Farewell
 

In the first weekend of June 2012, my life changed. I drove six hours to phoenix Arizona to pick up my 2013 Asphalt Fr-s. Man, was she beautiful. didn't test drive or anything. I knew what I wanted and I was getting it. we've been through some abuse together, a few dings, a few shop visits but all in all she was great and I will never forget her. her name was Emily. Sunday December 22 I bid farewell to my beloved Emily. so now I introduce you to my next love. haven't named her yet but she's a 2014 Ford Focus ST FULLY loaded. I am paying about 60 more a month for it but all in all I like it. see my situation was I drove the fr-s daily. taking my 7 and 8 year old sons to school, not being able to fit properly the four of us. it just started to get to small. I knew I wanted something turbo. hell before I got the frs I was even considering a cruze turbo. I don't have the money to lower the frs put rims a spoiler , much less a turbo kit. but yesterday when I drove the focus it was amazing. tested out the evo and sti, but those would have come with a more price tag. honestly I feel this car is better than both. the interior makes me feel like I'm in a jet, the turbo spools and pulls hard, and I got so many gadgets and gizmos. sorry for writing the essay but just thought I would give you guys a little insight from one of the O.G. 86 owners. i'll still check in from time to time cause I like the 86, but car just wasn't for me anymore. let me know what you guys think. good bad whatever. peace

Why Focus over Fiesta?

focus looked more appealing to me and it has moar power.

Yeah, the backseat in these cars are a joke. My son and daughter 8, and 6 respectively, barely fit now :) We have a minivan when the five of us (have a 3 year old daughter too) but I find myself needing to shuttle the kids more and more. I should have the BRZ paid off in two years or less and would like to keep it. I suspect a WRX, EVO or Speed3 (when the new ones are released) will be in my short list. I drove a Focus ST and liked it, but was just not for me. Might need to drive one again.

Sorry to see you go but that is a nice option for a family wagon and your car needs to fit your lifestyle.

I have a nine year old and a six year old and they love going in my TRD86 that they call "the turd" damn them!

As much as they love it when my wife and I are both in the car so they need to be in the back my nine year old sits with his legs crossed rather than have his feet jammed under the passenger seat. For safety I want him to be able to get out fast.

We have three cars so having one less practical but fun is ok. I was looking seriously at the Subaru WRX 2015 concept as our family car (a great combo with the 86) but the actually released car is such a disappointment. Still might get one though in a couple of years. Then my wife and I can go on track at the same time rather than share a car.

Bit of a ramble but it's raining here down under at the moment and it's 11.25am Christmas Eve so not a lot going. We get to enjoy Christmas before you! Nothing like a summer Christmas if only it would stop raining.

Anyway, what I was trying to say was I understand your decision and great you've still managed to keep some fun in your vehicle choice even with a family.

Merry Christmas!

although everywhere i read, the fiesta st gets high praises...i prefer the focus over fiesta. looks better, bigger and more practical. Also looks more mature. Good choice but sad to see a member go.

Congrats on the Focus ST. That car is one of the few modern day gems wanting me to stay FWD.

It is also bloody ridiculous at how badly Ford is pushing rebates on it with Ford employee pricing and Costco rebates.

thanks for the words. in the end it was about my family. I grew up with an eclipse rs. always always wanted the gs-t but just couldn't get it. I had the rwd frs and don't get me wrong it was fun sliding and stuff. but that feel of a front wheel drive turbo just screaming and pulling. I went back to my roots and I feel it's going to be a great car. it's my first turbo car so I'm really excited, but way cautious. now that i think about it, I'm glad my parents never let me get the turbo when I was younger.

Congrats! I had a GTi for a while and having a hatch is always nice. I'm sure 4 doors will make your life easier too. Enjoy!

This is pretty typical with Ford and Chevy. Which is why I would never buy a first model year since they will slash prices by a good 3-5K within a year. When I test drove a Focus ST, the dealer wanted almost $25K for it (had some options and MSRP was like $27K). I balked and told him no, and he contacted me a few more times and said he could probably get it to me for around $22K before taxes and fees. It was a lot of car for the money, and I bet I can even get one cheaper now.

Yep, like said, our transportation desires and needs change over time.

Looks like you picked a good alternative ....:thumbsup:

humfrz

This was one of my backups. But I had to wait 3 months for a Recaro to be built.

From right wheel drive to wrong wheel drive.:thumbdown:

4 doors make for good family cars that's for sure, enjoy. :)

I can't hang with fwd anymore,...its got to be AWD or RWD....just my opinion.

At least he can say he had an 86.

Buh bye. :(

I like the look more than most people do, but its still a Ford. I'd go MS3 if I truly NEEDED a manual hatchback. Otherwise it would be a DSG GTI. Have fun with it!

I live in a population of 18000. the car scene much less the import scene is shit around here. I don't take my car to the track,autocross or drag. I don't know how to drift. and by the time iI save up the money to buy rims, exhaust exhaust, intake, tune, exterior coscosmetics the second gen FRS would be out. I traded from a rear wheel drive, to a turbo. In my opinion substituted one good for another.

Congrats. I've heard they've got some really good deals on Focus ST's now. They seem like good performance bargains in the hot hatch segment. They're not my cup of tea, but I'd definitely like to flog one of these (or a Fiesta ST) on some back roads.

The ST was on my short list before I went to the 86. I never got as far as testing one out though because I drove the FR-S first and loved it. I've heard the torque steer is pretty noticeable in the ST. I also just realized the other day that I've only ever had RWD for my personal car!

