ST vs 3 series? Opinons?
Discussion
Depends on what you want from a car, really.
The ST may be blisteringly quick, but the interior is bloody awful. Most of the interior is cheap and nasty, whilst the ST bits are, on the whole, a bit 'Ripspeed'.
If all you want is something really quick, then the Focus will probably suit.
If you want something that feels like a nice place to spend time, then buy a BMW.
The ST may be blisteringly quick, but the interior is bloody awful. Most of the interior is cheap and nasty, whilst the ST bits are, on the whole, a bit 'Ripspeed'.
If all you want is something really quick, then the Focus will probably suit.
If you want something that feels like a nice place to spend time, then buy a BMW.
HeatonNorris said:
Depends on what you want from a car, really.
The ST may be blisteringly quick, but the interior is bloody awful. Most of the interior is cheap and nasty, whilst the ST bits are, on the whole, a bit 'Ripspeed'.
If all you want is something really quick, then the Focus will probably suit.
If you want something that feels like a nice place to spend time, then buy a BMW.
agreedThe ST may be blisteringly quick, but the interior is bloody awful. Most of the interior is cheap and nasty, whilst the ST bits are, on the whole, a bit 'Ripspeed'.
If all you want is something really quick, then the Focus will probably suit.
If you want something that feels like a nice place to spend time, then buy a BMW.
plus purely going fast doesn't equal fun.
in my experience, 200bhp+RWD+LSD will have you laughing around every corner ever, whilst 300bhp+FWD will have you frustrated and bored after a few months.
HeatonNorris said:
Depends on what you want from a car, really.
The ST may be blisteringly quick, but the interior is bloody awful. Most of the interior is cheap and nasty, whilst the ST bits are, on the whole, a bit 'Ripspeed'.
If all you want is something really quick, then the Focus will probably suit.
The ST certainly isn't 't anything like blisteringly quick, nor is the interior awful. Some of the lower plastics are hard, but who cares about those & the bits you touch day to day are perfectly ok. They're also reasonably tough it would seem. I've seen plenty of supposed premium German cars with shagged interiors after considerably less than 50k.The ST may be blisteringly quick, but the interior is bloody awful. Most of the interior is cheap and nasty, whilst the ST bits are, on the whole, a bit 'Ripspeed'.
If all you want is something really quick, then the Focus will probably suit.
HeatonNorris said:
If you want something that feels like a nice place to spend time, then buy a BMW.
You mean like a 1 series, Z4, X1, X3 etc 
HeatonNorris said:
ST Interior:
Nasty, hard plastics everywhere. The ST specific bits look very tacky and aftermarket.
Not trying to be funny. But have you looked at any other interiors? I'm yet to see anything this side of a Bentley that isn't full of plastics these days. You get the odd exceptions using alcantara or similar. But BMW, Merc, VW, Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Vauxhall are all equally plasticky inside.Nasty, hard plastics everywhere. The ST specific bits look very tacky and aftermarket.
otolith said:
Yeah, but German plastic has much more expensive tongue feel when you lick it.
Exactly! And if you are looking from a car journalist's (with a few exceptions) view point then this is the number one priority which decides whether it is a driver car or not because this is what the consumer wants (I'm told)
ST for me.
We had a 325 msport before the Focus. The interior on the focus is a tad "budget" but then look at the prices. You will pay a lot more for a Golf GTI or S3 etc.
The fuel bills are high but everything else is cheap , i was recently £400 for a major service including replacing a front wheel bearing. Thats almost dirt cheap.
The noise is addictive , the seats are great and a 3-series just seems a bit bland in comparison.
We had a 325 msport before the Focus. The interior on the focus is a tad "budget" but then look at the prices. You will pay a lot more for a Golf GTI or S3 etc.
The fuel bills are high but everything else is cheap , i was recently £400 for a major service including replacing a front wheel bearing. Thats almost dirt cheap.
The noise is addictive , the seats are great and a 3-series just seems a bit bland in comparison.
I had a Focus Titanium hire car over Christmas - it was bloody awful, considering that it was meant to be pretty much the 'top spec', bar the ST series. The interior may be acceptable in a rep-spec Style, but it's not acceptable in something that listed in the mid-£20ks when new.
Volvo take the same oily bits and wrap them in a much higher quality package for the same money - whilst the S40 T5 / V50 T5 and C30 T5 may not ultimately be quite as sharp to drive as the Focus - that's more than compensated for by the high class finish to the interior.
Volvo take the same oily bits and wrap them in a much higher quality package for the same money - whilst the S40 T5 / V50 T5 and C30 T5 may not ultimately be quite as sharp to drive as the Focus - that's more than compensated for by the high class finish to the interior.
My ST gets 19-21 MPG with roughly around 280-290bhp, it is mainly town driving with the odd blast here and there so I wouldn't expect it to do much. The ST's a good car, I don't think the plastics are any worse than my pals newer E46 320d convertible. Different cars altogether, the RWD is definitely a selling point of the BMW but I found the ST more fun for the driving I do, I like the character of it.
Can't comment on E46 problems (not having owned one although driven many) but with the ST look out for front suspension wisbone bushes, they're oil filled and prone to splitting. It's not a big deal, around £200 for powerflex bushes fitted at specialists so use it as a bargaining tool. Altenators were prone to going on earlier cars so if there's electrical gremlins it may be related to that, again not the end of the world but it's a few hundred quid to fix. If you want more info on them focusstoc is a good knowledge base.
Can't comment on E46 problems (not having owned one although driven many) but with the ST look out for front suspension wisbone bushes, they're oil filled and prone to splitting. It's not a big deal, around £200 for powerflex bushes fitted at specialists so use it as a bargaining tool. Altenators were prone to going on earlier cars so if there's electrical gremlins it may be related to that, again not the end of the world but it's a few hundred quid to fix. If you want more info on them focusstoc is a good knowledge base.
The problem is OP youve picked wildly different cars, also youve picked a specific model the the other is vague to say the least, for me your choice is E46 M3 v Focus, i wouldnt touch an E90, i just cant live with the looks or interior, the rest of the E46 range are dull, nice but safe, the 330 is an excellent GT but its so competent its almost boring, the M3 is wildly different, dont listen to the plastics argument, its so narrow minded and the reason why i dont go on any bmw forums anymore, just got sick of hearing it.
You need to be clearer on your requirments to get good advice on here.
You need to be clearer on your requirments to get good advice on here.
I always get the feeling that people who need to start worrying about the price of insurance on a used Focus ST are going to have quite the shock when it comes to any of the other associated running costs of something like this - or, indeed, a comparable BMW 3 Series. Insurance is the first hurdle, if its steep, then its probably time to rethink things. It's not as if the othe side of the insurance hurdle lies a car that is 100% reliable, costs £30 a year to tax, £30 a tyre and does 50mpg is it?
Fox- said:
I always get the feeling that people who need to start worrying about the price of insurance on a used Focus ST are going to have quite the shock when it comes to any of the other associated running costs of something like this - or, indeed, a comparable BMW 3 Series. Insurance is the first hurdle, if its steep, then its probably time to rethink things. It's not as if the othe side of the insurance hurdle lies a car that is 100% reliable, costs £30 a year to tax, £30 a tyre and does 50mpg is it?
Trouble is when you can insure them your to old to enjoy them
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