Hi Everyone!

ST newbie here!
Firstly apologies for any stupid questions I may ask, I am new to the ST world!
And also apologise for the long message!

So without wanting to bore you all, my current situation is I drive a 2004 206 GTI 180 - yes, I know, I know! ***** French! - and after having it 2yrs I just seem to be spending on it practically every month! So the time has come to get rid, it is a shame because it's a nippy little thing, but it's just one problem after the next at the moment!
My next choice....the mighty Focus ST! I wanted a car that was just as nippy and was fun to drive! I looked at the Honda civic type R and the Seat Leon Cupra, both seemed good fast cars but my heart is kinda settled on the ST.

I have spent the past 2 weeks looking around and trying to learn about the ST and my current situation is I have around £5K to spend, I have seen one at my local Evans Halshaw which I have put a £200 refundable deposit on. Its 2007, ST-2, 74k on clock and is in silver with no mods done at all, body or engine and they are asking £4700. It's a bit or a boring colour and look very plain compared to other STs I have seen but I like the fact it's only had 2 owners and clearly not been ragged about plus it means it's a fresh canvass to put my own mark on!.
My questions are...
1) it says it's an ST-2 but it has sat nav and automatic lights but yet when I have looked at other ST2's online, none seem to have these 2 features and when I have read various articles it doesnt say the st-2's came with these features. Can anyone offer any insight?

2) from what I read online alot of people prefer the 2008 onwards ST because of facelift and also because Ford apparently altered a few things in the 2008 version like a dodgy oil filter housing issue I keep reading about. Does this mean I should stay clear of any pre 2008 ones?

3) can you get body mods for the pre 2008 models to make them stand out more? Particular the rear bumper, as all the 2008 models onwards have that black exhaust grill part which looks better.

4) I know I could probably get a cheaper deal from a private seller but I had so many issue with the 206 GTI after getting it off a private seller that it's kinda put me off now. At least with a garage I should have a bit more reassurance surely? Evans Halshaw has offered me an extended warranty but said it wont cover wear and tear parts but it will cover head gasket and clutch - which I heard can be an expensive problem on STs. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

5) is it worth getting the cambelt and waterpump done as soon as I get one? I have read that Ford recommends getting it done at either 100k or if car is 10yrs old. I have been quoted £300, which obviously I need to take into consideration. 

6) and lastly, before I commit to buying the one I have seen, there is a company about 2hrs from me called J & R specialist cars which seem to have alot of ST's in stock and cheaper!
In particular I have seen this one..

https://www.jandrspecialistcars.co.uk/used-cars/ford-focus-2-5-siv-st-3-3dr-oldbury-201903035507025

It's a 2008 plate so it's a year newer, it has done 88k which is 14k more then the one at Evans - does this really make much of a difference? - and its £600 cheaper even though its newer! Seems bit silly for me to spend 600 more on an older car.
Would be interested in peoples thoughts on this.

I have uploaded pics of the one I have put a deposit on.

I apologise for the long post but £5000 is my savings and its a lot of money for me so any help, advice and insight would be greatly appreciated!

P.s anyone wanna buy a pug 206 GTI 180? Haha

I've bought a facelift ST-3 in performance blue the other month. It's a brilliant car, just very thirsty. I found the seats in the ST-2 to look cheap and nasty tbh. The leathers in the ST-3 make the interior look 100x better. Plus they're heated which is a bonus.

1) They're optional extras available to all the trim levels (ST-2, ST-3). Most people don't get many options on the ST2 as they would get them on the higher spec ST3 instead. The sat nav system is a bit crappy compared to what you get now and most the maps are years out of date.

2) I wouldn't stay clear, but just ensure the work has been done to fix the issues. I doubt the block mod will have been done, but if you're not remapping then it shouldn't be needed.

3) There's a whole heap of websites that sell mods for both facelift and PFL MK2 ST225's. The rear diffuser is a popular mod, but a bit harder to do on the PFL as it's not a straight swap depending on what you buy,

4) Evans Halshaw can be a complete pain to deal with in terms of after sales/warranty issues. The extended warranty isn't really worth it. The stuff they actually cover you for is pretty much nothing, meaning you're better just putting the money aside just in case something went wrong. Be careful what they say about head gasket and clutch. If the clutch fails because it's worn too much, they won't cover you. They can only find that out once it's been stripped in their workshop, so unless it was a total failure, you'll have to pay that cost even if you decide not to get it fixed there. The good thing about the MK2 ST is many of the engine parts are available directly from Volvo meaning it costs half the price. Of course if you're sending it to a garage for the work then it can cost a fair bit.

