heavy use/high mileage durability

[nbmgreg]

Hi all,

New member here looking for some current insight into the ST world. I currently own a Toyota Prius C which was purchased back in 2014 when I desperately needed something reliable for work. The MPG and reliability are fantastic, but aside from that I have grown extremely bored with the car and have been looking into other options that still provide reliability and versatility, but a bit more engaging to drive. The Fiesta ST is one of my options, but I want to know more about how these cars handle heavy driving and higher mileage. I have searched and found a few threads online, but most are from a few years ago, haven't seen many recent talks of where people are at with their ST's.

I drive about 30-35K miles PER YEAR for work, about 95% of that is highway. However the weekends are spent in the mountains with perfect twisty roads, which is where the Prius shows its downsides and got me interested in other vehicles. How are these cars holding up above 70-80K miles? What about build quality? Are the interiors staying somewhat intact? Can the suspension handle subpar SoCal roads without falling apart?

Any input from veteran ST owners is greatly appreciated

 

[Capri to ST]

One owner on here has reported over 175k trouble-free miles on his.

 

[DloST]

50+k miles here with no major issues. It's been pretty heavily modded since day one too. Only thing I could really complain about is the dash rattle.

 

[Slurp812]

I drive ~20k plus per year, so I am interested also. No plans for any mods to engine, just like a fun daily driver!

 

[Bretley]

30k in and replaced the blend door actuator, battery, and drivers side tweeter speaker. Other than that, she has been a good car. Also a bit annoyed by the dash rattle I'm getting.

 

[VuDoo]

I am on the verge of hitting 60k miles. It is a 2015 and I bought it with 5k miles on the OD. I have some mods and have been running stratified OTS tune for about 35K miles. I drive about 120 miles a day commuting to work. Aside from standard maintenance I haven't had any major issues that require outside service or repair. I change the oil every 7000 miles with Mobil 1 Synthetic, change the trans fluid every 25k miles. It has been a really solid car. I really think that as long as I keep doing what I am doing the only major thing I see in the distant future would be a new clutch.

 

[fiestastdaily]

45k no drivetrain issues whatsoever. Modded since 2k miles. Bought new with 3 miles. Blend door actuator (of course). Is the only issue I've had. Fully loaded Ox white.

 

[nbmgreg]

I am on the verge of hitting 60k miles. It is a 2015 and I bought it with 5k miles on the OD. I have some mods and have been running stratified OTS tune for about 35K miles. I drive about 120 miles a day commuting to work. Aside from standard maintenance I haven't had any major issues that require outside service or repair. I change the oil every 7000 miles with Mobil 1 Synthetic, change the trans fluid every 25k miles. It has been a really solid car. I really think that as long as I keep doing what I am doing the only major thing I see in the distant future would be a new clutch.

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm liking what I'm hearing so far.

Vudoo, you mention changing the trans fluid every 25k, is that the actual recommended service interval for that?

 

[VuDoo]

No. I believe it is 100k. But after seeing what the fluid looks like the two times I have changed it so far. I wouldn't think of ever running that long without a change.

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[neeqness]

There are some threads about fluid change frequency recommendations here. I also change my fluids quite frequently. I have a 2015 I bought late last year with 7 miles on it that I've driven 30k+ miles on about 80% highway but mostly because I road trip a lot in my FiST.

I'm also in SoCal traveling regularly on some of these terrible roads so I upgraded my shocks to koni orange to help soften it up some. I recently replaced my oem tires with 205/45 which helped a lot also. Tire brand and model can also make a difference although perhaps at a somewhat lesser degree.

Biggest issue I had was the rear wiper blade defected and had issues finding a replacement at the local auto parts stores but Ford covered it no problem when I finally went to the dealer to buy the part. They did take like 2 - 3 hours to do it with me being the only one in the waiting room. Was seriously considering just doing it myself to save time. It is like a 5 minute job tops! Oh and one of my fog lights busted. Not sure if it was vandalized or perhaps a stone on the highway but I suppose I can't fault Ford with it. At least the part wasn't too expensive, but Ford is charging me an additional 3x the part cost to install it so I'm considering doing it myself...

I agree with VuDoo about the fluid changes so I change mine more often than recommended. I even use special tranny fluid and am thinking of using aftermarket oil too.

Toyota is almost notorious for reliable but uninspiring cars. Worst car I ever driven as far as fun factor was a Scion xa. To the point of regretting I bought it because it was so boooorrriingg driving it. I only used it when I absolutely had to.