ST220 info/advice

Soldato
Joined
29 Jul 2004
Posts
7,175
So im off to look at a couple of ST220s tommorow, is there anything I should be aware of? The one im looking at is a 2006 in performance blue, however its got half leather/suede seats and im not sure on if they are as nice as the full leather?

Anyone have any experiances with buying a ST220 and what perticular things I should be after!

Budget is 0-8000ish! Hoping some experts in these can come give me all the insight I need!

Thanks :D
 
I thought all St220's had full leather and the half leather was only on the ST TDCI?:confused:

Whats the car listed at? Does it have any extras? Xenons etc? :)
 
All ST220s have full leather Recaro seats. Are you sure it's an ST220?

In terms of what to look for, mostly rust along the bottom of the doors, knocking from worn subframe bushes and sagging rear bumpers :)

You don't need to spend £8k really unless you really do want a very late model one. Bear in mind the 06 (I think) onwards models cost £400 to tax vs £245, which is a ridiculous injustice :rolleyes: Mine was 6750 and it's in lovely condition :)
 
I have the newer 2008 model in performance blue and its an absolute pleasure to drive. Have you driven an ST before? The ST owners club forums have a list of things to check if you are buying second hand. Just google STOC. When i took mine out i pulled up somewhere nice and quiet and had a look round the car and had a peak under the bonnet. This was after i had a play around in it. I wasnt too bothered about checking for anything sinister as it was still under warrenty (it was 18 months old).
 
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...stcode/rh13ly/page/1/keywords/st220?logcode=p

This is the one im going to look at tommorow, has half leather recaro?, im in no REAL rush to buy (need a car within two weeks tops tho!) so im going to look at a few. Most seem to be overpriced tho compared to parkers/glass's valuation with high mileage etc. Around 7k for an 06 seems to be the norm.

Idealy id like an 05ish with low mileage, dont care about the satnav or parking sensors really! Performance blue would be the colour of choice although I don't mind the black either. Are xenons an easy upgrade if I find a model I like which doesnt have them?
 
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Check the alloys over as well. They tend to corrode pretty easily and are quite expensive to refurb due to the finish.

Not a major issue but something to bargain with.

The engine seems pretty solid tbh, mines a 2004 with over 100k on the clock and it's still going strong. Only thing I've had to get fixed is a front wheel bearing but that could happen on any car.

Oh yeah if you look at one with sat nav check it can still receive a gps signal. Costs about £50 to fix it, easy job though. My maps are out of date but I really like the built in nav, plays mp3 cd's too which is a bonus.

Also on the test drive make you drive it through the whole rev range, you should notice the power really coming in over 3.5k / 4k revs. 3rd gear over 4k flys, if it feels the same throughout then something is up.
 
Oh yeah I forgot to mention the wheels. Mine have been recently refurbed by the looks of it. So they'll be corroded by October ;)
 
Just went to look at one with the sat nav and all that, why do people advertise cars with immaculate paintwork and panels when they are covered with small scratchs and a few dings? :(

Other than that it was so weird to drive, gearbox changes are really long compared to the S2000! Ride wasnt as smooth as I expected either, more sporty over the bumps.

Onwards with the search!
 
don't worry too much about the wheels, if they need a refurb get a standard finish on them. Doesn't look quite as good as the diamond finish but it won't get the silly corrosion with the laquer peeling off as soon as they have been refurbed!!
 
Other than that it was so weird to drive, gearbox changes are really long compared to the S2000! Ride wasnt as smooth as I expected either, more sporty over the bumps.

Onwards with the search!

Most gear changes will feel slow and clunky compared to the s2k, with the exception of the dc2 I've never driven anything with such a good box.
 
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