Focus ST 170 - would you?
Discussion
I fancy buying a modern classic, something that's currently rock bottom on price but which may in time appreciate. A car that's caught my interest is the Mk1 Focus ST. Modern Classics featured the car a few months back and they really are very cheap compared with stuff like the Civic Type R EP3 and Mini Cooper R53.
I know they're not quick or that highly rated, but that didn't stop prices of XR2s and XR3s climbing to their current stratospheric levels.. I owned a 1.6 Mk1 Focus 9-10 years ago and its one of my favourite handling cars..
So I'm after feedback from owners...or former owners...are they worth it?
My OH had a Mk1 2.0 Ghia, it was a great car but finally got scrapped last year, it had done close to 150k mls.
Rust is the biggest issue with them, find a clean one & I'm sure you'll be very happy with your choice.
I have a Clio 172 Cup, they are dirt cheap at the moment & are a fantastic car, may be worth a look as an alternative? They don't rust & reliability issues are much overblown on the 'net.
Rust is the biggest issue with them, find a clean one & I'm sure you'll be very happy with your choice.
I have a Clio 172 Cup, they are dirt cheap at the moment & are a fantastic car, may be worth a look as an alternative? They don't rust & reliability issues are much overblown on the 'net.
LordHaveMurci said:
My OH had a Mk1 2.0 Ghia, it was a great car but finally got scrapped last year, it had done close to 150k mls.
Rust is the biggest issue with them, find a clean one & I'm sure you'll be very happy with your choice.
I have a Clio 172 Cup, they are dirt cheap at the moment & are a fantastic car, may be worth a look as an alternative? They don't rust & reliability issues are much overblown on the 'net.
Ha, ha, funny enough the Clio 172 is on my "Want to own" list!! I fancy a phase 1, as these are quite rare now, but they've already risen a bit in value. Did see a couple of 172 Cups for sale on Gumtree, around the £2K mark...quite tempting, but I am not sure I fancy a car that quick without ABS....?Rust is the biggest issue with them, find a clean one & I'm sure you'll be very happy with your choice.
I have a Clio 172 Cup, they are dirt cheap at the moment & are a fantastic car, may be worth a look as an alternative? They don't rust & reliability issues are much overblown on the 'net.
The mk1 ST170 wasn't great at the time, overshadowed by the Clio 172. I like the mk1 Focus, my wife had a 1.6 one and it handled way better than it should and was a lot of fun. At the time the mk1 ST170 came out I had a phase 1 Clio 172, a work colleague had a ST170. We had a little play on a "private" road and we were both surprised how vast the difference in performance was between both cars from 0-100mph.
Clio 172 Cup would make a good buy as would the phase 1 Clio 172.
Clio 172 Cup would make a good buy as would the phase 1 Clio 172.
greenarrow said:
Ha, ha, funny enough the Clio 172 is on my "Want to own" list!! I fancy a phase 1, as these are quite rare now, but they've already risen a bit in value. Did see a couple of 172 Cups for sale on Gumtree, around the £2K mark...quite tempting, but I am not sure I fancy a car that quick without ABS....?
Had mine for 8.5yrs, hillclimbed it for 4 seasons. Can't say I've ever missed ABS (or traction control).Only activated ABS once in 9yrs in my other car & I'm not exactly a sedate driver!
If it bothers you, look at FF 1*2's instead, they are also slightly more refined than the very raw Cup.
Had a '52 plate 5 door ST170 and it was a pretty average car, nothing wrong with it, just average. Handled well, quite chuckable, however got quite friendly with the local petrol station. No problems running it, apart from when I hit a pot hole and smashed the lambda sensor of the cat (I think?, this was a while ago) this resulted in a new cat. Its a warm Ford, not a hot hatch. If you can find a good one, keep hold of it. Oh and if LF52OXC is still kicking about, then I cherished it when I had it!!
zedx19 said:
The mk1 ST170 wasn't great at the time, overshadowed by the Clio 172. I like the mk1 Focus, my wife had a 1.6 one and it handled way better than it should and was a lot of fun. At the time the mk1 ST170 came out I had a phase 1 Clio 172, a work colleague had a ST170. We had a little play on a "private" road and we were both surprised how vast the difference in performance was between both cars from 0-100mph.
Clio 172 Cup would make a good buy as would the phase 1 Clio 172.
Indeed, close to 5 seconds difference I think between Clio and an early ST170...that's quite a lot. The later 170 tested by EVO was a bit faster, but not Clio 182 fast. Not that surprising I guess as a Clio 172 must weigh about 200KG less than a Focus ST.Clio 172 Cup would make a good buy as would the phase 1 Clio 172.
