I think its one of those things where most people who post will be because they're having problems - you won't get that many people just posting to say that everything is fine. Other than a couple of people who I think have been really unlucky with their's, most people I think have found it reliable and really enjoy it!

Im over my little rant now, yea ive had a couple of problems but... you get that with every car even super cars, trust me im going to get this sorted very soon and wish id never mentioned thinking bout selling her.

The is an unbelievable car it puts the biggest smile on my face when i drive it and when this little niggle is sorted i will be back to absolutly loving the car to pieces and wanting to tuck it up for the night

Go for a test drive and seriously think about the drive you will want one trust me...all cars have problems...thats life

TonyM - is yours the one that had rust popping through the paint? What are they doing about it?
I know the ST is a great car and I quite fancy one, but it isn't great if there are problems. I wouldn't call the POLO GTI 'a waste of money'! According to the write-ups there's very little to choose between the two, apart from the ST being a bit tighter handling - and a couple of thousand quid or so
Anyhow I won't keep playing the same record, I'll go and see if I can find a VW forum to see what the gripes are.

We cant figure out what exactly it is it isnt rust breaking through the paintwork if thats what your thinking its fine apart from these little specs of dust that have taken a fancy to my paintwork and are rust "coloured" might not be but thats what it looks like just hard to get off and seem to be coming back, dont let my moaning put you off.

This also might even be a normal thing for paint but since mine is WHITE it shows up every last little spec(for instance id cleaned it a while back then i stood back to appreciate my hard work and why my back was turned a little fly landed on it and when i turned round thought id missed a bit its shows everything up)

Vw polo Gti or fiesta ST sorry ST wins every time you know deep down you want a

Neila, when you test drove the Polo GTI what was it that put you off? I've read that the performance of the two are very close, so for me it's going to boil down to reliability and standard of service (dealers), although I prefer the looks of the ST.

The polo is faster than the ST on straight line thanks to the turbo and better built quality! for the rest the ST does win it!price, handling, design!!and Price!!

Hi ya Andy..

I have been one of the people with a dodgy ST, back 18 months ago. Ended up parting with it after 5 weeks of ownership.

But like yourself I set a budget for my next car (have since bought) and went round and round in circles, and yes came to the same conclusion as I did when I bought my last ST. So I now own another ST.

I have the ST grin back!!

They are simpily great, what else can you get for under £11K new?

The St doesn't have the chav image, it's almost the same to look at as the zetec s, only subtle differences that you notice over time, larger wheels, exhaust pipe visible and usually a driver with a grin!

I bought both my ST's from Motors Coalville. I would recommend them to anyone, service is great and all staff are helpful and their cars are exceptionally well priced!

Hope you get the right car!!

*touch wood* mine has been ok so far, I did have to have the alarm module changed and a new CD player BUT Bristol street Birmingham sorted both out no trouble at all and have generally been great (got my last car from there too).

Don't forget that with the ST you can negotiate a lot off the list price, but with the VW I doubt if you could.

The only thing worth mentioning though, is that it is noisy on the motorway - lots of engine noise because it revs really high. It got on my nerves at first but I'm used to it now.

good luck in your decision!

Can't say fairer than that, Ginger! I'll soon be booking test drives in the ST and the Polo GTI to see which suits me best. I'm a stickler for 'quality' and I'd sooner pay a bit more and even sacrifice a bit of handling ability if I think I'm getting a better-built product. It comes from being middle-aged, I think!
Hopefully, most of the bugs will have been dealt with by the time we get ours and I'll be able to base my decision on the car itself rather than my impressions of its faults. Thanks.

Ive had mine for 3 mths now...
Traded in from a brand new 2.0TDCi Focus - now theres a bad car! Started to break down the day I got it! Bloody dumb Peugeot engine.
I swore Id never buy another Ford, but kept looking at the ST..nothing touches it for price..eventually test drove one and ordered mine half an hour later!

I agree with the comments so far on this thread - I have the alarm problem, just waiting for a new Gems module to arrive. The dealers get the job done, but not first time in my experience. Mines a 2006(56)- the alarm problem only affected certain build dates, so if you are buying new in a few months time, the problem wont be an issue.

With regards to the car, yes its high revving, yes its a firm ride and yes, the mpg isnt great. However, its a hoot to drive, sticks to the road like glue and is solidly built! Im 38, married with 2 kids (19 and 14) and all of us love the car! It was bought as a second car but is used as the primary mode of transport! My wife LOVES it!

I average around 32mpg in normal driving, not too bad, but I do miss the Focuses 50mpg!

In summary, I really like the ST!! I only get back home at weekends due to work commitments, but when my wife picks me up at the airport, I cant wait to jump in the drivers seat and drive through the country lanes back to our house!

For £11000 you cannot buy a better car if you enjoy driving. I wouldnt own one if I covered 20000miles each year, but as we do around 8000miles each year, it is the perfect companion.
Good luck with your descision, but bear in mind that in most surveys, VW come BELOW Ford for reliability, and their customer service is not much better.
Andy

I must be the oldest on this forum at the age of 56...

I got mine 2nd hand prefacelift in red, with dealerfit sidestrips(bigger than factory fit and the ST letters are at the back on both sides)

I pulled the stripes off though my wife thinks I should have left them. (I reckon anyone who'll be impressed knows it's an ST - and the rest aren't worth informing)

I bought the ST over anything else because of the reports of superb handling and brakes - and the reports were right. Takes me back to my mini days in the 70s.

It's just so much fun, especially in the country, and it makes you want to drive precisely because it rewards precision so well.

At last, some *even* older than me! I was beginning to feel like a freak. My test drive yesterday left me much impressed - like you say, the ST feels very precise and well-planted. The styling is good, too - we more mature drivers can do without all the razmattaz! As soon as our settlement quote comes through (our present car is on a PCP) we'll be able to work out our payments and with a bit of luck we'll be ordering within the next week or so.