st170 what do you think?

[l14 mut]

hi im thinking of getting a focus st170, just wondered what everyone thinks of them ie. perfomrance reliabilty etc.
thanks.

[neiljohnson]

Had one for just over a year before upgrading to a RS reason i got it was i was doing a lot of miles at the time, I did 30k in a year and apart from servicing (every 10k although ford say 12.5k) two sets of front pads one set of front discs one set of rear pads 6 tyres and one problem which was the varible inlet manifold control unit it was great and im not exactly what you call easy on my cars.

From experiance at the garage i work at just watch out for dual mass flywheel and clutch problems around £700!

A good all round car for the money.

[damci]

My brother has one there a nice car not civic type r quick but they handle really well. Has never had a problem with it in 2-years he's owned it and he doesn’t exactly potter about.

[Gun]

I've got one and it's by far the best car I've owned. Great handling, understated looks, deceptively fast and reliable. You won't be disappointed.

[ZeroSum]

Love mine too, it shifts when you want it to although it could do with another 50 bhp. Steering is ultra accurate, handling spot on and its quite comfortable.
Not had a problem with mine and it regularly sees the limiter Its the best all round vehicle I have owned.

[Gingerbread Man]

ZeroSum said:

Love mine too, it shifts when you want it to although it could do with another 50 bhp.

Have you been introduced to the Focus RS?

These cars look like a great all-round package. I think when I can afford a high-spec one with the Recaros i'll be seriously considering getting rid of my Puma.

[FWDRacer]

You'll drive it and want to get straight back into your Puma...

Gearbox and ratio's screw up an otherwise well sorted package IMHO.

Am I the only person that felt like they were sat 'on' it rather than in it with respect to the seating and position? Are the recaro models better?

[Jon GT2]

Much the same feeling from me,great chassis but underpowered early ones are best avoided.

[Gingerbread Man]

FWDRacer said:

You'll drive it and want to get straight back into your Puma...

Gearbox and ratio's screw up an otherwise well sorted package IMHO.

Am I the only person that felt like they were sat 'on' it rather than in it with respect to the seating and position? Are the recaro models better?

Hmmm, there seems to be a growing consensus that the gearbox is the weak link. Ah well, plenty more cars to pretend i'm in the market for.

[ZeroSum]

I find the gear shift quite nice, although as mentioned the raitos are too long (but an advantage is less jerkyness in town) & yes I had a focus RS but actually prefer my ST170 as its more comfortable, steers better and grips more in very sharp corners and value for money wise they are brilliant.
Clearly they are not for everyone, but the ST170 just suits my needs as a comfortable fun run around right now until my new business venture settles then it will go for something teutonic or even a new ST.

Edited by ZeroSum on Sunday 9th September 21:05

[l14 mut]

cheers for all the info fellas ill take it into consideration.

[thekirbyfake]

I had one for three years and 70k during which it never put a foot wrong and only saw the garage during services.

Performance and build quality are not a patch on the new ST but the brilliant handling and reasonable fuel consumption made it a painless three years.