..maybe the ST isn't the best Focus Mk1 to buy then. Perhaps if you could find one, a low mileage 1.6 or 1.8 Zetec would be one to lock away and keep as a future "popular classic". Have you seen the prices of even cooking Mk3 and Mk4 Escorts these days....bonkers.... It was the 1.8 that Autocar gave 5 stars to and if memory serves me correct Tiff did handbrake turns in on Top Gear car of the year.....my old 1.6 was certainly a blast, albeit very gutless unless being caned. I was actually out-dragged by a Vauxhall Agilia in that car exiting a roundabout and caught in 3rd, not 2nd gear!!!
I had one, and at the time was a little under-whelmed by it.
However, as time has passed I think I didn't appreciate it enough. Think of it as a good handling, good looking warm hatch. Don't try comparing it to a Civic Type-R or RS Clio, as it can't compete with the performance of fully fledged hot hatches.
I saw a fully specced ST170 on Autotrader the other day. A bit pricey at £3K but I did consider buying it and keeping it as a 'modern classic', but i'm not convinced they will ever be looked upon that favorably by the market.
However, as time has passed I think I didn't appreciate it enough. Think of it as a good handling, good looking warm hatch. Don't try comparing it to a Civic Type-R or RS Clio, as it can't compete with the performance of fully fledged hot hatches.
I saw a fully specced ST170 on Autotrader the other day. A bit pricey at £3K but I did consider buying it and keeping it as a 'modern classic', but i'm not convinced they will ever be looked upon that favorably by the market.
I had one as a courtesy car while my car was being fixed, and for the first 2 days the jump from a 1.4 Civic to a 2.0 Focus was great fun, but then the novelty wore off and the Ford actually started to feel slow and lifeless after that very short period of time, and I wasn't sad to see it go at all.
greenarrow said:
I fancy buying a modern classic, something that's currently rock bottom on price but which may in time appreciate. A car that's caught my interest is the Mk1 Focus ST. Modern Classics featured the car a few months back and they really are very cheap compared with stuff like the Civic Type R EP3 and Mini Cooper R53.
I know they're not quick or that highly rated, but that didn't stop prices of XR2s and XR3s climbing to their current stratospheric levels.. I owned a 1.6 Mk1 Focus 9-10 years ago and its one of my favourite handling cars..
So I'm after feedback from owners...or former owners...are they worth it?
I’m rather fond of a mk1 Focus as ive owned one from new and a couple more since as second hand, all estate versions.I know they're not quick or that highly rated, but that didn't stop prices of XR2s and XR3s climbing to their current stratospheric levels.. I owned a 1.6 Mk1 Focus 9-10 years ago and its one of my favourite handling cars..
So I'm after feedback from owners...or former owners...are they worth it?
One from new was a facelift 2.0 zetec with the hid headlights and heated front seat black leather. The wheels were 7jx19 and it was a fab handling car that would also be the family load lugger. The photo below is that car. The 2.0 zetec versions are more rare than an st170 unless you get hold of the st170 estate..
The other version to possibly find is a 2.0 ghia. The pre-facelift ghia fitted with factory fit leather also had cruise control.
As a possible popular classic I would say a 2.0 ghia or the 2.0 zetec rather than the lack lustre st170 version
IanCress said:
RobXjcoupe said:
2.0 zetec with the hid headlights
I swear the HID headlights I had on the ST170 were the best headlights i've ever had on any car. Along with the heated leather Recaro's and factory fit sub in the boot it was a well equipped car.
blade7 said:
Around 10 years ago I was considering an ST170 or a Fiesta ST for her indoors. Spoke to someone I knew that worked at the factory, they said the Fiesta was a much better car than the Focus.
We've got a 2005 Fiesta ST funny enough. Went through its MOT yesterday with just an advisory of worn tyres (on the inside bizarrely) and its a tough little car and fun to drive. Feels very fresh tbh, after 13 years. I do feel Fords are much better built than they used to be. Ours is on 79,000 miles which is well below average so maybe we should just hang onto it as our "future classic ST Ford". I do fancy another Mk1 Focus however, just as a run around hack...they're so cheap now that you can just buy one and chuck it away if you get a big bill.
IanCress said:
The only major problem with the Focus is rust. The engines and drivetrain have proved to be solid and reliable, and of course there's plenty of spares available when stuff does go wrong.
This is true, we only got rid of my wifes 1.6 Ghia Mk1 Focus as rust started appearing near suspension top mounting points. It was on over 100k, 110k iirc, and we'd had it since 60k and spent nothing on it bar servicing and everything still worked. Over 2 years ago we sold that and I still see it on the road tbf, so maybe the rust wasn't as bad as I thought!Gassing Station | Ford | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff