Hot Hatch - £7k - Fiesta ST?
Discussion
My partner recently sold her MK1 225 TT as it was getting a little old and costly. She's after something with a similar amount of poke and have narrowed it down to a ST2/3 Fiesta. It seems to tick most of boxes spec wise, Bluetooth being the main one and always seems to get good reviews?
Is there anything to look out for on these or any other cars to look at? Needs to have 4 seats and not a cab, otherwise it would be an MX5, she is a hairdresser after all!
Is there anything to look out for on these or any other cars to look at? Needs to have 4 seats and not a cab, otherwise it would be an MX5, she is a hairdresser after all!
PixelpeepZ4 said:
can't go wrong with staying in the VAG stable and looking at a polo/golf GTi ?
I've got a mk6 GTI at the moment which is very good. She likes the Polo GTI, but at that price point they come with the 1.4TSI engine which she had before in a Scirocco and needed a £2500 engine rebuild a month after purchase 
The 1.8 GTI would be ideal but they are still a fair bit more than the budget allows.Danm1les said:
PixelpeepZ4 said:
can't go wrong with staying in the VAG stable and looking at a polo/golf GTi ?
I've got a mk6 GTI at the moment which is very good. She likes the Polo GTI, but at that price point they come with the 1.4TSI engine which she had before in a Scirocco and needed a £2500 engine rebuild a month after purchase The 1.8 GTI would be ideal but they are still a fair bit more than the budget allows.https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10806505?c...
208 GTI? Not my cup of tea really tbh but they can be had cheap.
The only other contender for me would be the MK4 Clio 200 (turbo), but it's dual-clutch only, so I'm not sure how you'd both feel about that. They get bad reviews, but they're good to drive and are fairly comfortable when being used daily.
The Fiesta is hard to beat at this price though. Proper riot to drive. Many say the suspension is too stiff but i never found it to be nearly as bad as people were saying.
The only other contender for me would be the MK4 Clio 200 (turbo), but it's dual-clutch only, so I'm not sure how you'd both feel about that. They get bad reviews, but they're good to drive and are fairly comfortable when being used daily.
The Fiesta is hard to beat at this price though. Proper riot to drive. Many say the suspension is too stiff but i never found it to be nearly as bad as people were saying.
Edited by culpz on Monday 14th September 12:26
PixelpeepZ4 said:
That looks smart, I have sent it to her! Didn't realise these were quite so cheap second hand.culpz said:
208 GTI? Not my cup of tea really tbh but they can be had cheap.
The only other contender for me would be the MK4 Clio 200 (turbo), but it's dual-clutch only, so I'm not sure how you'd both feel about that. They get bad reviews, but they're good to drive and are fairly comfortable when being used daily.
The Fiesta is hard to beat at this price though. Proper riot to drive. Many say the suspension is too stiff but i never found it to be nearly as bad as p[people were saying.
She's not keen on the french stuff, even after I send her all of the liquid yellow cars that I find! The only other contender for me would be the MK4 Clio 200 (turbo), but it's dual-clutch only, so I'm not sure how you'd both feel about that. They get bad reviews, but they're good to drive and are fairly comfortable when being used daily.
The Fiesta is hard to beat at this price though. Proper riot to drive. Many say the suspension is too stiff but i never found it to be nearly as bad as p[people were saying.
Danm1les said:
PixelpeepZ4 said:
That looks smart, I have sent it to her! Didn't realise these were quite so cheap second hand.
Fiesta STs are in another league compared to anything VAG when it comes to driving. Anyone suggesting a Polo GTI or seat/audi etc has clearly not driven a Fiesta to compare it to.
They 100% live up to the hype. There is a reason multiple car journalists after reviewing them then went out and bought them.
I had one for 3 years and would happily have another, I'm on a tight budget at the moment but when it's next convenient for me to spend £6k or so on a car, I will probably buy another.
£7k is on the low end of Fiesta STs but it can be done and you don't need to buy a write off.
These are a few ST-3 trim cars within your budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009133...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007301...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/201903206...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008122...
