[MickyB]

To add to my previous post, if you are thinking of downsizing purely to save money, then I think that is a false economy. As others have said, you will have to finance the new purchase somehow, which would more than negate the cheaper running costs. Over the first 5 years anyway. This might sound silly, but I found the ST is actually more fun to drive than the Falcon was - the Falcon obviously would eat it in a straight line, but the fun of chucking the ST around and working the manual gearbox to keep the car on boost is highly addictive. For me, the excellent fuel economy is a bonus - not the driving force behind changing vehicles.
Have a read on some of the UK websites for reviews on the Fiesta ST, they all rate driving enjoyment pretty highly.
I understand that only a v8 will do for some however.