Joined
·
605 Posts
So, December 31st, 2016 was my three year anniversary with the car. I've decided to write this post as kind of a lessons learned/what to expect for those who are now browsing. For the most part, the car has been a blast to own.
I picked up my car from Titus-Will Ford in Tacoma, WA at about 8PM on New Year's Eve of 2013. I wasn't planning on getting the car, but I had eventually found my way to it. You see, four months before I got the car, I was getting an oil change on my current vehicle and was offered a test drive in the ST. I was really skeptical of it because it was a Focus and was the wrong wheel drive. Well, I had taken the drive anyways, and I thoroughly enjoyed. Now, back to New Year's Eve.
I had received some stupid piece of mail to "Win a Car" from a local Chevy dealership. I thought, "What the Hell, let's see if this works." So, I went to the Chevy Dealership and tried my luck. No free car for me. However, they got their claws in me, and I started to look at their used cars. They put me in a bunch of things, but they kind of got my attention on a G35. It was a great little car, and I thought I would get away with a great price. I was wrong. They threw out a $36,000 price tag for a 60,000+ mile, 3 year old G35. I wasn't biting, but still listening. Where they lost me as a potential customer was the part where they wanted me to get a loan for more than I could afford and use my income tax check every year to fill in the gaps where my normal paycheck couldn't cover...for the next eight years. So, I was done there. By the way, don't go to Baydo Chevrolet in Roy/Yelm, WA. This is what they do.
Anyways, the one thing that they did do for me was help me realize that a cheaper car could be affordable for me. This is when I remembered the ST. I recalled seeing a brand new Tangerine Scream ST at the dealership for just over 24k. This is when I had the epiphany. I called Titus-Will Ford up ahead of time and said, "I've got a car I want to trade in, but I'll only buy your ST if you meet this budget and get me out of your office with it by 8 o'clock." Summary of the deal, I got it. Here is the first photo that I had taken of the car:
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Ford Hatchback]()
The car was great for the first few months that I drove it. I got some Autocross out of it, which I enjoyed a hell of a lot. I also got a ticket in it for 77mph in a 50mph zone. No problem. Unfortunately, I had to put the car on blocks in April 2014 because I was deploying and nobody would be driving the car.
Fast forward to December 2014. Got my car off the blocks, gave it a fresh oil change, and I got going. Couldn't really push it in the winter, but I did what I could. I remember that January was the first time that I got laughed at for having a car that "sounded like a Prius". It was a pretty funny day. The comment also came from a Subie owner, so there is that as well.
Spring time and Summer came around, and I had learned over time that the Tangerine Scream color of this car was not a means of repulsion of other drivers around you, but was actually a means to get into many accidents. Insert dashcam here. I'd gotten involved with the local northwest ST car group by this point and started going to events and did more Autocross. It was a good time. Here are some of the clips:
I ended up finishing the summer kind of getting turned off by how the ST group was going at the moment and how car guys around here were starting to act, so I quietly removed myself from all things car community related and just went on with life. Even the stickers went away.
Fast forward to this past year. Two accidents last year. Not a big deal, but learning points nonetheless. First one was a simple parking lot fender bender. We back into each other. What I learned was that you NEVER EVER move your car when you have an accident unless you are endangering people (We moved our cars because we were blocking large vehicle traffic). I was 95% out of my parking spot and he was maybe halfway out of his spot when we collided. I didn't even see him until it was too late. Anyways, the cops fined us both, making me liable for half my deductible and now paying out the ass for insurance over a less than 5mph accident. The picture below will show the accident. The crack in front of my rear tire is the center of the parking lot.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Yellow Transport]()
The second accident was in a traffic circle. I was in the traffic circle when a vehicle tried to sneak in front of me, but didn't make it. I made my dashcam video exclusive to a person's channel, so here it is:
My clip is 7:05 to 7:39.
Here's the photos of the minor damage.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Yellow Headlamp]()
![Headlamp Automotive lighting Vehicle Yellow Light]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Yellow Car Automotive design]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Yellow Hood]()
I was not found at fault. My car also received damage from the mechanic that was doing work on it when they backed it into a pole, but I don't have those photos right now, and it was extremely minor.