As for whether you want ST2 or ST3, just judge it based on whether you want cruise control. The other features it has are pretty useless; the satnav is crap, you'll use google maps instead; and the Climate Control is not really necessary given that ST2 has aircon anyway.
I recommend joining the "Fiesta ST Owners UK" group on Facebook, it's very active and there are always cars for sale on there.
In terms of anything to watch out for on the cars. Check that the car has had the engine recall work done (pre-2015 cars only). There aren't really any notable common issues at all with the cars. They've been out for 7 years now and the most common problem with them is the "ST" logo sill light stops working.
Mechanically they appear to be bulletproof. Loads and loads of owners have tuning packages putting out over 300bhp on the standard engine, and they never go wrong.
Do make sure the clutch is good if you're getting one that's not low mileage (i.e. one on your budget), as they can go through clutches at a slightly quicker rate than most cars.
If you are after a modern, economical hot hatchback for £7,000 then the Fiesta ST is simply the best car you can buy for the money, there is nothing else better. Ofc if you want more comfort, luxury or boot space then other cars may suit you better, but for driving, no question its the best car for the price.
They 100% live up to the hype. There is a reason multiple car journalists after reviewing them then went out and bought them.
I had one for 3 years and would happily have another, I'm on a tight budget at the moment but when it's next convenient for me to spend £6k or so on a car, I will probably buy another.
£7k is on the low end of Fiesta STs but it can be done and you don't need to buy a write off.
These are a few ST-3 trim cars within your budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009133...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007301...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/201903206...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008122...
As for whether you want ST2 or ST3, just judge it based on whether you want cruise control. The other features it has are pretty useless; the satnav is crap, you'll use google maps instead; and the Climate Control is not really necessary given that ST2 has aircon anyway.
I recommend joining the "Fiesta ST Owners UK" group on Facebook, it's very active and there are always cars for sale on there.
In terms of anything to watch out for on the cars. Check that the car has had the engine recall work done (pre-2015 cars only). There aren't really any notable common issues at all with the cars. They've been out for 7 years now and the most common problem with them is the "ST" logo sill light stops working.
Mechanically they appear to be bulletproof. Loads and loads of owners have tuning packages putting out over 300bhp on the standard engine, and they never go wrong.
Do make sure the clutch is good if you're getting one that's not low mileage (i.e. one on your budget), as they can go through clutches at a slightly quicker rate than most cars.
If you are after a modern, economical hot hatchback for £7,000 then the Fiesta ST is simply the best car you can buy for the money, there is nothing else better. Ofc if you want more comfort, luxury or boot space then other cars may suit you better, but for driving, no question its the best car for the price.
Edited by treeroy on Monday 14th September 17:01
I’ll second what treeroy says having recently bought an ST3.
I went round the houses looking for a suitable car. Hot hatches, coupes and even convertibles were on the cards although oddly the Fiesta was one of the first cars I thought about. They do have a bit of an image problem and are also on the hit list for car thieves which did put me off slightly. But after driving a 208 Gti then the Fiesta afterwards there really was no contest.
I did really want cruise control so it had to be the ST3 for me. However, I’ve hardly used cruise in the last couple of months as it’s just not that sort of car and actually I reckon I could live without it. The Sat Nav I have found pretty good though, easy to programme and follow so I haven’t felt the need to use my phone.
Get one, you won’t regret it.
I went round the houses looking for a suitable car. Hot hatches, coupes and even convertibles were on the cards although oddly the Fiesta was one of the first cars I thought about. They do have a bit of an image problem and are also on the hit list for car thieves which did put me off slightly. But after driving a 208 Gti then the Fiesta afterwards there really was no contest.
I did really want cruise control so it had to be the ST3 for me. However, I’ve hardly used cruise in the last couple of months as it’s just not that sort of car and actually I reckon I could live without it. The Sat Nav I have found pretty good though, easy to programme and follow so I haven’t felt the need to use my phone.
Get one, you won’t regret it.
This is 10 minutes down the road from me, but has worryingly had a new engine??
