Gonna get rid of my modified Miata, what should I do next?

Wife is pushing for a no on the ST, seems averse to it. Might end up going WRX.

I test drove an ST when shopping for a replacement for an 07 335i. I liked the ST. You could tell the interior was a step down from a Taurus of the same year but that motor and trans was damned nice. What stopped me was the lack of room for a rear facing kid seat in the car. We had one kid front facing and I knew another was in the cards. I ended up buying a Taurus SHO instead which I am grateful for. That extra interior space has served us well. The ST was/is a rocket. I think GetFast has one on here. You might want to ping him for an enthusiasts point of view on the car.

I test drove a WRX during this time frame as well. The WRX was damned fast. Point the nose of that car into the distance and stomp the pedal and it would move. I didn't like it as much on the street. It's off boost response was...weak. You really had to keep it revved for power. I like instant on torque style cars. I get a bit irritated if I'm in a high gear, something fast happens in traffic, and my response to that is delayed by the fact that I don't have any boost built. This might not be an issue for you. That was one thing I liked about my Mazdaspeed3. Instant power when I put the pedal down.

I would say that since you have a daughter but want a fun car...go Pontiac GTO or G8. But I'm thinking that size and weight are important to you due to your previous choices. What about a Mustang GT? Those cars are doing very well in various motorsports these days. Also, RWD and could fit a small child in the back. You could just go complete boy racer and get a BRZ/FRS. Lower power but lighter weight and easier on consumables.

I just drove the ST and I must say it really puts a grin on my face. I like how it sounds and how it drives. The power comes on very linearly. I have the kid in a forward facing seat at this point, which I think would work okay in the ST.

Wife won't have a two door otherwise I would do the Mustang as it has plenty of room in the back for a kid seat.

I currently have a Buick Regal GS. The Regal is a nice car, but it didn't make me grin like that ST did.

I also have an 02 Subaru Outback H6 wagon as a backup winter car, so I'm not completely tied to having a big car as my primary, just need something the kid seat will fit into and I think the ST fits the bill.

I would personally go for the ST since the wife's adverse to it when she has her own vehicle. How do you like the ST directly compared to the WRX?

I have not tried the WRX, because the ST was so fun and even though it is fully loaded with the incentives it is about $5k less than the WRX

I would still test drive it for a direct comparison and for the fun of it. I'm surprised that your wife let you modify your Miata to SSM levels since she seems to be a regular driver.

The ST will blow away the WRX.

The WRX I drove was a hatch. A 2011 I think. The child seat top latch reached through the hatchback cargo area to attach to the back of the storage area near where the hatch closed. The strap for the latch completely obstructed the cargo area. I understand they changed that in the later models so that the top latch attached to the back of the back seat. That would at least allow you to use the back hatch for storage. The ST had none of those foibles. Also, better off idle torque response. The ST feels like it just has a bigger normally aspirated motor. The WRX feels like it has a heavily boosted 2.0 four with the lag to match in upper gears and in the lower rev range to match.

I think the 2015 fixes the power issues you describe to some extent and the whole thing is new so better chassis and bigger inside, but still $5k more moneys is driving me to not want. Current reviews place the WRX in front of the ST in performance, but that is to be expected.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: I would still test drive it for a direct comparison and for the fun of it. I'm surprised that your wife let you modify your Miata to SSM levels since she seems to be a regular driver.

It's been ongoing over years so it kinda snuck up on her. I make enough money that it hasn't affected things financially and I or my friend have done all the work.

That's how you do it. Sneak it on the wives so they aren't complaining 24/7.

The Ford dealer seems obsessed with not selling me the ST. First they quoted me a price via the Internet that was very good. Then when I came in I found myself negotiating back down to that price because they didn't honor it off the bat. Then they tried to lowball me on my trade even after kbb, nada and edmunds all showed that what I wanted was market.

Thinking I might go see the WRX instead as my wife likes it better anyway. I really do like the ST though. Maybe I will go to Carmax and see what they will give for the trade.

I've found that in my town there are dealerships that specialize in offering slightly more than Carmax in order to try to get you in the door for a car purchase. If Carmax is underwhelming it might be worth it to shop that offer around. Also, some dealerships once faced with a Carmax appraisal will move up their appraisal to match. Then they'll try to hammer you on the car sales price and/or financing so as to make up the money they just 'gave' you via the increased value of your trade in.

There are two Focus ST's at Carmax near me. Both are in the low 20's. One has 22k and the other has 10.

Harvey wrote: The Ford dealer seems obsessed with not selling me the ST. First they quoted me a price via the Internet that was very good. Then when I came in I found myself negotiating back down to that price because they didn't honor it off the bat. Then they tried to lowball me on my trade even after kbb, nada and edmunds all showed that what I wanted was market. Thinking I might go see the WRX instead as my wife likes it better anyway. I really do like the ST though. Maybe I will go to Carmax and see what they will give for the trade.

I've visited most of the Ford dealerships in my area. They all suck balls. There's one or two good Subaru dealerships near me, but I'm just not a big fan of Subarus in general. Only thing that tempted me was the BRZ.

Drove the 2015 WRX, it's completely different than the previous generation. Drive it first.

I ended up buying the ST new from the dealer after some miscommunications were hammered out and I got realistic about my trade. The Carmax offered me $1000 less than the dealer did, so I ended up taking the dealer offer on the trade. After all was said and done I got them to drop the car to $200 over invoice and a $1500 credit on top of that so overall $1300 under invoice price was the final. Car is loaded with every option including full leather recaros. I love this car. It is so much fun.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: That's how you do it. Sneak it on the wives so they aren't complaining 24/7.

The last refresh kinda blew things up. New manifold, new computer, new exhaust. Lots of ancillaries to make it all work.

It helps out the guy that bought your Miata. Then buying a really fun, good car that the wife hates is just cake.

I still have the Miata, but it will be sold, that's part of the deal with getting the ST. The wife is calming down a little bit about it. She even wanted to drive it the other day.

a happy ending! Yay!!! Pics?

Give us an dashboard shot.

Black cars are the BEST.

Love those seats....

So your daughter is 3 and can't ride in a miata? Huh??? Both my boys ride in my miata and spitfire and they're both under the age of 5! Of course they ride separately but it's totally doable and they love it.

-Hamid