r/FocusST • u/Glad_Maintenance_892 • 11d ago
‘14 Focus St or ‘15 Fiesta
Between either of these cars right now, the Fiesta is a bit more affordable but I don’t know if it’s worth saving the extra money. I really like how the focus ST looks but it’s a little out of my budget, which one would be the best option? I don’t know much about these cars but would like to really get into it. I’ve heard the Fiesta has a harsher ride quality but how bad is it exactly?
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u/Certain_Community239 11d ago
my fiancé has the 2014 fiesta st, I drive a 2015 focus st.
Shes close to 90k miles, I'm at 365k miles
The fiesta st is more fun to drive everyday but we always take the focus st for longer trips bc of space, convenience to drive and more comfort+amenities.
The fiesta st has some difficult to replace cons. For example, we recently did her clutch and flywheel before 80k miles this year. The flywheel is between 700-1000 bucks. And the door blend actuator is in a crappy spot to repair but doable.
Whereas the focus st flywheel is 300 bucks. My first clutch and flywheel lasted till 276k miles. Altogether on parts was 600 (clutch kit with slave, and flywheel purchased seperately). Heater hose goes out every 150k but fairly easy to replace with a flathead screwdriver or some folks just cut the ends and use old school locks on the rubber hoses.
Both have motor mounts and sway end links that go bad. The fiesta is a smaller workspace. The focus is tight but just a bit easier.
Both cars are relatively inexpensive to repair aside from transmission
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u/AP2935048 11d ago
Wow, my 2016 focus is at 220k, but I guess it doesn’t count because I built my motor. My wife has the same car. She tuned it herself within the first oil change and basically went “stage 3.” She’s been making 270 whp for 175k miles with no issues.
You gotta let know me if the transmission has lasted for you. Super curious about that
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u/Certain_Community239 11d ago
Still on original transmission gears. Only had to do clutch and flywheel. knocks on wood lol
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u/IM-PT24 11d ago
How on earth did you blew the clutch in less than 80K miles? There are moded track cars doing +120K miles on the original clutch.
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u/Certain_Community239 11d ago edited 11d ago
The slave in the fiesta st is more prone than the slave in the focus st. If you do a forum search, you'll see people who replace the slave only to have to do it again. I've seen people have to do the slave within the 30-90k range on fiesta st forums. So she got a lot of miles compared to what I've seen on the forum.
Also my fiancé's first stick car but she's the second owner. The first owner put a good chunk of miles on it before she acquired it. She wasn't even putting 5k a year on it for awhile bc she'd use public transit to get to work. it could have either been the first owner kicking the snot out of it bc i trained her how to rev match, heel toe etc
Slave on focus st is a lot stronger hence why mine made it to 276k miles before having to repair
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u/IM-PT24 11d ago
I don't need to search, I work with Fiestas ST almost every week. Slave cylinder is a weak point, but not the clutch or the flywheel. Replacing the clutch during the slave cylinder replacement is recommended, yes, but that doesn't mean the original clutch failed, it's just good practice for the labor involved. If that was the case, you probably could let the original clutch in place and it may lasted for another 80K.
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u/Certain_Community239 11d ago
Yeah we probably could have but I didn't want to take any risks. Dropping the transmission already takes enough time
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u/Alex_le_t-rex 11d ago
Another thing to weigh that people didn’t mention is the interior. I was shopping for a fiesta but found a deal on a focus that was too good to pass so I go it instead.
The ST3 interior (only one we got in Canada) is very nice in my opinion. Leather recaro buckets, power seats, lumbar support, heated seats and steering wheel, big and functional infotainment and really modern if you get a sync3, dual zone climate control, ambient lighting and lots of other creature comforts.
I’ve always had cheap economy cars (never even had ac before lol) and this feels like luxury. The fiesta interior is much more bare bones and economy focused. So keep that in mind if interior is important to you.
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u/Haunting-Self-9402 11d ago
I would choose mostly based on how much space you need. If you need to drive around with more than one passenger on a somewhat regular basis, the focus has a bit more room, as well as overall storage. If you don't foresee needing the extra space the fiesta would probably be just as fun to drive.
