Feedback on this car - Focus ST2

IrishZeus

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone is aware of the history on this car?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/2.5T-ST2/30213450232889690/advert?channel=CARS

Looking to change to something sportier but has to be about the same value as my own car.

Also looking for some advice with that in mind, I would be trading a 2006 Lexus IS250 against this. Slightly unusual in that its a manual - good condition, FSH with 95k kilometres on it. What would you consider a reasonable price to part with? Cheapest similar car in a dealer on the web is €8,950 so well above the cost of the ST.

I've never traded a car against what is a lower priced car - how does this work usually?! Or does it work at all?

Thanks, sorry for all the questions. Other car recomendations welcome also but would need to be around the same price as I would get for the Lexus - cash flow tight due to wedding next year!

IZ.

Neilw

If I were buying I'd hold off for an ST3, leather recaro seats are much nicer than the two tone seats in the ST2, plus you get a few extra toys in the ST3.

gollywog

That's absolutely beautiful, my fave St colour

dar83

That's a decently kitted ST right there. One thing to note, if it's an original Irish car there is no thing as an ST2. All we got here was the ST1 with all the options available to add on (due to our lovely market here and Ford knowing that releasing a higher spec would be a waste of time).

That being said, that car is actually an ST2 spec. It has the Xenon's, the heated Windscreen, ESP (which would have been an option for that year here, but does make me think it was originally a UK import) and the upgraded Sony Head unit. The only thing its missing to be an ST3 is the Leather interior.

On the trade in, you'd be lucky if the garage didn't low ball you and still ask for money their way to complete the deal, but I guess you don't know if you don't ask.

166man

I can't imagine you getting a straight swap, I'd say the Garage would want some cash their way.

gollywog

166man wrote: »

I can't imagine you getting a straight swap, I'd say the Garage would want some cash their way.

Exactly, you would better to sell it privately but that could take time. See this, this is what motors meets do lol!

colm_mcm

Given that the mileage they give is 58000 miles I'd assume it's on miles clocks and uk spec.
Cartell says its an ST2



Then if you look at the clocks they look to be in kms (well there's loads of markings on the dial so assuming kms)

Love the colour

colm_mcm

colm_mcm wrote: »

............


Then if you look at the clocks they look to be in kms (well there's loads of markings on the dial so assuming kms)

Love the colour

Looks like kms alright..

Jimbob 83

Nice car, much better spec than mine

Also cloth recaros are nice tbh, maybe not the 2 tone orange ones tho, my ST pisses me off in so many small ways (superthin paint/squeaky seat/noisy electric windows and the most annoying of all on my boggo spec one no USB port and i have yet to even find the aux cable plugin, amazes me in a car that cost 35 grand new) but the driving experience more than makes up for it

dar83

Aux-in is in the glove box if you have it (most do, some don't).

Only the facelifts have a USB as well. So don't feel too badly. :P

Jimbob 83

Had a good look around the glove box but found nothing, will just buy a proper head unit anyway with multiple usb ports as i have the boggo ford one

dar83

It's up the top left. Little black part that's recessed in a little from the rest of the surround.

Good thinking on the head unit though, it's always one of my contemplations also. Just waiting for the Pioneer I have my eye on to come down in price a bit.

Jimbob 83

dar83 wrote: »

It's up the top left. Little black part that's recessed in a little from the rest of the surround.

Good thinking on the head unit though, it's always one of my contemplations also. Just waiting for the Pioneer I have my eye on to come down in price a bit.

You can't post that w/o linking it

The overall sound system is very good just i have a crap head unit
Also if i change the head unit i wonder if i need to ring 123.ie to ask if it's a mod

dar83

Only if it's over €500 of audio equipment.

I'm on the phone so can't link easily. It's the Pioneer 930BT if you fancy a gander yourself.

PassMoz

Would you really drive around in a car that colour.....wont even mention the tax and insurance on that.

dar83

PassMoz wrote: »

Would you really drive around in a car that colour.....wont even mention the tax and insurance on that.

