Hello FISTers,
Marc here, from Michigan. I have a long story so if you're uninterested in how I came here, skip to the end for another sexy Fiesta pic!
Anyways, it has been a very interesting and stressful few weeks. After damaging my credit in college, it took some time for me to get approved for my previous car, a 2003 Volvo XC90. After having it for two years, the transmission started to slip and was taken to the dealer for warranty repair. They were unable to pull any error codes, so assured me that it was due to low fluid caused by an axle seal leak, along with bad motor and trans mounts. They also replaced my guage cluster(DIM) and rear sway bar link. Now when reassembling the car, the mechanic noticed "excessive shaft play" when inserting the axle back into the transmission, and it was then decided that the car did indeed need a trans replacement. They called the warranty company and added the trans replacement to the claim. This put us about 5k over the cap per claim on my car, and from there on, the warranty company would only cover $1300 towards the replacement, because the dealer had reported it on the same claim. I had 2 months left on the warranty, and a car that needed a trans replacement which would cost a minimum of $2800 for a rebuild at a local shop, and up to 5-6k at the dealer. I did NOT replace the trans, and left the dealer with a $4200 bill, and on this bill, a new transmission and radiator was listed as a suggested repair. I was less than pleased that both the dealer misdiagnosed the vehicle and that since adding to the same claim, the warranty would only cover a small portion of the replacement. Volvo customer care was also unwilling to help(even knowing that my car led to a class-action lawsuit, in which Volvo settled and paid for trans repairs/replacements on owners T6's), so I decided to move away from Volvo, and look into another manufacturer.
I did much research and stumbled upon the Fiesta ST. I came from an automotive family(father was master certified and taught automotive at a couple colleges) so I have always loved wrenching and tuning where I can. Since a ticket for drag-racing, again, when I was young and irresponsible, I have driven large sedans for the cheap insurance. However now that I have a clear driving history, I wanted something more fun. I made a trip to the dealer, and explained my dilemma, having less-then-stellar credit(but making progress), and I was talked into filling an application on a Focus ST, as at the time, special financing options applied to the ST's as well. To my surprise, even with -4000 rolled into the loan as a loss from my Volvo, I was approved for the Focus ST. I drove both and ended up choosing the Fiesta. I now have my first new car, off the lot with under 20 miles on it, and have loved every second of driving it. I live in a downtown bar district, so I am unable to do much of anything as far as tuning goes, so if anyone lives near Detroit, hit me up and volunteer your garage
. Thanks for the forums, everyone seems so helpful!
Here is the new car, next to the trade-in. I think I could have used the Fiesta as a spare car in that boat.
Marc here, from Michigan. I have a long story so if you're uninterested in how I came here, skip to the end for another sexy Fiesta pic!
Anyways, it has been a very interesting and stressful few weeks. After damaging my credit in college, it took some time for me to get approved for my previous car, a 2003 Volvo XC90. After having it for two years, the transmission started to slip and was taken to the dealer for warranty repair. They were unable to pull any error codes, so assured me that it was due to low fluid caused by an axle seal leak, along with bad motor and trans mounts. They also replaced my guage cluster(DIM) and rear sway bar link. Now when reassembling the car, the mechanic noticed "excessive shaft play" when inserting the axle back into the transmission, and it was then decided that the car did indeed need a trans replacement. They called the warranty company and added the trans replacement to the claim. This put us about 5k over the cap per claim on my car, and from there on, the warranty company would only cover $1300 towards the replacement, because the dealer had reported it on the same claim. I had 2 months left on the warranty, and a car that needed a trans replacement which would cost a minimum of $2800 for a rebuild at a local shop, and up to 5-6k at the dealer. I did NOT replace the trans, and left the dealer with a $4200 bill, and on this bill, a new transmission and radiator was listed as a suggested repair. I was less than pleased that both the dealer misdiagnosed the vehicle and that since adding to the same claim, the warranty would only cover a small portion of the replacement. Volvo customer care was also unwilling to help(even knowing that my car led to a class-action lawsuit, in which Volvo settled and paid for trans repairs/replacements on owners T6's), so I decided to move away from Volvo, and look into another manufacturer.
I did much research and stumbled upon the Fiesta ST. I came from an automotive family(father was master certified and taught automotive at a couple colleges) so I have always loved wrenching and tuning where I can. Since a ticket for drag-racing, again, when I was young and irresponsible, I have driven large sedans for the cheap insurance. However now that I have a clear driving history, I wanted something more fun. I made a trip to the dealer, and explained my dilemma, having less-then-stellar credit(but making progress), and I was talked into filling an application on a Focus ST, as at the time, special financing options applied to the ST's as well. To my surprise, even with -4000 rolled into the loan as a loss from my Volvo, I was approved for the Focus ST. I drove both and ended up choosing the Fiesta. I now have my first new car, off the lot with under 20 miles on it, and have loved every second of driving it. I live in a downtown bar district, so I am unable to do much of anything as far as tuning goes, so if anyone lives near Detroit, hit me up and volunteer your garage
. Thanks for the forums, everyone seems so helpful!Here is the new car, next to the trade-in. I think I could have used the Fiesta as a spare car in that boat.
![[welcome]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_welcome.gif "Welcome [welcome]"){kind=icon}
