I'm thinking of swapping my wife's A3 and my Eunos money pit for a more sensible hot hatch. My nice big TDi can do the long runs so economy isn't an issue - hence the desire for an ST (done the Impreza thing). On the list of potentials is an ST. Are there any reliability issues with these cars?

I know there are a few owners on here. Any regrets?

Do you wish you'd got a VXR or Clio 197? These are the others on the list of cars we are considering. My sister has a Corsa VXR and my wife likes these but I can't get my head past the fact that it's a modern Nova SR!
She doesn't like Golfs and I don't fancy a Type R after all the bad press it has had.

Thanks in advance!

Steve

 

If the golfs out then forget the corsa and Type-R both shonky for their own reasons.. Focus it is !

 

Are you looking new or used? What about the Scirocco or Renaultsport Megane if new?

 

Looking for used. About a year old. I do fancy a Megane and forgot that one on the above list.

The Scirocco is likely to be outside the budget range.

Steve

 

Just to add - the biggest sticking block with Renault's is the dealer network. I owned a Clio 182 Cup and loved it. However, when something went wrong, the dealers ability to rectify it was poor, verging on negligent.

Steve

 

CAnt really help you with issues as i dont own one but there are some major 07 bargains to be had. You can find 07 cars even in NI for less than 13k with sub 10k on the clock.

great car for the money. ST3 would be my choice so you get the leather seats if thats not important then ST2 or 3 will do the job.

Mark

 

Focus ST is getting on for 3yrs old now and is going to be superceeded by an RS model soon.

I personally think the best hatches on the market at the moment are those in the VAG range.

Audi S3 (265)
Golf Gti 230 ed
Leon Cupra 240

Cars remappable to the same 310bhp levels

IMO, LC is the best of the bunch

 

Not on your list but I'd go for the Alfa 147 GTA.

May not be the best, but that engine! That interior! Lovely car and would be the choice to replace my Impreza if I chose to sell now.

 

S3 - Too expensive
Cupra - Don't like the look and I already have a Skoda so don't need 2 budget marques on the drive
Golf - the wife has an irrational dislike of them!

Alfa 147 - I agree it looks and sounds brilliant but I am just not that brave.

Steve

 

Focus ST issues.

If its Orange, you look like a **** !

 

lol

 

Indeed!

White or blue for me!

Steve

 

Another left field nomination is a 2 year old RX-8. You can get the Prodrive'd ones for £12k now!

I know they are thirsty, like a drop of oil and will be taxed heavily but at that price for a relatively light weight RWD 4 seater...

Steve

 

and it says ford on it !!

 

I've got a blue one and no I don't wish I'd got a wheezy 197 or a hedge jumping VXR (have you actually seen the astra interior too?!!!! )

Stick to my 275bhp and 330lb/ft (simple chip for that power) ta

 

It's front wheel drive !!!

 

So apart from the trolling answers, no problems then!

Steve

 

Ignore all the ***** with their "FWD" and "Ford" answers (how very original, will someone come along with Fix Or Repair Daily next?).

Ford's are as reliable as anything else these days, and you only need 4WD if you want to drive around like a bellend at full tilt all the time.

I am loving owning my ST, same remap as Neil - 275/330 and it is just awesome, the only major downside is the 20-21mpg max that I get from it!! But with road tax at £310 from 2010 (much less than 4WD), cheap insurance and servicing they really make sense.

I have a 56 plate Civic Diesel which I thought was the pinnacle of smoothness until I bought the ST, the ST is so nice to own and drive it makes the Civic feel like some old beater.

As for the RS, that is to run alongside the ST and will cost a lot more, £25k plus so it will in no way "supercede" the ST.

Mine is an 07 plate and I paid just over £14k from a dealer earlier this year and I seem to enjoy it more and more every time I drive it. I was out in the monsoon rain on Monday late for a meeting and giving it some on the motorway network and it never once let me down for traction or speed.

 

I've been looking at the Dream Science units on Ebay. They sometimes say "5 lives left" what does that mean?

Steve

 

Each time they are uploaded to a different ST, it uses up one of their "lives", so 5 lives left is a 1 ST uploaded unit and will work on several more cars before it will need to be unlocked again by DreamScience for a nominal fee

 

Nowt wrong with Fords these days, I think sometimes people realise how far they have come on.

 

It would be parked next to a Skoda on my drive so I'm hardly a badge snob!

Steve

 

Had 3 over the last 18 months after owning 2 UK Turbos and a bug eye STI. Can say that i did not have one problem with mine and i have heard of only a few problems. Build quality has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years along with reliability. If you want one , get one.

 

Bloody love mine! Have just done 1400 miles down to Germany and back and loved every mile of it! With the DS on between 60 mph and 130 mph there was nothing in it between the ST and an 08 STI on the Autobahn Plus, for the whole trip we averaged 26 mpg

 

So you went for the DS in the end then Bob, I thought you were leaving the remaps? Impressive aren't they

Steve, if you do buy a DS from eBay make sure it is the ST225 Stratagem, and not any of the DF3000, or tuner models as they are different.

I bought mine from focusstoc.com with 4 lives left and the new blue screen version for £340. Will be fitting a K&N Gen II in a few weeks as well.

 

Yeah, couldn't help myself, bloody marvelous!

 

One down side is the fuel consumption ..... Mine was a very thirsty beast
Apart from that it was built better than any VW ive owned ....

 

MPG is a major flaw with them, I get about 190 miles from £50 of Tesco 99, the on board computer reckons thats about 20mpg or so

 

Ours would be a 2nd car. Our Octavia TD vRS would do all the long trips at 50mpg

Steve

 

A mate has one of these and mentioned something about engine managment problems, he said something about ford having updates for the ecu.. i dont know much else as the car didnt really interest me..