Ford Fiesta St Line X or Polo GTI

[anonymous-user]

So my brother has decided to look at a new car for around £12k. He’s found a 2018 Ford Fiesta Sat Line X and a 2016 Polo GTI. He’s looking to take a HP over 5 years and after some advice on what to go for.

[ZX10R NIN]

Tell him to compare like with like for starters he either wants a small hot hatch or he wants a warm one as the ST Line can come with at best a 140bhp engine & although it has a better chassis than the Polo GTI but your brother may miss the extra 50bhp. In all honesty if he wants the best small hatch then he should be looking at these:

Fiesta ST-3 The best small hot hatch in it's class

Peugeot Sport 208 GTIjust a smidge off of the Fiesta

Leftfield option is the 1.6T Clio RS220 Trophy with the Trophy added a sharpness to the RS

[anonymous-user]

I will tell him to look at the ST-3 and the Peugeot. Although he does like the newer Fiesta. As it seems to have more newer gadgets than the Polo. It’s also a lot cheaper to insure. However I suppose the big question would be the depreciation after 5 years.

[ZX10R NIN]

The Polo depreciates at the same rate as the ST/208 GTI don't forget it cost more to begin with, now also remember an ST Line will depreciate more than an ST.

[anonymous-user]

ZX10R NIN said:

The Polo depreciates at the same rate as the ST/208 GTI don't forget it cost more to begin with, now also remember an ST Line will depreciate more than an ST.

That’s true. I will tell him to bare that in mind. I suppose the servicing from main dealers would be about the same. The Ford would be cheaper on Parts. I would say the Fiesta would be slightly better on fuel but £25 more a year to tax which is not bad.

I am just thinking long term as he’s paying for it over 5 years either by a HP agreement or bank loan. It’s just where financially the money would be best spent.

[Deep Thought]

I'd be sorely tempted to go for a Fiesta ST(3). Granted insurance might cost him more but its a car thats viable for 5 years, whereas i'd say almost with certainty he'll tire of the ST-Line and want to move on from it.

Polo GTI? Probably decent enough, i think they're pricey for what you're getting and they're not the most engaging to drive. Again, its feels like a "make do" car that he'd want to upgrade from long before the 5 years are up.

[anonymous-user]

Deep Thought said:

I'd be sorely tempted to go for a Fiesta ST(3). Granted insurance might cost him more but its a car thats viable for 5 years, whereas i'd say almost with certainty he'll tire of the ST-Line and want to move on from it.

Polo GTI? Probably decent enough, i think they're pricey for what you're getting and they're not the most engaging to drive. Again, its feels like a "make do" car that he'd want to upgrade from long before the 5 years are up.

I agree with what your saying. The ST-3 is a great car. It’s a little out of his budget and he does prefer the new ford cabins. Maybe keep the ST Line and then upgrade to an ST-3 when they become a little cheaper. Which could be a possibility.

I think he was looking at a Polo GTI as they are a little different. It’s finding one with a nice spec and within budget.

[LimSlip]

rdb85 said:

I agree with what your saying. The ST-3 is a great car. It’s a little out of his budget and he does prefer the new ford cabins. Maybe keep the ST Line and then upgrade to an ST-3 when they become a little cheaper. Which could be a possibility.

I think he was looking at a Polo GTI as they are a little different. It’s finding one with a nice spec and within budget.

A 2016 Fiesta ST will almost certainly be cheaper than a 2016 Polo GTi.

[Deep Thought]

rdb85 said:

I agree with what your saying. The ST-3 is a great car. It’s a little out of his budget and he does prefer the new ford cabins. Maybe keep the ST Line and then upgrade to an ST-3 when they become a little cheaper. Which could be a possibility.

I think he was looking at a Polo GTI as they are a little different. It’s finding one with a nice spec and within budget.

A quick check on Autotrader shows 52 2016 Fiesta ST-3s available for under £12K, with less than 40,000 miles on them.

