CSR 115 - What if “variable generation Focus pt.3” never happened?
As always, it would be appreciated if you aren’t sure about the rules around the CSR, that you follow the link to the general rules for this competition by clicking here
The story
Somewhere in southeastern Spain
June 2019
Me. It’s me. Cheeseman aka George, 21 years old. You already know a lot about me, but let me tell you more. Proud owner of my second Ford Focus, but this is the first new Focus which I bought on a lease since I am in full-time employment and can afford and obtain this and also it would be great if I can start getting a credit score. Single, no kids, got nothing better to do, and love driving.
https://i.imgur.com/vnLcIO4.jpg
That being said, June 2019 rolled around and something happened. The lease stipulated a maximum of 90,000km and that very number appeared on the computer and the three years wasn’t quite up yet. This was actually later than expected, but due to changes in circumstances of employment and residence, my extreme mileage turned to more moderate mileage and was set to get even lower. It was time to change, the obvious choice was to get a brand-new shiny Ford Focus ST-Line with loads of tech and the award-winning Ecoboost engine, so I headed to the Ford dealership and…
But what if I didn’t go to the Ford dealership?
IRL, I did actually look at a couple of other cars but mostly down to the sheer incompetence of other dealers I inevitably scrapped looking elsewhere and returned to my trusty Ford dealership and signed on the dotted line. If you want to see my Focus, I will include the link to the forum post here (an update is coming on that, stay tuned). However, what if the world of Automation was available to me in the real world? Surely something could tempt me away from another Focus, right?
https://i.imgur.com/NYIaRIm.jpg
Restrictions
- Model year 2019 or older
- Trim year must be 2019
- Minimum 20 comfort
- Minimum 50 safety
- Minimum 5 full seats
- 95 RON unleaded fuel only
- Catalytic converters obligatory
- Must have ESP
- Maximum trim emissions of 40
- Maximum loudness of 32
Pretty non-restrictive I think, keeps it open for most. Most of these regulations are simply to make sure it is fair and realistic, such as safety requirements and emissions levels that are expected to be met in the ever-tightening emissions laws in Europe.
But what about the price? Doesn’t matter what the list price is, as mentioned before I didn’t buy the Focus outright and opted for leasing so I plan to do the same again. That means, my friends, the lease calculator is back again!
MAXIMUM TOTAL MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON LEASE OF €250
“So how are we going to calculate that then, using the old spreadsheet you had before?”
No, this time I’ve created a newer, fancier, sparklier, and more advanced spreadsheet to calculate this on. This is simply a finance option, the monthly amounts are solely for the car and do not include servicing costs, insurance, tax etc. as they will be part of the judging criteria.
Do you want a link? Here, take a look at the following link: CSR 115 MONTHLY PAYMENT CALCULATOR
Make sure to make a copy of it in order to use it.
How does this work? Let me break it down for you:
- On the left columns, you have the bits of information required in order to make the calculations. I’ve completely redone how the prices for the cars are calculated and even made a makeshift resale value calculator based off a few values given in-game. On the right columns, you will find that the numbers will do what they need to do to calculate the price of the car. DO NOT tamper with the formulas, cheating will lead to IMMEDIATE disqualifications and ALL entries will be checked.
- About the pricing, in order to make it as realistic as I could reasonably achieve, the price is based on a conversion of the number the spreadsheet calculates converted into euros, plus the addition of the 21% IVA (sales tax, VAT etc.) and a registration tax (which is technically based off of CO2 emissions but I’ve based it off the fuel consumption equivalent) to make a list price. The resale is calculated, and since this is finance the interest is added and all the numbers are added, subtracted, multiplied or whatever to make the monthly payments in euros including tax. This number is the most important number, not the sale price. A higher value car could have better lease payments than a lower one depending on resale factors.
- USD to EUR conversion is based on current exchange rate data with 1 USD equating to 0.90 EUR.
Moving on from that we move on to the judging criteria
Other important requirements/permissions
- Advert for any submission must be posted on the thread
- All mods from Workshop except meme bodies and furry mods etc. are permitted. If I do get an error I will be in contact with you by PM to try and determine the issue. If you have included a mod that could fall under a “meme” category, the car will not be accepted.
