Thing is, you can't really be surprised that a 30 ish year old car producing 2.5 to 3 times it's original power isn't going to be as good as an overall package as a much newer car that's no where near as stressed mechanically lol. Or that it might break lol.

I've given up on the chasing power side of things now, not because I was bitten financially but because I'd rather just go for a nice ride out of a Sunday afternoon and enjoy my 3dr for what it is, without worrying about the speeding ticket that might be on my doorstep for the following 2 weeks lol, I had a 400bhp mk2 frs and they really are a fantastic car, for me that is about perfect for road use in one, with decent suspension and brakes they're hard to beat imo.
But, for me anyway, as someone said above, the cossie makes me feel like a teenager when I take it out lol, the focus didn't really have the same effect.