In 2018, I was slinging sandwiches as a Jimmy John’s delivery driver, clinging desperately to the thought that I could be a full-time automotive YouTuber. At six-foot-three and weighing in over 325 pounds, I was getting in and out of an NA Mazda Miata 30 times a day to drop off sandwiches in a freaky fast manner. I was a college dropout with a recently repaired credit score and thought it was high time I got myself a newer (and bigger) car. Of course, I wasn’t making NEW new car money. However, my friend Garrett had just gotten a Ford Fiesta ST, and as a hot hatchback fanboy, I started window shopping immediately. Just a week later, my friend Jake and I piled into his car and drove nearly five hours to Pasco, Washington, so that I could sign the paperwork on a low-mileage 2016 Ford Fiesta ST—my first new(ish) car.
To most, buying a $14,000 car (yes, that’s what I paid for it. Sorry to all those in the past handful of years paying more than that for high-mileage Fiesta STs) isn’t much of an accomplishment. To me, though, it was a monumental milestone. It had 16,000 miles on it, a factory warranty, functioning AC, Android Auto, and a whole host of other stuff. To me, this was a brand-new car and a brand-new page in my life. Little did I know that I’d be sitting here over six years later, having put nearly enough miles on the ol ST to go to the moon and writing for my very own website and full-time automotive journalism employment under my belt.
How I Added 200,000 Miles to My Car in Six Years
I’ll get to the things I’ve had to repair or replace here in a second. First, though, I’ll address the question that gets asked first nearly every time someone finds out how many miles are on my ST (225,000 at the time of writing). How did I put over 200,000 miles on my Fiesta ST?
As stated above, when I got the car, I was delivering sandwiches for Jimmy John’s. It immediately became apparent to me that Jimmy John’s wasn’t covering my car payment, insurance, and rent. So, I started driving for Lyft and Doordash on the side, too. At the end of 2019, I quit JJ’s to pursue a full-time career in the field of automotive journalism just in time for Covid to put a full stop to freelance writing paying my bills. So, for nearly the entirety of 2020, I spent 10 to 16 hours a day behind the wheel of my Fiesta ST delivering food.
This also marked a turning point in my life that led me to decide that I should be traveling and exploring as much as I could. I also have a YouTube channel about high-power rocketry and friends all over the country. As a result, the Fiesta started making very routine trips from Boise, Idaho, to places like Kansas City, San Diego, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and more. Effectively, there wasn’t a weekend I was home. I have zero doubts that, from 2020 to 2023, I spent more time in my Fiesta ST than I did in my house.
How Has My Fiesta ST Held Up After 200,000 Miles?
Given the 10:1 compression ratio, a massive amount of factory boost, and a somewhat checkered reliability history across the ST lineup, you might expect that this car has undergone plenty of heavy maintenance to stay on the roads. You’d be wrong, though.
I’m happy to admit that I’m quite lucky with my ST in general. Many Fiesta ST owners struggle with overheating issues even in moderate weather, while the only time I’ve ever seen my temp gauge climb was during stop-and-go traffic in the 120-degree temps of Death Valley. The only significant issue with my car was the clutch needing replacement at 30,000 miles. Ford didn’t warranty the clutch, but they did warranty the throwout bearing and gave me a deal on a new clutch and flywheel assembly. I’m not sure if it was the previous owner or just a faulty clutch disk, to begin with, but I think the nearly 200,000 miles on the current disk and flywheel clears me of being at fault for that one.
Otherwise, here are the things I’ve had to replace or repair on my Fiesta ST:
- Routine oil changes (full synthetic every 10k miles until 100k on odometer, then every 5k after)
- More brake pads and rotors than I can even count
- One coolant overflow bottle
- One windshield spray nozzle hose
- One alternator
- A couple of batteries (don’t buy the Motorcraft ones. They suck)
- Repaint the entire passenger side, hood, and front bumper cover (a wind storm blew a sign onto the interstate. I’m lucky it wasn’t worse)
- Rear Struts
- Blend Door Actuators (Broke at 60k miles, still clicking away to this very day)
Can Anything Replace my Fiesta ST?
In addition, in my 200,000 miles behind the wheel of my ST, it has been rear-ended three times, hit a deer, sideswiped a mile-marker post, and I’ve curbed the ever-living shit out of every single wheel. We’ve been through a lot together.
I recently drove a GR Corolla for a week and absolutely fell head-over-heels in love. It’s at the top of the list for replacing the Fiesta. However, as an emotional dork, I think it will be hard to let go of my egg-shaped warrior when the day comes. It has been with me for virtually every significant bit of my life. From losing 100 pounds to committing to my automotive career and quitting Jimmy John’s, from getting my first full-time job to getting laid off and returning to Doordash driving, from writing consumer bullshit about cars I don’t care about to fulfilling dreams the day I got paid a full-time salary to spend all day shooting and driving a Ferrari, the Fiesta ST was always sitting idly by ready to get me home at the end of the day. That has to count for something.
For now, though, interest rates and my focus on eliminating all the debt in my life are barring me from replacing the ST. So, for the time being, my egg and I will stand together and see just how far it’s willing to go. It’s not the fastest or most comfortable car out there. However, after weeks behind the wheel of all sorts of performance cars, sitting back in my beloved Fiesta ST and whipping it around corners like every intersection is the Laguna Seca Corkscrew continues to put a smile on my face, even after six years and 200,000 miles.
Photos: Braden Carlson
