Hi
I need a car for my daughter.
Does anyone have any experience with the first version of the focus. Specifically the the st170??
Good points other than a spare engine for the escort !!!
Bad points other than its a focus !!

TIA
Emil

Check insurance rates for P plate drivers as its a 2 door "sports" model they might not cover her, I got a lot of that when car shopping fo rmy daughter, a Suzuki Swift RE was knocked back.....

I owned a st170 a few yrs ago. .till it got written orff by a rogue 4x4 ! Only problem I had was the dual runner cable snapped and the p/steer pump went.. Being of the Focus RS origins is totally different to a daily focus p/s pump. Local price was $1200(!!!) So I bought a new one from USA at $85 plus $40 shipping.
A lot of components are different to stock focus, like massive brakes(300mm) , gearbox is 6sp , suspension, interior. Very unique car as we only had 125 of them here in Aus making them ultra rare. .
Sorry for the carry on but I reckon buy her a mk6 fiesta(06-09) as only a few Grand now and plenty reliable , cheap to run etc.

Recommend an XR4, great car. Only draw back is 95 fuel or above, fairly economical at 7 litres per hundred.
John

The other drawback to the XR4 is the exploding gearbox!  They are so weak that you don't have to abuse them to kill them.  Look it up on-line and you'll see in the UK they put a different gearbox in (with some difficulty too I believe).  The standard rims are very weak too, so stock up on a spare or three.

Get her a Corolla or Yaris Emil. She will thank you for it and you will sleep better at night knowing that she won't be stuck on the side of the road somewhere. Looking at the ST170's on carsales, a Corolla is much the same price.
 
Flighter is right about the XR4 Rims......I think they are made of cottage cheese.
 
Cheers, Craig.

Thanks for the input guys.
Still got time so not pulling the trigger just yet.
ST might be a a bit to much of an "enthusiasts" car.
She is the only girl I know who went YUK when I suggested a mazda 3 !
Hence the difficulty !