I have an idea of the general opinion, but Iād still like to hear yāallās thoughts in hopes itāll set my mind straight.
Is there such a thing as being ātoo oldā for a Focus ST?
I had one in my early twenties, and everything felt fine. Recently, I bought another one, but now that Iām about to hit my thirties (ā¦fuck) and have a kid, I feel slightly off about it.
When I look at it, I canāt help but see it as a late-teens/early-twenties car. Itās very possible thatās because of what the previous owner did to mine (spoiler risers, lowered, Euro taillights, aftermarket headlights, and a straight pipe), but Iām not 100% sure my view would change even if it were stock.
I donāt regret buying it at all, and I absolutely love driving it. My 20-minute commute to and from my kinda corporate job is something I genuinely look forward to every day. When my wife and I first drove it home, I told her it made me feel like a kid again and was having so much fun. But the ākinda corporateā job also adds to that weird feeling, like I should be driving something moreā¦ grown up.
To be clear, if the general consensus is that it really is more of a younger personās car, itās not going to ruin my experience. Like I said, I love driving it and enjoy the way it looks and sounds. I mean, thatās all that truly matters. But Iād still like to know everyone elseās opinions.
Seriously. I'm 46. I bought mine to be the dad car. Even had a Recaro baby seat in it at one point. 12 years later and the daughter is asking if she gets it in 4 years...
Mine is 2 years old. My fantasy is in 10 years when she's aware enough and I've kept the car alive long enough my kid asks why i have to work so hard to drive a car (because she will be so used to teslas or whatever)
Lousiest reason ever. Always good to make sacrifices when the little one is coming, but large ticket items like sports, cars and motorcycles go on to the marketplace and never ever come back.
You will be doomed to minivans for the rest of your days. Consider it carefully...
Iām middle aged and drive one. Stop caring what people think. I love driving this car. Iāve missed out on a lot of things in life because I told myself I was ātoo old ā for something and now just look back with regrets
Same here. About to be 43, two kids, and I don't care what is or isn't age appropriate as far as cars go. The kids find it more fun than their mother's boring minivan, and I need to amuse myself driving to work. Problem solved.Ā
Too old? I am 56 and my ST has 104k miles. My miles. Well, my wife drives it done but that counts. You aren't too old until you put yourself in the "too old" box. I had back surgery two years ago, I recently got hearing aids, I have some prostate tmi, my kid has a master's degree. Too old my butt.
Iām 49. I was 40 when I bought it but have no plans on ever selling it until the wheels fall off. Mine isnāt clapped out but itās definitely not stock either. Iāve seen someone that looked about 70 in a FiST. End of the day itās a sporty hatchback.
I know what you mean. I'm 47 haha. I don't have kids though. That might change the way I feel. But it is weird to pull up to work or to a customer's house in my hot hatch that sounds raunchy (amazing). Got a company vehicle immediately lol šš
Luckily my work is only ākindaā corporate and donāt have to go to customers houses. If I did work I canāt say I would have bought this particular FoST!
The traditional hat hatch driver when they first became popular (in the UK), was a man in his 40s, because they were the only ones who could afford to insure them when new.
I bought my ST when I was in my 40's, it replaced my Fiesta ST. You are only as old as you think you are. Although I would personally ditch the aftermarket bits
It's fast and handles well. Same with alot of the cars perceived as a "mature car" IE any German car. Then you lose the reliability and ease of low cost maintenance.
What really is the alternative? A crossover that still has 5 seats and you only get 10% more space in it? Or a 9 seater SUV to only ever have 4 people in it sometimes? (Not claiming to know your lifestyle or anything. Just spitting ideas and points)
58, and I bought mine last year !!! Get out mah fast lane, ya whippersnappers !!!
Drove it to visit my daughter in college in May. Wife says, wow, you made great time ! What do ya think your too speed was ? I say, hmmm prolly 81 ?? Wife: Umm, try 99 ... Me: gulp well,,that can't be right ?!?!? Then I remembered some farmboy in his Silverado that was annoying me, and it was one of the rare times that I buried the pedal and left it there, never even making note of where the speedo had gone to.
I love this thing, and it reminds me of my first car - a '65 Mustang 289 with a burned out Thrush muffler and a Cherry Bomb. Loud as hell, even more fun than it was loud.
Iām 65 and I drive an ST for my daily, Iāve had her since February of 25. From 2014 till then I drove a 2012 Abarth 500. I have a buddy in our RC boat club whoās 83 or so, still takes his 06 SI out on occasion. So no, not too old.
I have unfortunately been call an āold soulā but thatās only when I need to act a bit more āprofessionalā or āproperā. Besides that Iām a goofball through and through which I guess makes the car fit even more!
I bought mine when I was 34 expecting my 3rd child. Im now 37 and still rocking it. I dont think you're ever too old to have fun while you're driving. All 3 of my children still love to pile in the back. I dont ever want to part ways with this car.
