Hello all,

Today I collected my new toy, a 2008 Ford Focus ST, its sat outside next to my MY2000 Scooby, which in theory I'm now going to sell. However, I just drove each of them, back to back, and now I'm not so sure, the Focus is very comfortable, is miles better equiped than the Scoob, has no car-park scuffs, is lower mileage, has better brakes and will at least not cost any more in fuel and insurance to run. The trouble is its just not as exciting to drive! I was surprised just how much more 'immediate' my twelve year old (lightly modified, EcoTek stage 2 ECU, thats it!)Impreza felt, more raw and more smile inducing. The Focus supposedly has 225BHP, I have no real idea what the Scoob is currently producing, but it just felt a lot more 'broad shouldered' if you know what I mean, more torqey and sort of solid. Plus I couldnt shake the feeling that the ST is, under the tinsel, 'just' a focus, a family hatch, whereas the Scoob is somthing else!
Now I'm really confused, by any rational argument I should sell the Impreza, but my heart, is tugging me back to keep the old girl and sell the ST. I'm sure the fact that I've owned the Scoob for ten years is playing a part in my indesicion, it feels like losing an old friend, or having an old fathful dog put to sleep!
What to do?!

 

sell both buy newer scoob simples

 

keep scooby sell focus then do some new mods on the scoob to bring it more up to date and refresh your interest in it

 

Buy a Honda Civic diesel and live a little .......... 350Nm's needs to be experienced to be appreciated - oh, yes, it will also lose less money than the other two.

 

I'm with Busterbulldog - sell both and get a new one to have best of both worlds...

 

Keep the classic
10 years so you know it will be good one
Keep it standard and spend a fortune on detailing products and get it machine polished
It's great to drive an old well maintained classic
So rare and will still turn heads
But an old diesel everyday car to keep the miles of the classic
The chavs are ruining the classics now you can get them for under 2k so we must preserve the classics that are left

 

Don't forget that you are comparing a modified classic against a standard ST.

Get a remap on the ST and you'll gain around 40bhp & 100lbft of torque! With a remap they fly in any gear and with a de-cat or exhaust they sound awesome.

 

One of the reasons I sold my Golf R32. Stunning looking car being the MK4, exhaust note was amazing, quite a rare car in the colour I had.

But...... Was fast but a bit underpowered.

Bought my 2005 STI after initially wanting a P1 but couldn't find a good one for decent money.

My Prodrive equipped STI just feels so raw and the power delivery is animal compared to my R32 and I haven't done anything to it yet.

Focus ST is underpowered a bit but as has been said, a remap will sort but I still don't think it will be a newage STI.

I'd go for a newage bud.

 

Thanks for all the replies, replaceing my classic with a new model was my first idea, but I was reluctant to fork over the ridiculous amount of road tax demanded for one, its like £460 a year or so, thats crazy!

 

Why is there so much angst about the "high" road tax? The extra (you'll pay at least £200 on the classic) equates to a few tanks of fuel, peanuts in the grand scheme of things!

TX.

 

Get it remapped and look for an exhaust Mine was pushing out 360lbft with just a panel filter, ecu spacer and dreamscience, that's 130lbft up over standard and it still did over 30mpg! On a run it'd see 40mpg!

 

I have been considering a remap, most likey a dreamscience version, would that make a noticable difference with all other things being standard?

And 40mpg?? really??! Thats incredible, those Volvo mills are known to have quite a thirst!

 

Id say stick with the classic mate. Better looking,.more fun to drive, more of a head turner to the public where as a focus is a focus sadly.

 

£270 road tax on 2005 2.0 STI.

 

Definitely this
Who cares about an extra £200 road tax anyway?! Over the course of a year it's not exactly a massive amount!

 

New Scooby = £475 Road Tax

I pay £120

That's a difference of £355 - 2 years Insurance for me!

So, certainly worth taking into account ...... remember, it's not a one off payment, it is every single tiring year, after tiring year ..... while you watch the value plummet, Insurance costs hike up annually - then. there is the fuel, of course.

If lovers of the Marque are deserting it in such numbers, it is in its last throws ... and people are jumping out, reluctantly.

 

Fair point but 120 a year is for a diesel though, I was comparing the higher price bracket compared to the bracket for the classic Scooby.
Everyone could buy a diesel and pay less tax but then some people still want a petrol WRX and are happy to pay the extra running costs because it's worth it to them.
There are cars with zero road tax but you pay the 120 for your Honda for the performance, and consider that worth it which I'm sure it is ( I actually thought about getting the Civic before I bought the Scooby!)
Everyone knows that a Scooby is expensive to run but the point was that you shouldn't necessarily be put off by a £200 difference in tax when some haggling over the price of the car could easily save you that!

 

It makes a huge difference due to the mid range torque. With the few mods I listed above mine produced 260bhp and 360lbft and it went extremely well, it'd pull like a train in 6th from 30mph with that torque! They benefit well from an intercooler change though.

40mpg is on a 70mph motorway run and you'll see mpg in the 30's quite easily, hooning it around town you'll see much less though!

 

You have a valid argument ... and, if that extra Road Tax was a once only payment, then I could agree that it isn't worth worrying about.

Trouble is, it is an annual cost ... along with the higher Insurance, higher Servicing, higher fuel costs - it's a drip feed of expense which a lot are seeing as too much. You can now get the same warm smile from something costing a fraction ....... and that, sadly, is why a Subaru is more and more the oddballs choice.

 

Yeah fair point, each to their own I guess!
The fact that the running costs are higher and less people want one though enabled me to save a load when I purchased it so I'm happy!

 

ffs, why dont you go to some other forum for civic users. I really dont understand your mentality to come here and gaud subaru owners.

oh yeah, I forgot, they dont want you either!

 

newage imps are just heavy classics anyway so sell the focus and keep the classic!

 

i had on 07 focus st.....fast enough in a straight line, fantastic on the motorway BUT..imo not the best on the twisties( well not compared to the scooby);and in real world mpg..i averaged about 32...as u said the scooby defo feels more solid