Discussion
Funk said:
The Mk1 RS is a seriously good call. Quicker and more hardcore than the ST. Looks better too, and will hold its value if you leave it unmolested.
I'd be looking for one of those!
I do think they're a quality motor, but I'm after something which is comfy for daily driving, wouldn't mind modern interior and performance when play time.I'd be looking for one of those!
The RS is supposidley very rigid and more of a track car.
More curious than anything, but how do these stack up insurance wise?
MONDEO ST220. LOW MILEAGE 15,000 MILES. 3L 6V. 05 PLATE. (2005)
15,000 miles £6,950
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3216772.htm
And while on the subject of bigger hatches....
ALFA ROMEO 156 V6 24V GTA Q2 RED (2003)
88,000 miles £6,450
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3403904.htm
or
2003 BMW 330ci Sport 2dr Auto Coupe - Rare Spec (2003)
58,500 miles £4,490
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3381328.htm
BMW 130i SE with Leather & SAT NAV (2005)
62,000 miles £8,295
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2746254.htm
http://cdn.images.pistonheads.com/aimg/2746/274625...
Not saying any are better than an ST, just alternatives.... although I am curious how the insurance stacks up on the ST220.
MONDEO ST220. LOW MILEAGE 15,000 MILES. 3L 6V. 05 PLATE. (2005)
15,000 miles £6,950
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3216772.htm
And while on the subject of bigger hatches....
ALFA ROMEO 156 V6 24V GTA Q2 RED (2003)
88,000 miles £6,450
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3403904.htm
or
2003 BMW 330ci Sport 2dr Auto Coupe - Rare Spec (2003)
58,500 miles £4,490
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3381328.htm
BMW 130i SE with Leather & SAT NAV (2005)
62,000 miles £8,295
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2746254.htm
http://cdn.images.pistonheads.com/aimg/2746/274625...
Not saying any are better than an ST, just alternatives.... although I am curious how the insurance stacks up on the ST220.
The Apprentice said:
Quite fancy a hatchback just to get started as my first "quick" car.
If you went for a standard MK1 Focus RS and kept it mint you would have to pay £8-9k for the car and will have a properly respected car that won't look out of place at a supercar meet, will put a huge grin on your face, will be exciting but fairly idiot proof to drive. And as 300bhp said based on current prices you should be fairly well off compared to an ST when you want to get out of it.
If I was in the position I was in at 21 with the benefit of the current climate for used cars, knowledge of the internet as easily available, and with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight I'd be shopping for something like this http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3397269.htm and putting the finance payment aside for the additional running costs. Yes it is only the 2.5 and will probably need some jobs over a couple of years but despite being slower than a lot of current hothatches in a straight line it deliver performance that will keep a lot of cars honest and handling that will put many more to shame, with the added bonus of it not being a mid-engined RWD car that will throw you into a ditch unless you have no talent at all.
OP, you were asking about astras..
I bought one over the ST, main reasons were the soft suspension on the ST and the torque delivery.
The ST I found to be very softly sprung, lots of body roll. It sounds good and picks up okay and then.. nothing, it just seems to stop pulling - for a big engine I was disappointed. Reminded me of the original V6 vectras.. I think I'm right in saying its in the top tax band ?
The astra is torquey right through the rev range. You'll hear the now infamous "torque steer" Clarkson comments. Provided you can hold a steering wheel it really isn't a problem.
Criticism ? The rear end is a bit soft, promotes body roll when pushing on, its not bad but the anti roll bar that Dan suggests makes a huge difference.
The other thing I'd say is the throttle pedal mapping is a bit too sensitive. When I get in to a stock car it takes me a few minutes to adjust. Again this is nitpicking.. there are a fair few remaps out there, some make the throttle map better, toned down a little and more progressive, others don't. Exhaust and remap will head you close to 280hp & 300lb/ft.
You should be getting 30mpg on your commute, 25 around town in stop-start traffic.
Try and find a car thats got a bit of spec to it.. they all have aircon but if you can find one with climate control it'll have a better screen in the dash - a car with bluetooth gets a better screen too.
My car has xenon headlights, the system is called AFL.. expensive option but worth it if you can find one with it.
It commonly accepted they drive better on the 18" wheel, but they don't look as nice, hence most cars have the 19", some owners upgrade to lightweight 18s which I'm told makes them drive well.
A car thats had mild mods - a remap and an exhaust say.. fine but avoid cars that has been screwed around with too much, too many bodgers out there mess with boost solenoids etc which is not needed.
If looking at a tuned car call the tuner, most have a register of the cars they've done.
I bought one over the ST, main reasons were the soft suspension on the ST and the torque delivery.
The ST I found to be very softly sprung, lots of body roll. It sounds good and picks up okay and then.. nothing, it just seems to stop pulling - for a big engine I was disappointed. Reminded me of the original V6 vectras.. I think I'm right in saying its in the top tax band ?
The astra is torquey right through the rev range. You'll hear the now infamous "torque steer" Clarkson comments. Provided you can hold a steering wheel it really isn't a problem.