Wont you? But you do it so well...

gollywog

PassMoz wrote: »

Would you really drive around in a car that colour.....wont even mention the tax and insurance on that.

Absolutely I would, everyone has different tastes, and that suits that car perfectly IMO! Ya the running costs won't suit most people but if you love cars and driving, and it's your hobby, well then it's nothing compared to playing golf or other hobbies like that

Jimbob 83

Insurance on the Focus ST is pretty cheap tbh, mine is €530 and im in my 20's

PassMoz

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Insurance on the Focus ST is pretty cheap tbh, mine is €530 and im in my 20's

Whats tax like?, must be over 1k yearly?

gollywog

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Insurance on the Focus ST is pretty cheap tbh, mine is €530 and im in my 20's

Just out of curiosity when we're on the subject, what sort of mpg would your ST average Jimbob?

gollywog

PassMoz wrote: »

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Insurance on the Focus ST is pretty cheap tbh, mine is €530 and im in my 20's

Whats tax like?, must be over 1k yearly?

1005 I think?!

PassMoz

gollywog wrote: »

1005 I think?!

Mad money for tax, this government really know how to screw people.

gollywog

PassMoz wrote: »

gollywog wrote: »

1005 I think?!

Mad money for tax, this government really know how to screw people.

I agree 100% with that!
Makes alot of great cars unattainable to people like me!

Jimbob 83

gollywog wrote: »

Just out of curiosity when we're on the subject, what sort of mpg would your ST average Jimbob?

25-28mpg, with a light foot on a long drive 40mpg is possible but by no means an average.

Tax is €1204, i pay more to tax the extra 22cc car is 2522cc than my dad pays on his 2 litre diesel.:pac:

dar83

Just over 1200 now actually after last years increase. :P

Totally worth it though.

Im not Jim, but my mpg is about 23 generally.

The Pontiac

You can do a free motorcheck.ie check to see if it's an Irish car or not.

This car is a UK import. https://www.motorcheck.ie/free-car-check/06wh5062/

galwaytt

PassMoz wrote: »

Would you really drive around in a car that colour.....wont even mention the tax and insurance on that.

Not for the first time, you've made an asanine comment on a subject you clearly know nothing about - Motors - you poured scorn and similar diatribe on Metzgermeister's car lately as well. Again a post and comment clearly illustrating your ignorance of the subject matter.

Dunno about anyone else, but I'm tired of it.

PassMoz

galwaytt wrote: »

Not for the first time, you've made an asanine comment on a subject you clearly know nothing about - Motors - you poured scorn and similar diatribe on Metzgermeister's car lately as well. Again a post and comment clearly illustrating your ignorance of the subject matter.

Dunno about anyone else, but I'm tired of it.

Just giving my opinion on the colour, what do you think I know nothing about?.....you think I know nothing about what colour car I like?, that makes no sense.

Jimbob 83

Some people see motoring as getting from A to B as cheaply as possible (probably 90% of irish people) but those of us that are enthusiastic about cars couldn't care less about mpg/tax/insurance tbh.

It sickens me how anti motoring Ireland is compared to the rest of Europe and owning anything above 1.6 makes you a lunatic.

Leonard Hofstadter

That car is clearly a UK import - if you look closely you can see that the clocks are in miles and there are red markings on the speedo. Ford clocks always run in 10 mph increments (rather than the usual 20 mph increments that most cars with clocks in miles do), which was actually very handy back in the days when we still used miles.

gollywog

@jimbob and Dar,
Well i got that one very very wrong sorry! That's nearly double what I pay, thats just ridiculous that you guys have to pay a big percentage of the cars value every year just to tax it, fcuking government....
Those figures aren't the worst tho are they? My yoke was showing 7.3l/100km on the journey home last night, whatever that is in mpg? But it often goes to 12l/100km when im driving it "properly" lol

Leonard Hofstadter

7.3 l/100 km is 39 mpg, sounds a bit unrealistic to me:)! 12 l/100 km is just under 24 mpg, sounds about right for one of those !

