ST220 *drools*

Bes

Bes

Bes

Soldato
Joined
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What with my car (Leon Cupra) getting on my nerves a bit (its pre-facelift and fugly and seems to have developed a most annoying water leak) and my mother wanting to buy it off me after her Honda Accord got flattened by a tree last month, I was just looking at what else is on the market.

I would want something at least equal in performance to my Cupra... I looked at 330s over the summer and again recently but I am a little uninspired by them...

What do people think of the ST220s? I was looking at one of these when I was buying my Leon but couldn't afford a decent one at the time, now they are cheaper and I am richer, they are quite affordable :)

The two on pistonheads (http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/li...y2=&txt=st220&px=&filter=TP&o=p&Submit=Search) look lovely.... Opinions?
 
Fantastic car for the money - start from about £8k now.

I've got the ST TDCi and whilst it's not as quick, the handling is fantastic and ride is firm but the damping is excellent so whilst you feel the road, you don't get jiggled around anything like in an Audi A4 Sport for example.

220's can be a bit thirsty, and 225/40/18 tyres are upwards of £100 a corner for anything decent, but parts and servicing costs are very cheap. I pay £125 for a minor and £150 for a major service on mine and the 220 is the same price - that's from a Ford dealer.

Try and go for a "facelift", even though the ST didn't change much externally other than the rear lights, the interior changed quite a bit with better dash materials and improved climate control.
 
blueboy2001 said:
Fantastic car for the money - start from about £8k now.

I've got the ST TDCi and whilst it's not as quick, the handling is fantastic and ride is firm but the damping is excellent so whilst you feel the road, you don't get jiggled around anything like in an Audi A4 Sport for example.

220's can be a bit thirsty, and 225/40/18 tyres are upwards of £100 a corner for anything decent, but parts and servicing costs are very cheap. I pay £125 for a minor and £150 for a major service on mine and the 220 is the same price - that's from a Ford dealer.

Try and go for a "facelift", even though the ST didn't change much externally other than the rear lights, the interior changed quite a bit with better dash materials and improved climate control.
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Thirsty isn't a problem- the Cupra isn't exactly shy of burning the fuel :) I also already run 18" on the Cupra so tyre costs are OK too... Servicing is almost 1/2 the price of the Leon :) The black one there would be a facelift one I think? Looks the absolute dogs danglies for 11K
 
Nice looking car and they drive well.

Not too many common problems - Just find a nice example and i'm sure you'll love it.
 
I think they are excellent cars.

They are fairly cheap and come with a lot more toys than you might expect, servicing costs are similar to the rest of the mondeo range, so quite cheap.

With regards to the facelift as mentioned by blueboy, the newer model can be had for similar prices to the older one if you do your homework and shop around a bit. If you do go for the older one you still wont be disapointed.

There is a TDCi version which is quite highly rated by some people but I have no experience of this version and so cant comment.
 
The facelift was May/June 03, so some 03 cars are facelifts, most 53's onwards are.

Facelift will have a Sony stereo as standard, silver strip and smaller silver/chrome buttons to the left of the clock for the heated screens and a different climate control panel.

The 2004 has the DVD sat nav which is almost £2k's worth new.

You could get a TDCi version for your budget but the only real advantage is the fuel economy. The 3.0 V6 is smooth and torquey so it can be pretty effortless to drive.
 
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Brilliant cars. Test drove one and loved everything about it, especially the noise.

Only reason I didnt buy it was becuase the 530i Sport existed and was better. Had I not been able to get a 530i, I'm sure I would have bought one.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Brilliant cars. Test drove one and loved everything about it, especially the noise.

Only reason I didnt buy it was becuase the 530i Sport existed and was better. Had I not been able to get a 530i, I'm sure I would have bought one.
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In what way is the 530i better? :)
 
Bes said:
In what way is the 530i better? :)
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For me, it was of higher quality, looked better, had a nicer interior, was marginally quicker and handled better. Plus I'd always wanted one.

Older than the equivilent ST220 and more expensive to run, though.

Interestingly though it's not actually really any bigger dimensions wise, infact the ST220 is wider.
 
[TW]Fox said:
For me, it was of higher quality, looked better, had a nicer interior, was marginally quicker and handled better. Plus I'd always wanted one.

Older than the equivilent ST220 and more expensive to run, though.

Interestingly though it's not actually really any bigger dimensions wise, infact the ST220 is wider.
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Did you try a post- facelift 220?

Jamoor:

Test drove a couple of 330i's and thought they were nice, smooth, quiet, etc but found them to be a bit boring in comparison to my Leon (The Leon has more get-up-and-go, and feels more exciting to drive and faster IMO). I don't know whether a 530/ Mondeo would feel like the 330 (guessing it would- all lazy 6 cylinders against my little 1.8 Turbo unit)
 
Bes said:
Did you try a post- facelift 220?

Jamoor:

Test drove a couple of 330i's and thought they were nice, smooth, quiet, etc but found them to be a bit boring in comparison to my Leon (The Leon has more get-up-and-go, and feels more exciting to drive and faster IMO). I don't know whether a 530/ Mondeo would feel like the 330 (guessing it would- all lazy 6 cylinders against my little 1.8 Turbo unit)
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Not just that but IMO the e39 looks like an old mans car :confused: e46 however are cool

ST220 is gorgeous. I wouldnt mind one myself in the future, perhaps when im a family man :eek:
 
[TW]Fox said:
Just as a 306 looks like an old ladies shopping trolley :)
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You just broke my heart :p

Dangerous done a few videos of his ST, if you aint seen them then they are worth a look, and will probably convince you to buy :)
 
Bes said:
What with my car (Leon Cupra) getting on my nerves a bit (its pre-facelift and fugly and seems to have developed a most annoying water leak)
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common problem with these motors, my oldmans Toldeo TDI used to leak through the door seals, is this were yours is leaking? He had to take both front door panels off and use silicon seal to seal around the metal cage that holds the window in. This seems to of solved the issue.


Very common issue tho, one thing that put me off buying a Cupra
 
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