going to have a look at this tomorrow
http://www.racecoursecars.co.uk/used...d-Focus-RS.htm
how concerned should i be about the milage 120k , will the turbo be on it's last legs etc obviousley it depends on how often it's had a service/oil change ,
what tell tale signs should i look out for

 

For 120k miles,

I would check the following

Cam belt change ford reccoment 100k, but most do soon after 60k, so may be due again,

Valve clearances, its on the maintenance list with fords but how often do they actually check them?? it is usual for them to sound tappy on a cold start, but this should fade/disappear as it warms up.

Turbo, usual shaft play, oil in boost hoses, also the turbo oil feed has a filter built into the banjo bolt that goes into the back of the block this can often clog up and block oil flow, this should be checked and changed for a servicable filter/feed line or a new ford item, as it could severely reduce turbo life, the oil return is made of some crappy tin like stuff and often rots there aftermarket replacements available, but ford have either discontinued production or want two arms and half a leg for it.

Clutch, prob should have been changed at least once, if its been used properly, it is reccomended to replace clutch with AP organic clutch, or sachs, i beleive these are around the same price parts wise, if not cheaper than the stock ford clutch (which was made by AP), and the Sachs or AP organic clutch will take a lot more torque than the stock one if you plan on modding,

check the usual, history, doesnt have to be full ford history, but at least proof of oil changes on a regular basis would be a good start,

gearbox oil and gear lever linkages, check for little play, sometimes they have a problem going into first gear and staying there, pop out when you go to drive off,

smooth idle, no hunting, it is common for the crankcase breather hose with the white one way valve in it to collapse / split, causing bad idle loss of power etc,

Suspension, it is quite hard as standard but a few shocks have been known to go, so might be worth having a look to see any oil etc or other signs the shock is on its way out.

cant think of too much else to be honest matey, generally very good reliable cars, hpe you find one you like and enjoy owning / playing with it ,

 

STONE CHIPS

Mines had 30k when i bought and had a few stone chips on it, the paint from factory is terrilble, rear wheel arches front wheel arches bumpers etc

at 120k i would imagine it will have its fair share, if not i would imagine it has had paint so check on that.

open the charge cooler bottle at rear of bay, make sure theres a steady stream of water jetting from pin hole when cars running, also check clutch is doing its job so make it work in a higher gear and build it up to see what happens when boost comes in.

 

that is cheap. I bet its been thrashed a bit like most performance cars.

 

Tbh i would pay a abit more and get one with half the miles .

 

Could of ben a rep mobile, up and down motorways all day, in which case as long as the cam belts been done and its got full history i wouldnt worry too much tbh, when i had my car front, higher mileage cars owned by companies are fautless.

Think about it, with higher mileage anything that could go wrong more than likely has and has been done at their cost

 

i would too.

you can get them for £8k ish,so not that much more for half the milage.

 

great info guys, cheers

 

If its tidy it'd def be worth buying at that price, silly cheap

 

thats a good price mate wud buy it and fresshen up engine new rings shells gaskets bearings if your that bothered . nd to start car from cold and have a good listen to engine and check smoke e.t.c if alls cool just check service history and do hpi check hope this helps

 

+1

Potentially in much better condition than a 80k boy racer one.

 

yeah i think i'd sooner spend more and get a lower mileage one, the thing is, with that mileage you could end up spending a fortune refurbing it.. it depends really, if you really want one and you only have 7 grand then buy it, and do it up when you can afford too, but it will still be a high mileage rs even when you have finished if you know what I'm saying..

 

Yeah I wouldn't worry about buying that! As said, a 120k one thats been looked after and got full history would be a better buy than one thats got 60k and has been abused by a twat in a hat all its life.

 

Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole myself. Spend a bit more and get one that's lower mileage and been looked after. Unless you just want something to thrash around in and don't care that it will be a nightmare to sell on.

 

its up for 7k on the price tag, nothing to say you wont get it for less, hes obviously paid a bit less than that and making a profit. chance your luck and see. worth a try.

 

Price aint bad but the miles are high - whilst I don't think this will be an issue in the main, it will effect resale values as you add more and more miles.

Also depends on the car, if it needs a set of tyres and anything like a clutch or discs and pads, you'll soon be heading towards the value of a lower miles car that was ready to go.

No harm in trying to haggle the price though if it is all ok and got to be one of the cheaper FRS's out there.

 

Might be worth seeing what you can get knocked off the asking price, then work out how much it would cost you to freshen it up, especially if its a long term project and your not looking to get a return in any kind of hurry.
As above though i would personally wait a while and try find one with a little less mileage.

 

for me the history is more important than milage, if its been well serviced i can't see any problems in buying a higher milage car.

Pete

 

if it needs nothing its cheapish, if it needs say 2 tyres and a clutch and a timing belt its not cheap

 

Same here

 

leave it mate. will cost you so much more in the long run.

 

Why should it cost more??? If it's done 120k modest motorway miles (which is very likely), everything inside the engine, clutch, gearbox, etc, etc. will be much less worn than on a 80k traffic light warrior.

The important bit is neither mileage nor the stamps in the service book: You simply have to find out, how the car has been used. If it belonged to some self-employed chap who used to commute between Aberdeen and Brighton once a week you've found yourself an absolute bargain. It will give you less grief than a "pampered example" from a so called car-enthusiast who only used it to drive to the shops where it never really got up to temperature.

 

think i would rather go for this....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-FORD-FOCU...ht_1530wt_1167

 

well i went for a look, but only round the outside as dealer wasn't there
overall the car looked in pretty good nick,very minimal stone chips to the front end , it had the clear plastic in front of of the rear wheels so that area was good ,the panel gaps all looked good, the wheels themselves were good with no curbing ,
the seats are the non stiched version so the leather is a little baggy but not bad at all , the steering wheel didn't look too worn as is common with these, interior looked good in general ,
no major lipping on the brakes discs ,
it had v good pirelli's on the back and virtually new michellin pilots on the front , which i think is a good sign it has been looked after pretty well and not scrimped on
i'm going to ring the dealer 2moro to arrange a proper veiwing this week
the burning question is do i get rid of this for it

 

that wud not have been boughtin the first place mate no disrepect you wud love focus
[/quote]

 

Yep the CTR cannot compare to a Focus RS, especially when you start tweaking it

 

i've been a ford rs man all my life , the honda was just a change, and it is a very good car ,proven 197bhp goes, stops and handles brilliantly, it's just l feel the blue oval calling
i have driven a frs a few times and did like it ,thats why this caught my eye, they remind me of a 200bhp rs turbo just a more modern version

 

get get the honda gone mate, variety is the spice of life and all that. Just be down there quick in the morning or he may have a que of people who have read the thread lol!!

 

How much is the Honda?

 

Not a cheap frs ,at those miles,needs to be a bit cheaper

cheeRS stu

 

Depends on how long he intends to keep it and how many miles per year he expects to put on it. I bought my car from a mate who in turn had just bought it from an auction the week before. It was almost 3 years old and had about 95,000 miles on it. I have never had any problems with it and as i don't do too many miles the milage has now averaged out to a more realistic level so if i was to sell it the milage would no longer be an issue.
Since your post matts1 OP has checked tyres & discs and they are ok so they are not an issue although i would still check the rest of the service history.
Agreed it would still be worth trying to haggle for a bit more off just to make it a bit sweeter but would certainly be worth considering. If all is in order you probably won't get one this cheap for another 18 onths or so.
Got to be worth buying just to get rid of the Jap on the driveway .