Well this is disappointing. This thing has barely been on sale as it is. Here's hoping Ford releases another AWD turbo 6-speed manual RS with the next Focus platform.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-sen...del-96274.html

 

Won't even be around long enough for dealers to stop charging $8k over sticker....

 

problem with htis car is it still had low budget focus interior and build quality but for $35k. Weight is disappointing and you can get a highly loaded Mustang GT for the same price or even less

 

That's because people are willing to pay outrageous mark-ups for it. I don't go quite as far as Steve does in saying that people usually over-pay for their cars, but any time you pay more than list (not counting the other expenses like tax, tags, processing fee, etc...), IMO that is unacceptable. The opposing argument, of course, is that by charging more than list, the dealer is only charging what the manufacturer could have been charging, and isn't. I don't necessarily buy that line, because shortages are sometimes deliberately planned in production, in spite of demand, or projected demand, to force up the price.

Also, unless one is trying to drive around in winter with its RWD, I agree with 4TehNguyen that the Mustang GT is probably a better buy overall....and doesn't have quite the same level of price-gouging.

 

Very niche car for a very niche group of owners. It makes sense for Subaru to have the STI and VW to have the Golf R in those segments sort of as performance halo cars. But Ford has the new GT (hypercar) and GT350 (mustang), it makes a little less sense. That doesn't make me any less sad that they are discontinuing it.

Check out this article from road and track - it explains very well how dealer gouging kills performance models http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...ealers-attack/

 

They are so fking greedy it's sickening. There should be as many Focus RSs on the road as Subaru STIs, yet I've only seen one. My friend in the market laughed at the markup these Ford dealers have and marched right on over to the VW dealer who gave him a great deal on a Golf R, which is slower but lighter and holds about the same speed in a slalom as the Focus RS for a cheaper price an a much more upscale interior.

 

I agree that the interior is kind of crap for 35k, lots of hard black plastic, the Mustang has a much better dash design IMO. But on the other hand the Focus RS is a lot more useful if you intend to have people sit in the back or haul cargo, its a great car for doing those things and hauling *** IMO.

I predict the Focus RS will be sort of limited production and will hold its value extremely well, I'd say 10-15 years from now look for nice ones going for more than sticker price.

 

I agree that the VW may be a better deal up front, but it rewards a company that is a**-deep in scandal right now from having deliberately mis-engineered their diesels. In addition, VW's whole future in the American market may be in question.

 

It's so strange how much those TDIs are now in demand though, despite the scandal. Lets not forget, however, that VW is the 2nd biggest car company in the world next to Toyota. So unless Trump decides to screw over all the German automakers, they aren't going anywhere.