BODY

Don’t look for an ST250 before narrowing down a bodystyle, specification and colour. There are enough good used examples to choose from without settling for a car that doesn’t meet your criteria.

Your first decision will be between hatchback and estate. There’s no three-door Mk3 Focus, meaning there’s no especially sporty-looking ST250, so most modifiers tend to opt for a fivedoor hatch – particularly now that it shares so many bits with the Focus RS. Meanwhile, the wagon boasts greater load space and exactly as much enjoyment behind the wheel; reckon to add another grand-or-so onto your purchase price.

Externally, it’s tricky to tell the difference between trim levels, although you’ll recognise a Style Pack by its rear privacy glass and red brake calipers (that said, the tints were also offered as a stand-alone option, and painted calipers were stock on the facelift ST-3).

An electric sunroof was a rare option – on the hatchback only – and will take some hunting down. It’s also good to look out for door edge protectors, which sound like a gimmick but work well, and are pricey to retrofit. We’ve heard of protectors getting stuck and damaging paintwork, but it’s far from common.

Colours are purely a matter of taste and have little effect on price, although Spirit Blue and Panther Black tend to be most desirable, with Frozen White popular too.

When all that’s settled, select the bestcondition example you can find; a ropey ST will be obvious from a mile away, and only a clean car is worthy of your cash. Walk away from anything with scratches, dents, mismatched paintwork, kerbed alloys or – worst of all – signs of accident damage such as overspray, dodgy-looking panel gaps or creases underneath.

Talking of panel gaps, a regular criticism of the pre-facelift is the large opening between its bonnet and front bumper, which looks like the bonnet isn’t closed properly. It can be adjusted by winding down the rubber stoppers on the slam panel or drilling out the bonnet latch mounting holes.

Don’t forget that the ST is a Ford, and its rear wheelarches will inevitably rust – notably where they meet the back bumper, which rubs away the paintwork and flakes it off. Similarly, we’ve heard of hatchbacks with paint worn through by the back lights. Ford dealers refuse to repair the rot under warranty, so budget for a respray somewhere along the line.