Focus ST170 (My First Car)

[s m]

itcaptainslow said:

s m said:

itcaptainslow said:

Cheers! The writing isn’t quite to Evo’s standard but being fair I don’t actually think it’s meant to be-having met a couple of the guys behind it they deliberately seem to keep it light hearted, assessable and also shy away from completely taking cars to bits.

Objectively some of the stuff they review might be crap, but it’s how it makes you feel, after all, and you can have a great deal of fun living out childhood memories in a Vauxhall Nova Spin. Even if brand new it was ste.

Absolutely - for me at least, the cars you can actually afford to buy and drive as well as read about are always twice as interesting as the cars you can only afford to read about ....(or drive on an airfield under the watchful eye of an instructor for 10 minutes)

101%-the stuff in Evo that I find most interesting is the bits about the Up GTI’s, the GT86, Lotuses, RenaultSport products etc. Supercar features I tend to gloss over and skim read at best.

Yep, same, I just skip over the 250k 911s you can't even buy anyway. The cars in Modern Classics are at least accessible to me.

Aaron,
I thought you'd find the RPJ bit interesting - they got him in to do the Mk5 RS2000 as well iirc and that showed how good the Mk5 could have been

[aaron_2000]

s m said:

itcaptainslow said:

s m said:

itcaptainslow said:

Cheers! The writing isn’t quite to Evo’s standard but being fair I don’t actually think it’s meant to be-having met a couple of the guys behind it they deliberately seem to keep it light hearted, assessable and also shy away from completely taking cars to bits.

Objectively some of the stuff they review might be crap, but it’s how it makes you feel, after all, and you can have a great deal of fun living out childhood memories in a Vauxhall Nova Spin. Even if brand new it was ste.

Absolutely - for me at least, the cars you can actually afford to buy and drive as well as read about are always twice as interesting as the cars you can only afford to read about ....(or drive on an airfield under the watchful eye of an instructor for 10 minutes)

101%-the stuff in Evo that I find most interesting is the bits about the Up GTI’s, the GT86, Lotuses, RenaultSport products etc. Supercar features I tend to gloss over and skim read at best.

Yep, same, I just skip over the 250k 911s you can't even buy anyway. The cars in Modern Classics are at least accessible to me.

Aaron,
I thought you'd find the RPJ bit interesting - they got him in to do the Mk5 RS2000 as well iirc and that showed how good the Mk5 could have been

Seems he was a guardian angel for Ford in the 90's really

[aaron_2000]

Figured I needed an update, fitted a new lambda sensor, seen about 32mpg on a run now, way better than the 15mpg it used to get. Being my first car, I had to go a little chavy so I fitted a Pipercross cone filter, very nice induction noise. Decided to get it out of the garage and start driving it again now the bad weather is behind us, within the next month I'll be having all the rust treated, all the big scratches painted and the wheels refurb'd. Got a nice new set of Ford centre caps to go with the Sparkle Silver paint too. Took it for a drive a couple of weeks ago in the sun, reminded me exactly why I bought it, such a good steer, the engine is great when driven the right way, sounds a bit crap at high revs though. Looking to get some new numberplates from a Ford dealer to add to the OEM+ look. Glad I put it away for winter though, I wanted to get a real good first impression that winter driving just wouldn't give me, looking to get it undersealed this summer too. Looking forward to my road trip in October with it. Took advantage of the warm weather to detail it too, didn't get any pics in the sun because it was 8:30 when I finished it. It was almost like being back in 2003 driving it in the sun like that Closest I'll get to a time machine so it'll have to do :P

[aaron_2000]

Never thought I would, but after driving my Impreza back to back with the Focus, I genuinely prefer the Focus. Not just for the fact it's many levels more refined, nicer to be in and easier to drive, but it's also tighter, more direct, a much better steer and I think the gearbox is better too, albeit the ST170 ratios are obviously too long. Goodbye Subaru it seems, once it's tidied up.

[anonymous-user]

aaron_2000 said:

Never thought I would, but after driving my Impreza back to back with the Focus, I genuinely prefer the Focus. Not just for the fact it's many levels more refined, nicer to be in and easier to drive, but it's also tighter, more direct, a much better steer and I think the gearbox is better too, albeit the ST170 ratios are obviously too long. Goodbye Subaru it seems, once it's tidied up.

Are you sure it´s not the fact that you have an emotional connection to the focus?

[aaron_2000]

Bernie Sanders said:

Are you sure it´s not the fact that you have an emotional connection to the focus?

Positive, we had a 2000 Turbo before the Focus.

[aaron_2000]

Decided I've really enjoyed cleaning mine up, saving it from the breakers yard that I went and bought another today. £530 so only £20 less than mine (no where near as good condition as mine was). Steering rack is ready to be replaced, as is the windscreen, but the clutch/box are very strong, as is the engine. Prefer the colour too. Filthy, the guy I got it from was nice, surprised to see it'd been owned for 11 years (checked Google maps, it was there in 2015 outside his house). Gonna be detailing it tomorrow, the guy was an OAP which impressed me, gonna send him a few pics of it when it's been brought up to scratch. Like the Impreza it's gonna be sold at the end of it so I won't be dumping loads into it, not that it needs it, just some care. Pictures don't show the paint condition though, mine is a good step above it in that sense too. Won't be doing that much to it so I won't be hijacking my own thread too much with it, I'll post some pics when it's done.

[aaron_2000]

Found more info on it today, I just don't understand how it wasn't scrapped. Funny that the guy I bought it from paid £200-£250 for it, did all that work to it, yet he only sold it to me for £550. in every right it should've been scrapped, I'm beyond happy it wasn't.

https://carnapper.co.uk/car/YH03EYY

[aaron_2000]

Considering doing a trackday with it this summer, would ideally have the new exhaust and map on it by then.

[aaron_2000]

Forgot all about this Don't think anyone is even following at this point, but I might aswell update. Turns out I was full of st with my plans. I ran the car until the clutch went, took it to a cowboy while my mechanic was ill, got over charged for an appalling clutch job. Lost interest after that, it's been sat in my garage under a pile of car parts ever since. Had plenty of cars since I bought it, had my dad's old Leon that he sold the Focus for, EP3, 330d, some scrap stuff. The 330d I've had now has inspired me to really get into the car now. Paint is stripped, it's shown that it needs some rust work doing. Ready to be painted, I'd like to say this year, likely next year now. MOT and tax expire this month so likely 1 more drive before then. This is the To Do list for the next 6-8 months:

Rear Windows (Rear left doesn’t go up or down/right doesn’t go up on the front switch)

Service (including new performance fluids)

Front foglight bulb/reverse bulb

Bad rear repair/wing mirror rust/boot rust/ all 4 arches/rear bumper mark/bottom of the rear left door

Swap headlights over

Sort 12v power shortage out

Touch ST170 badge up

PIAA wiper blades

Nankang NS-2R tyres (link at the bottom)

Gearknob retrimmed

Scorpion Exhaust (link at the bottom)

Wheels Refurbished

Fit centre caps

Buy/Fit ST170 spoiler

Steel headers (Link at the bottom)

Have CD Player realigned

Brake calipers done in silver

New Ford key (Link at the bottom)

Remap (Link at the bottom)

Polar Ford plates

Polar Ford tax disc holder

Headlight lense restoration



As it is now, stripped for paintwork (needs some more doing obviously)


Quite an amazing photo actually, my dad sold the Focus in 2005 for the Leon, now I've had both of them. I abandoned the Focus for over a month in that car park after the Leon made me lose interest in it.


Jumpstarting my old 205 GTI (it had some factory xenons painted black on it, now back on originals)

[aaron_2000]

Is this unauthorised advertising too?


Edit: Might as well update it, even though I think I'm the only one that reads this

Sills are ruined, one side is filler, the other is dust. Quotes are around £600 for the sills and arches being replaced + paint, seems fair.


Needs st like this touching up too.

Edited by aaron_2000 on Friday 8th February 20:03

Edited by aaron_2000 on Friday 8th February 20:04

[okenemem]

surveyor said:

Ouch. but could be worse I suppose.

I think that is okay, obviously your not living in London,

17 year old with a 170bhp car that is a good quote

[Benton]

Ouch. Sills seem a common failure point on mk1 Focii.

Looks a nice car so worth the effort and money to repair. I'm moderately desperate to own one of these but don't want to sell my 1.6 Zetec. I could entertain a cheap ST in addition to the Zetec but all the cheap ones seem to be knackered now.

[Nickbrapp]

I had 2 standard focus and loved them,when I tried a 170 I loved them even more, and in silver it just looked so right.

The one I tried was a 3 door silver with Xenons and recaros and to my eye still looks so good 20 years on from when it first came out, much better than the mk4.

Nice to see one saved from the scrap heap, I ended up with a fiat stilo Abarth, 170bhp from a 2.4 5 pot so not too much different!

[aaron_2000]

okenemem said:

surveyor said:

Ouch. but could be worse I suppose.

I think that is okay, obviously your not living in London,

17 year old with a 170bhp car that is a good quote

I pay £1100 fully comp now, or at least I would be if it wasn't sat at the back of the drive without a battery.

[aaron_2000]

Benton said:

Ouch. Sills seem a common failure point on mk1 Focii.

Looks a nice car so worth the effort and money to repair. I'm moderately desperate to own one of these but don't want to sell my 1.6 Zetec. I could entertain a cheap ST in addition to the Zetec but all the cheap ones seem to be knackered now.