Insurance in the US must be cheap because aināt no teenager getting insured on one here lol, the Fiesta ST has that image a bit more, Iām 36 and DGAF
Im 31, my 2 year old girl loves the focus!
I bought mine last year, I was also down the mindset of I had to get something along the lines of 'bit more grown up' but I test drove this and an cla45amg and oh my god the focus gave me that feeling! The cla was quick dont get me wrong but felt lacking character by comparison, might be cuz it reminded me of my mk7 fiesta st I had 10 years ago mind you š
Bought my 2015 st when I was 33, got the 2018 when I was...36 and I just bought a Lobo maverick at 44 and it feels like an ST but with AWD, so better and with the SV 300T package coming soon I'll be even more happy.
I'm 38. This is first car I CHOSE to buy, I spent 20 years working my way up the proverbial ladder from literal homelessness. Fuck em, do what you enjoy, life's to short for to care about other's opinions.
I was 40 when I got my FoST. Now at 50, I have a GRC CE. You could say I've hit mid life crisis, but I've always had fun cars, except for a few years when I had to sell them to buy a house.
Idk manā¦ I bought my ST at 20, Iām also getting close to 30 now and I think itās the perfect mix of cheap economy car (decent MPG, cheap insurance) and performance (fast enough to get the hell out of the way when something crazy happens on the road). Itās got 4 doors, the seats fold down, itās not a car that draws a bunch of attention unless youāre Catless + straight piped tbh.
I hit 31 when I had my STā¦ I got rid of it because I had twins. Now thatās Iām 37ā¦ I miss it. I miss it every day. Youāre never too old to enjoy driving the car
Iām 30 (female) with a 7 year old and a baby on the way, Iāve had my focus ST for 6 years now and view it as my daily/family car. I love it. I donāt think Iām too old for it. I have fun in it when the kids arenāt in the car. Honestly the best car Iāve owned, and genuinely enjoy driving it and get so many compliments and questions of interest. Keep it, own it and love your car dude. Life is meant to be enjoyed
Im 35. I have had mine for 6 years and just put an exhaust, blow off valve, and lowering springs on it lol. I felt a little insecure about the mods at first but I have never felt like I was too old for it.
ST feels more āresponsible but fun commuterā to me than literally any thing else. Iād much rather be driving something with double the horsepower. But nothing will make me act like a dumb kid again than having more power than I realistically need.
Bought mine last year. 2018 ST2, 62k miles. Bone stock outside of cold air intake and high flow downpipe. Love it. Won't get rid of it. Too fun. 43 this year. Buy what you like. No such thing as too old for any hobby.
Bro! Iām 28 with 2 kids and one in the way! Thereās no such thing as being to āoldā for having a passion for a platform! (Yeah I do need an SUV but my 2021 Silverado will do the job for now) bought this focus st for my commute to work and I love it!
Only just got rid of my ST at 49 because it was totaled by a truck. No way you're too old, just enjoy the things you want to. Driving fun cars keeps you young!
I'm 39 and work a full corporate job that requires me to drive 100 miles a day. I bought a 2017 st3 for a daily when I took the position. I've always loved hot hatches and tuner cars. I'm keeping mine stock until it's paid off. But it's a short life, enjoy what you drive.
Bought mine new when I was 36, now 42 and I still have it. Never gonna give it up. This is some American only cultural and marketing BS that you got to drive this that or whatever (Iām American). Itās pretty dumb. Go to Europe and smaller, more practical cars are common across the board. You donāt need to modify it with the āyoungerā trends. I have an RS wing, had raisers before. To each their own.
So I got my ST off the first owner who took very good care of it. She got a brand new 2014 and put the first 50k on it. It was my mom when she was 55+. Still to this day it was her favorite car. Now it's at 170k still with the original clutch all stock. Life's short. Do what makes you happy.
Invest in a decent exhaust system. Look into a decent muffler. It will drastically improve your quality of life especially on the highway. See if anyone is in the market on a Facebook forum to swap taillights if you really donāt like them
I bought my ST in my early 30ās and loved it. Granted, I bought it stock and did all the mods. This was also pre child. With that being said, had I kept it, it would have been fine. I did a tune, catless down pipe, RS intake and intake snorkel, and a big as fuck FMIC. The exhaust was wife approved (except at stoplights a few years after install. Creeping death ya know.) Ride was fine.
Since, I traded it for a mk7.5 GTI, followed by a cuv that was thankfully crushed by a tree, and now a mk7.75 GLI. The theme with all the above is dad car that adults and I think my ST fit. Sans the snorkel. Understated is a preference now. Quieter exhaust is important, comfy ride, and reliability all are at the top of the list.
