In reply to petegossett:
so what color is your new ST?
In reply to petegossett:
so what color is your new ST?
In reply to Flight Service:
That's awesome, thanks!
In reply to captdownshift:
Not going to happen this month - SWMBO works for the Feds & might be on furlough until the budget gets approved - if it does happen with a leftover 2015 it'll be whatever damn color I can find with Recaros & nothing else. 
Nathan JansenvanDoorn wrote: A fiesta ST test drive was enough to convince me to buy a new one - and I've ALWAYS been a (well) used car buyer. It hit the perfect combination of fuel economy, fun and price. I've had it about a week and love it. I'm 5' 8", and fit in the back fine. (3 door)
My only peeve against the FiST is that we don't get the 3 door...I'm 5'9 with long legs, short tiny doors piss me off to no end.
FWIW, I had 3 5'8" passengers in the Abarth yesterday and a 50lb bag of doge food in the boot. Surprisingly we had plenty of room.
clutchsmoke wrote: I need to check out the dsg. I've been getting stuck in traffic a lot more often on my commute. It might be the only no third pedal I could tolerate.
The DSG is great not because it's an automatic, but because it gets rid of a lot of the problems with manual transmissions.
In reply to petegossett:
I would go and buy one today.
Upside of working for the patent office? We are a profit center for the federal government. We make money and are constitutionally mandated. 
Knurled wrote:clutchsmoke wrote: I need to check out the dsg. I've been getting stuck in traffic a lot more often on my commute. It might be the only no third pedal I could tolerate.The DSG is great not because it's an automatic, but because it gets rid of a lot of the problems with manual transmissions.
After my test drive I realized I would never bother to use the paddles unless I was on a track/autocross. It's that good.
I'm confused. The DSG is not available in the FiST. Seems we are talking about two different cars at the same time.
In reply to iceracer:
read the thread title again? 
OK. Like many threads on here it wanders
Dibs on the accent?
Bobzilla wrote: Dibs on the accent?
It's still for sale.
Well, finally picked out a new vehicle last night....
Yes, I put my money where my mouth is and bought a Town & Country. 
It's a 2014 with 58k for $17k. Ex-Enterprise rental from TN. It's clean, well-maintained, and if it's survived this much rental abuse then it should hold up to mine.
Yeah, it's not a "fun" car, but it's better for my frequent 1500-mile trips, and will make band gigs easier as well.
That's a nice white ford focus. Enjoy it!
60,000 miles seems high for $17K. Maybe I am just a cheapskate (I am) but I would want more like 30,000 at that price. I am most likely heading the minivan route some day, I guess I better get in touch with the ACTUAL prices not what I WSH they were.
In reply to pinchvalve:
I'm sure it varies widely with location, season, and whenever Enterprise et-al decide to refresh their fleet, but I've been tracking prices steadily since late-July, and on/off since March. I did find a couple Grand Caravan SXTs with around 40k for ~$17k back in late-August, but I wasn't ready to buy yet. Recently I've seen comparable vehicles for ~$20k. The Town & Country seem to bring about $1000-$1500 more for comparable mileage. If you don't want/need the extra options, you can find AVP Grand Caravans for cheap...new for around ~$20k.
I did have a line one a 1-owner(private party, local assistant police chief) 2010 T&C with 70kmi for $12k, but I really wanted something from a southern state to avoid (in that case) 5-years worth of salt exposure.
So how does 'Test drove a FiST and GTI-S/DSG' end up with a Town and Country. Wow!
Congratulations on the new ride. It will serve you well!
In reply to trucke:
We rented a Grand Caravan 3-years ago for vacation, and a brand new T&C this year for a 4100-mile tour of the southwest. After both those trips I was completely sold. At that point the decision was basically: "Practical, but worse MPG, higher insurance, won't utilize it's full capabilities often...but will allow me to get rid of my 1-ton cargo van." Vs. "Smaller, more fun, cheaper operating cost, but need a 2nd(3rd, actually) vehicle."
The other factor relates to the frequent 1500-mile round-trips I'll be making to the gulf coast over the next couple years. There are way more of these vans in service - many as taxis/shuttles - than there are Fiestas(let alone STs) or GTIs. So if I have trouble on the trip the odds of finding someplace with parts & knowledge is much greater. Plus I figure since they're proven fleet vehicles that says a lot about their long-term reliability/dependability.
petegossett wrote: In reply to trucke: We rented a Grand Caravan 3-years ago for vacation, and a brand new T&C this year for a 4100-mile tour of the southwest. After both those trips I was completely sold. At that point the decision was basically: "Practical, but worse MPG, higher insurance, won't utilize it's full capabilities often...but will allow me to get rid of my 1-ton cargo van." Vs. "Smaller, more fun, cheaper operating cost, but need a 2nd(3rd, actually) vehicle." The other factor relates to the frequent 1500-mile round-trips I'll be making to the gulf coast over the next couple years. There are way more of these vans in service - many as taxis/shuttles - than there are Fiestas(let alone STs) or GTIs. So if I have trouble on the trip the odds of finding someplace with parts & knowledge is much greater. Plus I figure since they're proven fleet vehicles that says a lot about their long-term reliability/dependability.
Sounds perfect! I enjoyed this thread.
GRM Chrysler minivan owners UNITE! 
I paid ~$10K for my '08 w/ 78K miles 2 years ago at a CarSense (similar to CarMax) dealer. Mine is a bare-bones version with few options - just the stow-n-go seats and rear HVAC controls.
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