Judging criteria
VERY IMPORTANT - 
- REALISM - Don’t be sending me unrealistic stuff or memes, it’s a waste of your time and my time. There are certainly ways to “trick” the spreadsheet that I am aware of in order to boost your results but I know how it could be exploited and it is just through being unrealistic. Don’t min-max, don’t be unrealistic, otherwise you’ll be straight in the bin.
- DESIGN - Although cars older than 2019 are permitted, I’m coming out of a 2016 car. If you send me a car that looks old or at least not as modern look as the 2016 Focus you won’t get far. The design is less important in the sense of a car being beautiful, I have a very broad spectrum of cars I like in terms of design that many hate, so oddballs will be fine. Just make it realistic and modern.
- SPORTINESS - There’s a reason I buy Focuses/Focii(?). I want something that drives well. The speed isn’t necessarily an important factor, but a pleasant, well-sorted and fun driving experience is exactly what I want. Does this mean I won’t consider automatics and only want a pure, thoroughbred, manual sports car or hot hatch? No. I just want it to feel nice to drive and not go into a panic when I want to go hard.
- RUNNING COSTS - Everything relating to running costs is of significant importance to me. I’m young, so insurance is expensive. I don’t want to be paying stupid money to just get the car serviced. I also don’t want to be driving a car that guzzles fuel like there is no tomorrow. I want to enjoy my car without breaking the bank completely.
IMPORTANT -
- SAFETY - If there is one reason to go for a newer car it is for improved safety. The safety requirement is already quite restrictive, but any bonus points on that is a bonus point for your car and more reason for me to buy it.
- TECHNOLOGY - Much like safety, if I’m replacing a not-that-old car for a newer one I expect it to come with the latest tech. Of course, I don’t expect miracles to be pulled for no money at all, but I do want a good array of toys to play with. A lot of this can be incorporated within your design, so get creative with it.
WORTH CONSIDERING -
- COMFORT - I’m young, and as much as I complain about having a bad knee and a back that is often sore, I can cope with a firm ride. Besides, it is to be expected with a sportier setup, and Spanish roads aren’t exactly in bad shape (mostly). What I don’t want is to be driving around in something that just bounces down the road or jiggles about because that is annoying.
- DRIVABILITY - I don’t consider myself the best driver in the world, but I do know I’m more capable than most my age. As long as it is mostly controllable I will be fine.
- PRACTICALITY - As much as a low-slung coupe sounds like a great idea, realistically it is going to be a problem. It is just me, but I’m also usually designated taxi for nights out with mates (because I drive the best and have the nicest car) and I often find myself filling my boot with stuff. It doesn’t have to be cavernous, but some space for people and stuff is needed.
- RELIABILITY - There is no minimum requirement for this as it isn’t hugely important considering I don’t usually own cars for very long at all, and only plan to keep this for three, maybe four years. It needs to be reliable enough to ensure that I will have little to no problems during this time.
UNIMPORTANT -
- PRESTIGE - It may be important for resale values, but to me, I couldn’t care less. I’d buy a Dacia if they had a decent model that suited me in their lineup, trust me, but I still value having interior materials that don’t feel disgusting.
- OFFROAD - My parents do live up a dry riverbed which is “offroading”, but it is smooth and I’ve seen Aston Martins drive up dry riverbeds in Spain they are mostly that good, so it really isn’t that important, but don’t be silly with it.
As always, the same naming system applies!
Car and engine model name: CSR 115 - “username”
Car trim: Brand, model and variant of car
Engine trim: Engine model/variant
PLEASE MAKE SURE with this round please make sure to also inform me if you would be willing to host next round or not to have it for reference.
Please pay very, VERY close attention to these regulations. You have only ONE opportunity to submit your vehicle correctly with the correct naming scheme. Failure to comply will lead to immediate disqualification and a place in the hall of shame. Please CHECK your entries before submitting and DO NOT rush your entry.
Submissions open as of Wednesday 4th December @ 23:59:00 CEST (GMT +1)
Deadline is Friday 13th December @ 18:30:00 CEST (GMT +1)
THIS ROUND WILL BE USING THE STABLE RELEASE
Good luck, and have fun! (and read the rules properly)
