Fiesta ST buying guide?

[DanDanDaan]

Hi,

I may be having an off day with google, but has anyone got any decent links to a guide to show what I should be on the lookout for? I have read what I can find searching on here, but a lot of the ford forums google throws up are, well, useless.

Looking at an 05 most likely (budget is 4k ish) I am looking for something that is as standard as possible. From looking around that has left me looking at 50k+ miles.

What kind of mileage is too much?
What work should I expect to be done past 50k?
Anything in particular to look out for that will let me know if it has been run ragged?

I know it's not a true hot hatch, but I don't want a stupid car, just something a bit interesting and insurance qoutes seem to be pretty good on the ST.

Thanks.

[David1976]

I cannot help you with a buying guide unfortunately but my wife had one from new for about 30K miles and it had no problems at all. OK, so it's not the quickest in a straight line but it is very good going around corners, if a little juicy.

There is something fun about a NA engine that makes them huge fun.

[CraigMST]

If you are seriously looking for a Fiesta ST then get on to this site.
http://www.fiestastoc.com/forums/

The FiestaSTOC and the FocusSTOC are great sites. Might be £10 a year to unlock all the sub sections but if you are going to buy one then surely it would be worth it in the long run.

[Gdgd]

They are great cars and you seem to want one for the right reasons - you not be disappointed

As said come join us a FSTOC for all the info you need.

[steve_bmw]

My friend has one of these st's there great little cars, handle very well and comfy to drive and not crashy at all.
There cheap to insure so young lads have them, make sure you get a standard one that's not been thrashed to death.

[ecommsmith]

Fun enough little cars.

I paid £5600 for a 57 plate with 27k miles in December 2010. Prices seem to have dropped a fair bit since then. (Did get offered £5k for mine as P/X against a 350z though).

In that time I've had done:

2 Wheel bearings (both on the rear)
A new gearbox thanks to a wayward bolt
A new clutch due to the gearbox spilling oil on it when it went
4 new tyres (the 4 on it had about 4mm tread on when I got it)
A replacement coolant hose (The clip came loose and left the hose resting against the engine fan which chewed through it)

All in all about about £1100 in maintenance in 18 months, though servicing and insurance are quite cheap.

Driven around town you'll see anything from 20mpg (hammering it) to 30mpg and on a 65 mile trip up the M6 this morning between 60-70 all the way I got 41mpg which isn't bad.

The cabin does seem to develop some loose parts and rattles on bumpier roads and there can be a fair bit of road noise.

If you're into modifying it there's the Mountune route, about £3k can see you at 200bhp whilst retaining any warranty etc you get with it (If you buy it from Ford anyway) alternatively you can see some decent gains with a new exhaust system (£6-800) an induction kit (£90-£150) and a remap could get you near 170, 180 if you opt for new cams as well I'm lead to believe.

Feel free to give me a PM if you've got any other questions!

[DanDanDaan]

Cheers for the info. Spent all afternoon at work on the fiestastoc forums reading everything I can.

Modifying is not for me at this precise moment in time, but will look into it once my finances have recovered somewhat (first car I'll actually own, rather than sharing with someone).

At least I have plenty of reading now

[fredd1e]

From what has needed attention on the missus's ST I'd say check coolant levels for usage, (ours was a water pump leak) and check for power steering pump noise when hot, maybe just needs new fluid/flush but could be needing a new pump. Other than that its normal wear/tear items.