In fact theres some 2017 cars in budget and some of those are low miles from Ford main franchised dealers.

Buying a "make do" car now will mean he'll want to change 2 years down the line. He'll then be losing significantly on the car he's upgrading from, then lose again on the next car he buys.

If he wants a Polo GTI then fine, but the ST-3 is the much better car, and moreoften cheaper.

[anonymous-user]

I agree but he doesn’t like the interior in the ST-3 but if he could get maybe a Mountune one that could sway his decision. He much prefers the latest fiesta interior but an ST-3 is around £17k. Which would be well out of his monthly budget.

[ZX10R NIN]

Any of the hot hatches will cost more to insure/run than a warm hatch but the Hot Hatches will depreciate at a slower rate & will always be more desirable.

For me the ST-3 is the best pick

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Peugeot Sport GTI

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

RS220

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

If he wants a warm hatch I'd tell him to cut his budget & spend 8k as a max because the chamces are after three years he'll want to change it & go in a different direction, at this price point the depreciation has softened as well as the fact that he'll have pretty much paid off the finance which now leaves him with some capital to put towards his next car.

You can get some good warm hatches at this price point.

Astra GTC SRI/Limited Edition 200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Fiesta ST Line 140

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Zetec S

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Suzuki Swift Sport Nav

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[anonymous-user]

I will get him to have a look. He said that he likes the interior of the new Fiesta as he can get Apple Car play, use Google Maps etc. He has had a look at car insurance for the ST-3 and Polo GTI and they are quite high. The ST Line X was around £300 cheaper so he may have to consider his options and go for a warm hatch, due to the insurance costs.

Also would be be better with HP or PCP as he has no chance really of getting a loan being in his mid 20s.

[liner33]

If he is spending £12k on a new car is an extra £300 a year insurance really a big deal ?

[anonymous-user]

liner33 said:

If he is spending £12k on a new car is an extra £300 a year insurance really a big deal ?

Not really no. As I say he prefers the look of the new Fiesta. As the interior suits what he wants from a car. He’s said he will look at an older ST-3 as the newer ones are quite expensive. Also what’s the difference in the specs other than the 40 bhp?

[liner33]

Not many prefer the looks of the MK8 Fiesta over the MK7 , but the new model does have a lot of benefits

I think a late model MK7 ST-3 would be a really sound purchase to be honest I can see them having pretty stout residuals

[anonymous-user]

liner33 said:

Not many prefer the looks of the MK8 Fiesta over the MK7 , but the new model does have a lot of benefits

I think a late model MK7 ST-3 would be a really sound purchase to be honest I can see them having pretty stout residuals

Maybe so, I just think he’s looking at it as it’s alot more to tax and insure and it’s got 40bhp more. But it’s more fun to drive perhaps. They do seem pretty solid on their values.

[liner33]

rdb85 said:

Maybe so, I just think he’s looking at it as it’s alot more to tax and insure and it’s got 40bhp more. But it’s more fun to drive perhaps. They do seem pretty solid on their values.

Running a 2016 Mk7 ST-3 over 5 years will be likely be much cheaper than running a 2018 ST Line due to depreciation as ZX10r said

[ZX10R NIN]

rdb85 said:

Maybe so, I just think he’s looking at it as it’s alot more to tax and insure and it’s got 40bhp more. But it’s more fun to drive perhaps. They do seem pretty solid on their values.

They have a completely different setup & suspension hardware the 40bhp difference is just the tip of the Iceberg in comparison
to the ST Line.

[anonymous-user]

ZX10R NIN said:

They have a completely different setup & suspension hardware the 40bhp difference is just the tip of the Iceberg in comparison
to the ST Line.

Right okay. But the spec inside is not what he needs from a car. As I’m looking at it from his daily commute to work.

[ZX10R NIN]

If that's the case the Astra GTC from 2014 onwards will have the compatibility your brother is looking for.