Criticism ? The rear end is a bit soft, promotes body roll when pushing on, its not bad but the anti roll bar that Dan suggests makes a huge difference.
The other thing I'd say is the throttle pedal mapping is a bit too sensitive. When I get in to a stock car it takes me a few minutes to adjust. Again this is nitpicking.. there are a fair few remaps out there, some make the throttle map better, toned down a little and more progressive, others don't. Exhaust and remap will head you close to 280hp & 300lb/ft.
You should be getting 30mpg on your commute, 25 around town in stop-start traffic.
Try and find a car thats got a bit of spec to it.. they all have aircon but if you can find one with climate control it'll have a better screen in the dash - a car with bluetooth gets a better screen too.
My car has xenon headlights, the system is called AFL.. expensive option but worth it if you can find one with it.
It commonly accepted they drive better on the 18" wheel, but they don't look as nice, hence most cars have the 19", some owners upgrade to lightweight 18s which I'm told makes them drive well.
A car thats had mild mods - a remap and an exhaust say.. fine but avoid cars that has been screwed around with too much, too many bodgers out there mess with boost solenoids etc which is not needed.
If looking at a tuned car call the tuner, most have a register of the cars they've done.
I bought my car as a present to myself on my 21st so I am familiar with the position you are in.
It's an awesome day when you upgrade to faster wheels, but it's important to consider the kind of milage you do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, ie. your commute to work, trips to family/mates etc., in short; what will you really use the car for?
So many older folks just say 'why get a hatch? you don't need 5 seats do you?'. If I had taken their advice, things for the past 10 months would have been... awkward...
Yes having a convertable roof is cool and fun but only during the few days of the year when it is worth it, people who put the roof down on 'just-about-good-enough-for-a-convertable' days just look desperate and frankly the heated seats are prooving to be much more useful at this time of year (and girls really like it).
Since getting my hot hatch I have put 6000 miles on the clock (I only work 2 minutes down the road so my commute is somewhat short). But the real miles have been put on during the trips down the coast with my mates, crashing at their student accomodation, then belting it back for work a day later (great fun).
Think smart; If you had 2 seats, you could take one mate and split the petrol. If you have 5 seats, you can take 4 mates and split the petrol 5 fold. Suddenly the hot hatch becomes a much better prospect.
The worst thing you could do is buy this car then be faced with selling it a couple of months down the line because it doesn't suit you, so just remember you have to LIVE with this car.
There are so many choices out there for hot hatches it's hard to get your head around. I would pick something which is turbocharged to produce the power rather than a mahoosive V6 gas guzzling lump (seeing as fuel prices will only go up).
Don't get anything mapped or tuned because it will ramp you on insurance and it just wears the car out faster, if it's not fast enough, buy something else.
But most importantly make sure that you pick a car which makes you smile every time you look at it.
Good luck m8.
It's an awesome day when you upgrade to faster wheels, but it's important to consider the kind of milage you do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, ie. your commute to work, trips to family/mates etc., in short; what will you really use the car for?
So many older folks just say 'why get a hatch? you don't need 5 seats do you?'. If I had taken their advice, things for the past 10 months would have been... awkward...
Yes having a convertable roof is cool and fun but only during the few days of the year when it is worth it, people who put the roof down on 'just-about-good-enough-for-a-convertable' days just look desperate and frankly the heated seats are prooving to be much more useful at this time of year (and girls really like it).
Since getting my hot hatch I have put 6000 miles on the clock (I only work 2 minutes down the road so my commute is somewhat short). But the real miles have been put on during the trips down the coast with my mates, crashing at their student accomodation, then belting it back for work a day later (great fun).
Think smart; If you had 2 seats, you could take one mate and split the petrol. If you have 5 seats, you can take 4 mates and split the petrol 5 fold. Suddenly the hot hatch becomes a much better prospect.
The worst thing you could do is buy this car then be faced with selling it a couple of months down the line because it doesn't suit you, so just remember you have to LIVE with this car.
There are so many choices out there for hot hatches it's hard to get your head around. I would pick something which is turbocharged to produce the power rather than a mahoosive V6 gas guzzling lump (seeing as fuel prices will only go up).
Don't get anything mapped or tuned because it will ramp you on insurance and it just wears the car out faster, if it's not fast enough, buy something else.
But most importantly make sure that you pick a car which makes you smile every time you look at it.
Good luck m8.
Edited by JuniorJet on Tuesday 22 November 23:33
The Apprentice said:
I refuse to pay the £430 tax a year though.
Corsa or Astra, rubbish cars? Pretty basic inside the Astra.
Forget about the tax, you will save that in MPG and insurance, two of my mates have the focus ST im getting over 10mpg more then they are similar sort of driving and routes round sheffield, the £200 difference in tax or whatever it is soon gets swallowed up and im about 75bhp up on them Corsa or Astra, rubbish cars? Pretty basic inside the Astra.