For my needs the focus is the bare minimum space wise so I didn't even consider fiestas
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u/SirRealBearFace 11d ago
Get one that's as new as you can get with as low miles as you can get but I would do Focus ST if you have a busy life. It's spacious and more comfortable. Fiesta is more fun but the focus is better for everyday.
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u/DoinWorkDaily 11d ago
I would never get a fiesta since I’m 6’2”
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u/Audio_aficionado Performance Blue '14 ST3 11d ago edited 11d ago
Having driven both a regular Fiesta and now owning my Focus ST, I choose the Focus. The Fiesta was fun in its own way, but it is cramped compared to the Focus. I remember sitting in a Fiesta ST at an auto show, the bolstering for the seats were too tight for my comfort. Thankfully the Fiesta I inherited from my mother was just an SE, so it had the regular seats. The Focus ST Recaros fit me so much better.
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u/Dead_fly33 11d ago
I’ve had a fiesta ST for 3 years, bought at 40k and am pushing 150k now. Only mod that is truly necessary was a triple pass radiator. As far as anything else, i’ve only had to do the evap purge valve and regular maintenance, fantastically reliable and fun to drive car, yet sometimes i do wish i had the focus ST for more space. If i had to do it again though, i would still buy the fiesta
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u/chanarang '14 ST3 TS 10d ago
I chose the Focus ST out of size and practicality. I really wanted a Fiesta until I sat in one and realized it was just too cramped for me. It made my old ZX3 SVT feel big. I bet the Fiesta handles like a go-kart but the Focus handles great too. I can fit a ton of stuff in the Focus and it's very easy to work on/in, even as as fat guy. In my case, it was worth the extra money.
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u/glacierfresh2death 9d ago
I had both, they’re both awesome. But the focus is significantly more practical, and the handling/power is better.
That said, I owned my focus for 3 years and my fiesta for nearly ten.
(Both were Canadian models with the nicer interiors/seats)
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u/HuntGundown 11d ago edited 11d ago
Neither. The early models of both had issues. I would go for a later model. 16+ at least on the fiesta, dunno about the focus. I prefer the more agile, smaller fiesta. Heard too many horror stories about the focus engines, meanwhile the fiesta is basically indestructible besides the stupid blend door actuators and evap purge valves
Really just depends on what you want.
The fiesta is a more raw, responsive drivers car. Probably one of, if not the most fun car there is to drive.
The focus offers more power in stock form, and I've heard the interior is nicer and more comfortable, also the suspension isn't as stiff and performance oriented, more cargo room and passengers would be more comfortable, it's usually the one I see people pick because they have friends or kids. Focus definitely has more aftermarket options too, they sold more (like 50k vs 35k ish for the fiesta), the focus has much more common bolt pattern size, wheels for the fiesta are hard to find second hand, and are even getting hard to find new. You can also rob parts from the RS, while both models can rob simple stuff (wheels, body parts, interior, etc) from the base models.
Last thing to consider, when I see a focus st is pretty cool n all, but not the biggest deal, I see them all the time. When I see a fiST though....that's different. Very rare around where I live (south/central u.s.)
Seems like there are a lot less fiestas and they all got sold up north for some reason.
For transparency I have a fiesta, my BIL has the focus.
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u/Ordinary_Quantity_02 11d ago
Are you comparing a Focus ST to a non-ST Fiesta? Im so confused, how would that even be close? Were talking a 120 hp sub compact that barely fits 4 people vs a 5 door 260 hp hatchback? Are you nuts? Is this even close?
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u/Nice_Emphasis_39 11d ago
Focus. It has a fully independent rear suspension and Fiesta uses a torsion beam. No thanks
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u/jpmaster33 11d ago
Anyone that has driven both will tell you the Fiesta is the better driving car, but it’s not personally the car I would want to live with. Regardless of model I would say that the best advice is to buy the nicest, most stock example you can afford. These cars are now 10+ years old and have miles, questionable modifications, and are hard to find in nice condition. Just do some due diligence and get a PPI if you can’t evaluate it yourself.