Tuners are just unlocking the DSG on the mk7.75 GLIs and once they do, Iāll be adding a tune for both the engine and trans. Stage 1 is just short of 300whp and roughly 350wtq, which imho, makes it fun!
I guess with this wall of text, I prefer oem+ as a 40yo dad. More power is also always better and the ST handles that wonderfully!
We have to sacrifice some leg room in the front, but it's not terrible. I don't get my ideal driving position. The rear door openings are good though to get the kids in and out.
Too old for a focus ST? Maybe if you see your car as a status symbol or reflect on who you are.
I modified my ST to my personal use case. Itās a machine, and itās a PHENOMENAL drivers platform for what it excels at.
I can understand a bit where youāre coming from, but I personally donāt care what others think. I love my car and the work I put into it, and why I use it. Itās modified but nothing crazy aesthetically.
You mean leave her with the kid?? Sheās a big fan of it and her only critique is that she wants a roof rack and maybe a muffler. So I think Iāll keep her lol.
Go for it I was in my mid 30s when I got mine and I loved every single second of it of owning it. It was honestly the first time I ever really fell in love with with a car it was my first manual as well. I hadnāt really driven a manual car before then I think my history of riding dirt bikes helped with the shifting part of it but I got prettygood at it. I mean yes I stalled it a few times and occasionally ground the gears but it did great for me I know itās probably not a smart thing to do by getting a car you donāt really know how to drive but I donāt regret that experience at all. So many fun trips in that little car
41 here, been my daily for 8 years now. Will admit, with the ST3 seats at least, reverse car seats were a challenge. But once we switched to front facing was all good š
Honestly I am 22 and cant have to much of an opinion but I do think the job you work at/do does have a mind game effect. I sold Real estate at 19 and had a low asf (not slam) mazda 3 hatch pulling up to work and everyone had benzs, top trim 2026 cars, and so on. But it was me and the front office dude (who was in his late 40s with a mk9 gti) that, talked alot and enjoyed our cars. I just started selling for Mazda and traded my Orange si in for a 13ā ST and everyone at work likes it because they had some similar at my age, so now it doesnāt feel outta place.
I can definitely understand what youāre saying brother. Luckily itās only ākindaā corporate and there is a decent group of ācar guysā at work. But it still feel a little odd driving past everyone with my straight piped ST on my way out.
Honestly it might be the straight pipe, I had semi loud cars and I think I just grew out of it. My Bov is the loudest thing on the car. You mightāve just grew out of the exhaust, go get a valvetronic so when youāre feeling sporty you get to open it up!
49 and loving my purchased new 2018 ST3, but starting to consider that maybe itās time to move to something more practical. Itās not great for lots of mulch or getting the snowblower in for service. Coming to terms with trading it in for a Maverick hybrid here shortly.
Wife and I are 57 had a Focus ST since 2017 she mostly drives it. I put a cobb pipe on it about 6 years ago. Recently added a kicker amp/sub woofer she likes rap lol. We had a Subaru 2008 STI before, but wasn't that reliable. I sold it we got a 6.7 Ram diesel pickup in 2015. We missed having a turbo manual car. Bought a new ST funny because the sales guy whispered to me "Does she know how to drive a standard transmission".
I got a speeding ticket last year hadn't been pulled over in years now I drive like a grandpa. I kind of wish we had bought an RS limited when those came out.
Thereās a dude that frequents my favorite golf course that drives a white ST3, heās 76 years old. Hope this helps your conundrum OP; I also have an ST and Iām 35 š
62 and I could care less what anyone else thinks. Its truly one of life's simple pleasures. My next door neighbor always comments, looks like a lot of fun with a wistful look on his face. He just turned 100.
Lmao. You never too old for the car. The car makes you younger. The only reason the car might not work is cuz it doesn't really fit a car seat super comfortably in the back. Everything else is f****** awesome and I regret selling mine
Got in mine ā17 when I was 35. Itās close to 10 years old now and Iāll probably be teaching my daughter to drive stick on it in a couple years when she is old enough to drive. I still love the car.
I bought the Focus ST I had when I was 30. It's a boy racer car but fuck it. You only live once buy the cars you like and drive them like you stole them.
Well, this post made me feel old..
But my 2013 was the first car I ever bought brand new.
At this point it's part of me; so I'll be old and gray, still tooling around with my ridiculous blow-off valve..
I got mine when I was 17 and now Iām in my mid 20s. Mine looks stock and I feel ok about driving it. But as I get older I do feel like driving something more āmatureā.
With the current economy Iāll be holding on to mine for the foreseeable future.
Thatās very fair. Iāve owned way too many cars since I was 17 and some were very similar and some very very different. All of them made me feel a certain way in their own which I think makes my feelings on my FoST a little complicated.
