How can a car be so much fun?

[jeff]

People,

I'm coming up on 7 years owning my '15 ST. Had some thoughts as an enthusiast.

I'm at the point where I only drive my Fiesta once per week. It's been that way for a couple of years. I guess it's a garage queen. I always say I'll never sell this car. One day I will, of course. But is now the time? I drive it once a week because I have other cars I own and I always have another project to wrench on. The wrenching/fixing/modding is where I find my joy, more than in the owning. Most of my life I've made below or around the average American income, but because I've been smart with $$$ I can afford to own multiple cars. That said I don't need to sell the Fiesta, it could sit for 7 more years and be driven on occasion.

With all this in mind today was that once a week time to drive him. To work very early, in traffic, in the dark, meh. Worked 5 hours, went home to finish the day from my laptop and phone there. Getting there, twisty back roads, minimal traffic, low humidity and fall temps today; I might have doubled the speed limit in some areas. I've owned this car since November 2015, yet somehow I found myself smiling like a 5 year old over and over today. Just like on the test drive all those years ago, I remember leaving the dealership in the car, alone on my test drive, steering wheel gripped tightly, accelerator hammered to the floor, the smile appeared on my face as if supernaturally. It's not a forced smile, it just happens. "Fiesta" is so appropriate. This is a rare car, not in numbers only, but rare in the sense that the people who built it did so with a passion that is almost nonexistent in any venue of the creative world today. Seven years later, at the end of my little jaunt home, any thought of replacing or saying goodbye to this car anytime soon was no more.

Last week I test drove a nice S2000 for sale. That's always been a "bucket list" car. If I sold my Fiesta or CRX I could buy it outright. The car is slick. Seating position is amazing. Steering feel and shifter, perfection. It revs to 9000rpms. Three minutes into the test drive I was bored. Yes, it's one of the best and most special cars ever built...but it just wasn't interesting to me. Why?

Fiesta ST.

I parked, exited the Recaro, shut the door and looked at the car with delight. 7 years and 42,001 miles later, still feels like day 1.

https://public.fotki.com/greentrees2/newer-fiesta/1652390716268.html]

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[rallytaff]

Coming up for my smog check next month after 8 yrs of owning mine. At 74yrs old, I'm still having as much fun as I did when I was in my 30's! I won't sell because there's NOTHING out there that would replace the fun factor!

 

[NATYPE]

I'm sure a ton of us are always running through the same thought exercise while driving around. Just fun to think about. But seriously, I love this thing. There's small / cheap car quirks of course but like you said, it does just put a smile on your face. It's so communicative for one, but I feel like the seating position does a lot for that feeling for me as well. I honestly sit pretty damn close to the steering wheel by choice and with the Recaro's I'm almost up and over the controls a bit so to speak. It's like I'm perpetually doing a comfortable wall sit in a sort of ready-feeling position and I have to assume that plays into the overall feeling this car has.

 

[dhminer]

I’ll take that CRX if you change your mind on the s2k lol

Couldn’t agree more. The fiesta makes cars 3x the cost and twice as fast feel boring

 

[TalkToTheFiST]

I regularly, sometimes at 3/4 tank, drive about 9m to the nearest e30 pump just to get a drive in. At 10 or 11 pm. I love my car. On the other hand i think my wife thinks im having an affair...

 

[Mycooking]

The FiST has been the one car I own just to hop in and just drive with no place to go. When my wife had her first R53 Mini S I would the same but now that I have a FiST I prefer that over her current R53...it may be because I put more power down lol but hers will corner at a higher speed(coil overs help alot). Crap now I just want to go for a drive which should I take.

 

[Gone in 60]

It's funny, I was thinking the same thing about my car - owned it since 2015, garage queen, only driven twice a month, and still the most fun I've ever had off of a race track.

Since I commute on two wheels during the week, I only use the FIST to drive the 50 or so miles to my twice-a-month gig at a car museum up in West L.A. I'm dodging traffic on the freeways and having a blast. It's a treat to get to drive it. I started running regular gas when prices spiked, and kept it in the "economy" tune, but when the current tank is empty, I'll fill it with 91 and put it back on the Cobb Stage 2 and start driving like a hooligan again.

I was tempted too... I saw a clean Fox Body recently that was going for stupid money, and thought really hard about it. But, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the FIST just yet.

 

[XR650R]

I like mine so much, I bought a second winter car just to preserve it. There is not, and will probably never be another car in the US that gives this much bang for the buck.

My second car, and yes, I like it, too.

 

[Zormecteon]

I picked mine up in January of 2014 and am at over 75,000 miles. It's still just as entertaining to drive as my 2021 C8 Corvette. The Recaro seats are more comfortable than the seats in the 'vette, even with fewer adjustments. On the street it corners just as fast, (safety first after all), holds more, seats more, and gets better fuel economy. It's quick enough. ... Now, with the Sprite (see avatar) I get a grin on my face every time I take it for a drive. I don't get that silly grin with the FiST. With the C8 I break into huge smiles (when I hit that go pedal). I don't get either of those with the FiST. I just get all around entertained. It's my daily driver and I'm gonna have to keep it on the road, as there's nothing that's even close as a replacement.

 

[Stkid93]

I haven’t driven a ton of cars. Some of the cars I’ve driven include

-2009 CTS-V (ls2 with headers, bolts ons and tune. 410 wheel horsepower, rear wheel drive)

2011 srt8 challenger (425 horsepower rear wheel drive)

2005 neon srt-4 (full bolt ons and tuned 325 wheel horsepower 383 wheel torque front wheel drive)

2011 Mazda speed 3 (bolt ons and e30 tune 320/380 at the wheels)

And then of course the fist, which has less than half the horsepower of some of the cars listed above. Which is what everyone these days seems to focus on. Making the saying “horsepower sells cars” so true. Yet, as soon as I test drove the fist, I knew it was something special. Was it the fastest in a straight line? No… but it wasn’t meant to be.

Look at its nurburing lap times. (Keep in mind this is a very high speed track where power matters). Yet despite its lack of power it’s keeping up with Porsches, Aston’s, etc. if you take it to a lower speed track, this little thing can pass cars 5-10x its value.

If you drive this car for its intended purpose. You will need a gt3 rs to even come close.

 

[Intuit]

Seems like I vaguely remember Jeff selling his ride for something big. Traitor. 😜 (joking of course)

Have to admit, those people driving those high value cars, are likely doing so more conservatively... and probably by necessity in some cases. The FiST has some really aggressive stability control engineered into the ABS braking system. It's designed around the person with very average skills and therefore does a lot to keep the average schmuck from getting too far out of line and off the guard rail.

 

[pixelzombie]

My previous car was the Mazda 3, and it was fun. The FiST exceeds that very easily.