Same as the insurance the mps for me was cheaper to insure then my CTR that i came from and all the other hot hatches i looked at ( apart from the golf GTI )
If you like the looks of them you soon realise that for value there pretty hard to beat, yet people will still say but there £400 a year to tax lol
Bebop Beru said:
Don't know if it's been mentioned already but the Ford stealers will try to bend you over come servicing time. Apparently an oil change and screenwash top-ups require a lot more skill than the bread and butter ones...
And of course mpg is appalling. I'm running an ancient 4 litre V8 at the moment and it's as good as the ST I had...
Cost me £99 for an oil and filter service on my ST2 at Corner Ford - they washed and waxed it as well as giving me a courtesy car... Cheap as chips to maintainAnd of course mpg is appalling. I'm running an ancient 4 litre V8 at the moment and it's as good as the ST I had...
Chrisw666 said:
Biker's Nemesis said:
Does anyone know of a Focus LPG conversion?
I have to ask, why is the ST so poor on fuel?
Most seem to be either company funded or ran as very low mileage cars by people who are too young to care. I have 2 mates who run them and neither do more than 100 miles a week. I have to ask, why is the ST so poor on fuel?
As far as I know the basic design of the engine is fairly dated and was a lower powered lump in the Volvo application (I may be wrong on this).
pinseeker said:
£1800 for insurance at 21! You must really love the car to be spending that and £50+ on fuel/week.
What about an RS Megane 225 cup? If you don't have a family you won't need the space and it's a better drivers car.....
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3157014.htm
£1800 for insurance at 21- that's nothing - in fact i would say they are paying HIM to drive itWhat about an RS Megane 225 cup? If you don't have a family you won't need the space and it's a better drivers car.....
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3157014.htm
300bhp/ton said:
blackcab said:
I found the ST a good car to drive - it was always designed as a hot hatch and it did that pretty well, handling of the car was good I found - especially on the right tyres !
I did a few "track days" in mine and was surprised just how well it performed against others, the ST is noticably quicker than a GTi golf and sounds superb. - I miss mine
Hot hatch is stretching the term a bit though. The MK II Focus is wider and taller than a Sierra and almost as long. Not too mention the rake of the rear window is more glass roof then conventional hatch back. In fact the rear window is the pefect angle for a saloon rear window, which is why the Focus saloon IMO looks a far more cohesive design. I did a few "track days" in mine and was surprised just how well it performed against others, the ST is noticably quicker than a GTi golf and sounds superb. - I miss mine
I just looked at mileage I do roughly, it's about 200 per week. Not sure what that works out as in an ST.
I could get a nice ST2 for about 7-8k, xenons, 6CD changer as standard etc..
An Astra, if I was lucky enough to get one with Xenons and other extras as mentiones above, I'd be looking at 9-10k at a garage.
Only 21 once so I want to treat myself, but in the other hand, I don't fancy being skint when the fuel bill comes in everyweek.
I do a stop start 6 mile round trip to work mon-fri.
Girlfriends 3 nights a week which is a 3.5 mile round trip.
And I'm no stranger to going for a cruise on the weekends after footie!
I could get a nice ST2 for about 7-8k, xenons, 6CD changer as standard etc..
An Astra, if I was lucky enough to get one with Xenons and other extras as mentiones above, I'd be looking at 9-10k at a garage.
Only 21 once so I want to treat myself, but in the other hand, I don't fancy being skint when the fuel bill comes in everyweek.
I do a stop start 6 mile round trip to work mon-fri.
Girlfriends 3 nights a week which is a 3.5 mile round trip.
And I'm no stranger to going for a cruise on the weekends after footie!
The Apprentice said:
Only 21 once so I want to treat myself, but in the other hand, I don't fancy being skint when the fuel bill comes in everyweek.
I do a stop start 6 mile round trip to work mon-fri.
Girlfriends 3 nights a week which is a 3.5 mile round trip.
And I'm no stranger to going for a cruise on the weekends after footie!
6 x 7 = 42 milesI do a stop start 6 mile round trip to work mon-fri.
Girlfriends 3 nights a week which is a 3.5 mile round trip.
And I'm no stranger to going for a cruise on the weekends after footie!
3 x 3.5 = 10.5 miles
= 52.5 miles.
Where the hell are you getting the other 150 from?
matt-ITR said:
The Apprentice said:
Only 21 once so I want to treat myself, but in the other hand, I don't fancy being skint when the fuel bill comes in everyweek.
I do a stop start 6 mile round trip to work mon-fri.
Girlfriends 3 nights a week which is a 3.5 mile round trip.
And I'm no stranger to going for a cruise on the weekends after footie!
6 x 7 = 42 milesI do a stop start 6 mile round trip to work mon-fri.
Girlfriends 3 nights a week which is a 3.5 mile round trip.
And I'm no stranger to going for a cruise on the weekends after footie!
3 x 3.5 = 10.5 miles
= 52.5 miles.
Where the hell are you getting the other 150 from?
I've been offered a 2006 orange ST 46000miles for 8k at a garage close to me.
5% APR over 2year. Got my head rattled now. Only got a week left to decide really.
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