Hi everyone, as you can tell im new to the forum!! seems really good place!

im looking for an rs turbo, but i am not sure what to do. i think im looking at an s2 as they are cheaper not so classic and newer. i love messing around with cars so dont know whether to

a: get one with a few problems for cheap and do it up over summer

or

b: save a bit and get a mintish one for 2-2.5k ish.

so whats everyones reccommendations? what year? wat to look for? and how easy are they to fix/get parts for?

cheers for any help!!

 

ur not going to get mint for 2.5k im afraid. I would even think about spending less than this.

 

well i bout 1 wid a ok shell, by ok i mean , sum rust spots on roof, 1 new wing on it needs another, needs new bonnet n poss new tailgate, needs alot of work on interior and suspension set up, n runnin 180bhp ruffy for 400quid, but it didnt hav gearbox or clutch in it but was supplyed wid them, if that helps

 

so how much will it cost for you to put back to standard?

so what price am i looking at for a driver with minor work needed guys? really appreciate the help!

 

well woul cost about 1500 to do back to a mint standard one, could be done for 500 but wouldn't be no were near mint.

personally i gonna just rebuild it and tune it etc, dont want it standard so gonna cost alot more, just depends what way u want to go.

 

Buy scrap, expect problems mate!!! You want to be spending about 3.5k and upwards to even think about having some sort of trouble free (ish) motoring!!

 

yea thats true but if u want something like i did that you want to work on then you dont have to spend so much, the main think in the reason why i wanted to buy 1 that needs work is because i want it how i want it anyway so no point in shelling out more for a rst thats how someone else wanted it and that i cant get a decent insurance quote for a year.

 

It sounds like your after a decent base for a project basically mate which you will have to be prepared to spend money on and/or work on yourself.

If your spending around the 2K-2.5K mark your going have to be prepared to do a bit of refurbishment tbh.

But if thats what you like doing then go for it!

You can get turbo's for a lot less than this and sometimes you can get a bargain at around the £1500 mark but i would recommend you buy the best you can afford.

I did that with my Turbo and have had many years happy motoring.

Bought a cheap(ish) cossie and have regretted it ever since!

 

Gimee 3 grand u can have mine

 

I'd just look out for one with a good shell. All the technical problems can be sorted quite easily on the RST. I've bought a real shed a few months ago for about 400 pounds. Head was warped, had no oil pressure in the beginning (guess the piston rings were jammed somehow as it has been standing around for years) and nearly everything on the car was damaged somehow. Looked like it had seen some serious abuse over the years. Nevertheless it's running fine now, boosting 15 PSI. And I've only invested another 200 pounds to get it there. It's not a beauty but it's freaking fast.

 

awesome! i thinks thats what i want to do, buy one with a good shell and just get it running well to have good fun in. who knows may even love it soo much to do a complete refurb!

so where are the serious rust areas, arches? sunroof and battery tra ive heard of anywhere else??

 

You need to bear in mind these cars were last made in 1990 mate so the youngest is 16 years old. Go over the car with a fine toothcomb, check EVERYTHING, lay on the floor and check the chassis rails, boot floor, arches, floorpan etc...........so take some clothes you don't mind laying on the floor in. Engine problems are the easy bit to sort, the bodywork ain't so my advice is be more pre-occupied with that. As Rick says you ain't going to get a minter for £2.5k...........not a chance and you won't find a S1 for that money, well, not one in one piece anyway.

Depends who mechanically minded you are - messing about with cars is one thing, rebuilding one is completely another, trust me. I've been there, done that ! And it costs a fortune to do it properly. Buy the best car you possibly can for the money you have but I'd get a bit more than £2.5k together mate. And DON'T buy the first shiny car you look at !

 

thats exactly whatt i did mate, its worth doin , just got to work out how much it will actually cost 2 get it sorted out before you buy it tho.

 

watever u do never buy the first one u see keep ur options open its too easy to think everthin is repairable and end up payin over the odds for somethin really worth half the money, here is probably one of the best sites to look for one as most a good examples and other ppl know history of the cars

 

I saw 2 wrecks before mine. Put my arm through the rear arch into the boot

 

Just for your information, the piston rings won't cause low oil pressure, just low compression. A stuck oil pressure relief valve will cause low oil pressure as will the fact that if the car has sat there for such a long time, the oil pump may have drained off. The resulting air lock could have took a while to move...

 

Yeah of course, you're right, I got confused. It had hardly any compression (40 - 50 PSI) and no oil pressure. The compression problem was caused by the piston rings, the oil presure problem occured due to a jammed one-way valve at the oil cooler.