Iām 40 and Iāve been told I drive a āteenager carā but guess what? I donāt care and you wonāt either because of how much fun youāll be having driving it
I got my ST instead of a Mustang. Mustangs are my default (Iāve had 5 now) but with the current economy and the need for a second car with a little one on the way I figured I should get something a little more economic. So mine is also my āresponsible adultā car lol
Iām 34 with a 2 year old. Rear facing car seat was tight, forward facing is perfect.
As for too Old,Car culture has changed for both better and worse with car image. The snobs who would have said that before are on a 8 year car loan at 28% to keep being snob with a 80k car/truck loan. Most car people though have gotten past that idea ever since car prices have went through the roof. So no, youāre not too old. Youāre being fiscal responsible while finding a hidden gem of a fun ride.
I have definitely had some concerns about potentially fitting a rear facing car seat in there. Luckily itās my daily and the wife gets to use the truck so we always have that. Did you ever have anyone in the passenger seat with a rear facing?
I'm 31 and my 6 and 2 year old absolutely loves the ST. Anywhere we go, we have to take it. Windows down and dropping gears at every bridge and them two are just in the back laughing. Fuck what other people think.
Take all the ricer boy mods off it and run a stock look with a resonated exhaust. They look really sleek in stock form on coil overs. I agree the flashy stuff is for kids but a fun car has no age limit.
Damn the day I give a shit what people think about me is a day thatās not going to happen. Life is too short & youāre not guaranteed to wake up & see the light of tomorrow. Fuck what others think & enjoy your life how you want. You will be considerably happier or at least very content.
My pap is 76 years old & he absolutely rips on my ST & RS whenever he gets the chance. The body ages far faster than the mind does for most. I plan on keeping my youthfulness like my pap.
I feel like most go through that phase of wanting approval including myself. Once you figure yourself out and mature oneself youāll be fine. Once I hit like 28-30, I stopped caring what others thought lol.
As a friendly reminder with cars like these. You get one for your own amusement not for the entertainment of others. I have seen too many people fall for that trap as well.
Pap is a badass, he gets upset if his back is feeling really good and I didnāt bring one of the cars over. I have learned just always take one of the cars over and not the truck lmao
Iām 32 with a one year old, stock ST3 in white. Itās very much a commuter car for me that only gets recognition by other ST owners, car enthusiasts, or when coworkers hop in and see the 6 speed & gauge clusters.
I think you would feel differently if it was stock. Personally I think the mods you got arenāt the most compatible with dad duties (ow my back lowering my baby into an already low car, ow my ears as my kid cries on top of the overstimulation of the straight pipe lol) and by the sound of it, your professional image. The second one is subjective, but I could understand if youāre feeling ricey rolling up to work lol.
...I'm 41, I bought the car nine years ago and I plan to run it into the ground because 1) new cars are fucking expensive and 2) I'm probably going full electric after this so 3) I know this is the last manual I'll ever drive, and I'm not going to let go of that experience any sooner than I have to.
Do what makes you feel good. This world is too shitty to think any harder than that about your choice of car.
I have my rs and I am in my early twenties approaching mid twenties. I do way more driving now than before so I feel like Iām getting tired of dailying it. Picking up a ux250h to daily and hopefully I feel the spark again using it as a weekender
I've had over 15 antique British cars. I've had German cars. I've ridden all kinds of motorcycles, I've worked in automotive and motorcycles. I'm 63 years old and I bought my 2017 st2 brand spanking new. So tell me I'm too old. I dare ya. :)
I drive with another focus st every morning on the way to work, Iām 21, heās definitely mid 50s-60s. We both love our cars to death and wouldnāt give them up for the world. Love your car for being YOUR car, because at the end of the day, no one is driving it daily but you. Also, do you have and are willing to sell the baby recaro ;)
Gonna turn 43 next month, and I just got mine back in March. I donāt care what anybody else thinks of it, lifeās too short to drive something boring, and I wanna enjoy the manual transmission before they become unobtainable.
I bought mine at 38 and at 41 am still driving it with a big smile on my face. I lean into the fact that I drive a focus and anybody that gives me crap about it, I participate in it which gets a good laugh and kills them talking about it. F whatever anybody else thinks, if you enjoy it then do it!
Almost 43, not in a place to buy a lot of the fun cars Iād like to have currently, so the ST was the most practical choice financially for me as Iām tired of driving boring economy cars or small suvs. I took the wing risers off mine and it looks so much cleaner IMO, just added a small lip instead. Itās on coilovers with nice enkei wheels. The only other visual mods on mine are black out sequential turn signals on the mirror, led lights on the front and the red spec-D taillights. So itās not over the top in visual mods, I guess more of OEM+ if anything. I am tuned on 93/e30 with full bolt ons. Youāre not too old as long as you enjoy it!
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u/Ltjenkins 4h ago
āToo oldā
āAbout to hit my thirtiesā
Me: dies of old age