Am I crazy for Considering Trading in for a 2017??

[blue2turbo]

Ok, so I have my current 2015 FiST with 31000 miles on it. I bought it used after my 05' Saab 9-2x Aero was flooded in a hurricane. I've owned a bunch of different cars over the last couple years on my quest to find the most fun daily driver that I could while still retaining good MPG for my daily commute. I'm not worried about big power, I have other vehicles that can handle the speed factor if need be. Anyways, so far this has been my most enjoyable daily driver and I have mild mods (CPE Intercooler and Pipes, Cobb Intake, Cobb RMM, APv3 w/ strat tune, Mountune Springs w/ Koni str.t rear) and it's the first car I've seen myself willing to keep long term.

That being said, when I bought it, everything looked great, but there were some small blemishes that I didn't notice that I now have that do bother me a little bit. The Recaro's have a little bit more wear from the previous owner then they would if I owned it from the start, it has a sunroof which I could definitely do without, etc. Then someone bumped me very lightly in my work parking lot and didn't leave a note so I see that blemish when I look closely at the car, etc. I still love the car either way.

After reading the articles about there potentially not being a 2018 model or further, I just started to browse what a 2017 would be priced at and it blew my mind. I've been able to find some dealer advertising a brand new 2017 in Magnetic or white with Recaro's for around $18,100-$18,500. I know that doesn't include taxes and fees, but I'm confident that I have minimal negative equity in mine and could trade in and roll out in a brand new 2017 for around $20-$20.5k OTD, maintain my same 60month loan and have my payments increase by only $50ish/month. I can personally remove all my mods and go back to stock in one solid day, so that isn't a worry and obviously I'd be able to transplant them directly into the new car, minus the APv3.

So I was just curious about what others thought of this type of scenario. I've never owned a car brand new before, but that's mainly because I never found one that I legitimately thought I would consider keeping for more then a couple years.

 

[TrickSTer]

I'm considering doing the same thing (bought my 2015 new), just to have the newest version of this amazing little car.
You can transfer the APv3 to your new car.

 

[Joker328]

I would say if it's a car you plan on keeping for at least another 5 years and you can stomach the higher payments, it may be worth it. You'd be starting the clock over in terms of mileage and warranty, and you can take care of it the way you want to from the start. Plus you get a more modern infotainment system. If you think you may want something different in a couple years, it's probably not worth it financially because you will be trading in a car that has already had the worst of its depreciation hit (i.e. the first few years) for one that will have most of its depreciation in the few years you would own it. I mean there are plenty of people that do this anyway because they want a brand new car every couple years, but it's expensive to do so. There's also a lot we don't know about how these cars will hold up in the long run and how well Ford will continue to support them, so if you want to keep it long-term (i.e. well outside the warranty period), a newer model might put off any major maintenance expenses/headaches for a while.

I also have a 2015 and it's seen some rough city abuse (e.g. scratched up bumper, paint chips on hood, curb rash), but I think I am just going to keep it because I feel like even if I got a new one, it would just suffer the same fate. I'm happy to keep it another few years at least and hope that gas prices spike and manufacturers decide to sell great hot hatches here again.

 

[Truth in Ruin]

One negative would be a longer loan going further into debt, but there are positives. For instance, you'd starting at almost 0 miles again, and when these cars are done with, and someone wants to buy one, the 2017s will probably be the most desirable year.

 

[blue2turbo]

I would say if it's a car you plan on keeping for at least another 5 years and you can stomach the higher payments, it may be worth it. You'd be starting the clock over in terms of mileage and warranty, and you can take care of it the way you want to from the start. Plus you get a more modern infotainment system. If you think you may want something different in a couple years, it's probably not worth it financially because you will be trading in a car that has already had the worst of its depreciation hit (i.e. the first few years) for one that will have most of its depreciation in the few years you would own. I mean there are plenty of people that do this anyway because they want a brand new car every couple years, but it's expensive to do so. There's also a lot we don't know about how these cars will hold up in the long run and how well Ford will continue to support them, so if you want to keep it long-term (i.e. well outside the warranty period), a newer model might put off any major maintenance expenses/headaches for a while.

I also have a 2015 and it's seen some rough city abuse (e.g. scratched up bumper, paint chips on hood, curb rash), but I think I am just going to keep it because I feel like even if I got a new one, it would just suffer the same fate. I'm happy to keep it another few years at least and hope that gas prices spike and manufacturers decide to sell great hot hatches here again.

If I were to make the move, I would plan on keeping the car for at least the next 5 years. The most appealing thing is having the car from new and being able to maintain and take care of it the way I do all of my vehicles and not be nagged by little things from previous owners. The slightly increased car payment is not a problem at all and I could actually go down in payment if I went to 72 months, which I'm also considering and just adding extra to the payments.

I agree with paint chips happening and things of that nature, however if I were to get it as a brand new vehicle, I would actually get the 3m Clear bra put on or one of the paint coatings that prevents those types of things. I never have simply because the cars I've gotten have had their road warrior use already and it didn't make sense to me to put a protective cover over existing issues.

 

[Mchris2725]

0% interest makes this easy. Just take the difference between the value of your car and the out-the-door cost of buying a new one. Don't forget taxes, tags, registration, and fees. It will probably come out to something like $7,000-$9,000. So if $8,000 is worth having new version of the same car, then go for it. Depreciation and taxes would be enough to turn me off from doing this.

 

[blue2turbo]

One negative would be a longer loan going further into debt, but there are positives. For instance, you'd starting at almost 0 miles again, and when these cars are done with, and someone wants to buy one, the 2017s will probably be the most desirable year.

