T-sport To.....fiesta?

[Kev Mc]

Yeah, I agree with others, sounds like you've got your heart set on the Fiesta ST. I think your best bet would be to do what you're planning & go & see 1 up close, look & feel the interior & that & see how you like it. If you can take 1 for a spin that should definately help your opinion 1 way or another, although I couldn't get a test drive for a Golf when I decided what I wanted & I couldn't have been happier when I bought it

Another idea might be to join a forum full of owners of the car & see what they think. I did that when I was looking at buying a 2.0 Golf GTI & they all told me how slow they were, a while later I decided a 2.0 GTI wasn't for me but that a different model was so I bought it & as I said I couldn't have been happier with my decision

[Ed_Shek]

I think the ST handles better than most Toyota's and they are cheaper to buy with a decent spec of creature comforts. Whether they are as reliable I don't know.

[Chris81]

yaris-girl, let us know how much money you're looking to spend and I'm sure that will help us advise better!

There's no doubt that Ford has pedigree in making cars that simply feel good to drive and handle well. Between me and my mates we've probably owned most models Ford have made since the mid 80's. The Fiesta ST would give you a nice little power increase to the t-sport and they're also pretty good value now as well. You can pick up an early one for under £8000. They were facelifted last year and given a different interior so keep an eye out. You seem hung up on the interior - I think it's more modern than the mk1 Yaris. Think the ST came with half leather as standard but full leather was an option. There are loads about so test drive one and I'm sure you'll know if its the car for you.

Don't blame you for giving up on Toyota. I like the look of the new shape Yaris SR but performance wise, it's so off the pace it's unbelieveable.

I would have also suggested a Mitsubishi Colt CZT but you say you don't like it. There's also the Smart ForFour Brabus which is straight out of leftfield. Or again something a bit different is the Skoda Fabia vRS. But it all comes down to how much you're looking to spend.

[yaris_girl]

Thanks for the added info/opinions.

I'm definately going to the showroom during the week to get a better feel for the car and see what i think after that.

In terms of how much i''d be spending, I'd be looking at getting either a brand new or nearly new Fiesta ST so in the region of £12000-13000?

[Chris81]

Aha that makes all the difference. Given the terrible depreciation on the Fiesta ST I wouldn't be buying a new one. I bet there are pre-registered ones around or in car supermarkets for a few thousand cheaper than list price. Dont spend 5 figures on one though! The second hand car market is flooded with them (look on autotrader and you'll see what I mean).

[yaris_girl]

Aha that makes all the difference. Given the terrible depreciation on the Fiesta ST I wouldn't be buying a new one. I bet there are pre-registered ones around or in car supermarkets for a few thousand cheaper than list price. Dont spend 5 figures on one though! The second hand car market is flooded with them (look on autotrader and you'll see what I mean).

I've tried phoning the 3 local Ford garages around here this morning and only the furthest away (about 20 miles) has any in, and no white 1's. The guy said he'd do a new one for £11,500?

[Chris81]

As I say, your best bet is to sign up to the autotrader website. It's free and you can search on exact model number, postcode and price.

Have a look in What Car and see what the Target Price is. £11,500 doesn't sound too generous. All I'm saying is that the Fiesta ST is a very common car and there are loads and loads for sale second hand. Therefore if you buy one new, you're going to take a massive hit in depreciation. Some people insist on buying new and fair play to them. However, if you're not bothered about the car having a few thousand miles on it then you'll save a lot of money. Especially if you plan to get rid of it in a couple of years (like you're going to with the t-sport).

For example, I've just had a look on autotrader and theres a 2007 56 reg with 3K on the clock for £9991 from a main dealer. There are similar deals around for under £10,000. These cars really don't hold their value well so 2nd hand makes most sense.

[yaris_girl]

I've had a quick look on Autotrader and i didn't realise just how much they depreciate so quickly, even though its a 2 ltr? It really has made me think again about the Fiesta ST - I don't want to change cars again in say 2 years time and get pennys for it.

Now i'm really stuck. :(

[lewtrino]

Seat Ibiza FR? We used to have Seat as part of our dealership, they were quite handy cars.

[Chris81]

If you like the car then don't let that put you off. Just use the depreciation to your advantage (as much as possible). Don't buy new! Maybe look to spend £9000 tops and find the best example you can for that money. On the plus side, you can haggle hard cos there are so many about.

[jd26]

nice cars dont get me wrong butt personally having been in one (which was being driven pretty hard) it just didnt seem all that thrilling..

when you think of the focus st, ford really didnt do what they could of with the fiesta.

didnt feel all that quick, i expected a little bit more myself.

just my 2pence :P good luck with the search tho! considerd a corolla ts compressor?

