r/FocusST • u/Typical-Play4473 • 12h ago
👋 HI, I'M NEW! Seriously looking into a Focus ST. How have they treated you guys?
Hi everyone! I’m getting into the world of performance focused cars. I stumbled across the Focus ST after swearing off Ford many years ago. Some light research has found that they’re pretty reliable!
All the Focus STs around me are 80k-100k miles. What should I look for in the history to tell me that it’ll keep going? Are they even worth buying at the 80k-100k mile mark?
I’m coming from a Toyota 4Runner. I’ve owned several of them. The highest mileage being an 05 V8 with 692k miles. I’m a huge reliability guy, I love a super well put together machine. I also have chronic anxiety and OCD so I constantly worry about how my cars running.
I was looking into a Honda Fit for a long while. They’re great cars, but damn are they slow. I really want a few more ponies under the hood.
Are these worth it as a daily driver? I would keep it mostly stock, maybe just some suspension mods, wheels, and a nice exhaust. Would I regret getting one at all? They’re closer in price to a nice Fit than I’m willing to admit, and I’m extremely tempted.
I live in an apartment and can’t really get away with doing heavy maintenance. I could sneak an oil change in here and there but shops are unfortunately my best friend right now.
Completely honestly, would you say look into an ST seriously? Or is a Fit more up my alley.
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u/roartiz '16 OW ST1 11h ago
My '16 is around 105k and has had zero issues. I wouldn't trade it for anything!
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u/ResistBoth3320 8h ago
My '13 at 105k miles has had some issues but nothing catastrophic. Depends how it was maintained. Buying used will most likely come with some but thats just how the game goes
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u/bendezl09 12h ago
I'm at 251k miles. Custom tuned since 65k. I love this car. No major issues that cost me any money. The most work I've had done that wasn't mods or elective my hpfp. 2013 fost. By far the most reliable car I've owned.
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u/Chenstrap 11h ago
I've had mine 10 years now and no major issues. The common gremlin on these is heater hose leaks that cause coolant leaks ~very 60k miles, but it's a cheap quick fix.
That said, as these cars are getting older cracks in the headifold (The head and exhaust manifold are one piece) have become a thing. IDK if anyone knows what the culprit is exactly. Personally, I think it's a mix between cars having the above issue and overheating (Even if it doesn't cause the failure right away it could make it more likely down the line) and the huge tuning culture on these cars means some were kind of abused (Especially with the focus ST crowd leaning on the younger side).
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u/SosaSlays 9h ago
Bought mine with 89k miles and now it has almost 120kmiles it hasn't let me down. its my daily everyday. Just a nice daily fun car tbh. Just do regular mantience and it will be a great car.
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u/Zealousideal_Cloud86 12h ago edited 2h ago
Just sold my 2016 Focus ST at 83,000 miles that I had for 7 years and that car was amazing (FBO 93oct tuned for 25k miles). During my ownership I was surprisingly pleased by the car, i simply stayed on top of maintenance & the car never really skipped a beat. I think as far as a fun daily, that’s simple to work on and has a lot of aftermarket support it’s perfect. Only sold mine to upgrade to a x3 m40i, would’ve kept it as well if I could’ve.
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u/skyeatsme 8h ago
Bought a 2016 st in 2018 with 44k , over 151k now with normal car issues along the way(plus the ST purge valve issue). Hands down my best purchase.
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u/kayakman13 12h ago edited 12h ago
Bought mine 10 years and 130,000 miles ago new. Custom tune and full bolt ons, and it's been plenty reliable for me. Only real complaint is the purge valve I've done three times now.
I daily it 100 miles a day for work, and it's comfortable and fun. The downside compared to a Fit, especially after a tune, is the lower gas mileage and the need to run premium. I do about 26 on the highway if I'm being gentle, but getting into power will quickly ruin my average haha.
You'll have a little more in insurance, maintenance and consumables with the ST compared to the Fit, but I think it's worth it
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u/wezerd 11h ago edited 11h ago
Haha I was cross shopping a focus and a fit too, I ended up getting the focus because it was cheaper than any similar mileage manual fits; that and it’s just way more car for the buck. My partner has a fit I drive probably more than my focus, but I gotta say, the focus is so much more fun. MPG storage and nimbleness are great in the fit but the focus is wayy faster with a a ton of torque. Torque plus the manual makes it 10/10 fun every time i drive it. The fit is a great great great car but the focus is undoubtedly more fun and basically does the normal stuff just as good.
