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Focus st11/11/2023 ![]() Engine – Smoking and misfiring can point to piston ring land failure, an impending rebuild and empty bank account.Flapping door seals are free with every purchase. Body – Look for rusty rear wheelarches, lacquer peeling off plastics, flickering headlamps, poor panel gaps and dodgy paintwork.Don’t spend your money without investing in a comprehensive history check. Similarly, most have been bought on finance. Identity – Crashed, stolen and cloned ST250s are common.Likewise, lack of servicing points to a driver who’s skimped on costs. Overall condition – Avoid any ST that looks neglected: Mk3 Focus cabins cover many miles without showing wear, so tatty trim suggests an abused example.June 2018 – Ford Focus Mk3 ST discontinued.ST-2 and ST-3 continue with satellite navigation now included as standard. February 2017 – Focus ST-1 discontinued.Options now include split-five-spoke 19in alloy wheels and 335mm front brakes. Mechanical upgrades include revised front springs, uprated dampers, stiffer suspension bushes, and recalibrated electrically-assisted steering. Cabin has redesigned dashboard layout and centre console. Revised styling includes new headlamps and rectangular fog lamps. 29 October 2014 – Facelifted Focus ST 12-model hatchback/estate range introduced in ST-1, ST-2 or ST-3 trim with choice of 250PS petrol or 180PS diesel powerplants.Summer 2014 – Focus ST production (pre-facelift) ends.Around 40 other markets soon follow – including the USA – making the ST250 the first truly international fast Ford. Trim levels are ST-1 (with monotone Recaro seats), ST-2 (colour-coordinated Recaro seats) or ST-3 (black leather Recaro seats). 1 June 2012 – Focus ST becomes available in UK.September 2011 – Focus ST Mk3 unveiled, based on five-door hatchback/estate but with 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine (250PS, thus ST250 nickname), six-speed manual gearbox, lowered and uprated suspension, big brakes, 18in alloy wheels, full bodykit and centre-exit exhaust.February 2011 – Focus Mk3 launched, based on existing floorpan but with all-new five-door hatchback and estate bodywork, vast range of engines and trim levels, albeit no sporting model to replace Mk2 ST and RS.You’ll need to invest in security to keep your ST safe. Thieves are ultra-keen on the ST250 for joyrides, ram-raids and bank jobs.Say it quietly, but there’s a reason for the EcoBoom nickname… Still, a forged rebuild at least means you can add more boost.Ignore them: the ST250 is a better car in every other respect. Tiresome comments will always come from people moaning it’s not a three-door and that they prefer the ST225’s burbling five-cylinder soundtrack.Second-hand prices are starting to level out, so there are some real bargain STs on the used market – even previously-modified machines.Tuning a Ford Focus ST Mk3 turns it from family wagon into RS-chasing hot hatch, with even a basic Stage 1 remap making for massive grins.ST250s are amazingly good all-rounders, as capable on track as they are blasting down B-roads, cruising motorways or popping to the shops.Here’s what you need to know before buying one. Today, we feel its one of the best used cars you can buy, with prices only expected to rise in the future. And while the noise from the exhaust didn’t quite match its older sibling, its performance more than made up for it. The Mk3 Focus ST, launched in 2011, introduced the new EcoBoost engine, and moved away from the hugely popular five-pot. With Ford deciding to phase out production of the Focus, we suspect prices for older generation cars to climb. Fast Fords don’t come any more fabulous, fun and frugal than the Ford Focus ST Mk3 – the best-value all-rounder in the Blue Oval world, offering fantastic handling, immense practicality and tuneability to rival an RS.
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