I also received one of the most bogus tickets in the world this past year in the ST. So, I was on my way home on a day off in the middle of the day when I turned onto this really straight and long street that was five lanes wide. Ahead of me about half a mile was a bus that was preparing to stop to let off kids. I had its yellow lights on when I first saw it. So, I get into the left lane because I know the right lane ends just past the bus, but I never go more than 25mph in the 40mph zone because of the school bus. I watched it stop, and I kept creeping up on it, waiting for the lights to turn red or for the bus to just move forward, but I got nothing. That is, until I got right at the back door. The bus driver flipped his lights on with no time for me to stop, and the camera on the bus had taken my picture. Normally, I would have just stopped, but I've never seen a bus just stop with yellow on for that long, so I had started to question the driver's reasoning for stopping. This is why I didn't stop right away when I got closer to the bus. I always try and do my best to keep kids safe in and around cars, to include whenever my child is in the car. Anyways, I fought the ticket to no success. $400 right out of the window. Moral of that part of the story is if you see a bus doing anything other than the speed limit, stop. (Side note: another couple was in court with me for the same type of thing and they didn't even get yellow lights and still had to pay. This school district are a bunch of thieves)
So, to say that 2016 was a bad year for the car would be a bit of an understatement.
Anyways, 2017 rolls around and it's was now time for new tires and brakes. I made it through a bunch of Autocross and general Tom Foolery with the stock tires and brakes and got 25,000+ miles out of them. I consider that success.
Things that I've discovered as quirks over the years...
Passenger door sticks
Sync screen random dims and brightens at its own will for unknown reasons and can't be fixed
Issues that needed fixed (other than the accidents)
Engine leaking oil, seals replaced
Upgrades over the years
Eibach Sportline Springs
15mm front spacers and 20mm rear spacers
Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires
So, over the past three years, I've had plenty of ups and downs with this car. What my verdict for the car? Well, I'd say that it is the perfect daily driver. It hauls what most people want to carry in their cars, it is fun to drive and fast enough, and it gets pretty decent mileage for a peppy little four cylinder turbo. If you want a car that is cheap to buy, but fun to use and not break the bank, get the car. If you have the means for a better car, get it.
Last thing, the haters are gonna hate. All the other four cylinder car owners will recite facts as to why their cars are better, the muscle cars will see you as an inferior that should never be at a car show or event, the Subie owners will complain to you that it would be better if it were AWD, the German car owners will just generally be D-bags anyways, and the regular people will just roll their eyes at you for owning a stupid Focus, but if you buy this car, it is for you and you alone to enjoy. Nobody will get it as much as you do.
I picked up my car from Titus-Will Ford in Tacoma, WA at about 8PM on New Year's Eve of 2013. I wasn't planning on getting the car, but I had eventually found my way to it. You see, four months before I got the car, I was getting an oil change on my current vehicle and was offered a test drive in the ST. I was really skeptical of it because it was a Focus and was the wrong wheel drive. Well, I had taken the drive anyways, and I thoroughly enjoyed. Now, back to New Year's Eve.
I had received some stupid piece of mail to "Win a Car" from a local Chevy dealership. I thought, "What the Hell, let's see if this works." So, I went to the Chevy Dealership and tried my luck. No free car for me. However, they got their claws in me, and I started to look at their used cars. They put me in a bunch of things, but they kind of got my attention on a G35. It was a great little car, and I thought I would get away with a great price. I was wrong. They threw out a $36,000 price tag for a 60,000+ mile, 3 year old G35. I wasn't biting, but still listening. Where they lost me as a potential customer was the part where they wanted me to get a loan for more than I could afford and use my income tax check every year to fill in the gaps where my normal paycheck couldn't cover...for the next eight years. So, I was done there. By the way, don't go to Baydo Chevrolet in Roy/Yelm, WA. This is what they do.
Anyways, the one thing that they did do for me was help me realize that a cheaper car could be affordable for me. This is when I remembered the ST. I recalled seeing a brand new Tangerine Scream ST at the dealership for just over 24k. This is when I had the epiphany. I called Titus-Will Ford up ahead of time and said, "I've got a car I want to trade in, but I'll only buy your ST if you meet this budget and get me out of your office with it by 8 o'clock." Summary of the deal, I got it. Here is the first photo that I had taken of the car:
The car was great for the first few months that I drove it. I got some Autocross out of it, which I enjoyed a hell of a lot. I also got a ticket in it for 77mph in a 50mph zone. No problem. Unfortunately, I had to put the car on blocks in April 2014 because I was deploying and nobody would be driving the car.
