marcus

its been 5 days since it happened. get the stitches removed on Saturday. all shots are up-to-date, we had to do it a few years ago!!! been on codene painkillers and ibruprofen. seems to be ok, cant really take owt to properly knock me out as i have 5 classes sitting exams (one today) so it would be unfair not to be in to help'm out with questions they have. i must admit though, i am shitting myself about having stitches removed as i hate that kinda rubbish. I damaged the other hand 4 days before my 18th birthday, pulled the nail out of its bed and broke the tip of my finger in 3 places, the nail looks weired, so know what you mean about nail bed damage - fingers crossed for this though i guess.

hi, PLEASE LOOK AWAY IF YOU DONT WANT TO SEE A GRAPHIC PICTURE!!! just thought id share my injury with you. was teaching a lesson, about to do a demo on using the router at school and this happened... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/marcus_nichm/KingstonuponThames-20110520-00009.jpg i switched it off while i set it up, somehow it turned on (hmmmm) and did that to my finger. partially de-gloved it and 6 stitches hopefully not gonna effect my finger movement, but is a pain in the ass as im left handed didnt hurt until 11pm, it happened at 14:10... when the pain kicked in, it bloody kicked in... Marcus

its to do with Tax...the oil is cheaper to buy now than it has been for a while. as i understand it, we buy oil well before its been taken from the ground...

RS and ST can be converted to 4wd! Code:red do a package although ive never seen a car with this conversion done! if i remember correctly, it works out around £8000 to get it done! i wont be bothering, they handle amazingly as standard 2wd! have you ever driven an ST or RS? (Mk2). i was looking at changing my ST for the RS last month, i love the look of the RS and had a test drive, but it isnt as practical for me. no possibility of TVs in headrests due to seats and hard suspension were the 2 things which changed my mind. the st may not handle as well and a standard one may be slower but ST's are so much more pratical (for me)! also, i dont like the limited colours available, i really only like red or grey cars and this wasnt an option with the RS (the RS500 is waaay to much for what is basically a ford focus with some tape stuck to it!) instead, as mentioned, ill be putting an RS lump, hybrid turbo and possibly rose joints. these joints are quite pricy though and dont know if i would really feel the benefit me (with the way i drive etc)

can you let me know the price your after, how much tax is and how much insurance is for you please (as i guide)! what type of license is needed to ride it? im a beginner but have been looking at getting something like this for a while! better than queuing in London 247 in the car!

i didnt mean it was cheap, i was meaning the leather seats make the car feel much better. people have different preferences, ive owned both and the different seats make the cars feel totally different. i had forgot about the sculpted seats, i initially bought the ST2 for the 5 seats but rarely used the middle one so ST3 it was! i also have a 3 year old and its very easy to get her in and out of the car - the ST2 was 5 door, the ST3 is 3 door and i find it easier to get to the car seat in the 3door! but yeah, no offence was intended. they are pretty much the same cars, but the leather really does make such a difference to the feel and look of the car! to add, i had to buy a new car seat for the ST3 but there are LOTS which fit, i was just unlucky original child seat didnt fit properly!!!

to add my opinion... its an awsome bit of kit, can be thirsty but the noise it makes... i often find me turning off the sterio and just hearing the 5pot engine and turbo noises it makes (although it is only a small turbo its fun anywhere and is amazing on long journeys. ive done loads of trips to europe over the last year, this has meant i have clocked up over 20k miles since May last year. theyre very comfy although can be a bit achy after 6 hours etc (but what seats are not?) i previously had a 55 plate ST2 (the one with cloth seats) and a few other bits missing. this made the car feel a bit cheap. I cracked a liner within the first week (think somebody else cracked a liner, put K seal in it and traded it in (new engines are 6200 inc fitting). i found the problem after around 1k miles - 3 days be warned, push it over 300 and theres a much higher chance of it cracking a liner, obviously its caused by the heat, my opinion is that people were not changing the injectors to the RS items and getting an adequate remap... as for the standard cars, it could be down to a £40 piece of rubbsih boost solenoid... although some are running 360ish and still going strong. some standard cars have also cracked the liner. i always take my car to profile in Manchester (Rode:Red dealer) they offer the most amazing service, friendly, curtosy car (ive had his fully modded ST2 before), prices are VERY competitive etc. i live in London and wait till visiting family in MAnchester for all car related stuff. They also offer lots of mods... mine will be running 400bhp soon, but im changing the engine for an RS lump - they have a coating on the liners, making it a stronger engine than the ST ones. since i bought the ST3, it feels so nice and expensive than the ST2 i had... heated seats are amazing etc. few pics of 'Ike' here: http://www.escortevolution.co.uk/forums/in...howtopic=139050

the ST500 has exactly the same engine as any other ST (st1, 2 and 3). they also had auto lights etc and red leather and some badges. theres a few other differences but its basically a normal ST3, but with bright leather (has normal P. Black paint) its the RS500 which is wrapped in satin black 3M vinyl

i have an ST3 and its an amazing bit of kit! just had it RR'd at 294.6 bhp with 355lb/ft. thats with a remap, intercooler, induction and downpipe! as for petrol, it all depends on how you drive it. if im on the motorway sticking at 80-90 all the way, i usually see 300-360miles to a tank. around town (i live in london) where its all short journeys and stop start traffic, i get around 150 miles to a tank! i really dont think its that bad, my previous cars with smaller engines only used a little less that the ST! saying that though, i have had 110miles to a full tank, but that was on full boost most of the time haha Some bargains to be had rite now though as many aare complaining about the cost of petrol! Make sure you do your research on it though before hand, there is petrol, tyres (18") and usual bits to go wrong (alternator lasts approx 3 years and costs 300-350 to replace), lower arm bushes, boost solenoid, MAF, clutch when you up the power - its 850-90 for an RS clutch. it soon adds up, but if you go in expecting these costs then its all good!!! The only thing that annoys me is the lack of cruise control, i had it on my X-reg vectra, 57 plate chevrolet, 58 plate chevrolet (which were mid-range models). it seems strange that they would miss this off! i miss it

hmm, thats weired. one of my old housemates has just posted the MOT cert. on Facebook - thats how i linked it! thats a bit weired, as its exactly the same photo :S never mind

......GAY! yeahhh, thats the one!!!

WOOOOWWWW, Mr Trig!!! i think something has just clicked!!! i used to live with you!!! Castle Irwel? Gaz? Marcus? John the rapist? Stig? Bailey? etc you had the bottom flat to the left as you went in?

this is a good topic!!! i was at uni for 5 years, did a foundation degree, Ba(hons) degree and then a masters! when i was at uni, i payed for everything myself - car, flat, bills, food etc i had a part time job at a night club! (got payed and it was like being on a night out!). i worked some nights and some days! still managed to do all of that and support myself! i got the student loan to cover fees, got the other loan for living and put it in a high interest isa. when i finished uni, i had 30kish of debt and i had around 15k in the isa. i payed 15k of on the loan and now have £15000 left to pay (minus what ive already payed). i pay £350 a month off on this! (remember you dont start paying it back until your earning a certain minimum salary - cant remember what it is) IF after 25 years, i have not payed it back, the loan is wiped and thats, that. when i started my job, i was paying £100 a month back (its worked out for you, according to salary). SO, these people saying that they cant afford it etc are talking rubbish!!! if i had 30k or 120k student loan, i would still only pay the same back each month and then after 25 years, anything remaining is wiped. You CAN get a student loan to cover fees as well as money to live on!!! and you can survive on part time wages - as said, i had an ok car, nice 3 bed house (shared with 3 mates)!!! so, yes your loan may be bigger (you may pay more interest per month - i pay £25ish a month on 15k) but you still only pay back the same amount as I would have done (when the fees were cheaper). when i was at uni for the first 2 times, the fees were 1k - when i did my masters, it had gone up and was 3.5k a year) if i didnt have this 15k loan now, i wouldnt have the job i do! even if i were starting uni soon, i would still do it as you have them qualifications for life. my sister started uni last September and she got the extra loan to cover fees. hope that makes some sense?

interesting topic! ive owned an ST2, RS and now ST3 - in that order. all are nice cars although i got bored of the RS quickly! the dash is gash and IMO, the exterior looks very dated! (My opinion) the st i have now is at about 280bhp! it chewed the clutch when i had a re-map done so i upgraded to the mkII focus RS item and all is good! st is far more comfy and more toys. one thing with the ST is that there are a handful of cases where the liners crack as they are very thin/close together. this was solved on the RS and later (post 08) engines as they were coated in something or other! saying that though, i have an 07 plate st3 with remap, intercooler, induction kit, rs clutch and its still doing nicely after a few K'miles (soon to have a quaiffe fitted too) agree with most what others have said especially about the rs holding its value! the rs has a more raw feel and not a nice everyday car (with a 3 year old!) The ST however would/will/has kicked the RS's arse!!! st brakes are fantastic, i have a standard set up but with 5.1 fluid! hope it helps but mainly, they are completely different cars and both have their positives and negatives!!!

if you can get the seller to drop it off in Wimbledon (20 mins away) then i can keep till you an collect? Offer is there if you get stuck