I've been lurking for months on this forum in anticipation of buying a Fiesta ST. Very unexpectedly bought one today and I AM SO EXCITED!
First off, THANK YOU to the members of this forum! I've learned a ton by lurking around the past few months, and the kindness and maturity of the members on here is nothing short of amazing. I look forward to being a part of this community and hope I have something to contribute in return.
So, about me. I'm Josh. 38 years old, live in beautiful(ly depressing) Tooele, UT. Hazel eyes, grey hair, medium build, enjoy dressing as a...damn, wrong forum... Lemme start over. OK. I've been a car nut since before I could legally drive. Married a car nut, too, and am thankful every day for that! I'll bore you to death with my car history shortly, but first, my Fiesta story. Both me and my wife are hopeless Miata addicts (we have 4 right now) and the Fiesta ST is as close to a practical 4-door Miata as anything out there, which is why I love it so much and have been planning to buy one to replace my current daily driver once it's lease is up.
Anyhow, yeah, I've wanted a Fiesta ST for a while now. I had some unexpected free time today, so I did what I usually do and pulled up the Ford website in an incognito window, built my Fiesta ST and drooled over it. Might have done... something else to it, too. You'll never know. Anyhow, I went a bit further and started browsing inventory of local dealerships. That's when I saw the zero interest for 48 months and a few incentives available, too, with the usual disclaimer "Not all models qualify, if your credit isn't perfect we'll laugh at you" blah blah blah. Next, I found that one of the local-ish dealerships (Performance Ford in Bountiful, Utah) had the color/options combo that I wanted on the lot. So I figured I might as well go have a sit in the Recaros to see if I do truly want those when I finally go to buy my Fiesta in June. Turns out they're snug on me, but less so than any race seat, and they're very nice indeed. Then, the sales guy (Richard is the nice man's name) and sales manager did their usual "what's it going to take to get you in this car today" thing and I entertained them by playing along for a bit. See, at this point, I figured that the incentives and zero percent financing were probably not available on the ST. WRONG. They brought back the numbers, and I suddenly found myself in the unexpected position of not being able to think of one single reason not to buy the car. Then I thought about the several times in my life I've hesitated on a car I really wanted, only to have it sell out from under me and have to settle for something less. Decision made. The sales guys even offered to drive my other car home for me, which is not a small thing, as it's over a hundred miles round trip. During Friday rush hour, no less. So I called to get spousal approval, and signed the paperwork. Dealership staff was knowledgeable, friendly, easy-going and efficient. Didn't try to push any extras on me, and though I didn't push for (and thus didn't get) a bottom-dollar price, I'm very happy with what I paid for the car given the time and effort the sales and financing staff put into the deal (they ran through many financing scenarios via multiple lenders, which took some time and genuine effort on their part). This dealership also has an apparently great service department (no direct experience with them yet, but reputation is good), and are familiar with the Mountune products for the Fiesta ST, should I decide to go that route eventually.
My goal for this Fiesta is to have a fun, economical, practical daily driver. I won't be tracking it or drag racing with it. I don't want to mod it to the point of incivility. I'm shooting for the "Goldilocks" zone; not too slow, not too fast, not too harsh, not too sloppy, etc. I've modded almost every car I've ever owned, and this one will definitely see some upgrades too. I'm going to try not to go overboard on power with this one, though, and I'm planning to concentrate on the small things that improve the overall experience. Shifter, RMM, F#@! symposer delete, pretty baubles under the hood, audio system (yeah, I'm a car audio nut, too; SQ, not SPL), eventually probably go with a Mountune or Cobb "Stage 2." NOT going to go full retard this time, really, I mean it. So about my car addiction...
Our current stable is a bit crowded right now. Luckily, my wife is as bad an addict as I am, so no marital stress whatsoever when one of us blows a bunch of money on a new turbo or car or whatever. We have 8 cars between us...and a 1 car garage. Thankfully, we live in a neighborhood where having cars parked on the lawn is normal. Expected, even. We do stand out a bit, though, as all of ours actually move under their own power...
Anyhow, our current collection of misfit toys is as follows:
1999 Ford Ranger XLT 4.0 4x4 (Like I said, I live in redneck country; driving a Miata here is kinda like going to a UFC fight dressed as a Brony, if you know what I mean. The Ranger is not exactly a lifted diesel BRO truck, but it fits in well enough to get me around inconspicuously in all but the most redneck neighborhoods. Honestly, though, it's one of my favorite vehicles of all time; it's just the right size and has been flawlessly reliable since we bought it).