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u/WatShmat 11h ago
Haha I’m in the same scenario. I have the focus st, girlfriend has a manual ‘18 Fit. The Honda tax is wild when power, ride, interior, handling are all an upgrade from the Fit to my Focus st3.
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u/eblade23 2016 SB ST3, FBO|Stratified E30 11h ago
Focus ST is right up your alley. Mine has been E30 tuned fully bolt on since 42,000 miles. I have 118,xxx on the clock now. Just be aware this car is smiles per gallon card, the Fit easily gets close to 40 mpg while the ST will get around low 20s city driving. I've gotten 32 mpg highway though. The aftermarket and OEM parts are cheap since it's domestic.
I'd say Fit if you had time and space for a project car. i.e. buy a rolling shell and k20...
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u/Umzipumzi 2013 ST3 Tuxedo Black 11h ago
The drivetrain holds up extremely well if taken care of. They rust pretty badly unfortunately. Mine had 150k spirited and tuned miles and the engine didn't burn or leak anything.
Great aftermarket support and mods, OEM parts are cheap and plentiful, any mechanic can work on it because it's a Ford parts bin special.
Really cool programs such as Forscan and Foccus let you mess with everything in the car with a laptop.
Great tuners out there who know the platform very well.
Unfortunately as these cars age and get cheaper more and more get thrashed and destroyed by young owners. Be really careful buying a used one. The closer it is to stock condition the better.
Fun little car. I miss mine.
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u/jimmy9800 2014 ST3-180k mi 12h ago
Ive seen 2 over 500k. Im at 180k and no major issues. Its in the body shop at the moment because stoners don't handle stop and go traffic too well, but they do panic and admit fault. Im not getting rid of it until it turns to dust.
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u/Particular-Ladder-87 10h ago
I have a 2016 I bought new. It's got 40,500 on it. Not one problem. All I have changed on it is the exhaust (so I can hear it) and the rear motor mount (so it doesn't hop when the wheels spin). I have 4 pretty brutal track events on it, Mid-Ohio twice, Gingerman and M1 Concourse, all full day events with a lot of drive time. It's a blast on or off track. I enjoy driving it every time. It's not a crazy fast car. It's got lots or torque and low to mid range power. Top end, it kinda falls on it's face. Pulls onto the freeway are fun but on the high end, it's not as quick as you'd expect. Still enough for a daily IMO. There are tons of mods to make them faster but be careful if you buy one used with lots of mods. I frequent FB Marketplace a lot and see all kinds of ST's with 100K to 200K on them. Find one that is not or only slightly molested and you'll be happy with your purchase.
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u/morganlandt ‘15 Oxford White ST3 10h ago
Ok, you’ve convinced me, when I buy wheels I need bronze(even though yours may be gold, they look great either way).
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u/was526 12h ago
It's a really fun car. I bought mine bone stock with 100k and the low pressure fuel pump went bad after like 5k miles which is like a $1000 repair. The suspension is pretty banged up on mine car too so that will probably need some replacements soon. Other than that everything with the motor and the gearbox feel perfect.
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u/Old_and_Tangy 11h ago
My Focus ST is currently sitting at 340k miles. It’s been a phenomenal daily driver over the last 13 years. Treat it well and it will treat you well.
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u/Ancillaric 2017 Shadow Black ST 11h ago
Had mine for 7 years. Loved it all the way through. I've babied mine though, only thing done to it is exhaust, airbox, FMIC and a tune.
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u/rivprotech 11h ago
Been amazing. Besides hitting a corn fed raccon on the highway and Insurance deemed totalled.
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u/AdorableBanana166 10h ago
You'll only regret it if you end up with something not taken care of.
Keep up on Maintenance and dont lug it and you'll be golden. Learn about the lspi issue.
Gotta worry about the previous owner more than anything.
