Feeling a bit bummed about the ST, Thinking of trading it in...

[Esoterikk]

I really like the car to a point but I recently got a stratified custom tune, put on some eibach lowering springs, tinted it all up and was going to get some Tarmac style wheels next and possibly an exhaust and just continue adding to it each summer as it's my summer car but lately with all the posts about it being a roll over hazard and a lot of people ragging on them in general lately for some reason in car communities I'm starting to kind of get bummed out.

I like hot hatches but it seems like everytime I talk to people about it they tell me to get a GTI or a Veloster N and I'm starting to feel like I might be making a poor choice putting money into the ST instead of a different platform?

Posting here because I'm kind of at odds with the ST atm. The car continues to have gremlins, first needing 2 heater fans, then the boost pressure sensor went, now the horn doesn't work (fuse fine). The car was driven in the winter for the first few years so most of the bolts/connectors in the engine are full of surface rust making it look pretty gross under there. When I bought it it was the best bang for your buck in it's price range and now there's a lot in that segment but I've already dropped 2k into the car this summer alone. The leaps that interiors have taken since I bought it (2015) even a Camaro feels like a lexus compared to it.

Hopefully you guys can help me decide if it's a strong platform to continue modifying or not. I like the Fiesta ST, I really do, but something in the back of my head is nagging me that modifying it as a summer project car instead of just dailying it all year is a poor idea.

Keep in mind, this is all coming from a really bummed out and down perspective. I'm not bashing the car, I'm just feeling a little down about it right now and what better place to get a pick me up than from you guys

 

[DAW]

I’ve had an evo,350z,2012 5.0, 419whp 9thgen si, a few mr2s and some other variations or platforms. Anyway this car is definitely one of my top 3 most fun vehicles I’ve owned, sometimes it’s not about how fast or how much hp something has. I could care less what people say, i had other options and choose this one. Trust me, a fwd car is a fwd car, gti, veloster, si; at the end of the day fwd sucks and if you want a speed machine NONE of the said platforms are any better then and awd or rwd car period dot.

 

[PunkST]

Those losers are just butthurt their cars cant come close to the performance per dollar.

 

[Crystals]

It’s an amazing car. Nothing any Honda or VW fanboy says will change that.

That said, my experience with it has been amazing, which I guess is why I think the car is amazing. If your experience with your FiST has not been like that, then by all means trade it in...for another FiST!

 

[PunkST]

Adding to my first post. It took forever to choose the fiesta ST over faster cars when i finally started looking to replace my overly modified mk1 focus. I tried other rides. They didnt communicate as well. The Fist felt right.

 

[Cartman]

There's nothing wrong with questioning whether the FiST is the right car for you now. I think you have a few options:

1. Get to the root cause of your issues with the car. This is the 2nd ford front drive hot hatch for you. Do you want another experience, maybe awd or rwd? If so go find one that fits your budget. Plenty of choices like WRX, Miata, 370z, or the 86/BRZ twins. I also love this car but will be looking for 1st rear wheel drive-ish experience next year with a G70 or Stinger.

2. Find a comfort level with the amount of car mods and stop. Put the money into driver mod like track days and autocross (money will be with tires and brakes mostly). This may allow you to enjoy the car more on a backroad.

3. Accept what it is and is not and just enjoy. Go for drives and find good roads.

Also realize that the coronavirus and all the racial stuff going on lately puts a damper on the view of the world. I haven't driven much this year and am fighting for time to go on a drive.

 

[SPhilli911]

My brother has a GTI and we have driven one another's cars and he agrees that the ST is the more fun car, though maybe not as good in build quality. Same year cars, both 2015 models, but his car cost $5k-ish more and has had many issues including engine failure when the car was only at 20k miles, due to a manufacturing defect.

People (mostly my friends, in a joking manner) give me crap for the car all the time, but I spent far less for more fun if you ask me. The Fiesta has a poor reputation and it's hard to sell people on the idea of the tiny car being fun, maybe, but when you drive it you forget that.