2008 Cobalt SS/TC (Wife's first project car; Biggish EFR turbo, tons of other mods, 396 whp, ungodly 411 tq, almost undriveable but fun in its own way. Rarely drive it, only keeping it cause it's paid for, and cause it's a cobalt and not worth anything anymore, oh, and of course it has immeasurable sentimental value for the wife).
2014 Caddy ATS 2.0T Premium RWD (Current daily, leasing it, 4 months left, lease turn-in can't come soon enough. Was gonna wait until this turd was gone to buy the Fiesty, but ran out of patience. 9 unscheduled service visits in under 3 years. Not counting the one open recall I haven't taken care of yet cause I just don't care anymore. Least reliable car I've ever owned. See my car history below if you wanna know how profoundly sad that statement is).
1995 Miata M edition (mostly stock, except suspension, brakes, interior, audio system, clutch, cooling system, eh, hell, who am I kidding, it's pretty riced out). Will be selling to make room for the Fiesta. Was my first Miata, but haven't driven it in over a year. Time for it to go to a new home.
2004 Mazdaspeed Miata (Mine; Flyin Miata FMII turbo kit w/2560r, forged rods/pistons, minor head work, 280ish WHP. Suspension, brakes, roll bar, hardtop, and all the usual mods. Looks ratty as hell, but it's sinfully fun to drive).
2004 Mazdaspeed Miata (Wife's; Flyin Miata FMII turbo kit w/3071r, fully built Flyin Miata 2.0 Stroker, dual tune, 355whp on 91 pump gas, 416 on Sunoco 260GT. It has ALL the mods). Immaculate inside and out, custom paint, it's her baby. I rarely get to touch it.
2002 Miata LS (Swap, that is; power train is out of a wrecked 2005 Pontiac GTO; 6.0L LS2/T56, Ford 8.8 inch rear end. 370 whp. 370 tq.) This car is also kinda ratty, bu the wife has plans to make it look nice over the next few years. And yeah, I giggle like an idiot every time I drive it).
Whew. On to history, I guess. I'll keep it brief. Most recent to oldest.
2007 WRX STi Limited (Bought used in 08, then modded it till things started breaking. liked it ok but never lived up to my expectations. Got tired of the subie scene and kinda outgrew it, so sold it to get the Caddy, which was dumb).
2007 WRX TR (Wanted to buy an 07 STi Limited, waited too long to make up my mind and they sold out. Bought the regular stripped-down WRX instead. Turns out I loved it, and then I modded it to the limits of the trans, then sold it to get the used STi Limited, which was dumb).
2002 Mitsu Lancer (Automatic, very slow, but otherwise fantastic little car. Was the wife's when we first met, and she sold it to get the Cobalt. Maybe dumb? Dunno. It was actually a very good car).
1997 Altima GXE (My first reliable car. Bought used in 2000. Loved this thing. Light, spunky 2.4L w/manual trans, decently sporty, great mileage. Sold it to a co-worker when I got my first WRX in December 06. Still see it in the parking lot once in a while, going strong after all these years).
1987 Thunderbird Turbocoupe (Wrecked and rebuilt...poorly. Interesting and occasionally fun car, and in some ways responsible for turning me into a gearhead, as I had no choice but to learn about the thing to keep it running. So yeah, high-mileage mid-80s Ford car with the infamously wretched A4LD auto trans, wrecked and halfassedly rebuilt by my Mom's sister's husband's brother in law, who ran what in hindsight I now recognize as a chop shop. Still more reliable than a 2014 Cadillac ATS...)
1981 Mazda B2000 pickup (My first wheels. Screwdriver for a door handle, manual choke, rag for a gas cap, mismatched hood and fenders, paint job by Rust-Oleum, all the jalopy cliches you care to imagine. Was my carpenter dad's work truck for almost 300k miles and 2 accidents (most damage left unrepaired) before I got it. Of course I loved it, and still miss it. Some day I'll spend an unreasonable heap of money to duplicate it exactly in a fit of misplaced nostalgia. Just kidding. I've moved on.
Wife's history includes such luminaries as a Saturn SC2 in Barney purple, an 86 Mustang (with louvers!), and a Dodgy Colt. She gets a pass 'cause Fox body.
Anyhow, thanks for letting me ramble. I'm terrible at social media/forums and probably won't post often, but I'll try to do better this time. I'll at least try to post up when I do mods and keep a build log on the audio system, as that might be of use to somebody somewhere. I must say I already feel more comfortable here than I ever did on the Subie or (yawn) Cadillac forums...and this is my first post! I am going to go sit in my new baby now and spend some time getting to know Sync 3. I've spent all of 5 minutes with it and can already do way more than I could with the abysmal CUE system in the Caddy. Cheers...
