Now that I got your attention, I'm currently shopping Fiesta STs (vast majority have the poor base seats), Focus STs (priced badly in my area right now, oddly) and now, MK7 GTIs as well. I like the Si but it's out of my price range. But I've also just became aware of a fourth option that I've sworn off before, from the darling of depreciation that is MINI, the Cooper S. I've sworn off Minis before due to their notorious reliability reputation, but that's when I was looking at sub-8K used cars. I'm not a MINI expert, but I do know they were all-new in 2014 for it's 3rd generation, and seem to be holding up better than the previous ones. I don't need 2 unreliable cars
My major concern with these (and to a lesser extent the GTI) is serviceability and long-term reliability. The nearest BMW dealer is an hour away, and my independent mechanic, now 60 years old is hesitant to work on VWs or my old S40, much less a Mini. And since this is BMW we are talking about here, there is the possibility of stupid things like the lack of an oil dipstick on the 3 series, and BMW's own record in the past 10 years is nothing to brag about. On the plus side, Minis are generally owned by a wealthier clientele so there is less of a chance of abuse and deferred maintenance, but I don't have an overabundance of confidence in something manufactured by BMW. The other options are far less niche so I'm not as worried as far as servicing.
Here is a good example, 2014 certified with just 27K miles. $16,900
My major concern with these (and to a lesser extent the GTI) is serviceability and long-term reliability. The nearest BMW dealer is an hour away, and my independent mechanic, now 60 years old is hesitant to work on VWs or my old S40, much less a Mini. And since this is BMW we are talking about here, there is the possibility of stupid things like the lack of an oil dipstick on the 3 series, and BMW's own record in the past 10 years is nothing to brag about. On the plus side, Minis are generally owned by a wealthier clientele so there is less of a chance of abuse and deferred maintenance, but I don't have an overabundance of confidence in something manufactured by BMW. The other options are far less niche so I'm not as worried as far as servicing.
Here is a good example, 2014 certified with just 27K miles. $16,900