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
I’m not sure on the link you posted.
First of all I’d want to know why a new engine was fitted. On the one hand it could be good as it has a new engine! But what caused it to fail in the first place? And who did the work?
I don’t like the red pipe and performance air filter but that’s just me, I’m not into mods at all. People who like to mod are often after more performance which must put a strain on components in general. I’d bet he’s had it remapped.
Price wise, it’s one of the earliest example on a 13 plate. For comparison I paid 8995 for a 2017 66 plate st3 at a Ford main dealer. It did have 67k miles granted but it was a one owner car with full history.
I checked the MOT history. It’s clean, but it does have outstanding recall.
The condition in the pics looks a bit ropey to me. Kerbed alloys with fairly cheap tyres, seats look a bit raggy.
As a private sale I think he’s about a grand over. But then he’s just had to replace the engine so I guess he wants some of that cost back.
First of all I’d want to know why a new engine was fitted. On the one hand it could be good as it has a new engine! But what caused it to fail in the first place? And who did the work?
I don’t like the red pipe and performance air filter but that’s just me, I’m not into mods at all. People who like to mod are often after more performance which must put a strain on components in general. I’d bet he’s had it remapped.
Price wise, it’s one of the earliest example on a 13 plate. For comparison I paid 8995 for a 2017 66 plate st3 at a Ford main dealer. It did have 67k miles granted but it was a one owner car with full history.
I checked the MOT history. It’s clean, but it does have outstanding recall.
The condition in the pics looks a bit ropey to me. Kerbed alloys with fairly cheap tyres, seats look a bit raggy.
As a private sale I think he’s about a grand over. But then he’s just had to replace the engine so I guess he wants some of that cost back.
ChrisH72 said:
I’m not sure on the link you posted.
First of all I’d want to know why a new engine was fitted. On the one hand it could be good as it has a new engine! But what caused it to fail in the first place? And who did the work?
I don’t like the red pipe and performance air filter but that’s just me, I’m not into mods at all. People who like to mod are often after more performance which must put a strain on components in general. I’d bet he’s had it remapped.
Price wise, it’s one of the earliest example on a 13 plate. For comparison I paid 8995 for a 2017 66 plate st3 at a Ford main dealer. It did have 67k miles granted but it was a one owner car with full history.
I checked the MOT history. It’s clean, but it does have outstanding recall.
The condition in the pics looks a bit ropey to me. Kerbed alloys with fairly cheap tyres, seats look a bit raggy.
As a private sale I think he’s about a grand over. But then he’s just had to replace the engine so I guess he wants some of that cost back.
Thanks for the info, all good things to hear! We’d want a clean stock car really. We’ve always tried to own good examples of cars with good documentation to go with!First of all I’d want to know why a new engine was fitted. On the one hand it could be good as it has a new engine! But what caused it to fail in the first place? And who did the work?
I don’t like the red pipe and performance air filter but that’s just me, I’m not into mods at all. People who like to mod are often after more performance which must put a strain on components in general. I’d bet he’s had it remapped.
Price wise, it’s one of the earliest example on a 13 plate. For comparison I paid 8995 for a 2017 66 plate st3 at a Ford main dealer. It did have 67k miles granted but it was a one owner car with full history.
I checked the MOT history. It’s clean, but it does have outstanding recall.
The condition in the pics looks a bit ropey to me. Kerbed alloys with fairly cheap tyres, seats look a bit raggy.
As a private sale I think he’s about a grand over. But then he’s just had to replace the engine so I guess he wants some of that cost back.
tomsugden said:
Unfortunately have had a horrible experience of that engine letting go previously, even if they have fixed the issue that they had we wouldn't revisit it To bring a close to the thread, my partner bought a 2013, 63 plate orangey red ST2 yesterday with the MP215 kit and 55,000 miles and the style pack I think.
There's a couple of little stone chips on he front and half the ST sill light doesn't work on the passenger door.
Its a boosty little thing!
There's a couple of little stone chips on he front and half the ST sill light doesn't work on the passenger door.
Its a boosty little thing!
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