 

[Ford ST]

First off I don't care about what anybody thinks they can blow me. Roll over hazard no one here has posted ever on this site about rolling over their car.
The regular Fiesta was more prone to roll over but not the ST, and your car is lowered what are you worried about.

If the car is paid off I would keep it till it's dead.
I could buy several brand new ones if they still made them with cash I didn't get that type of savings by wasting money buying stuff because of what other people thought. I did it by keeping things forever.

So tell those other people to blow you and jump off a bridge and keep your car.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[dhminer]

I've had nothing but positive experiences with my FiST. Sounds like yours has some strange quality issues. Not to say mine isn't a rattle box economy car, but unplanned maintenance has been limited to a new purge valve and blend door actuator in 3 years/71k miles. Everything else has been perfectly reliable.

I debate almost daily getting rid of the FiST and getting something faster but then I drive it and realize how much I love tossing this thing around and how forgiving it is. I drive a 530hp/500tq Factory Five Roadster, BMW X5M and the FiST back to back on the track a few times a year and the FiST is always the one I enjoy more even if I'm posting the slowest lap times in it. Fun can't be measured on a stat sheet. Something to be said for how hysterically wrong the X5s track performance feels given it's size. Keeps up with cars that seem like they should pull away easily.

 

[Crystals]

I've had nothing but positive experiences with my FiST. Sounds like yours has some strange quality issues. Not to say mine isn't a rattle box economy car, but unplanned maintenance has been limited to a new purge valve and blend door actuator in 3 years/71k miles. Everything else has been perfectly reliable.

I debate almost daily getting rid of the FiST and getting something faster but then I drive it and realize how much I love tossing this thing around and how forgiving it is. I drive a 530hp/500tq Factory Five Roadster, BMW X5M and the FiST back to back on the track a few times a year and the FiST is always the one I enjoy more even if I'm posting the slowest lap times in it. Fun can't be measured on a stat sheet. Something to be said for how hysterically wrong the X5s track performance feels given it's size. Keeps up with cars that seem like they should pull away easily.

So true. My FiST (stage 2 Cobb hardware, stage 2 Dizzy 91 e-tune) can keep up with this:



It has Cobb's stage 1 hardware and a Stratified 91 e-tune.

And the FiST is so much more fun, too.

Just like you, I've had many thoughts about getting something faster like the FoRS, but then I get behind the wheel of my little silver bullet and forget all about it.

 

[SteveS]

It appears you need to adjust your way of determining self esteem and improve your self confidence. You are bummed out because you are reading posts on the internet. And those posts conflict with your own feelings and experience. Let me assure you that if you succumb to the negative feelings you get from others, you will never actually be satisfied. The "internet" is fickle in its "wisdom". Just like people (who make up the opinions you read on the internet). In the old days we had lots of car choices because there were lots of different things people liked, and cars were made that accentuated those various things. Listening to mass "wisdom" and the rise of the internet herd mentality has led to no car choices and innumerable SUVs which are all but indistinguishable. There are a lot of reasons why a 1964 Mini Cooper S would be a lousy choice for a car today, but for some people it's exactly the right car. For others it's a 1973 AMX or a 1969 F100.

If you decide you are tired of the Fiesta ST because you don't like the firm ride or don't like the back seats or yours is becoming unreliable whatever, then be tired of it and look for something else. But don't do it because you hear people cutting it down on the internet. If you enjoy the car and love having something you can tinker with and modify to your own tastes, then keep it.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Those losers are just butthurt their cars cant come close to the performance per dollar.

FULLY AGREED!

But, there have been MANY on here who have professed the same love we do for this ride, and then ended up 'defecting to' one of those other hatches mentioned above anyway. (Just sayin'.)

 

[M-Sport fan]

Roll over hazard no one here has posted ever on this site about rolling over their car.