First off, THANK YOU to the members of this forum! I've learned a ton by lurking around the past few months, and the kindness and maturity of the members on here is nothing short of amazing. I look forward to being a part of this community and hope I have something to contribute in return.
So, about me. I'm Josh. 38 years old, live in beautiful(ly depressing) Tooele, UT. Hazel eyes, grey hair, medium build, enjoy dressing as a...damn, wrong forum... Lemme start over. OK. I've been a car nut since before I could legally drive. Married a car nut, too, and am thankful every day for that! I'll bore you to death with my car history shortly, but first, my Fiesta story. Both me and my wife are hopeless Miata addicts (we have 4 right now) and the Fiesta ST is as close to a practical 4-door Miata as anything out there, which is why I love it so much and have been planning to buy one to replace my current daily driver once it's lease is up.
Anyhow, yeah, I've wanted a Fiesta ST for a while now. I had some unexpected free time today, so I did what I usually do and pulled up the Ford website in an incognito window, built my Fiesta ST and drooled over it. Might have done... something else to it, too. You'll never know. Anyhow, I went a bit further and started browsing inventory of local dealerships. That's when I saw the zero interest for 48 months and a few incentives available, too, with the usual disclaimer "Not all models qualify, if your credit isn't perfect we'll laugh at you" blah blah blah. Next, I found that one of the local-ish dealerships (Performance Ford in Bountiful, Utah) had the color/options combo that I wanted on the lot. So I figured I might as well go have a sit in the Recaros to see if I do truly want those when I finally go to buy my Fiesta in June. Turns out they're snug on me, but less so than any race seat, and they're very nice indeed. Then, the sales guy (Richard is the nice man's name) and sales manager did their usual "what's it going to take to get you in this car today" thing and I entertained them by playing along for a bit. See, at this point, I figured that the incentives and zero percent financing were probably not available on the ST. WRONG. They brought back the numbers, and I suddenly found myself in the unexpected position of not being able to think of one single reason not to buy the car. Then I thought about the several times in my life I've hesitated on a car I really wanted, only to have it sell out from under me and have to settle for something less. Decision made. The sales guys even offered to drive my other car home for me, which is not a small thing, as it's over a hundred miles round trip. During Friday rush hour, no less. So I called to get spousal approval, and signed the paperwork. Dealership staff was knowledgeable, friendly, easy-going and efficient. Didn't try to push any extras on me, and though I didn't push for (and thus didn't get) a bottom-dollar price, I'm very happy with what I paid for the car given the time and effort the sales and financing staff put into the deal (they ran through many financing scenarios via multiple lenders, which took some time and genuine effort on their part). This dealership also has an apparently great service department (no direct experience with them yet, but reputation is good), and are familiar with the Mountune products for the Fiesta ST, should I decide to go that route eventually.
My goal for this Fiesta is to have a fun, economical, practical daily driver. I won't be tracking it or drag racing with it. I don't want to mod it to the point of incivility. I'm shooting for the "Goldilocks" zone; not too slow, not too fast, not too harsh, not too sloppy, etc. I've modded almost every car I've ever owned, and this one will definitely see some upgrades too. I'm going to try not to go overboard on power with this one, though, and I'm planning to concentrate on the small things that improve the overall experience. Shifter, RMM, F#@! symposer delete, pretty baubles under the hood, audio system (yeah, I'm a car audio nut, too; SQ, not SPL), eventually probably go with a Mountune or Cobb "Stage 2." NOT going to go full retard this time, really, I mean it. So about my car addiction...
Our current stable is a bit crowded right now. Luckily, my wife is as bad an addict as I am, so no marital stress whatsoever when one of us blows a bunch of money on a new turbo or car or whatever. We have 8 cars between us...and a 1 car garage. Thankfully, we live in a neighborhood where having cars parked on the lawn is normal. Expected, even. We do stand out a bit, though, as all of ours actually move under their own power...
Anyhow, our current collection of misfit toys is as follows:
1999 Ford Ranger XLT 4.0 4x4 (Like I said, I live in redneck country; driving a Miata here is kinda like going to a UFC fight dressed as a Brony, if you know what I mean. The Ranger is not exactly a lifted diesel BRO truck, but it fits in well enough to get me around inconspicuously in all but the most redneck neighborhoods. Honestly, though, it's one of my favorite vehicles of all time; it's just the right size and has been flawlessly reliable since we bought it).
2008 Cobalt SS/TC (Wife's first project car; Biggish EFR turbo, tons of other mods, 396 whp, ungodly 411 tq, almost undriveable but fun in its own way. Rarely drive it, only keeping it cause it's paid for, and cause it's a cobalt and not worth anything anymore, oh, and of course it has immeasurable sentimental value for the wife).