Thanks, I would've scrapped it when the clutch went if it wasn't sentimental. If you want one, I'd get one now. £800 to around £1200 will put you in a good one. I'd go for one with over 110k on the clock, makes it more likely the clutch and DMF were changed. Mine had a slipping clutch when I bought it, got another 1500 miles from it before replacing it.

[aaron_2000]

Nickbrapp said:

I had 2 standard focus and loved them,when I tried a 170 I loved them even more, and in silver it just looked so right.

The one I tried was a 3 door silver with Xenons and recaros and to my eye still looks so good 20 years on from when it first came out, much better than the mk4.

Nice to see one saved from the scrap heap, I ended up with a fiat stilo Abarth, 170bhp from a 2.4 5 pot so not too much different!

I'm converting mine to have the xenon front washers, it actually makes the front look stronger IMO. Mine is basic spec. As I said to my parents, I wish they'd gone for a navy blue loaded 5 door with the NaviPilot and rear spoiler.

[Can Orlando]

Hi Aaron, thanks for the post, I really enjoyed it. I am pretty sentimental towards ST170's - I had one back in 2006 when I was 21/22, a 52 plate so it was pretty new at the time. I remember paying £7500 from the local Ford main dealer who stuck on a new pair of Michelins on it for me. It was the dark grey colour, the same as the second one you bought. I came from a 106GTI which seemed to really come on cam and surge towards the red line, the Focus didn't have that top end hit and I believe it was timed as being slower to 100mph from a standing start (maybe by 3 or 4 seconds). Still, the Pug had been lowered by the last owner and wasn't that quick through the bends as it crashed and bashed along. The Focus was a lot more grown up, flowing through the bends, it handled wonderfully, the steering feedback was spot on, the ride was pretty pliant and I averaged 34mpg in it over a year (mostly long B road/motorway journeys. In terms of upgrades, I can't remember the specific details of it, but I bought a bigger rear spoiler, one that looked like it could have come from the factory, and got it sprayed to match. I felt it really added to the looks. I had to sell the car after a year to fund a gap year, I managed to get £4000 for it. Yes, I lost a chunk but that's selling privately vs buying from a dealer, that and suddenly small cars with big engines were the devil, so the market had all but disappeared! Adam.

[s m]

Can Orlando said:

I came from a 106GTI which seemed to really come on cam and surge towards the red line, the Focus didn't have that top end hit and I believe it was timed as being slower to 100mph from a standing start (maybe by 3 or 4 seconds).

I guess those were YouTube tests of second hand cars?

When the mags tested the cars new a Focus ST170 was in between the times of a 306 GTi and 106 Gti to 100mph ( about 21 seconds - 306 around 20 and 106 around 22 ) - either you’ve seen an extremely fast 106 or it wasn’t a healthy ST170. They should definitely be quicker than 26 seconds to the ton if they’re running right. Up to 60 they were a bit slower than the similar weight 306 GTi-6 as the gearing was long in 1st/2nd.

Where did you see the road test? I guess it wasn’t a U.S. mag as their times were often quicker than Uk ones!


I do think the Focus can be prone to something going awry in the intake after a while and knocking the edge off the performance though after a few miles.

[aaron_2000]

Can Orlando said:

Hi Aaron, thanks for the post, I really enjoyed it. I am pretty sentimental towards ST170's - I had one back in 2006 when I was 21/22, a 52 plate so it was pretty new at the time. I remember paying £7500 from the local Ford main dealer who stuck on a new pair of Michelins on it for me. It was the dark grey colour, the same as the second one you bought. I came from a 106GTI which seemed to really come on cam and surge towards the red line, the Focus didn't have that top end hit and I believe it was timed as being slower to 100mph from a standing start (maybe by 3 or 4 seconds). Still, the Pug had been lowered by the last owner and wasn't that quick through the bends as it crashed and bashed along. The Focus was a lot more grown up, flowing through the bends, it handled wonderfully, the steering feedback was spot on, the ride was pretty pliant and I averaged 34mpg in it over a year (mostly long B road/motorway journeys. In terms of upgrades, I can't remember the specific details of it, but I bought a bigger rear spoiler, one that looked like it could have come from the factory, and got it sprayed to match. I felt it really added to the looks. I had to sell the car after a year to fund a gap year, I managed to get £4000 for it. Yes, I lost a chunk but that's selling privately vs buying from a dealer, that and suddenly small cars with big engines were the devil, so the market had all but disappeared! Adam.

Glad you liked the read. From old paper work I got with the Leon, the Focus was traded in against the Leon for £8k. That's a £2k loss in 2 years which isn't bad. I'll be fitting the factory spoiler to mine eventually, they all should've had it IMO. If you remember the reg I can see if it's still on the road if you like?