[Zinky]

One of the factors in my decision to buy a Fiesta was in the ability to select many aspects of the car. Every car maker gives you a choice of exterior colors, but few offer several interior colors (there are 9 in the Fiesta). Few offer several body styles. Yaris & Mini have the most with three distinct bodies. Some only put one transmission in certain trim levels. Honda & Nissan limit you to an automatic on certain trims. Many companies bundle everything together so you have to take it or leave it because they don't offer individual options. Some don't offer some major or minor options like a sunroof or heated seats. So here is a comparison of several vehicles showing how many different combinations are available with major options and doesn't include dealer installed accessories.

Mini - Over 10 million & I'd believe it. Don't buy one if you fret over each item.
Ford Fiesta - 2,544 (S - 20; SE - 2,124; SES/SEL - 400)
Nissan Versa - More than 200 but significantly less then the Fiesta (6 trim/body combo quickly adds up)
Toyota Yaris - 138
Hyundai Accent - 96
Mazda 2 - 48 - if you count a Compass/Auto-Dim Mirror with Homelink option - 24 without
Honda Fit - 36

So the possibility of someone with the same Fiesta S as you is pretty high. But finding the exact SE on the lot is pretty slim.

 

[Zinky]

How I came up with the Fiesta numbers

Math wasn't my greatest skill, so here is how I came up with the numbers:
S
Sedan only, 5 exterior colors with one interior color, 2 transmissions & choice of convenience package
1*5*2*2=20

SES/SEL
It gets a little more complicated...
There are 20 different leather & exterior colors.
There are 15 different fabric & exterior colors, but you have the choice of the 301A package created 30.
Total interior exterior color combos are 50
Double that for the transmission choice - 100
Double again for moonroof - 200
Double again for Sedan/Hatch choice - 400

SE
There are 21 different fabric & exterior colors
Double that for the transmission choice - 42
Double again for the moonroof - 84
Double again for the winter package - 168
Double again for Sedan/Hatch choice - 236
There are nine combinations of the major options (Sync & Sound, Sport Appearance, Sirius Satellite, Super Fuel Economy)
9*236=2,124

 

[tjl]

One thing about the Mini Cooper is that options are BMW-priced. Which is why you can build some very expensive Mini Coopers.

For example, the package with heated seats and mirrors is $500 on the Mini Cooper versus $195 on the Fiesta SE. The Mini Cooper's Bluetooth and IPod adapter package is $1,250.

 

[Sibilance7]

This was a big issue for me and my husband as we researched new cars. We loved the Fiesta, but could have been swayed by the Nissan Versa because we love our current Nissan and felt like it was a safe bet for reliability, plus we could get a great price on 2010 models right now. But you can't get a manual in their highest trim level, which was a dealbreaker for us.

 

[Corvair]

Still it isn't as good as I would like it. Some otions come only in a package. My 85 Tempo every option was avaible by itself, and one or two packages that saved you money.

Go way back, my Corvair had 8 color choices for the interior for the Monza. Base model had like three, but it was cloth, not vinyl. 19 paint colors. The convertible top had at least 5 colors. If another GM car had a color you liked, but wasn't a regular production option, you could order it for a small amount of money.

My ex Toyota was lots of options that looked like you could get, but they were always bundled. ABS was like $300-$500, but to get it, you had to get things like sunroof, alloys and more. It cost like $2500. This wasn't a real package, but they made you get them. Even the cheapest Fiesta has a ton of the safety stuff. The Honda fit, if you wanted stability control, you needed to get the higher up model. So add a few thousand. Told saleperson it cost to much. He didn't know what to say.

 

[anverc]

SE
There are 21 different fabric & exterior colors
Double that for the transmission choice - 42
Double again for the moonroof - 84
Double again for the winter package - 168
Double again for Sedan/Hatch choice - 236
There are nine combinations of the major options (Sync & Sound, Sport Appearance, Sirius Satellite, Super Fuel Economy)
9*236=2,124

It isn't quite that much as some options are not allowed to be mixed.

For instance, you can't have Sport appearance AND SFE. You also can't have SFE AND manual, etc...

 

[tjl]

The Honda fit, if you wanted stability control, you needed to get the higher up model. So add a few thousand. Told saleperson it cost to much. He didn't know what to say.

The Fit and stability control is worse than that. To get stability control on the Fit, you need to get:

* Sport trim
* Navigation (only available on Sport trim)
* Automatic transmission (because they no longer offer Navigation with manual transmission)

I.e. only the most expensive possible Fit has stability control.

 

[Paradocks]

I.e. only the most expensive possible Fit has stability control.

And you STILL can't get a Fit with a factory installed moonroof. The European version of the Fit has a glass roof option, but forget about ever seeing that in North America.

 

[Zinky]

It isn't quite that much as some options are not allowed to be mixed.

For instance, you can't have Sport appearance AND SFE. You also can't have SFE AND manual, etc...

I took into account the Sport & SFE, but I forgot about the SFE & manual.

The nine combos are:
1. Sync & Sound, 2. Sync & Sound/Sport Appearance, 3. Sync & Sound/Sport Appearance/Sirius Satellite, 4. Sync & Sound/Super Fuel Economy 5. Sync & Sound/Super Fuel Economy/Sirius Satellite, 6. Sync & Sound/Sirius Satellite 7. Sport Appearance, 8. Super Fuel Economy 9. None of the above

So there are three groups that don't have manual transmission which is 118 each, so the total combinations are down by 354 to 1770. Still almost 50 times more than the Fit.