5) Yes most definitely. I need to order the bits to do mine at some point soon.

6) It's a CAT N meaning an insurers wrote it off being uneconomical to repair but hasn't had chassis damage. Kinda explains why it's cheaper to start with. However, mileage is a huge factor towards the price of the MK2 ST's, the year doesn't make any difference (as long as they're both pre-facelifts). Also the 3 door versions tend to be worth more too. I guess you don't see many Focus's with a 3 door other than ST's/RS's so does increase the value a bit. The "plain" colour ST's wont hold their value as well either, and can be harder to sell not really fitting in with the ST's "ASBO" culture.

2 hours ago, Marvelgeek said:

Hi Everyone!

ST newbie here!
Firstly apologies for any stupid questions I may ask, I am new to the ST world!
And also apologise for the long message!

So without wanting to bore you all, my current situation is I drive a 2004 206 GTI 180 - yes, I know, I know! ***** French! - and after having it 2yrs I just seem to be spending on it practically every month! So the time has come to get rid, it is a shame because it's a nippy little thing, but it's just one problem after the next at the moment!
My next choice....the mighty Focus ST! I wanted a car that was just as nippy and was fun to drive! I looked at the Honda civic type R and the Seat Leon Cupra, both seemed good fast cars but my heart is kinda settled on the ST.

I have spent the past 2 weeks looking around and trying to learn about the ST and my current situation is I have around £5K to spend, I have seen one at my local Evans Halshaw which I have put a £200 refundable deposit on. Its 2007, ST-2, 74k on clock and is in silver with no mods done at all, body or engine and they are asking £4700. It's a bit or a boring colour and look very plain compared to other STs I have seen but I like the fact it's only had 2 owners and clearly not been ragged about plus it means it's a fresh canvass to put my own mark on!.
My questions are...
1) it says it's an ST-2 but it has sat nav and automatic lights but yet when I have looked at other ST2's online, none seem to have these 2 features and when I have read various articles it doesnt say the st-2's came with these features. Can anyone offer any insight?

2) from what I read online alot of people prefer the 2008 onwards ST because of facelift and also because Ford apparently altered a few things in the 2008 version like a dodgy oil filter housing issue I keep reading about. Does this mean I should stay clear of any pre 2008 ones?

3) can you get body mods for the pre 2008 models to make them stand out more? Particular the rear bumper, as all the 2008 models onwards have that black exhaust grill part which looks better.

4) I know I could probably get a cheaper deal from a private seller but I had so many issue with the 206 GTI after getting it off a private seller that it's kinda put me off now. At least with a garage I should have a bit more reassurance surely? Evans Halshaw has offered me an extended warranty but said it wont cover wear and tear parts but it will cover head gasket and clutch - which I heard can be an expensive problem on STs. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

5) is it worth getting the cambelt and waterpump done as soon as I get one? I have read that Ford recommends getting it done at either 100k or if car is 10yrs old. I have been quoted £300, which obviously I need to take into consideration. 

6) and lastly, before I commit to buying the one I have seen, there is a company about 2hrs from me called J & R specialist cars which seem to have alot of ST's in stock and cheaper!
In particular I have seen this one..

https://www.jandrspecialistcars.co.uk/used-cars/ford-focus-2-5-siv-st-3-3dr-oldbury-201903035507025

It's a 2008 plate so it's a year newer, it has done 88k which is 14k more then the one at Evans - does this really make much of a difference? - and its £600 cheaper even though its newer! Seems bit silly for me to spend 600 more on an older car.
Would be interested in peoples thoughts on this.

I have uploaded pics of the one I have put a deposit on.

I apologise for the long post but £5000 is my savings and its a lot of money for me so any help, advice and insight would be greatly appreciated!

P.s anyone wanna buy a pug 206 GTI 180? Haha

Hi Welcome