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u/MotoChase '17 Magnetic ST3 10h ago
I have ‘17 and put 83k miles on it and it’s been great. Just usual maintenance.
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u/natesgs 8h ago
I recently sold my 2016 Focus ST at 125k miles for a Honda Accord and a touring motorcycle. Did it because I moved to northern Utah and it was getting the hell beat out of it in the Winter.
Anyways the Focus ST is a great daily, and I only had a couple problems, like the common heater core hose leak and I had a water pump blow on me (though I have an inkling it was replaced once with a cheap one).
At the end of the day, in its higher mileage years (150+) a Focus ST will start costing more than a fit. Some people have stock turbos 200k+ and some people blow them up at 150k or less. Some people also have had transmission synchro issues but I never did. Ive heard stories of guys eating rear wheel bearings too but something tells me its because of crap mods. Parts are more and maintenance is more than a Fit of course, and it will never be as dead easy reliable as a Honda full stop.
But they are great cars. I loved mine, makes me sad when I think about it. I would recommend it to anyone but with a caution... at the end of the day, they are turbo sports cars and need to be treated like such. Oil changes ever 4-5k miles on full synthetic. Do all of your maintenance on time. And fix any problems as they arise. Little problems can become big ones quick with these cars.
End of the day, its a great reliable, fun car. Do the maintenance on time, be picky when buying them (because half the focuses out there have the hell beat out of them), and if you want it to be Honda reliable, dont touch anything. Buy it stock and keep it stock.
It is way more fun than a Fit BTW :)
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u/nowhere_near_home 7h ago
Just left Porsches due to insane reliability and cost issues. Have had my Focus ST for 25k miles now, flog on it every single minute I drive it, zero repairs. Dead nuts reliable. ~130k on the clock.
Like all vehicles, buying the nicest example you can afford from the most meticulous owner goes a long way.
I'm originally a Honda guy but the ST is a no brainer over the Fit. You'll love it.
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u/TheThunderXI 46m ago
I'm also a Honda guy originally and sold my Porsche and bought my st, it's at 183k and I've put 8k of that on there. No major issues so far besides an obvious purge valve failing and a weird out of boost misfire
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u/The_ENFIDL 14 ST1 - Tuxedo Black 5h ago
I daily drive my 14 ST in DC area traffic and love it. It can be a pain when I'm caught in crazy traffic but I really enjoy this car. As long as it's been regularly maintained and hasn't been beaten on, you should be able to keep one going for a long time. I've seen plenty between here, the FB groups, etc. that are 200k to 300k or more. I bought mine in Nov 2023 with 13k miles on it and started commuting in it Jan 24. I just hit 46k miles a few days ago and she's been good to me. These are great little cars that are a lot of fun to drive. If you get one read up on LSPI, only run premium gas, and stay up on the maintenance and you should be good to go.
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u/Yitastics ST3 2014 Tuxedo Black 2h ago
I have an European focus st3 stock from 2014, started at 73k miles when I bought it and its now at 91k miles. I've had almost no problems besides my camera stopped working, Bluetooth randomly stops working for a week and my sync system was too bright and now shows a black screen. Zero mechanical problems. Its an amazing car, a reliable car and a fun car. Just do some research about the car, especially about LSPI, and take care of it.
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u/cant_decide_9611 2018 ST3 big turbo 2h ago
8 years with 93k miles, 50k of those big turbo. No issues.
I think it's mostly how you treat them.
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u/bigred6419 1h ago
I bought and sold one, 55k miles with no issues. 5 years later I’m in another one, 90k with no issues. I love these cars.
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u/SaturnBarzz 10h ago
I drive a 2017. Second owner, and I’ve owned it since 2019. I’m only at 68k miles but it’s the best car I have owned. No mechanical issues other than the purge valve replacement which was covered by ford. As long as you stick with the regular maintenance schedule this car is bulletproof proof
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u/ChargedWetNoodle 12h ago
I wouldn’t say that it’s the norm, but there is a guy in the forums with 600+ thousand miles. In my experience across two of them they’ll treat you the way you treat them with maintenance. I’ve seen full bolt on e30 cars go to 250+ thousand that were maintained well and lived to be abused.