bazzal

Hi all,

I will be needing a new car soon as am packing in the self employed game, selling my transit connect and getting a car to use as a daily, commute etc,

Been looking at focus St170's, around the years 2003-04, and for the price range, mileage of cars around that age they seem to be a lot of car for a relatively small sum of money.

My questions are really, who's owned one, are they reliable etc, any things i should look at in particular when viewing potential cars, what are they like to live with every day, as me and the missus have a 7 year old, i prefer the look of the 3 door model, but i'm sure the wife would want a 5 door, i'll soon talk her out of that, lol.

As always on this forum, your info and advice is greatly recieved.

Cheers

Barry

Elwood

I would say steer clear. They had more than enough problems when they were relatively new, and I can't see the situation improving much with their increasing age. Also, early cars (circa 2003) were the more problematic of the bunch.

bazzal

Blimey that doesn't fill me with confidence, anyone else got any views on them??

Frenchy0204

Good to drive in the corners, and ok-ish in the straights (They can just about pull the skin off a rice pudding.). Nice interiors and build quality is pretty decent. Can be comfortable on a Motorway but the ride can be quite crashy on A and B roads, but that is to be expected due to the larger wheels and harder suspension compared to the non ST Focuses. Rear compartments in both the 3dr and 5dr can be cramped, and the dark black interior make it seem even more cramped, although space should not be an issue for a kid!

As for reliability, I'm not so sure about the Engine as I'm not experienced with the Duratec. As for the Gearbox though, there very good and can last a lifetime if treated correctly so you should not have any issues with it in that aspect.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your Budget to spend on a new car? I'm pretty sure that for the money that ST170's fetch (£3k-£5k for a decent one IIRC??), you could get a much better car.

rst cabbie

think they have problems with the mass flywheel aswell and that costs £800 to £1000 to sort was looking at one my self not so long ago

cjwood555

ST170 specific problems:
- Heat-shields on cat + exhaust (rattle - pull CAT h/s off, tighten the others)
- O2 sensors (causes poor running + mpg - replace)
- Inlet manifold runner control cable clip (can see if it's broken or not by reving above 3750rpm and looking for it moving, near the TB)
- CP + HT leads often fail, for some reason (as on other Zetec-E foci)
- Thermostat housing can leak (as on other Zetec-E foci)


Focus general problems
- Rear wheel bearings are eaten for breakfast
- Front and rear ARB drop links " " " "
- Rust points:
-- Tailgate, around handle trim
-- Doors, around mirrors
-- Doors, bottom edge (folded join)
- Leaks:
-- Pollen filter cover on scuttle if fitted incorrectly - £11 for new from ford, or 20p from partco for some trim-tape)
-- Rear lights have been known to leak

And i'm probably forgetting some stuff....

But generally they're good cars which drive well and don't particularly go wrong. Parts are quite cheap and you can get 35mpg without too much hassle.

Chris

melinamotor

Luck of the draw mate, mine is ok but they should of put a five speed box in them. I know of one down the road that has suffered no issues at all and is currently on 140k miles!!
Mine is on an 03 on 80k and has had the following done in my tenure:

Pollen filter and weather strip.
Cambelt (required because of age/mileage)
Catalytic converter replaced and heat shield removed.
New rotary switch for interior light dimmer (Dash lights were flickering)
Throttle cable adjusted (Wasn't opening up fully)

Positives:
Lovely balanced chassis, good turn in and lack of understeer.
Quality of interior trim has lasted well.
Good brakes
Excellent cornering grip flatters the driver.
Its a focus

Negatives
Gear change is notchy (like a tractor)My old CTR was leagues ahead!
Straight line grunt is average but comparable to seminal 90's hatches.
Drivers seat is set to high , needs to go on a lower sub frame.


I bought mine purely as a money saver whilst Im saving for the RS, its a good fun car and to be honest the outright pace of it is irrelevant to me. It does everything I ask and has yet to let me down, always feels a cut above a standard focus in visual appeal and performance which ticks all the boxes for me at the moment. Any Focus aside from the asthmatic 1.4 is a good bet though, great handling cars the lot of them.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Don't bother if I were you. Very rare that they make any more than 160bhp, very thirsty (mine never saw much more than 26-28mpg), lots of things can go wrong with it and they will be costly to fix.

Mine was nice to drive, was awesome in the bends but pretty slow in a straight line. I only kept it a year, bumped it on for an ST, best decision I've ever made!

If it were me, I'd find a nicely specced 2.0 ESP model and maybe spend the couple of grand change in your pocket on a nice set of wheels!

melinamotor

Just out of interest what mileage are you getting from the five pot volvo motor? Im bagging a new RS soon which must be similar, I dont always go on manufacturers figures

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

On the motorway at 65mph it will do 35mpg easily, on a run it will average 28-30mpg, and day to day driving with a bit of everything mixed in it will average 24-25mpg.

From a full tank (about 55 quid) I am seeing about 250 miles from a tank, on a run I will get 280 miles, drive like a granny and you will nudge 300 to a tank! That's with a few modification, its getting on for 300bhp now I reckon!

3drpete

iTrader: (1)

cough cough, look in the cars for sale section, its had all the common faults done cambelt clutch etc you wont find a nicer 1

pete

white2lsr

iTrader: (1)

Ive had a 5 door for a year now as our family car. I must say its the best car ive owned. All ive done is service it and fit a sump as it had gone porus. Look around and get a well looked after one.

j6kyt

i had one 3 years ago, done 28000 miles in it and had no problems at all during that time. In fact i thought it was quite a good all rounder. needs a thrash to get it going though!!

Shings

I think there is utter bollocks in this thread and some good advice- difficult to follow it.

BUT as a previous owner.

Remember apart from the RS which was limited edition its the top of the range focus for its year- its also highest insurance group.

What new cars don't have faults with the dual mass flywheels - every modern car I've owned in renowned for it.

Plus points
Focus is a great car - the st170 goes round corners in such a stable and controlled way its awesome and it stops soo well. Comfortable at speed.
Nice spec and looks for the car.
Low mileage car for not a lot of money when compared with say a Civic Type R.
Its a ford so no matter what you want (within reason) any motor factors will have it on the shelf at 3.00pm on a sunday afternoon.

Bad points
Heat sheild rattle.
Shit on fuel
Not fast- at all
ALSO - Mine blew up after 77k.... engines are expensive for what they are second hand.

J