Tell me what you think..... ST170

[MAGPIE]

Check out the link for a ST170 For Sale & tell me what you think...

the "Ford evaluation vehicle" is the bit that concerns me


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...628&key=432708

[fordel]

2002 interesting year, mine is early 2003 not really sure when they started bringing them in but, havent been around them for ages now so not up to date with everything.

Looks nice, evaluation vehicle i would be worried about personally

Chris

[zetec]

Evaluation vehicle generally means "flogged". Judging by the photo, those tyres don't look like ContiSport Contact 2's, they look Like Hankook Ventus, a much cheaper tyre. If they're not Conti's, then they've been replaced, indicating it has possibly had a hard life. Hankooks would not have been factory tyres.

Yeah that's a legit evaluation vehicle by the looks of it. They didn't ever come with Recaros (4 seaters too) or Climate Control as options in Aust or NZ as far as I know but def did in Europe. Looks like it was imported by Ford NZ and kept as an eval vehicle, but as to why it's "NZ new" I'm not sure. Sounds like it has only just been made available for sale? Normaly evaluation vehicles are never sold. And with Ford Solutions warranty... please explain, sounds like a Dealer is throwing on a 6 month used car warranty.

For that price, if it hasn't been hammered, it's an absolute steal, given it's both a one-off and looks in good nick with really low kays. The Speedo can also be easily set to display km's on the digital odometer by holding down the odometer reset button on startup until the dash guage flashed and the needles swing, then just press it until you get tothe km/h mode. You'd ideally just buy a km/h cluster from for spare parts, well worth the investment.

The first batch of ST170's came into Oz in about mid May 2003, 8 months after launch of the rest of the range back in September 2002. Not sure when NZ first got theirs, but imagine it wasn't much different. That this is a 2002 build further supports this notion that it is a legitimate evaluation vehicle. This would mean it was built before the launch even in Australia, meaning chances are it was built for NZ to evaluate. Global launch was in March 2002 so obvioulsy the build month will confirm if it was even built before global launch, entirely possible.

One other thing I have noticed, it doesn't have the "ST170" decals on the side mouldings, a giveaway that it is definitely an early model

It also doesn't look like it has the final side skirts, those ones seem to flare out more than normal.

It all adds up to seem authentic, with a few interesting and rare individual items fitted/not fitted. I'd say as long as it's legit, it's a bargain and a seriously individual car to own.

Original press release anyone?
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/relea...?release=11387

[Teki04]

Hey Matt,

If you check the picture you will realise that the cluster has an analogue display of both Miles (big numbers) and Kms (small numbers)

Oh, and it looks like a bargain! I really like those seats... and it's individual. No one in Australia even has that model :

Originally Posted by zetec

The Speedo can also be easily set to display km's on the digital odometer by holding down the odometer reset button on startup until the dash guage flashed and the needles swing, then just press it until you get tothe km/h mode. You'd ideally just buy a km/h cluster from for spare parts, well worth the investment.

[zetec]

I stand corrected, I should have thought of that! I didn't look close enough.

All Ican say is the ST I drove had a miles per hour speedo, it was cool!!

[Piotr]

About the bodykit. Didn't the Australia ST170 get a locally developed kit that was only for the australian market?

What do they usually go with eval cars? Crusher?

[zetec]

Yep - crusher. Or Tafes for mechanics to learn about the different parts, to train future mechanics.

You're correct, only the Aussie ST170 got the bodykit standard, it wasn't even an option in the UK, however I would believe that the NZ Foci would have had the same bodykit as the Aussie models, to help keep costs down. Hence my surprise. I may be wrong but it would make sense that any bodykit fitted to NZ ST170's would have probably been the "Aussie" one.

[XP6]

Just like to add, I just spent 20 days touring NZ on my honeymoon... its definitely ST country!(lotsa corners not many straights)
Our roads in Oz are poo compared to NZ's, here your lucky to see a road works crew in 2 days driving... NZ road works every 5 minutes.
Roads were smooth and no pot holes, even have warning signs for bumps in the road... That I couldnt even feel?(compared to ours)

Did the nth island 1st, got a nice 1000km old..... hi ho silver Foci auto hatch, nice car just didnt corner like mine does, felt like I was rolling the tyres off the front rims on every corner(GY Eagles poo).