Fast forward to December 2014. Got my car off the blocks, gave it a fresh oil change, and I got going. Couldn't really push it in the winter, but I did what I could. I remember that January was the first time that I got laughed at for having a car that "sounded like a Prius". It was a pretty funny day. The comment also came from a Subie owner, so there is that as well.
Spring time and Summer came around, and I had learned over time that the Tangerine Scream color of this car was not a means of repulsion of other drivers around you, but was actually a means to get into many accidents. Insert dashcam here. I'd gotten involved with the local northwest ST car group by this point and started going to events and did more Autocross. It was a good time. Here are some of the clips:
I ended up finishing the summer kind of getting turned off by how the ST group was going at the moment and how car guys around here were starting to act, so I quietly removed myself from all things car community related and just went on with life. Even the stickers went away.
Fast forward to this past year. Two accidents last year. Not a big deal, but learning points nonetheless. First one was a simple parking lot fender bender. We back into each other. What I learned was that you NEVER EVER move your car when you have an accident unless you are endangering people (We moved our cars because we were blocking large vehicle traffic). I was 95% out of my parking spot and he was maybe halfway out of his spot when we collided. I didn't even see him until it was too late. Anyways, the cops fined us both, making me liable for half my deductible and now paying out the ass for insurance over a less than 5mph accident. The picture below will show the accident. The crack in front of my rear tire is the center of the parking lot.
The second accident was in a traffic circle. I was in the traffic circle when a vehicle tried to sneak in front of me, but didn't make it. I made my dashcam video exclusive to a person's channel, so here it is:
My clip is 7:05 to 7:39.
Here's the photos of the minor damage.
I was not found at fault. My car also received damage from the mechanic that was doing work on it when they backed it into a pole, but I don't have those photos right now, and it was extremely minor.
I also received one of the most bogus tickets in the world this past year in the ST. So, I was on my way home on a day off in the middle of the day when I turned onto this really straight and long street that was five lanes wide. Ahead of me about half a mile was a bus that was preparing to stop to let off kids. I had its yellow lights on when I first saw it. So, I get into the left lane because I know the right lane ends just past the bus, but I never go more than 25mph in the 40mph zone because of the school bus. I watched it stop, and I kept creeping up on it, waiting for the lights to turn red or for the bus to just move forward, but I got nothing. That is, until I got right at the back door. The bus driver flipped his lights on with no time for me to stop, and the camera on the bus had taken my picture. Normally, I would have just stopped, but I've never seen a bus just stop with yellow on for that long, so I had started to question the driver's reasoning for stopping. This is why I didn't stop right away when I got closer to the bus. I always try and do my best to keep kids safe in and around cars, to include whenever my child is in the car. Anyways, I fought the ticket to no success. $400 right out of the window. Moral of that part of the story is if you see a bus doing anything other than the speed limit, stop. (Side note: another couple was in court with me for the same type of thing and they didn't even get yellow lights and still had to pay. This school district are a bunch of thieves)
So, to say that 2016 was a bad year for the car would be a bit of an understatement.
Anyways, 2017 rolls around and it's was now time for new tires and brakes. I made it through a bunch of Autocross and general Tom Foolery with the stock tires and brakes and got 25,000+ miles out of them. I consider that success.
Things that I've discovered as quirks over the years...
Passenger door sticks
Sync screen random dims and brightens at its own will for unknown reasons and can't be fixed
Issues that needed fixed (other than the accidents)
Engine leaking oil, seals replaced
Upgrades over the years
Eibach Sportline Springs
15mm front spacers and 20mm rear spacers
Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires
So, over the past three years, I've had plenty of ups and downs with this car. What my verdict for the car? Well, I'd say that it is the perfect daily driver. It hauls what most people want to carry in their cars, it is fun to drive and fast enough, and it gets pretty decent mileage for a peppy little four cylinder turbo. If you want a car that is cheap to buy, but fun to use and not break the bank, get the car. If you have the means for a better car, get it.
Last thing, the haters are gonna hate. All the other four cylinder car owners will recite facts as to why their cars are better, the muscle cars will see you as an inferior that should never be at a car show or event, the Subie owners will complain to you that it would be better if it were AWD, the German car owners will just generally be D-bags anyways, and the regular people will just roll their eyes at you for owning a stupid Focus, but if you buy this car, it is for you and you alone to enjoy. Nobody will get it as much as you do.
