Hello all, I've just registered and I'm after some honest advice. I currently drive a Toyota Yaris T-Sport - it's a decent enough car and pleasantly brisk but later this year I'll be looking for something a bit quicker.
It has to be:
Small (under 4m long)
Under 14 grand.
Quick!
Neat styling (love the Fiesta ST's crisp, chubby looks)

But I'm no longer in the first flush of youth (53 Oh God...) and I'm wondering if the ST might be a bit boy-racer-ish for my tastes - you know, a bit noisy, a bit lairy, a bit chavvy (sorry, but fast Fords do have that kind of image).
So I'm also looking at the VW POLO GTI, which looks classy but is a wee bit slower and it's also pushing the budget.
Also on the list is the SEAT IBIZA FR (not Cupra), which uses the VW engine and has almost the same performance but the dash is cheesy, cheap and old-fashioned.
OK, I know you are all ST fans and you are going to rave (quite rightly) about it, bur remember we're not all 21-year-olds and us middle-agers sometimes want to drive quickly without having our eyes shaken out.
No offence meant, over to you .....

I hear ya, but I wouldn't write off the ST as a "chav" or "boy-racer" car. It has a bit more class than that!

For instance, I saw a Fiat Punto today with four exhaust pipes on the back which were fit for a Lambo or some other super-car. THAT'S a chav car!

The ST is a sporty little number, sure, but it can be driven sensibly too, as I have found out. And to be honest, if you already drive a Yaris Sport, I don't really see the problem? It's a similar kind of car: small, sporty and quick. But the ST is cooler .

And welcome aboard...

Thanks Richie. Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you or your car - it's just that back in the days of the XR"'s and 3's, they all seemed to be driven by knob-heads and loonies who drove 2 feet from my tailgate! The ST sure is a nice car, but I can't seem to shake the image.....
Anyhow, is it noisy or boomy on the motorway? Tyre noise? Anything dropped off?

I'll be completely honest here.

Good Things:

• Great looking
  
• Built Solid
  
• Great Features such as heated windscreen etc
  
• The seats are great
  
• Brakes are brilliant
  
• Power in 4-5 is great, most cars including my focus just do nothing.
  
• You'll be hard pushed to find something that handles better. The clio sport is very quick but is very light and just is too wild on normal roads.
  
• The exhaust sound is really nice, quiet when you drive normally and when you boot it then you get the sound.
  
• Reliable!

Bad Things:

• The driving position is high, feels asthough your in something bigger and not a sports hatch
  
• If your on a rough road your false teeth may start falling out (nothing major)
  
• 1st and 2nd gear are very short, would have liked a longer range.

There you go, an honest view. I would personally recommend you go and test drive one at a dealer and then you can decide for yourself. You might fall in love with it like so many others before you!!!

Welcome to the site and I hope you stick with us

Regards,

Scotty

theres plenty of owners past their 20s so would not be put off by age (plus insurance its much cheeper been that bit older).....If you are concerned about boyracer type looks go for it un-striped its a very good looking car and brings a smile to your face plus not everyone out there expects a Fiesta to take off like the does when you want it to

hey Andy! welcome to the site! If you buy an ST with no stripes its still look very nice and discret! Someone near my house drive a black ST and when I past him on the road I never recognise it an ST until its to late! The stripes make the ST stand out but without them it almost like a normal fiesta similar to the Yaris! As for the Polo there faster on straight line but handle less well same go for the Seat same car than the GTI but a bit cheaper! DOn't much like the Ibiza because it look like any other Ibiza in term of style and they re plenty around!

andy firstly welcome to the site mate,also i am no spring chicken in my early 40s don.t let it put you off an st,it was not that long ago i saw an elderly gent driving a e reg xr2,i thought good on you,you are only as old as you feel pal so there you go.my gripe is i really think the st could do with a six speed box,but that said i would have another one as and when i sell mine take care.

Thanks for the warm welcome! I wouldn't be going for the stripes - a nice shiny black one would be my choice. Our Yaris TS is black and it looks luvverly when it's clean and polished up.
Obviously I wouldn't dream of buying a car like this without a test drive. I'll be arranging test drives on all three of the cars mentioned in the coming months.
I quite like the Ibiza FR but that dash is awful , the Polo GTI is classy but it's at the top end of the budget. So the chubby little ST is definitely on the list.
I once swore to myself I'd never have another Ford, after suffering with an unreliable Escort MkIII and surly service - I hope this has improved? After the bomb-proof reliability and 'nothing-is-too-much-trouble' service from Toyota, I wouldn't want to find myself facing a 'what-the-bl**dy-hell-do-you-want-now' service manager of old!
In the meantime, I value you guys' opinions and advice. If it's OK I'll lurk on the froum and see which way the wind blows.

EDIT: I've just spent some time reading through the forums and it seems Ford dealers haven't improved much over the years. The 'Alarm' thread about the GEM module is depressing, and the stories about delivery delays and dealers' excuses and fob-offs make me think twice.
We've had Toyotas for several years and never had a problem with delivery (always 2 weeks promised, always less then that), the one recall we had on our Corolla TS was quick and efficient and we got a free tank of petrol and a bottle of champagne out of it! It seems Ford never learns....

Just have to pick your dealers carefully Andy.

I know my sister (pixar)'s dealer "Bristol Street - Birmingham" was brilliant to her.

Also the dealer up in Manchester who sorted Matt (Stifler)'s car out was great also.

I do agree, sometimes dealers don't want to do anything for you.

Crikey, I've just read TonyM's 'enough's enough' thread and I'm rapidly going off the idea. What IS it with Ford...? The ST's a loverly little motor, but it's no good if Ford can't make them properly and the dealers come up with that kind of cr*p!
I've got my pen ready to cross the ST off my list. Shame.

do have little problems and always want to sell it but just can't! everytime I'm looking at it or drive it! I don't very care about those little problems!