cars drive them hard. Few treat them lightly . Therefor the newer the better.
 


XR650R

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#11
'17 didn't have the back up camera. They became mandatory in '18, and that's why '18-19 FiSTs have them.
 


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#12
I was not and did not say 15’s were built bad nor that they were somehow inferior.

The point I was making is at this point in time you are buying a used 5 year old car when you could find the same car but in a newer for almost if not the same amount of money. They are going pretty cheap and the newer the car the better IMO. Unless one finds an absolutely immaculate unabused 15 that is all. My suggestion for looking towards a newer is based in part that most the people that own our cars drive them hard. Few treat them lightly . Therefor the newer the better.
1 yr isn't going to make a difference. a '16 could be treated worse and have higher miles than a '15.

The point I'm getting at is there is no reason to dismiss all '15 & older model years (unless they want specific color or tech like synch 3 or backup cameras like SrsBsns said), especially if it checks all the buyer's boxes and they are doing the inspections that they should be doing for any used vehicle.

I mentioned my car because my '15 is a 5 yr old car that gets driven hard but still would make a great used vehicle if I were selling it. I'm sure many other '15 MYs are as well.
 


Dpro

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#13
1 yr isn't going to make a difference. a '16 could be treated worse and have higher miles than a '15.

The point I'm getting at is there is no reason to dismiss all '15 & older model years (unless they want specific color or tech like synch 3 or backup cameras like SrsBsns said), especially if it checks all the buyer's boxes and they are doing the inspections that they should be doing for any used vehicle.

I mentioned my car because my '15 is a 5 yr old car that gets driven hard but still would make a great used vehicle if I were selling it. I'm sure many other '15 MYs are as well.
I was talking more 17, 18 , 19. I also made the point that if a 15 was clean then there is no problem with the caveat of people who own our cars are like us and tend to drive them hard. Now is there anything more you wish to debate or try to refute?
 


Mikey456

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#14
That’s a nice collection of cars. I was cross shopping for a S2k when I went with the FiST. I had booster seats in the back for a little while so I think car seats will work fine. Being a 4 door hatch it will work better than say a FRS for getting the kids out. I thought this through before buying too. I wanted a sporty car with practically of a hatchback. I feel I got both with this car. I do also have Honda minivan that I use for most family duties.


2017 Ford Fiesta ST, Shadow Black, Recaro seats, Mountune RMM, Swift springs, 5mm rear spacers, Falken 615+ tires
 


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#15
I was talking more 17, 18 , 19. I also made the point that if a 15 was clean then there is no problem with the caveat of people who own our cars are like us and tend to drive them hard. Now is there anything more you wish to debate or try to refute?
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flbchbm

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#17
Why is no one mentioning the suspension changes?




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Even though I have a '19, idk the specifics. I have been told it's tighter and harsher. I would totally agree even though I never drove the others.

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3diamondS

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Thread Starter #20
Wow, this forum is great 👍 thank you all for the replies. Very helpful. I think this car will be a future classic and I'm quite positive I will love it. Yes, the evo recaros don't fit me well if I'm north of 200lbs. Its also a tad hard to get in and out of the car due to the side bolsters. Always extra careful. The Fiesta ST recieves so much praise. I love cars that offer fun first and foremost. Wish me luck on finding one. I'm sure it is a high quality build from Ford. Their ST cars are all nice to look at and are fantastic bargains. My evo is very special to me as is the Honda, both are in the same vein as the ST, purpose built. I would love to add one to the stable.
 


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