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Any car of mine will get driven hard, which is kind of my point 
Fiesta ST's... whats to know?
- Thread starter Stormster
- Start date
I have a ST and had it for about 3 months now. Only thing to go wrong so far has been the coil pack and leads. Water somehow got into where the sparks are and messed them up. Done a little mod to keep the water out now.
Also I hit a curb at some speed when the weather was bad and snapped a spring. Other than that so far so good.
Only thing I find a problem is the ride height and the 17s on it. They like to tramline on the road which is a pain.
About the Cliosport cars. They are very good and nice but most people tend to go down that route and pay over the odds for a 7-8 year old car. I chose my ST cause its cheaper to insure, just as fast on the road, more tuneable, younger, and in my eyes better looking. Also after owning a Clio as my 1st car I didnt fancy owning another no matter another French car.
I picked up my 05 68k ST for £4k had full service history, 2 owners and has all the receipts from any work carried out. The guy had it up at £5k and knocked it down to £4k so I went as fast as possible to pick up a bargin. Only thing wrong other than scratches was that the rear grille was missing due to the previous owner loosing (breaking) it when he fitted the towbar to the car for some strange reason.
So far Im happy with it and dont even think and a cliosport.
Also I hit a curb at some speed when the weather was bad and snapped a spring. Other than that so far so good.
Only thing I find a problem is the ride height and the 17s on it. They like to tramline on the road which is a pain.
About the Cliosport cars. They are very good and nice but most people tend to go down that route and pay over the odds for a 7-8 year old car. I chose my ST cause its cheaper to insure, just as fast on the road, more tuneable, younger, and in my eyes better looking. Also after owning a Clio as my 1st car I didnt fancy owning another no matter another French car.
I picked up my 05 68k ST for £4k had full service history, 2 owners and has all the receipts from any work carried out. The guy had it up at £5k and knocked it down to £4k so I went as fast as possible to pick up a bargin. Only thing wrong other than scratches was that the rear grille was missing due to the previous owner loosing (breaking) it when he fitted the towbar to the car for some strange reason.
So far Im happy with it and dont even think and a cliosport.
Any car of mine will get driven hard, which is kind of my point
And a Renault Sport will come alive
It is an amazing driving machine, the pure pleasure you get from the little car is amazing! Didnt EVO rate it something like 5th for pure driving pleasure? Beating a lot of exotic cars.The point is treat and look after the car and it will inturn give you some serious smilage points
The cliosport parts are more expensive. The 182 twin exhaust is much more expensive. So is the suspension parts as well.
Hang on, 7-8 years? You know you can pick up a 182 the same year as yours? They stopped in 2005 and you can pick up 05 plates for £4K. Just as fast on road? Ermm right ok!
More tunable? How? Insurance I can gve you that. But some of your points dont make sense?Supension parts and exhaust? Please post ST prices.
An aftermarket twin exhaust is £350 and the suspension is cheap! If you get a Trophy with the fancy bits on then yes it can cost a fair bit. But the 182 I bet for suspension work will be around that of the ST. Please prove me wrong
Hang on, 7-8 years? You know you can pick up a 182 the same year as yours? They stopped in 2005 and you can pick up 05 plates for £4K. Just as fast on road? Ermm right ok!
Ive seen 172 2003 going for £4.5k when I was looking at them. More mileage than my ST as well.
Well lets just say that my mates Stripped out Lupo GTi kept up with a cliosport and thats just as fast as my Standard ST. Only beat him at top end cause his car doesnt have a high top speed.
More tuneable due to the fact that Ford have limited the ST. If you add a decent air filter you can get much more gains than a the already tuned Clio. Also if you add a exhaust system you can push the car from 150 to about 170+.
My mate who works at a garage I wont mention quoted me £250 for new shocks and springs all round.
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Don't want to get told off!!!Don't compare the 172 its an older car! Look at the 182 please. You can get lower milage and the same year car as yours for £4K that is good value for money there!
A Lupo GTi that probally has the same weight as a paper bag? Please compare like for like!!
Soldato
Lets just use the massive thread from 172/182 owners on this very forum as an example shall I, lets quote various Clio owners, I am ignoring CS|Nuts's experiences entirely as his Clio was very heavily modded and with the Turbo conversion was always going to hammer driveshafts and gearboxes.
How much does it cost to do the aux belt/dephaser pulley on the Clio every 36k miles?
How much for the cam belt?
Neither of these costs will be required on the Fiesta.
The Clio is not supercar money to keep going but all evidence shows it is a fundamentally less reliable car than the Fiesta thanks to typically French electrical and trim issues, with a more expensive servicing regime if you intend to keep it a reasonable length of time or buy one at a point in its life where its due a big service (belt vs chain cam is the biggest difference, but the Fiesta does not need its aux belt changing unless there is a problem where as on the Clio it has become a service item due to failures).
Tyres may cost you more on the Fiesta granted (17s vs 15/16 inch), though cost difference is smaller or even in favour of the Fiesta if you insist in the PE2s/PS3s for the Clio as for some reason Michelin Pilotsports are mad money
. 205/40 R17 P Zeros (OEM on the Fiesta) cost less than 205/45 R16 PS3s....
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Its still kept up and that was my point. Its power to weight was something like 143bhp IIRC.
