True love is selling one of your favorite cars

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac)
12/15/2015 at 14:56 • Filed to: None

Also known as, “Is it just me...or are used Fiesta ST prices way higher than I expected when checking cars.com?”

Not enough room in the garage and unfortunately one must go. The Fiesta ST has been one of the best cars I’ve ever owned over the past 18 months and 18k miles. Now that it’s time to sell, I look at used prices and they are weirdly high. Are cars actually selling for these prices or is it a lot of wishful thinking in the market?

I know there’s not many out there (~700 new for sale, about the same as rarity as i8s these days) but this seems strange.

DISCUSSION (28)

CB > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:01

So, are you going to replace it with a responsible married man car, or is the garage space for the spouse?

Party-vi > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:01

I think you’ve got one of the coolest stables. E30, FiST, SLS AMG GT, etc. A wider range of cars and not just new-money specials.

jjhats > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:03

fist have definitely stayed on top of fost in terms of value just because they came out a year newer and sold in fewer volumes. when I looked at used fost they were in the 16-20 range for cars I liked. fist were hard to comeby and were in the 18-20 range.

fourvalleys > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:04

The Fiesta ST holds its value pretty well because there aren’t a ton out there. Consequently, there aren’t many on the used market and prices reflect that.

Prices reflect that because dealers know that the people looking for Fiesta STs (used and new) are people who know what they’re looking for. It’s not a BAD thing, but it dictates how the market goes.

Anyway, there’s a dealer outside of Chicago that has the cheapest ST I’ve ever seen that isn’t in need of major repair. $12,990 .

The biggest issue is that it saw 49,000 miles in 23 months, and I don’t trust a car that has peeling plasti-dip on the wheels and blue lug nuts. There’s also some scratches on interior trim... no biggie. I’ve driven it, and it drives just fine. It’s been on their lot since the beginning of September, and when I drove it last month the mileage was only 4-5 miles above what it was when the pictures were taken in September. In other words, only one other person had test driven it in almost two and a half months.

I guess that’s what happens when you try to sell a Fiesta ST at a Nissan/Kia dealership... and also why they’ve lowered the price from $16k down to $14.5k and now down to $12.9k. Still seems like a solid deal.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Party-vi
12/15/2015 at 15:05

Thanks. I value variety, its a lot more interesting than just having 3-4 cars that are couple of different takes on the same thing. The ‘84 Corolla GT-S Hatchback took a backseat to wedding planning but I hope to get back to it once everything settles down in April.

HammerheadFistpunch > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:05

Did you end up getting an i8? I forget.

Party-vi > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:06

Also, I am so sorry you’re going through wedding planning. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have gotten an apartment until it was time for us to tie the not.

Scott > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:09

A saleswoman I used to work with once asked me if I was interested in buying her Husbands Corvette. He was selling it because she was pregnant. When I found out it was HIS idea to sell his Corvette, I told her, he's a keeper if he is willing to sell his Corvette for her without even being asking. She nodded and Winked at me.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > HammerheadFistpunch
12/15/2015 at 15:09

Yeah, had it for about 6 months between Oct. ‘14 and April ‘15. Put 5k miles on it. It was a great car but BMW telegraphed that they were shifting it’s place from a low-volume halo car to a relatively high volume sports car in their line up. They more than tripled production and there are now 700+ sitting on dealer lots, some for months and dealers are selling them half as fast as BMW is making them. It’s 6x harder to find a M6 GranCoupe than an i8 right now. So I got out while they were still seen as rare and broke even. You can pick them up for $10-15k off sticker now. A good deal on one of the best cars out there right now. I might look into them again once they bump the power or do the mid-life facelift, we’ll see.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > CB
12/15/2015 at 15:10

Garage space for spouse. She’s in an OG Volkswagen CC she’s had through grad school and is ready for something new.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:10

Screw selling a car because of a wedding. I did my wedding for like 700 bucks, and had it in my sister’s back yard. It doesn’t need to be a spectacle, it’s just a gathering of close friends and family.