Nice car by the way, I've always had a soft spot for that generation ST Focus, not least because of that five cylinder engine. For me it is a far more interesting choice than the Golf GTI, which seems to be the default choice for anyone in Ireland looking for a fast hatchback (nothing against the Mk5 GTI, it's supposed to be a fantastic car, but I like the fact that the Focus is much rarer and is just a lot more interesting with that engine and I love the orange colour as well)!

Jimbob 83

Put it into 2nd floor it until you are in 4th doing 100km/ph and you no longer care

galwaytt

PassMoz wrote: »

Just giving my opinion on the colour, what do you think I know nothing about?.....you think I know nothing about what colour car I like?, that makes no sense.

No you weren't 'just' going on about the colour - you, again, harped on about the tax and insurance. If all you see is an Orange Focus, then you def have no idea what that car is.

On MM's car lately, you weren't able to discern the difference between it and 1.8 Mazda 6 - and that was in a 'safe' colour, so that's twice in a number of days......

thecomedian

The high tax makes cheaper to buy. So at least you can take that bit into account.
Anyone who wants one of these knows the tax and won't mind

gollywog

captainspeed wrote: »

7.3 l/100 km is 39 mpg, sounds a bit unrealistic to me:)!

Nice car by the way, I've always had a soft spot for that generation ST Focus, not least because of that five cylinder engine.

Well that was the readout I had man! I don't know how accurate the trip computer is tho tbh but was taking it extremely easy as the weather turned nasty and visibility was piss poor!

I've never driven an ST, anyone wanna let me?!

Jimbob 83

Pretty much, if you have 8k to spend on one you will get a nice car

thecomedian

galwaytt wrote: »

PassMoz wrote: »

Just giving my opinion on the colour, what do you think I know nothing about?.....you think I know nothing about what colour car I like?, that makes no sense.

No you weren't 'just' going on about the colour - you, again, harped on about the tax and insurance. If all you see is an Orange Focus, then you def have no idea what that car is.

On MM's car lately, you weren't able to discern the difference between it and 1.8 Mazda 6 - and that was in a 'safe' colour, so that's twice in a number of days......

Also had to comment about the cost of tax on my thread also.
Must have something against cars being bought for enjoyment

Jimbob 83

gollywog wrote: »

Well that was the readout I had man! I don't know how accurate the trip computer is tho tbh but was taking it extremely easy as the weather turned nasty and visibility was piss poor!

I've never driven an ST, anyone wanna let me?!

Let me sum it up for you

First you are like



Then you find a nice bit of twisty road and you will be like



Then you look at the fuel gauge and you are like this



(*/rinse/repeat*) :pac:

gollywog

Ha nicely summed up!
Might be headin to Galway with the missus for a few nights in the future, must go see the beast while I'm there!

Foxhole Norman

PassMoz wrote: »

Would you really drive around in a car that colour.....wont even mention the tax and insurance on that.

Would you ever get out of here. All you go on about is the tax on cars. You're going to see cars with high tax here in the Motors forum, you know, that's there for people who buy and own cars for reasons other then to get from A to B in the cheapest and most boring way possible.

TestTransmission

PassMoz wrote: »

Would you really drive around in a car that colour.....wont even mention the tax and insurance on that.

I've had enough of your thread spoiling/terrible attempt at trolling.It seems to be the only thing you can contribute around here.Take a week off.

IrishZeus

Thanks guys,

Going to take the ST for a spin tonight.

I had a look at it last night, few minor scrapes, nothing major. The cap over the passenger side headlight washer is missing, again, nothing major.

Checked the boot last night and there was an old decat pipe in it - need to check if this belongs to the garage or has been modified on the car itself.