I just do NOT get this at all.

Is this the latest import fanboi 'hate meme' against this car (maybe because it was offered by a domestic manufacturer??), due to us paying less for something MORE fun than their shit?!?
Their shit is just as 'prone' to rolling over (or NOT) as ours' is, so they can go pound the proverbial effing sand.

 

[DoomsdayMelody]

I really like the car to a point but I recently got a stratified custom tune, put on some eibach lowering springs, tinted it all up and was going to get some Tarmac style wheels next and possibly an exhaust and just continue adding to it each summer as it's my summer car but lately with all the posts about it being a roll over hazard and a lot of people ragging on them in general lately for some reason in car communities I'm starting to kind of get bummed out.

I like hot hatches but it seems like everytime I talk to people about it they tell me to get a GTI or a Veloster N and I'm starting to feel like I might be making a poor choice putting money into the ST instead of a different platform?

Posting here because I'm kind of at odds with the ST atm. The car continues to have gremlins, first needing 2 heater fans, then the boost pressure sensor went, now the horn doesn't work (fuse fine). The car was driven in the winter for the first few years so most of the bolts/connectors in the engine are full of surface rust making it look pretty gross under there. When I bought it it was the best bang for your buck in it's price range and now there's a lot in that segment but I've already dropped 2k into the car this summer alone. The leaps that interiors have taken since I bought it (2015) even a Camaro feels like a lexus compared to it.

Hopefully you guys can help me decide if it's a strong platform to continue modifying or not. I like the Fiesta ST, I really do, but something in the back of my head is nagging me that modifying it as a summer project car instead of just dailying it all year is a poor idea.

Keep in mind, this is all coming from a really bummed out and down perspective. I'm not bashing the car, I'm just feeling a little down about it right now and what better place to get a pick me up than from you guys

There's always gonna be a 'better car'. Even if you were to trade the FiST in for a Veloster N, or a GTI, or (insert hothatch here) there's almost universally going to be a group of people that will tell you you bought the wrong car. "Its wrong wheel drive" "its underpowered" "its too small" "its ugly" "bruh, you bought a Fiesta" all things I've had commented on pretty much every post I've made on r/cars in Reddit. And that's the rub, there's always gonna be other cars I WANT to own, and that's fine, but the FiST is a really interesting prospect because its cheap to buy, cheap to run, and honestly just does the whole feels faster than it is thing better than anything else out there. There are better cars, make no mistake about that, but that's a true statement no matter what car you are driving. Everyone is going to justify what they have purchased, and pretend like anything that is comparable is just worse, that's human nature; the only thing that matters is how you feel about the car, and if you aren't loving it it may be time to move on to something else.

 

[DoomsdayMelody]

I just do NOT get this at all.

Is this the latest import fanboi 'hate meme' against this car (maybe because it was offered by a domestic manufacturer??), due to us paying less for something MORE fun than their shit?!?
Their shit is just as 'prone' to rolling over (or NOT) as ours' is, so they can go pound the proverbial effing sand.

I mean the road going Fiesta is a tall and relatively narrow package. Even though the ST is about an inch lower than the standard fiesta, it is still taller than it is wide and that makes it more rollover prone than something that is wider than it is tall. The Fiesta ST, according to cars.com, measures at 57.2" tall and has a front track width of 57.7" and a rear track width of 57" while the overall width is 67.8". The Civic Si on the other hand is almost 3" shorter at 54.7" and f/r track widths of 60.5" and 61.2" respectively with an overall width of 70.9". Its significantly lower and wider, making it, from a physics perspective, significantly more difficult to roll over in. The Veloster Turbo (not the N) is slightly taller than the Civic, while still shorter than the Fiesta ST, at 55.1" but it has the widest track width of the three at 61" front and 61.5" rear, with an overall width of 70.9". As you can see most people are correct in saying that, comparatively speaking, the Fiesta ST is a significant rollover risk. Personally, I don't get to upset about it, I just make fun of my buddy who bought a new Civic Si for getting a boat lol.

