As an enthusiast, I'm always on the hunt. It's a sickness. Not one I'm terribly desperate to fix, mind you, but a sickness that's led to a garage full of half-broken race cars, a Trans-Am-style Camaro project, and a Honda XR500 that'd rather like to kill me.
At any rate, I've got a kid now. As such, I can't go getting my head lopped off by the bottom of a semi trailer when my NA Miata doesn't show up in some strung-out trucker's blind spot.
So I'm hunting for something to replace the little roadster. Something with a compact footprint, a roof, decent reliability, two rows, and at least a modicum of enthusiast cred to mix into a dusting of practicality. Like the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, a Reddit post beckoned my desirous heart. It read: "Used Fiesta STs are dirt cheap right now..."
This, of course, sent me spiraling. Down the rabbit hole last night I fell. For roughly two-and-a-half hours after I tried to get to bed, and about an hour-and-a-half after I promised to turn the lights out, I clicked on probably 50 different listings and a hundred forum posts. Mountune! Aftermarket diffs! Rally light pods!
Again, a sickness.
But this one is a rare Reddit post worth amplifying: Fiesta ST's are dirt cheap right now. Twelve grand gets you into an ST with relatively low miles (around 80,000 or fewer), while high-mile examples can be had for around $6,000 or less if you're diligent in your hunt. That used to be the sort of territory reserved for NA Miatas. Instead, you'll find that clean Miatas are five-digit affairs now, and that the old Mazdas are appreciably more ragged than a Fiesta ST of the same price.
But why snag a Fiesta ST in the first place?
Because they're epic little cars. Pocket-sized rally-bred missiles. In-period, Road & Track called it "All the Performance Car You Need," and we here at Motor1 gave the newer (Euro-exclusive) Fiesta ST rave ratings. The Fiesta ST offers that goldilocks combo of a punchy engine, edgelord handling, the right shape, and now, an even cheaper price.
Low-mile cars are still out there, too.
Please forgive me a moment of soap-box self-indulgence: The Fiesta ST is the rare cut-rate enthusiast car that never patronized its owner. Ford spent the money on the ST's development by leaving the cheap, plasticky interior mostly untouched and lavished attention upon the stuff that matters, like the engine and chassis. Perfection.
You get a stout 1.6-liter turbo four (about 200 horses and 200 lb-ft.) that responds well to mods and has proved generally reliable, paired to that workaday interior and brilliant chassis.
My enduring memory of the FiST—to use the parlance of our times—is that they handle delightfully and feel happiest when three-wheeling through every corner with the front outside tire howling in protest. Just note that on grippy rubber at autocross courses, they stand the chance of rolling. Remember, this compact car rides on a short, narrow wheelbase, betraying (or perhaps highlighting) its roots as a cheap sub-compact.
Forum bros insist that once you lower your FiST and select a wider wheel and some rubber with less sidewall, the risk of rollover diminishes. But honestly, I find that little bit of jeopardy charming. I can't just give up decapitation risk for a minivan. What would that teach my son about his father?
Anyways, happy FiST hunting.