Any ideas on what you would all consider a fair trade price? (My other option is to sell my own privately which is always a pain in the aras. Would let mine go for close to that price if it gave me the option of changing. Anyone know someone in the market for a cheap IS250? :P)

Also, to answer the other questions:
I love the colour
I pay 1000quid tax as is so 200 won't break me
The ST would still get better MPG than the Lexus (Yes, really.)
Insurance would be 150quid more than I pay at the moment.

Thanks again all,

IZ

gollywog

IrishZeus wrote: »

Thanks guys,

Going to take the ST for a spin tonight.

I had a look at it last night, few minor scrapes, nothing major. The cap over the passenger side headlight washer is missing, again, nothing major.

Checked the boot last night and there was an old decat pipe in it - need to check if this belongs to the garage or has been modified on the car itself.

Any ideas on what you would all consider a fair trade price? (My other option is to sell my own privately which is always a pain in the aras. Would let mine go for close to that price if it gave me the option of changing. Anyone know someone in the market for a cheap IS250? :P)

Also, to answer the other questions:
I love the colour
I pay 1000quid tax as is so 200 won't break me
The ST would still get better MPG than the Lexus (Yes, really.)
Insurance would be 150quid more than I pay at the moment.

Thanks again all,

IZ

Hope it turns out to be nice now man,
would be a savage car if its all in order!!
I would be proper jealous though, love that colour!

IrishZeus

gollywog wrote: »

Hope it turns out to be nice now man,
would be a savage car if its all in order!!
I would be proper jealous though, love that colour!

If I get it I might let you drive your golf around behind me. Just make sure no-one see's you. :P

dar83

There are ways to tell if it is standard or not, mainly by the boost gauge as you're driving it. Get to third and put your foot to the floor, the boost gauge should peak at about 3/4 and then drop to half. This is a car running a standard map. If the boost goes above 3/4 or stays there or above, you know the car has been remapped.

With the missing headlight washer cover, I wouldn't worry too mich about it, but don't forget it will cost you in or around €50-€60 to replace. It's cheap enough from Ford, but will only come Primered, and getting a colour match on Electric Orange aint gonna be cheap/easy.

If you wany any more info or anything, fire me a PM and I'll do my best to help you out.

IrishZeus

Thanks Dar, will do.

The thing I would be most interested in now is what people think would be a fair price for me to part with? He mentioned around €1000euro last night which I think is a bit steep.

I realise there has to be some give from me but given that my car is worth more (albeit not by much, it still is) and that I would have to do some work on the ST (paint, headlight washer cover) when I get it, I don't know what I would be willing to go to.

Any thoughts?

MetzgerMeister

IrishZeus wrote: »

If I get it I might let you drive your golf around behind me. Just make sure no-one see's you. :P

It'll be like 2 fruit softmints driving around - one orange, one pink :P

dar83

Honestly, I'd probably say €500 and even at that they're getting an extremely good deal. In fairness that ST is the cheapest on the Net by about a grand, so they are being quite aggresive on the price with it as it is.

See how it drives and if you spot anything else that you might feel needs work on it. I take it the tyres all have decent time left in them? They're another bargaining tool you possess anyway.

Unfortunately a straight swap is something a garage will never really go for, unless it's seriously swaying in their favour, but you do have a good case for getting the car with as little handover of cash from your side as it is.

Have you asked them what the straight cash price is on the ST? It might really be worth your while selling your own privately, even at a very competitive price and you would still come out on top!

Anan1

IrishZeus wrote: »

I love the colour

One thing about the colour (and I like it - IMO it really suits the lines of the car) is that it makes you highly visible. Depending on how you plan on driving, that may not be what you want. I'd go for something muted myself, purely for the sake of my license.

dar83

Anan1 wrote: »

One thing about the colour (and I like it - IMO it really suits the lines of the car) is that it makes you highly visible. Depending on how you plan on driving, that may not be what you want. I'd go for something muted myself, purely for the sake of my license.

That's actually the reason I went for the Performance Blue as well. That, and piece of mind at night etc...

The Electric Orange is gorgeous though, if I didn't live in Dublin I'd have had one no problem!