New to me focus st

[ram_man]

Well I bought my fun car it's an 05 ford focus st 198,000 miles runs good pretty clean. Paid 2,000 for it I have a friend with one with 265k on his they seem to run a long time. I'm doing a valve cover gasket and going all through it in the coming days.
The 2.3l moves this car quite briskly and there's a fun aftermarket for it. Also it handles like it's on rails. And I bought it so cheap I have a ton of money in the budget to do stuff to it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Congrats.

But didn't you own a Focus before and hated it?

 

[daves87rs]

Those tend to have minor issues...but fun little cars to throw around.....

 

[wemay]

Congratulations


https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15132429/2005-ford-focus-zx4-st-short-take-road-test/

 

[ram_man]

Congrats.

But didn't you own a Focus before and hated it?

I owned a 14 focus that was a lemon. Same name but totally different car also I'd think with the miles on it that it couldn't have been a lemon.

 

[Rand]

back then the focus ST wasnt the same as now iirc it got a 2.3L vs a 2.0L
.. and the "fun" focus was the SVT model.

I had a 2007 2 door hatchback zx3 with MT and it was fun but not a fun car.
it was kiwi green.. same color on mustang was legend lime

Threw some yokohama s.drive tires on it and it handled like a go cart..
no abs could make it a bit "fun" in bad weather if you werent paying attention.
also ran dunlop M3 winter tires on it.. the predecessor to the dunlop 3d and 4d tires.

 

[ram_man]

back then the focus ST wasnt the same as now iirc it got a 2.3L vs a 2.0L
.. and the "fun" focus was the SVT model.

I had a 2007 2 door hatchback zx3 with MT and it was fun but not a fun car.
it was kiwi green.. same color on mustang was legend lime

Threw some yokohama s.drive tires on it and it handled like a go cart..
no abs could make it a bit "fun" in bad weather if you werent paying attention.
also ran dunlop M3 winter tires on it.. the predecessor to the dunlop 3d and 4d tires.

Yea the suspension is tighter as well. It handles like a go kart. It wasn't as impressive as a new one no doubt but it's a fun little thing I like that it has an aftermarket it'll keep me busy

 

[aquariuscsm]

I knew a girl a few years back that had that body style Focus wagon that had a little over 450,000 miles on it. Car was in mint condition. You could tell she took really good care of it.

 

[dareo]

There is a certain luxury in a cheap car. No need to worry about parking lots as much. No guilt if you really flog it all the time.

 

[wpod]

My daughter has a 2010 focus and it has been a good car.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Do you still have the Dart?

 

[ram_man]

Do you still have the Dart?

Wife wrecked it

 

[JoelB]

These had the mazda 2.3 correct? I remember something about rod bearing issues at one point but I'm not sure the years. I always thought these were neat when they came out.

 

[JHZR2]

How much of a market is there really for these? Sounds like you’re chomping at the bit to throw thousands at a 200k mile fwd car.

A lot of us recommended to find BMWs, because there will always be a market for rwd 6 cyl cars. What’s the market for these? That may determine/temper how much you throw at it for “fun”.

 

[OVERKILL]

How much of a market is there really for these? Sounds like you’re chomping at the bit to throw thousands at a 200k mile fwd car.

A lot of us recommended to find BMWs, because there will always be a market for rwd 6 cyl cars. What’s the market for these? That may determine/temper how much you throw at it for “fun”.

Not to be too much of a cynic, but I typically expect the direction to be 180 degrees from whatever I recommend, so I'm not surprised that he never went and looked at that sharp 330i w/6spd I found him.

 

[dishdude]

Interesting choice.

 

[Ws6]

I'd do other stuff with the money left over. Sounds like you have a solid commuter. Done and done.

 

[Andrew1972]

Enjoy!

 

[ram_man]

Not to be too much of a cynic, but I typically expect the direction to be 180 degrees from whatever I recommend, so I'm not surprised that he never went and looked at that sharp 330i w/6spd I found him.

I talked a ton of bmw owners and wasn't impressed with what I heard. I have a friend who has one of these and it's a great reliable and fun car.
There is a decent aftermarket for these as well. I won't sink a ton of money into it just simple stuff it'll be a fun little car. Also I wasn't even looking for a focus st it just kind of popped up and I decided to look at it. I wasn't seeking one out it just came up for sale and it happened to work out . I was open to many things and this came up it was pretty cheap and it just worked out. Half the success in buying cheaper cars is going with what looks good and makes sense not being so picky that you are only looking for a single thing. I was going to spend more but ehhh now I have a ton in the budget left over for whatever I decide to do with it win win in my eyes.

 

[meep]

I’ve always appreciated that body style. You’re right, I had one as a rental and it was fun to drive even in bone stock rental form. Have fun with it!