Just seeing if anyone on here has/or has had one of these cars... currently in limbo between 'proper' cars and thinking about replacing my daily driver Escort with something a bit nicer for the time being.

Had a MK2 Mondeo when I was 17/18 and was a decent enough car to tool around in, lots of space for dog and golf clubs etc.. so think it'd be a decent car to tool around in now. The ST24/ST200 should have enough go to keep things interesting and be able to pass slower traffic when out for a drive etc.. looking at prices they vary massively, ST24 from about £600 to £1500 and ST200 from about £2000 to £3500 (at dealers).

To be honest, I'd rather spend a wee bit more and get an ST200 which comes with the extra oomph and a few extra bits and pieces of kit...

What sort of things are there to watch out for on these cars??

Realistically, what are the day to day running costs like??

I know performance isnt likely to be breathtaking, but IS it enough to make reasonable progress??




Cheers,
Grant

 

I have one as a daily runner, had it just over a year very good car and quite quick to for a big heavy car..just fairly heavy on fuel,but that might just be me as I seem to compare it to my wifes tdci mondy which does double the mpg of mine

they are cheap anough now, I paid 1600 for mine in feb 08, full history 1 family from new, got it from my local car auctions..

steve

 

I do love these ST200,s.I seen one in darlington yesterday and it bloody looked well clean.

 

i love mine, i average about 26mpg with quite a heavy foot, few things to look out for like plastic impeller water pumps and its worth while relocating the imrc but overall a good allrounder not blistering pace as you said but enough to put a smile on your face

 

I got a late ST24, been reliable for me apart from remote central locking solenoids pack up! Early ST24s have dodgy black plastic water impeller, can be changed for metal one. Check boot for water/rust as they can leak water round rear lights.
Also, as said the IRMC can pack up due to heat, so 2nd bank of ports don't open and lose power. Also, check head gaskets as rear ones can be pricey to fix.
The early ST24s appear be based on Ghia X (97,98), so had sunroof + aircon etc, later ones (99,00) Ford got clever and found ways save money.
The very early ST24s didn't have RSAP kit fitted as standard.
The ST200s have engine changes UIM, LIM, throttle body, cams etc to give extra power, with about 195bhp average for the 200, and 169 bhp for ST24.

For price they are now alot of car for the money and great motorway cruiser.
I luv mine, but I'm biased.

 

Thanks for the info.

Sounds alright so far.. to be honest, 25mpg and above is manageable, much lower and I'd have to reconsider what to get as a general runaround. Reckon I'm only getting 30mpg from my Escort just now anyway since you've gotta give it severe foot to the floor through the first three gears when joining dual carriageways, over taking etc to get up to speed.

Are the engines chain driven?? Do they take mileage easily enough, the one I'm most interested in has around 70k on the clock... but most seem to be near or over 100k.


Cheers,
Grant

 

I have one as a daily runner, great cars

 

I had an st24. Nice and comfy, plenty of low down grunt. I got rid of it 6 months ago and got an Impreza uk 2000 turbo. There doesn't seem to be to much difference in running costs and the MPG is roughly the same!

 

yes there on chains mate, i think the chains are on 100k service intervalls,

 

Another thing to check is the front wishbones and drop links, know peeps have had replace these alot, mine creaked abit but new drop links sort it and ST200 front wishbones are pricey.

If it high mileage, check the water pump cos they start failing about 50K-60K and UIM/LIM of both ST24 and ST200 do soot up abit, but easily cleaned to give new lease of life.