general question and road tax cost

[Teflon 323]

Hi guys

Thinking of getting rid of my focus st and purchasing a 197. I currently have an astra j sri 2.0cdti sports tourer as well. Don't like using the focus for work as its all country lanes and its very very juicy LOL. Hence why I got the astra , while the astra is great for what it is I now hardly use the focus .

So my thoughts are sell them both . Buy a 197 and use that to blast down the lanes every morning and use at weekends. While I appreciate it wont be as good as the astra fuel wise, It must be better than my st LOL

Plus I could put a few quid back in the bank. (this is the main reason tbh)

Whilst im sure eventually id want to do a meg conversion And yes I know this would totally defeat the object of buying it in the first place. I still like the idea HAHA !

So can anyone help with an idea on general running costs ?

Tax, fuel, service , major problems etc

 

[Micah]

Hi Teflon, welcome to the forum.
I assume the ST is the 2.5 Turbo if it’s that juicy? They always look like heavy cars to me, but you could be getting low to high 20’s in a 197 but you might start getting addicted to driving in the lanes with a Clio! If you REALLY go for it, you won’t get above 20
Tax isn’t cheap, will be £275 for the year. These things also like to be run on the premium stuff, so Tesco Momentum or V Power.
Problems are covered in the buyers guide, and will be costly to fix if you don’t get one that’s been well maintained. The good news is they’re hard to sell lately and prices are low. Hold out for a good one and you’ll be well rewarded.
If you’re looking to put some money in the bank, I think your mind is probably already made up - sell the ST!
Plus this is an awesome forum so we’re more than happy for you to become part of the family!

 

[Teflon 323]

yes its the 2.5 turbo . And yes its a heavy beast. Its lovely but not an everyday car LOL. Tax is in same bracket as the st I would assume then if its that much.

I Had a 172 cup a few years back and loved it. Im hoping a 197 would be an improved version of that if im honest

 

[Jimmy]

The 197 is definitely a grown up version of the 1*2, however the fuel economy is generally worse on the 197s. Not drastically so, but they ain't as good. Mid to high 20s is easily achievable, even when pushing on, and low to mid 30s can also be easily had on a longer, steady run.

For fun driving though, they are superb, and country lanes are where they excel - you'll certainly enjoy the car on that kind of route!

Servicing costs aren't too bad at all really, the major one being the cambelt service which can be £500+, so this is a must on a 197's service history, and possibly twice over with a lot of them being over 10 years old now. As Micah suggests, read the buyers guide for the full lowdown and if you have any more questions, do shout up!

 

[Doogle]

I have got 36mpg on a motorway run, for around town I get up to 32mpg (350 miles) depending on how sensible you drive. These lack low down torque but I find unless going uphill generally you can sit at 2k rpm without any issues. Brimming the tank from red light is just over £60.

They are heavy for what they are, but great fun. Handle well, if you get the Recaro Sportsters they feel special and as standard the build quality is fairly good, for a French car! Gearboxes are made of cheese and crackers, ball joints in suspension are made of chocolate and the steering wheels literally melt but they have a character all their own.

 

[tkoh12]

In terms of moving from a focus to a clio you will notice the quality of interior as a downside but the way they drive is two different machines clio will feel like a go kart compared to the focus. I’d also say the clio will be a lot different on a cruise as they do Rev quite high at motorway speeds. I’ve owned both cars ST and 197 and now have a 200. But the way they drive outweighs all the little niggles that have been mentioned