Anyway Im not saying the Clio is a bad car, far from it. Just saying that a ST is just as good in the real world. The boot is much bigger, theres plenty of space in the back for 3 adults and on the road it can hold its own.
I forgot about the cam belt thing. Thats 1 reason I stopped looking at the Clio as well. So many people said it had been changed without any proof.
Anyway Im not saying the Clio is a bad car, far from it. Just saying that a ST is just as good in the real world. The boot is much bigger, theres plenty of space in the back for 3 adults and on the road it can hold its own.
I forgot about the cam belt thing. Thats 1 reason I stopped looking at the Clio as well. So many people said it had been changed without any proof.
Lets just use the massive thread from 172/182 owners on this very forum as an example shall I, lets quote various Clio owners, I am ignoring CS|Nuts's experience as his Clio was very heavily modded:
How much does it cost to do the aux belt/dephaser pulley on the Clio every 36k miles?
How much for the cam belt?
Neither of these costs will be required on the Fiesta.
The Clio is not supercar money to keep going but all evidence shows it is a fundamentally less reliable car than the Fiesta thanks to typically French electrical and trim issues, with a more expensive servicing regime if you intend to keep it a reasonable length of time or buy one at a point in its life where its due a big service (belt vs chain cam is the biggest difference, but the Fiesta does not need its aux belt changing unless there is a problem where as on the Clio it has become a service item due to failures).
Tyres may cost you more on the Fiesta granted (17s vs 15/16 inch), though cost difference is smaller if you insist in the PE2s/PS3s for the Clio as for some reason Michelin Pilotsports are mad money
Nice argument
I could trawl onto the ST forums and find numerous faults and problems! Fact is the internet is always going to show people posting problems and whatnot rather than prais.
Cars break, thats life. I will give you a Ford will be more reliable than an Renault, but how much so? IMO not a lot to make it worth thinking about! People buy a Renault Sport for the sheer driving pleasure it gives. If you are looking into reliability look at a BMW or Audi etc! Take the car for what it is and enjoy it! Hand on heart nothing has gone wrong with mine and touch wood nothing will as I sevice and look after it like a baby!
36K miles? Where did you get that figure from?
I thought the belts need chaing around 40k-60k? Might be wrong but they still need changing and are expensive to do.
I enjoy driving my ST and yes it could handle better but hopefully when my coilover arrive it should give me a bit more confidence to chuck it into corners without the feeling of the car wanting to fall over. Thats what the Clio is good if not great at.
I would test drive both the ST and the 182 or 172 and look at the pros and cons of both. I chose the ST due to it been a lot cheaper to run than the Clio and a little bigger than the clio inside for my needs.
I enjoy driving my ST and yes it could handle better but hopefully when my coilover arrive it should give me a bit more confidence to chuck it into corners without the feeling of the car wanting to fall over. Thats what the Clio is good if not great at.
I would test drive both the ST and the 182 or 172 and look at the pros and cons of both. I chose the ST due to it been a lot cheaper to run than the Clio and a little bigger than the clio inside for my needs.
Kept up? So what, The Clio is not a supercar. A Lupo GTi stripped out will keep up with a lot of cars below the legal limits. We are discussing the ST here.
I'm not being funny here but an ST does not come close to an 182 for driving pleasure, folk on here are even stating that. You need to spend some money and good money to bring it up to the level of a 182.
Now it seems like I am defending my car to the teeth here, and showing some serious fanboyism, but I am only discussing and trying to give an honest opinion.
Cambelt etc are not a problem! Most if not all get done, just make sure you buy one with recipts and proof and then you have 5 years of giving the engine some abuse
Now the ST is a cracking car, I am not saying other wise. Apples and oranges. Just enjoy them both for what they are as they go about it in a different way
Soldato
Nice argument
I could trawl onto the ST forums and find numerous faults and problems! Fact is the internet is always going to show people posting problems and whatnot rather than prais.
Cars break, thats life. I will give you a Ford will be more reliable than an Renault, but how much so? IMO not a lot to make it worth thinking about! People buy a Renault Sport for the sheer driving pleasure it gives. If you are looking into reliability look at a BMW or Audi etc! Take the car for what it is and enjoy it! Hand on heart nothing has gone wrong with mine and touch wood nothing will as I sevice and look after it like a baby!
36K miles? Where did you get that figure from?
Of course you can find broken STs on the net but I think you will find it is generally accepted that the Clio will break more often and costs more to service...that was my whole point, nothing more.
Sheer driving pleasure does not take away higher running costs - for some the extra costs may be offset by the car (its 'sheer driving pleasure'), fact is it will still cost you extra, you pays your money and takes your chances, personal choice at the end of the day, I don't see how the argument can progress further really as its clear I'm arguing with a fanboy
The 36k aux belt change is from a buyers guide posted from Cliosport.net that I bookmarked at pistonheads when I was considering buying a 182! Tenth post down here...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=641811&i=0
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Well Im not saying that the Clio is a supercar. I will say that yes the Clio is probably more fun to drive on windy roads. Im not saying it that the ST is as fun in the bends but on the straights it seemed it to me.
Like I said drive both cars and see what you think. The ST is a good car and is enjoyable and a pleasure to drive. I use to not like the ST until I drove it. Thats how much hands on experience can change your mind.
Like I said drive both cars and see what you think. The ST is a good car and is enjoyable and a pleasure to drive. I use to not like the ST until I drove it. Thats how much hands on experience can change your mind.