Glad my kid is 22 and has his own ride so I can have my 2 seater!

Congrats. Great choice. I think the Focus ST is another bang for the buck just like the FR-S. If I needed back seats I would've gone with the Focus ST,Mazdaspeed3, or WRX. I love hatchbacks.

I had thought about moving into an ST. Now I really want to wait for the new WRX. All for pretty much the same reasons as you.

Honestly I wish I could have 3 cars. But it's not in the budget. Our other car is a Ford Escape.

"didn't test drive or anything. knew I wanted it."

"just wasn't for me anymore"

lol

focus st's are dope. enjoy.

Test drove the Focus ST.

Felt like I was driving a slightly-faster-than-usual minivan.

Shook the man's hand and left the dealership.

Congrats!

Almost bought one myself. Much better than the Fiesta.

Congrats!

At the end of the day, you manned up and put your family first. Well Done! I did the same thing for 15 years and now that all my kids can drive, I can have my fun. In ten years or less, you'll get to have impractical toys again.

Nice, I was dead set on the focus ST, but RWD just won me over.

Turbo is just damn fun though.

Ah, that sucks that you had to give her up. I absolutely love my asphalt FR-S, and I'm glad that I can enjoy her now while I'm young and am only concerned with how I feel driving it. I can see how it would get hard having a kid, or anyone that needs to access the back seat every time they're riding in it, and their comfort and needs defiantly need to be accounted for / accommodated once you become a parent.

It sounds like you were able to find something that compromised between what you wanted in a car, and what your kids needed - enjoy the new ride!

I can sure understand meeting up with the families needs over your own desires. When my youngest was little I had a 74' VW SUper Beetle that took me a year to restore and I had everything in it that I had ever wanted with one exception AC; and we used to get caught at the train tracks everyday and she hated that 15 minute wait for the train to pass with that fan bowing hot air. She would cry. SO I sold it for much less than what I had in it and purchased a Nissan Pick up Truck with AC to make sure that she was happy on our way home in the afternoons. I left out that I lived in AZ so Summer time was at about 108 every afternoon.

SO if it has to be a Ford whatever to keep the Family happy then that all good man. Glad you found the happy medium for all involved to be content.
So Drive on Driver :w00t: with a happy Family :thumbsup:

PS my Kids are now grown I'm almost 60 and I have both now a Show Stopping Super Beetle and a Brand new FRS ;-)

My wife has an st and loves it. Not a bad all around car

Yep, it went like this for me as an adult (21-71):

MGB > 4dr sedans > station wagon > mini-van > full sized van > 4dr sedans > Miata > FR-S.

Oh, I hope I don't wind up with a Buick .... :cry:

humfrz

I sure hope not humfrz, these FRS cars are way to much fun. But I'm sure thinking about inventing a Car Horn like a Shoe Horn for people like me that are getting to stiff to bend in certain manners to help me into the car...:lol::D

Yes, something along the lines of an adaptive mechanism that would bolt onto the existing seat rails.

It would allow the seat to move back, then raise, then swivel, then move outward, then slant down.

Of course it would be powered.

Options would be heated, vibrating and handy pouches for meds.

:w00t:

humfrz

It is threads like this that make me love you guys. One member swaps to a different car and nobody gives him shit for it. The twins brought all of us together and we became a big family. It is sad to see someone no longer driving one but they will always be part of the family by proxy.

I hope the Focus works well for you and the family. :)

hey guys again just wanted to say thanks for all the positive feed back. I signed papers and the deal went through so yeah for sure the focus is mine. been driving her around a few days now and couldn't be happier. like I stated before this is my first turbo car and man is it a beast. been looking at a few mods, and there is a lot from ford that can be done so I'm really excited. but again thanks guys you will be missed.

I really want to test drive a ST. I have debated over trading the FR-S in, but I can't do it. It brings to much joy to me in the right conditions. But enjoy. I was looking at the Focus ST very closely before I got my FRS.

Hey Sketch,


How much did you get for your FR-S when you sold it or traded it in?


Just curious.


Thanks,
EZ

The ST is a nice car, but it is quite different from an FT86, I suspect test driving one will just make you love your FR-S even more :)

Here are my impressions from my ST test drive today:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...4&postcount=78

The ST is a much more practical car if you ever really need to haul more than 2 people. But I suspect most people buying an FT86 know this already.

That said, I understand why the OP did what he did. I find myself driving my kids more and more in my car and the BRZ is just really impractical. I am 5'11" and there is literally no legroom for my 6 year old.. My eight year old has to sit behind the passenger seat as there is like an inch or two from my seat to the rear seat. I wish Toyobaru would have stretched the car another 2-3" for legroom, but it is what it is. The new WRX will be my next test drive along with the new GTI MKVII which is getting rave reviews.

Well I don't know if this helps you, but the Ford dealer I test drove an ST at offered me $22K for my BRZ Limited that has 4700 miles on it, tinted windows, clear bra, upgraded speakers with a sub and amp, and weathertech floor mats :)

I laughed. He said he might be able to get $23K for me, but he doubted it. I kept telling him the car was Limited and not Premium model but he was an idiot. He kept telling me factory invoice on a new BRZ Limited was $24K even when I showed him TrueCar on my phone he refused to believe me. I also showed him Nada and Kelly Blue Book and he said "those are not accurate". He stated "I called my buddy at Subaru and he said they are selling BRZ Limited's brand new for $24K right now". I asked him what dealer it was and he refused to tell me. I already knew I was not going to trade in my car, but I hate it when salesman flat out lie to me.