[Blue84]

I drive my Dad's Fiesta quite a bit and compared to the Yaris it's horrible....I'm 5"8 and my knee always knocks the centre console and leaves me with a red mark and soreness for a while, it's the same engine size as the Yaris Blue but it isn't any better..infact it's slower, it's also noisy (general road noise wise) and are ten a penny round here (we're near to Dagenham which used to be a big Ford Factory)....the Yaris is better built, quieter and more responsive..my Dad's is only a 1.3 LX that he's had from new from 2003 and hasn't even done 23,000 miles.

However until you really drive one and have a go I don't think you'll be able to know fully if you really want it and you might even realise the Yaris is fine after all :D let us know how it all goes.

[alanbradley]

I think i've talked myself into the Fiesta ST to be honest, on the outside anyway. I'm going to go to a garage during the week and have a closer look and possibly a test drive - it would have to be either the white with blue stripes or blue with white stripes that i go for though, thats a deffinate! :)

Boooooring...

I can for give the Mazda 2 its extra doors for the line of the front wings. Was stuck beside one for half an hour in a traffic jam last week and got plenty of time to analyse it. Shame the driver wasn't as sexy :-(

A

[seveer unaek]

Fiesta ST is sadly an opportunity missed by Ford. I like the look of it and the inside is quite classy, but, for the money and the fact its got a 2.0ltr engine it is a serious let down. I had a 'play' with one or two on roads near me (both dual carriageway and the lovely yorkshire moors) and round the twistys they do not get away from me (1.3 SR), could be the driver, I know but I was surprised. Also, in a straight line, YTS's beat them every time at Santa Pod.

I then got to thinking, why not try one... So I took a 24hr test drive a few months back, i'll summarise:

Positives

Looks Well

Good enough standard stereo

Quiet + fairly refined

Good Brakes

Nice steering feel

Good gearbox feel

Negatives

Slow (for what it is)

Unresponsive

Lacklustre (no eagerness to rev or guts to it, just a flat climb in revs and speed)

Disapointing Chassis (no real drama, too much roll, doesn't inspire you to hustle it along)

Too soft (2.0ltr engine in a car this size needs a firm chassis to support the weight in order to turn-in with a bit of gusto)

Too heavy (you can feel the weight of the engine, it just doesn't get on its toes and go)

Not enough room (im 6ft 3" and I was pretty uncomfy, seats were OK, but not enough space and forget the back)

Sounded very drony

Sadly, it didn't cut it for me. It was nice to look at and pootle along in, but if you want a car to actually drive, then this one falls short of the mark. It felt like a 1.6 golf. Too much for too little. If the engine was more sophisticated and had a bit of drama (maybe a turbo with a touch of lag) and had a good stiff chassis and it sounded better then it might be worth a look, unfortunatley, it just isn't good enough.

If you do want a nice car, try the Suzuki Swift Sport - not overtly fast but my god is it good to drive. Soooo much fun to hustle down a back road and believe me, it leaves much more powerful and expensive cars for dust. The brakes and chassis are fantastic and you get out with a grin every time. Same goes for the Fiat Panda 100hp, plus they have loads of kit and are !Removed! cheap. I'd have either one over my Yaris, just a shame I have no money!

[R6TH M]

If your looking at spending 12k I would definitely be looking at 06 Corolla T sport compressors. Hell of a lot more car for the money than a fiesta ST. Personally I dont think I could change my yts for an st but the only way you will know for yourself is to go drive it:)

[Chris81]

Thats 2 people now who have said that a yaris t-sport is quicker than the fiesta ST in a straight line at Santa Pod. Are we talking totally standard cars in both cases?

And Bue84, the 1.3LX your dad has is a woeful engine. I believe its the ancient tappety engine they use in the Ka. A better choice would have been the 1.25 or 1.4 zetec.

[Blue84]

And Bue84, the 1.3LX your dad has is a woeful engine. I believe its the ancient tappety engine they use in the Ka. A better choice would have been the 1.25 or 1.4 zetec.

Yep tell me about it...it's definately not the best and not as economical as the Yaris either.....he wishes he had got something else at the time, lack of research is a big regret of his...he has had it since March 2003 when it was brand new anyway, but I keep trying to convince him to get a Toyota but he won't..yet ;)

[T V O R]

If that's the same engine that was in the Ka, then it dates back over 40 years to the Ford Anglia :(

[yaris_girl]

Update - I'm now looking at the Hyundai Coupe Going to the garage tomorrow for a swatch.

[T V O R]

Update - I'm now looking at the Hyundai Coupe Going to the garage tomorrow for a swatch.

Very nice cars. The new one looks like an Aston!

[seveer unaek]

Only go for the V6, the others aren't worth it when the V6 is as good as it is for the money.