FastEddie

I am considering buying a new ST and was wondering what the best finance option is :? ? What are the advantages and drawbacks with Fords 'Options' and 'Acquire' deals ? Is the interest rate competitive or is a bank loan cheaper ? Sorry for all the questions, but I've never bought new before or on finance ... :roll: I have a car to p/x worth about £4500 and around £8000 cash :D

Total over-reaction by FMC or what ??? :shock: You can go * * * * yerself mate :!: To the rest of you: Is it sacrilige to have an opinion that goes against buying a new car when better value, more performance and less depreciation can be had elsewhere ? I think the new ST is a 'good car' but just not the best way to spend £18k... (And by the way I could afford one, but I would never spend that much on any car...) And, sorry but 99% of (non Ford-biased) people would prefer something like an Audi TT Quattro 225 or an older BMW M3 / 330Ci, plus the fast boys want an STi or Evo8 not a Foc

Spend £18k on a FOCUS ??? Yeh, the ST is a good car, but its still just a Focus... The ST wont be rare like the RS, it'll lose money fast, it'll look common and dated quickly and it'll have the chav image :roll: I just think there's so many better quality or drivers cars you could buy (secondhand) for £18k: ie. Audi TT or S3, BM330Ci, Sti Impeza, Evo8, some Porsche's etc. And the new Golf GTi is a quality motor too for a few ££ more :roll: What would you rather have on your drive, ST or TT ?

New ST is more powerful than the FRS by about 20bhp - BUT, its heavier... :roll: The FRS also has a trick front diff which gets the power down better 8) Both great cars, though the FRS is more hardcore and looks well better IMO :D

It's deffo slower than a Cossie and also slower than an RS 0-60 :roll: I'd still love one though :D

OK, so its a * * * * car then ? No need for such a cynical response :!:

Focus ST wins driver approval Gardemeister impressed with the new Focus ST Ford's all-new Focus ST performance model has been put through its paces by the company's 2005 World Rally Championship team drivers – and they have both given it the thumbs up. New Focus ST prototypes have been driven hard and fast by Roman Kresta and Toni Gardemeister, who both drive Ford Focus WRCs in the FIA World Rally Championship, along with former British Rally Champion Malcolm Wilson, who is in charge of M-Sport (which operates the official works rally effort on behalf of Ford in the World Rally Champio

I know these cars are disguised but they are soooo ugly :roll: Especially that coupe 'thing'... yeuchhh :evil:

Quite horrific in that top pic - those wheel arches and w/trims :lol: And why do they bother when there's a perfectly good Mondeo :?

What does 'Titanium' mean - is it used on the car somewhere ??

Just ask whizzpopper after he reviewed their Vectra :lol:

Better than a boggo Mk2 obviously, but still looks frumpy next to a nice Mk1 :!: Pics of the next Mondeo / MSV show what the new Focus could've been :roll:

I get away with light smoke no problem:

Either you drive like a granny or yer car dont look mean enough :wink: I was even followed all the way home (bout 3 miles) by one cop last year and then he spent most of the time saying how much he loved my car once he realised I wasn't dodgy :roll:

I thought that if the tints were put on before the latest law was passed they were ok ? Been stopped by the cops 3 times in the last year (routine) and none mentioned my tints :D

Well said Benny - totally agree mate. Modern cars are great for safety & equipment (& reliability) but this means they are too heavy and hence less fun to drive. And I think this new directive about cars being more "pedestrian-friendly" is making them all much uglier... Progress eh ? :roll:

Styling-wise the Mk2 looks less futuristic, less interesting and IMO poorly balanced. They haven't built-on the Mk1 they've gone backwards. No-one will give them a second look. Good job the opposition havent made any great looking car (Astra VXR apart).

I believe Ford have decided to produce a 4WD Focus RS to compete directly with the Impreza's and Evo's which have been getting all the performance credibility Ford wants ....

That's just it though, the Mk 1 Focus DID look special (in 1998 remember) and the new one simply doesn't - even the ST. I really wanted the original Focus, but the Mk2 is just another car :roll: IMO, the Mk2 looks like how the Mk1 could've looked and the Mk1 looks like the more modern car :shock:

It looks, erm, different... better than the Cit and BM though :lol: Wonder what the Cupra version will be like :?

The C4 coupe looks ok in pictures but in the metal its really ugly :evil:

Not exactly - the 1-series is a great car... rwd, well-built, refined & quick-ish (120d) It just costs too much & looks disgusting :lol:

OK, so I've slagged the Mk2 Focus for it's bland looks, but at least it's not out-and-out ugly... I say this because this morning I saw 3 cars in its class which are MUCH worse looking :shock: 1. New 5-door Astra SRi... boring shape and really fussy details 2. BMW 1-series 120d...... very unbalanced and odd looking 3. Citroen C4 coupe......... horrific rear end treatment The Pug 307 and Golf are nothing special either. Styling-wise I think the Focus Mk2 is a chance missed, but given the competition I think it'll do pretty well :shock:

Depends on how you drive... If you really like to enjoy yourself the 2.0 petrol is the hardcore drivers choice cos of the way it revs 8) TDCi is a good all-rounder but not as much fun as a drivers car IMO ...

Excuses, excuses...I dont thing this means cars have to be uglier. The front is only one part of the car - what about the rest !!?? Just face it, the new Focus designers just bottled-it and were just too conservative, trying to do a Golf-style evolution and not scare people off. I hate it and will get something else that looks better AND drives well. And I bet there is a face-lift within 18 months :lol: