ST 2.5 talk to me

[Kent197]

Looking more and more at these, come down to £4k for a leggy one and £6k plus for something not battered.

has anyone owned one? I am severely drawn to the 5 pot!

yes I know, it's fat, ugly (depending on colour choice!), etc but just want to here some extra owner views and how t compared with the 200 as a daily.

 

[DS197]

Don't have much to add apart from that i'm still not sure whether or not I like the looks of them. But I did hear one the other day and the burble that came out the back was just amazing. i'd buy one just for the sound tbh

 

[Starlet_GT]

I owned a 59 plate ST that had the mp260 tuning package and an RS clutch. Owned it for 2 years and it was faultless.

I was getting around 24mpg town driving and 28mpg mixed driving.

It was very comfortable and the torque was immense. I could leave it in 6th at 20mph and it would still pull well.

I had an st2 with Bluetooth and hands free. If you get a mapped one, make sure to test it in 5th/6th at low revs to see if the clutch slips. The standard clutch is pretty poor.

 

[Kent197]

Yeah I know what you mean, sometimes I see them in a certain light they look chunky and beautiful, sometimes bit "meh". Will have to be a 3 door I think.

that sounds like a great ST you had, mmmmmm torque.

time to have a look at few I think and have a drive.

 

[Starlet_GT]

Get the centre silencer removed and they sound lovely as well!

 

[nutnutwelshman]

One of the guys at work as one great car and you can get cheaper parts from Volvo on mechanical parts

 

[CallorFold]

I looked at the ST before deciding on the Clio. I found it quite hard to find an ST-2/3 in a nice enough condition/low enough mileage within my budget and I figured with the extra running costs too it was just too expensive at the time.

Big fan of them though, although I really don't like the colourful cloth seats, I'd have to look for leathers.

 

[montana]

Nice cars, the biggest plus over the 197 is the engine note IMHO. F4R engines sounds like sewing machines :001_rolleyes:

 

[Kent197]

Agreed I have been looking more thorughly, £7.5k is where it starts for something sought after otherwise just boggo specs and mostly 5 doors.

Yeah Agreed Montana, I have the 200 which to be honest is louder than I thought it was going to be, it's mostly the exhaust bellowing though which I beluve is louder than 197 exhaust?

 

[Chris_200CUP]

I've had two,

had as a heavily modified one running 340-345bhp and a MR290 one.

The main thing have look out for is cracked liners! They are prone to go even on standard cars. I've been there with mine. Luckily got new engine through ford.

They at are good cars. Easy to drive and can be quick. Torque on them is the main thing. Not best handling car though. For a daily it'll be better than Clio but fun factors are miles apart.

Make sure look at plenty, buying a cheap one might turn into a money pit so chose wisely ! I'd say best buying a MT one or one that's slightly modified and may of had the block mod done

 

[Kent197]

Great response Chris thanks.

How would one go about checking for a cracked liner? Is this scary stuff if it goes?

That's the thing my 200cup suspension is my daily, I feel like I am hurting it on these terrible roads on my commute, fancy a bit of point and shoot action for a while and ST seems to fit the bill nicely.

 

[Chris_200CUP]

Usually the header tank is low/ empty. If take oil cap out it has loads of white oil ( looks like mayo ) and loads of steam coming out the exhaust.

Problem is can bodge it and fix it for a short period. Rad weld had been used by some people as quick fix.

it is a defo point and squirt kind of car. Don't get me wrong it does go round corners but can tell its a heavy car. Do work better on eibach springs . Removes some the roll but keeps it a standard ride still.

Probley on par with clio on fuel too for normal driving

 

[Chrisgti6]

I have the same engine in my Volvo S40. Currently at about 300bhp and 360-370lb-ft peak torque. The clutch is so far perfect in my car. It really is luck of the draw on both clutches and liner problems.

The cracked liner issue can be avoided for not much money, <£500 will get the liners shimmed and the belts changed. Shouldn't have any trouble then. I will be doing this to my car sometime next year when the belts are due (10 years)

Have you considered the Volvo C30 T5? Almost exactly the same car, more discreet, Better looking (in my opinion) far less chavvy, and they have one of the best factory fitted stereos you will ever hear (well, in this sort of price bracket anyway).

Chris

 

[Kent197]

Thank you.

Just had a brief look, they are commanding the same money so I would have to say ST for myself. Saying that a lovely black C30 T5 is on autotrader, but @ £8k for 07 seems steep, albeit low mileage, good cond, etc. But how much cheaper can it be I guess...

 

[Mattb_197]

I went out in a mates standard one a few years ago and in honesty I wasn't that impressed. The fun comes when you start messing with them, it's fairly easy to get ~300bhp out of them without breaking too much of a sweat or your bank account! They then become a very formidable point and squirt car. The handling is a bit soft and it's never going to be as tight or feel as direct to drive as something like the Clio but then it's a completely different animal. Comfort and refinement wise it's leagues ahead. The acceleration is effortless especially when running ~300bhp.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think the weak liner issue was solved in the face-lift version of the STs?

 

[Starlet_GT]

I went out in a mates standard one a few years ago and in honesty I wasn't that impressed. The fun comes when you start messing with them, it's fairly easy to get ~300bhp out of them without breaking too much of a sweat or your bank account! They then become a very formidable point and squirt car. The handling is a bit soft and it's never going to be as tight or feel as direct to drive as something like the Clio but then it's a completely different animal. Comfort and refinement wise it's leagues ahead. The acceleration is effortless especially when running ~300bhp.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think the weak liner issue was solved in the face-lift version of the STs?

The liner issue was still there in the face lifts in the early versions I believe. Mine ran the mp260 for nearly 60k with no issues at all. I think it's just luck of the draw as I've heard of standard examples needing the liners doing.