I've considered that too, but if I stay with a 60month loan, I get a 2 year newer vehicle, 31k less miles (also means longer warranty), and it only adds about one additional year of payments compared to my current loan. Plus I am seeing Ford is offering 0% financing for 60months, so if that's an option that's even better. Although my bank is currently offering a 2.39% which is lower then my current rate by a small margin as well.

 

[blue2turbo]

0% interest makes this easy. Just take the difference between the value of your car and the out-the-door cost of buying a new one. Don't forget taxes, tags, registration, and fees. It will probably come out to something like $7,000-$9,000. So if $8,000 is worth having new version of the same car, then go for it. Depreciation and taxes would be enough to turn me off from doing this.

I bought mine used, so I didn't end up paying a crazy amount for it. A lot of it will boil down to what the dealer would offer in trade. I am NOT willing to pile on negative equity just because they are cutting me a "deal" off MSRP. I know how the car sales world works pretty well.

 

[lonelysuperstar]

Don't ask me, I'm only on my third ST 14,15,16

 

[Capri to ST]

I don't think it's a bad idea at all with the possibility that they may not be available after '17. I'm glad to have a fairly new one with only 4000 miles on it.

 

[FLORIDAST]

I have a '16 so I wouldn't do it but it may be worth it for Sync3. If I were to consider another car I'd probably get a Focus ST just to try something different.

 

[me32]

Go for it. Get what you want and don't want. Comes with sync 3 which is nice.

 

[blue2turbo]

Go for it. Get what you want and don't want. Comes with sync 3 which is nice.

So a new issue that has come up is that there is a 2017 base with ebony wheels and the red calipers for $14,800 new. I really want Recaros and know that I can probably buy some later for $1000-1500 front and rear, but they wouldn't be heated. However I am potentially moving to Florida next year which would essentially eliminate the need for heated seats. So I'm kind of unsure which direction to go here. The sub $15k price is extremely appealing right now.

 

[blue2turbo]

I have a '16 so I wouldn't do it but it may be worth it for Sync3. If I were to consider another car I'd probably get a Focus ST just to try something different.

Problem I have with that is the FoST owners I've talked to complain about the MPG and I already know I like the FiST. I would be afraid if I didn't like the FoST after awhile then I'd be stuck trying to get another new car... plus I already have all the parts to drop right back into another FiST.

 

[me32]

So a new issue that has come up is that there is a 2017 base with ebony wheels and the red calipers for $14,800 new. I really want Recaros and know that I can probably buy some later for $1000-1500 front and rear, but they wouldn't be heated. However I am potentially moving to Florida next year which would essentially eliminate the need for heated seats. So I'm kind of unsure which direction to go here. The sub $15k price is extremely appealing right now.

That price is a hell of a deal. It's gonna be hard to find new fist with recaro even close to that price because the option cost is high.

 

[blue2turbo]

That price is a hell of a deal. It's gonna be hard to find new fist with recaro even close to that price because the option cost is high.

Sure was, after email contact I got a response saying that it was a mistake and it was going to be about $2000 more then listed price. For that, I'll stick to the $18.5k Recaro'd one I'm looking at now. She said she would have a salesman call me about it and I said nevermind on the base model.

 

[scoobtothenoog]

I say go for it. Sounds like you've already made your mind up . 14,8k would have been a crazy deal! Was about to ask you where you found it. I pick up my base magnetic tomorrow. Pretty stoked with my deal @ 15,414 . This will be my second as well. Had a 14 with recaro & roof that I sold a couple years ago. Have been through a FiST, GTI, and a Golf R since. Sold the Vdub a couple months ago. When I heard this was the last year for the fist, I knew I had to get another one. L8ve these little cars!

 

[M-Sport fan]

Sure was, after email contact I got a response saying that it was a mistake and it was going to be about $2000 more then listed price. For that, I'll stick to the $18.5k Recaro'd one I'm looking at now. She said she would have a salesman call me about it and I said nevermind on the base model.

That's what I thought, as $14,800 just is NOT possible, as it is WAY FAR BELOW what that dealer paid for that car.

I eventually plan on changing out the base seats for (better than the Recaros) aftermarket ones anyway, so I opted to not pay a $2K premium for seats I am not all that enamored of anyway.

 

[blue2turbo]

That's what I thought, as $14,800 just is NOT possible, as it is WAY FAR BELOW what that dealer paid for that car.

I eventually plan on changing out the base seats for (better than the Recaros) aftermarket ones anyway, so I opted to not pay a $2K premium for seats I am not all that enamored of anyway.

I was thinking the same thing. The beauty of my situation is that none of this is a necessity so I have no problems walking away if things don't add up the way I want them to. I used to be a huge impulse person, but I've slowly wrangled that and got it under control.

For me personally, the Recaro's are plenty comfortable and seats I could deal with for the long haul. They fit the girlfriends approval as well so that's a plus. Personally I am just not a huge fan of base seats and don't necessarily see myself wanting to drop the cash for other seats right out the gate. However, Recaro sporster's CS' would be fantastic.

The other thing I'm taking into consideration is if I can get one with Ebony wheels, I can remove those and sell them immediately for a solid price as well as I already have 16" Maxxim Sixx's for winter/trips and 17" Sparco Pro Corsa w/ summer tires for the rest of the time.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^For me, it is Recaro ITSELF, as a company which I refuse to deal with/support ever again (LONG LONG story, which I have documented in past threads), so NO, I do not even trust their top line Sportster CS recliners, nor even any of their one piece composite shell racing seats.