Then again, perhaps my marriage was not the norm because my wife was already married once before, so she didn't much care for an extravagant wedding?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:15

Congrats on the pending nuptials. WW(she)Drive?

Rico > Party-vi
12/15/2015 at 15:17

You missed RR SVR.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:18

What’s she got her eyes on?

Conversely, what would you choose for her?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Scott
12/15/2015 at 15:22

On the flip side of the coin, my wife encouraged me to go $10k over my initial budget and buy one of my dream cars, an E90 M3, when, unbeknownst to me, she was pregnant with our third kid. She told me the night I got home with the car. Talk about a shock! She knew that if she’d told me beforehand, I never would have bought the car.

Saracen > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:24

Your posts are always great reads, especially regarding the E30 and SLS. I know you have an E39 M5, but didn’t you own a B7 RS4 at one point, or am I mistaken?

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:43

Why sell this? It’s four doors...It can haul groceries and it babies well. Keep the FiST!

B_dol > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 15:52

Congrats and godspeed on the planning. 9 months out to my own wedding and budget keeps ticking up $$ each month.

I was allowed to splurge on an impractical sports car and eventual money pit immediately after the engagement though, hence why she’s a keeper.

scoob > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
12/15/2015 at 15:55

I guess his Range Rover SVR is the family car now!

Battery Tender Unnecessary > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/15/2015 at 15:57

She wants an SUV (of course) and so we’ve been test driving everything from a GL, to a Full Fat Range Rover Diesel, to an Escalade. She ended up REALLY liking the 2015/16 Cadillac...and I was SUPER dismissive until I drove it. The last time I had driven one was when my family’s Suburban was indistinguishable from the inside to an Escalade besides a Cadillac symbol on the steering wheel. Then I drove a new one, where they actually made it look different on the inside and have different features. It was great. The 6.2-liter V8 sounds great. It’s got all the tech you’d want, including HUD. There are used ones available for a good chunk off with low miles, even the later 8-speed auto ones. That’s probably what she’ll end up getting. I rolled my eyes...and then I drove one. They’re pretty nice now :D

DrJohannVegas > Scott
12/15/2015 at 16:11

Real power is getting what you want without needing to ask for it.

wink

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 16:31

Won’t hurt to have one of those in your fleet! GM really seems to be on their game with many of their products right now.

Does the new Volvo do anything for her? Porsche Macan S or Audi SQ5?

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 16:35

Congratulations on your engagement. Now convince her to buy an RS?

Kinja'd!!!

Or even this RS:

Kinja'd!!!

AkursedX > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/15/2015 at 16:44

Isn’t it awesome having a wife like that? My own wife has been ultra supportive of my car habit through the years.

Although I’m under orders right now that I can’t buy another car until we take the kids to Disney. Fortunately that’s happening this spring.

MPA > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/15/2015 at 16:55

I did the same - I went from a C6 + a ‘09 Accent, to a Fiesta ST. My wife will need a car after the winter, and I couldn’t swing it all.

I’ve seen guys on the forum try to get about what I paid for my ‘15 new for their used, but some others in the $18/19k range

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AkursedX
12/15/2015 at 17:05

It really is. She also encouraged me to take my car to the track!

That’s not far away at all. We’re thinking about Disney next year sometime, too. We were considering doing it over Christmas, but not sure if that’s the best idea.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
12/15/2015 at 17:10

I have made a valiant attempt to get a Focus RS approved. But while she can drive stick, she wants an auto for commuting.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/17/2015 at 14:34

As a FiST owner myself (I think I got mine the same time you did) I am still impressed it held a spot in a garage with an SLS, an i8, an E30 M3 (well......kinda), and more. I’ve got 35k miles on mine in 18 months of ownership and will probably average 18k miles a year for the rest of my ownership of it. Couldn’t think of a better way to own a brand new car besides racking them up. Hope your old car finds a new enthusiast to love and drive it.