 

[Grendlehop18]

Struggled same as you for months. Had mine for all of 1.5 years & clocked a measly 6K miles. Put ~$6K into it when I finally made up my mind that I couldn't take the stiff ride, torque steer and constant shifting any longer. No reliability issues surfaced, but the concerns were always present. Not to mention I pretty much voided my warranty with the mods, likely moreso with the tune. I kept it absolutely pristine, not letting it see rain even once, and on a black car!
One odd day I stripped the mods, selling most of them here and traded for a CPO Ecoboost Stang. Rides waaaay smoother, but still "sporty". Right wheel drive, super solid, rattle-free chassis, quicker stock in a straight line than my Strat tuned ST. Paddle shift auto is a good compromise.
For me it worked out great and could only be happier if I'd gotten a GT, but I'm working towards closing the gap. Currently got all the bits in for a "Stage 2" tune, but I'm going to try keeping my warranty for a little while longer on this one.
Forgot to make it a point and mention that I did love my FiST, but just like your high school sweetheart, you'll eventually get over it

 

[Business6]

Having problems with a car immediately throws everything into question, I can definitely understand that.

But the outside opinions? I'll be honest: it seems that the only people who worry about others giving them shit about their car are either young or very insecure.

Either stop hanging out with the ass jackals that have no respect for you or buy something else and find they still have no respect for you. Find a way to feel better about yourself. It's worth more than someone else's opinion.

 

[Capri to ST]

This car is a great platform for modification because it can handle a lot more power and still be reliable. However, it's possible to overmodify a car and keep throwing money at it trying to make it something that it's not. This may in the long run make you be more likely to feel dissatisfied with it.
My previous car was already low, but I lowered it a little more when I did a +1 on the wheels and tires because people convinced me the fender gap would look ridiculous. I was never happy with the way it rode after that, then the OEM springs got discontinued so I couldn't go back to stock ride height, and I ended up selling the car.
I love my Fiesta ST, and it's only lightly modified, just the Mountune MP215 tune for a little more power, and some lighter wheels in stock size.
Maybe before you continue throwing money at it, you should just stop and take a deep breath and just pay attention to what it is. My car friends think I'm crazy, but I like it more than the NSX or the E90 M3 that I had previously. This reinforces what a lot of others have said in this thread, don't worry about what others think, just pay attention to what you like.

 

[Fiestig]

1. You can prep for rust control. It takes a bit of work cleaning and prepping, but it can be done without issue
2. There are always gremlins here or there. WITH ANY CAR. So, it is what it is. These are the things that I get to hunt down that connect me to my FiST and then get to share on here.
3. I have had a couple people over the last few years ask why I didn't get a GTI or WRX. I told them the honest truth. I don't just like driving.... I like driving that makes me smile and giggle like a child on laughing gas.
4. In regards to cars..... Doing your own thing in the face of criticism and not taking the lemming route... F'n priceless
5. 47 1/2 cars since the day I got my license. I have never loved driving a car so much that I make excuses to go run errands... EVEN TO RUN TEDIOUS ERRANDS PEOPLE!!!.... Love it!
6. Is there something wrong with me... Yes
7. Do I mind?..... no
8. I smell cheese.... Do you smell cheese?

Anyway... In the end, just do what you feel is right and what you think will make you happy..... "The More You Know...." (I wish there was a rainbow across a tv screen emoji)... Damn

 

[RubenZZZ]

HOT TAKE:

I’m going to tell you to trade it. You sound young and the Fiesta doesn’t have the same cache a BMW/VW/Subie/Honda have in social circles. You’re going to be unhappy if you keep it.

Most of the FiST owners here are older guys that have owned various types of cars before. Past experiences have let us appreciate the FiST for what it is.


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