After braving 4.5m swirls on the ferry we landed on the sth island(the return ferry was canceled... was in the news took them 10hrs instead of 2) in Picton they gave us a BLOODY Holded Viva(was new as well). What a cheesey POS crap car.

So we headed off to the Wearable art museum in Nelson(i thinks?) a hilly 120km's away... I had loaded trucks and campervans beeping me too speed up, my foot was near flat!
It had aboslutely no low or mid range power, sure it went fine if you held it flat at 5~7000rpm... which was real helpful on steep hills as you'd end up the rear of the next car and have to slow down only too do it all over again and again and again and again. We ended up using 3/4 of a tank to do 240km's!

Back in Picton the next day I went back to Buget and said I not driving this POS, it has no cruise, the blinker stalk was ready to break, used way to much fuel... and our standard large size suit case did not fit in the boot of a 3 door hatch!(ever tried putting a heavy suit case on the back seat of a 3 door?)

They said its the same class car, like hell it is I said, the smart *** reckoned both the focus and the viva were base models... 1.8ltrs no cruise or fast glass... I said yep you know your cars aye, the NZ and OZ foci only come with 2lts and cruise and front fast glass is standard features!
They wouldnt budge reckoned they dont have any more foci's so I said no worries giv's me money back and I'll go next door(prepaid)they soon found one in their next depot at some airport a few K's away... drove straight there got me a foci!

This foci had 11Kkm's seemed to handle much better, the front tyre's had been replaced with BS potenza's(same as I got on mine)the corner speed and braking was much better.

So the moral of the story... I dont care if its got 23 storage spaces because it dont maketh it a real car!Viva that "Holded on".

[Blue_ST170]

Its not a bad car......looks like a euro st170 with a prototype of the aus body kit on it.

As long as its in good condition and hasn't had the wheels driven off its a good buy. Also its prtty easy to pick up a set of the ST170 decals if u want them.

[orsest170]

Originally Posted by Blue_ST170

As long as its in good condition and hasn't had the wheels driven off its a good buy.

It's an evaluation vehicle ..... it's had the wheels driven off it......

[XP6]

Mines had a hard 50K's... hasnt missed a beat!

[BeStRaFe]

from whati cann from the pics it doesnt look to be a car that has had the wheels driven off it...

the handbrake still has shine to the leather... the bodkit is in immacualte condition... and test cars this is a hard thing to do....

i think that is the euro sport model...

i rember seeing a review on topgear about it a while ago...
this one seems to have all the toys... and a steal at that price if its genuine

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by zetec

Evaluation vehicle generally means "flogged". Judging by the photo, those tyres don't look like ContiSport Contact 2's, they look Like Hankook Ventus, a much cheaper tyre. If they're not Conti's, then they've been replaced, indicating it has possibly had a hard life. Hankooks would not have been factory tyres.

Thrash factor is what concerns me.

Originally Posted by zetec

Looks like it was imported by Ford NZ and kept as an eval vehicle, but as to why it's "NZ new" I'm not sure. Sounds like it has only just been made available for sale? Normaly evaluation vehicles are never sold

NZ New means it was not registered overseas previously. I know of at least one other ST170 that featured in some reviews, that was an Irish vehicle & had no body kit.

Originally Posted by zetec

For that price, if it hasn't been hammered, it's an absolute steal, given it's both a one-off and looks in good nick with really low kays.

Seems strange though, having such low kays

Originally Posted by zetec

One other thing I have noticed, it doesn't have the "ST170" decals on the side mouldings, a giveaway that it is definitely an early model

NZ didn't have those, but we did get a nice Zetec badge on the doors



Thanks for the info

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by zetec

I may be wrong but it would make sense that any bodykit fitted to NZ ST170's would have probably been the "Aussie" one.

Correct

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by ST170ish

Our roads in Oz are poo compared to NZ's

Yikes, always thought our roads were terrible :

[MAGPIE]

Here is the latest consideration

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...286&key=258806

More km's
More cash

but bog standard NZ spec

:

What do you all think