Long story but the gray Focus I ordered back on Aug 30th is still on hold for some unknown reason. They say floor mats or carpet on back order from a supplier hit by tropical storm Lee but I don't trust them.

I Ended up getting 2012 Focus Titanium, Yellow Blaze, 400a, Winter w/Black machined 17" rims. I was able to get this one off a lot with 15 miles on it. I guess someone tried buying it but the deal fell through. That person added: Paint protection, Gorilla wheel locks and custom pin stripes which my dealer threw in for free.

MSRP: Approx. 24,800.00
A Plan: 22,700.00
Minus 2,000.00 trade in from my 2009 SES
Minus 500.00 rebate
Doc Fee/Plate transfer: 98.00
Total: 20,298.00 (plus tax)

Not bad at all considering I paid about 16,000.00 (before tax) for the 2009 SES. They gave me 11,800.00 for the 2009 SES which had 48K miles and needed rubber. Not a bad deal at all.

Picked it up at dealer Friday night – here it is next to my 09 trade in:

I not had a chance to take any more photos with a real camera yet but here are some more taken on my iPhone 4. I was driving the car yesterday (Saturday) and the sun popped out for a few so I took these:

I normally don’t like pin stripes and never order them on a new car. Since this car came with them already, I decided to leave them on for a few weeks before making the decision if I want the dealer to take them off or not. I am toying with having them remove just the silver stripe or leaving them both. What do you guys think?

cac

[ 11-20-2011: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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IMHO, the pin stripes don't really make much of a difference, I don't know why anybody would pay to add them/take them off.

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ps. Where the eff did I come from just now?

[ 11-21-2011: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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[ 11-26-2011: Message edited by: WillyTrombone ]

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i still think the mazda3 (same platform, similar driving characteristics) is a better car and offers more for the money...but then again, i drive one. and our wants may not be that similar (handles like a mofo, shifts great, decent driver-centric interior, decent factory stereo. that's about it).

i have noticed that ford's upgraded stereos kind of suck my dick. the 'base' ones without the sony or whatever branding are way better. i'm assuming that had the 'upgrade.'

and the pinstripes seem out of place, as they do on most new cars.

I may have the pin stripes yanked - just stickers.

I have the upgraded 10 speaker Sony with the kicker in the back. It sounds much better than the 4 speaker base or 6 speaker upgrade.

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[ 01-02-2012: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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I'm not a huge fan of the Focus, but they've come a long way. Looks like it'll fit your family well.

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Yes I love it. It has 90K miles and looks/runs like new. I may as well pay it off and keep it for a few years. I was going to trade up for ST but not sure I want a manual trans for my daily commute. The RS will be awesome but will probably cost 37K so may as well get a WRX.

Blunt bought a bright orange Subaru CrossTrek recently so our driveway looks like a Skittles pack exploded. :P

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3+ years ago now, I was rear-ended by a semi on the thruway in my 06 Legacy and I was forced to change cars. Ended up scoring a killer deal on a 09 A4 Quattro so I've been driving that since. Now that my commute is much longer, I've been considering something smaller.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Cacophonous:
Hey Josh,

Yes I love it. It has 90K miles and looks/runs like new. I may as well pay it off and keep it for a few years. I was going to trade up for ST but not sure I want a manual trans for my daily commute. The RS will be awesome but will probably cost 37K so may as well get a WRX.

Blunt bought a bright orange Subaru CrossTrek recently so our driveway looks like a Skittles pack exploded. :P

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Cac, I have a '15 WRX Limited 6MT with the new FA20DIT engine. It's a quick power plant, but not fast. I traded in my GTI when I was still in Hawaii and HATED it there. The car has a very rigid ride, and the roads in Hawaii (at least on Oahu) are miserable. Since moving back to California for a year while I'm in-between duty stations, I must say that its much more enjoyable here, but my lady still doesn't love it. I'd suggest taking a lengthy test drive before committing, maybe even putting someone in the back so they feel the rear cabin ride too.

Thanks for the feedback on the WRX. I was always a Subaru fan but got away from them with my last two Fords. Ever since blunt bought the CrossTrek I have been thinking of going back. For sure I will text drive well.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Cacophonous:
Hi Acid! Long time.

Thanks for the feedback on the WRX. I was always a Subaru fan but got away from them with my last two Fords. Ever since blunt bought the CrossTrek I have been thinking of going back. For sure I will text drive well.

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Worth noting I just traded mine it. It was knocking something fierce for a car with 17,000 miles. It was a fun car, but I don't think I'll ever own another WRX.

The new FA20DIT engine is very high strung, and Subaru hasn't worked out all the kinks on it yet (they shipped it with faulty ECU logic for 2015, causing stock engines to blow).