2014 Caddy ATS 2.0T Premium RWD (Current daily, leasing it, 4 months left, lease turn-in can't come soon enough. Was gonna wait until this turd was gone to buy the Fiesty, but ran out of patience. 9 unscheduled service visits in under 3 years. Not counting the one open recall I haven't taken care of yet cause I just don't care anymore. Least reliable car I've ever owned. See my car history below if you wanna know how profoundly sad that statement is).
1995 Miata M edition (mostly stock, except suspension, brakes, interior, audio system, clutch, cooling system, eh, hell, who am I kidding, it's pretty riced out). Will be selling to make room for the Fiesta. Was my first Miata, but haven't driven it in over a year. Time for it to go to a new home.
2004 Mazdaspeed Miata (Mine; Flyin Miata FMII turbo kit w/2560r, forged rods/pistons, minor head work, 280ish WHP. Suspension, brakes, roll bar, hardtop, and all the usual mods. Looks ratty as hell, but it's sinfully fun to drive).
2004 Mazdaspeed Miata (Wife's; Flyin Miata FMII turbo kit w/3071r, fully built Flyin Miata 2.0 Stroker, dual tune, 355whp on 91 pump gas, 416 on Sunoco 260GT. It has ALL the mods). Immaculate inside and out, custom paint, it's her baby. I rarely get to touch it.
2002 Miata LS (Swap, that is; power train is out of a wrecked 2005 Pontiac GTO; 6.0L LS2/T56, Ford 8.8 inch rear end. 370 whp. 370 tq.) This car is also kinda ratty, bu the wife has plans to make it look nice over the next few years. And yeah, I giggle like an idiot every time I drive it).
Whew. On to history, I guess. I'll keep it brief. Most recent to oldest.
2007 WRX STi Limited (Bought used in 08, then modded it till things started breaking. liked it ok but never lived up to my expectations. Got tired of the subie scene and kinda outgrew it, so sold it to get the Caddy, which was dumb).
2007 WRX TR (Wanted to buy an 07 STi Limited, waited too long to make up my mind and they sold out. Bought the regular stripped-down WRX instead. Turns out I loved it, and then I modded it to the limits of the trans, then sold it to get the used STi Limited, which was dumb).
2002 Mitsu Lancer (Automatic, very slow, but otherwise fantastic little car. Was the wife's when we first met, and she sold it to get the Cobalt. Maybe dumb? Dunno. It was actually a very good car).
1997 Altima GXE (My first reliable car. Bought used in 2000. Loved this thing. Light, spunky 2.4L w/manual trans, decently sporty, great mileage. Sold it to a co-worker when I got my first WRX in December 06. Still see it in the parking lot once in a while, going strong after all these years).
1987 Thunderbird Turbocoupe (Wrecked and rebuilt...poorly. Interesting and occasionally fun car, and in some ways responsible for turning me into a gearhead, as I had no choice but to learn about the thing to keep it running. So yeah, high-mileage mid-80s Ford car with the infamously wretched A4LD auto trans, wrecked and halfassedly rebuilt by my Mom's sister's husband's brother in law, who ran what in hindsight I now recognize as a chop shop. Still more reliable than a 2014 Cadillac ATS...)
1981 Mazda B2000 pickup (My first wheels. Screwdriver for a door handle, manual choke, rag for a gas cap, mismatched hood and fenders, paint job by Rust-Oleum, all the jalopy cliches you care to imagine. Was my carpenter dad's work truck for almost 300k miles and 2 accidents (most damage left unrepaired) before I got it. Of course I loved it, and still miss it. Some day I'll spend an unreasonable heap of money to duplicate it exactly in a fit of misplaced nostalgia. Just kidding. I've moved on.
Wife's history includes such luminaries as a Saturn SC2 in Barney purple, an 86 Mustang (with louvers!), and a Dodgy Colt. She gets a pass 'cause Fox body.
Anyhow, thanks for letting me ramble. I'm terrible at social media/forums and probably won't post often, but I'll try to do better this time. I'll at least try to post up when I do mods and keep a build log on the audio system, as that might be of use to somebody somewhere. I must say I already feel more comfortable here than I ever did on the Subie or (yawn) Cadillac forums...and this is my first post! I am going to go sit in my new baby now and spend some time getting to know Sync 3. I've spent all of 5 minutes with it and can already do way more than I could with the abysmal CUE system in the Caddy. Cheers...
![[burnout]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_burnout.gif "Burnout [burnout]"){kind=icon}
