I'm old enough to remember when all cars rusted within 3 years.
Paint has come a long way. Sadly, the FiST is far more rust-resistant than the Pinto, but the paint isn't much better than the Pinto's either.
The Fiesta is an economy car. The FiST is what Ford could do with it to make it fun, at a price point. In spite of the glowing reviews it got in the press, it was not a big seller, and Ford sold most of them cheap.
These things will rust out if you drive them in the salty snow. Get a winter beater, if you have somewhere to park it. This car is a unicorn now, in the Americas.