Hi All

Only joined here recently.

I will be looking to change the car early next year and a MK5 Golf GTi has been on top of the list for various reasons - not bad insurance, little bit of poke, should be fun to drive and can get stuff in the boot. However recently I have started to think about whether an Escort Cosworth could do the job - insurance is about the same as the Golf, boot will be similar size, will be fun to drive, plus its much much rarer (you dont see them on the road these days) and should prove to be pretty much depreciation proof motoring.

So the question is does anybody daily drive their Escort Cosworth? If so what are the pitfalls etc?

Thanks in advance

 

Ive owned both, Mk5 Golf Gti so much a better car for the Daily drive. comfertable, reasonably quick in standard form, easily tunable if you require more power. Turns heads as you do not see them all the time. MPG is reasonably good, my one filled with all the toys xenons, leather, tv/sat nav etc so does make it a nice place to be. after coming from a mk4 Gti Turbo, such a improvement over the mk4 especially in the handling department and appearance.

The cossie is nice, but for me would be more suited to the weekend toy.

 

So you drive the MK5 now?

I am looking for something fun now...had a 320d M Sport Auto for 3 years, just bought a Mk5 Zetec S Fiesta for the girlfriend and its reminded me how much fun you can have with not huge amounts of Power. Currently driving a 120i Sport (Girlfriends old car she was bored of) but thats going in the New Year hence looking for something else to replace that.

Have always loved the Escort Cosworth but never driven one. Had a couple of Porsches, last one was 964 RS Clubsport, but sold that 4 years ago and now looking for a bit of fun but not at that kind of expenditure.

I dont do lots of miles as I work from home. Can go a full week without the car even moving and the next week could do a couple of hundred miles.

 

I see Golf GTIs every single day, not rare at all. My neighbour has one admittedly, but I see at least one other every day. Not Focus ST common, but still common as muck

There's no reason an Escort Cosworth wouldn't work every day, after all, despite a lot of people forgetting that, they were built as a normal car, not some special mad thing that you can't drive.

However, technology has moved on a lot, so I think something more modern would probably be nicer to motor about in on a daily basis. But, there's no reason why a good condition Cossie wouldn't be a reliable enough car if looked after. Not sure I'd be too happy leaving it parked about though, could see it getting damaged/vandalised/stolen.

I think I'd buy myself a decent condition MK3 Mondeo or something for running about in, the have a Cossie as a weekend toy. Golf is ok, but not that special in my eyes. I'd rather have something cheaper to run on a day to day basis, then have something nice I could drive when I felt like it.

 

I used to drive a Mondeo for work when I was doing lots of miles, sometimes a a 1000 per week, and kept the 964 for weekends but gradually the 964 got used less and less and in the end it had done 600 miles in one year and then I sold it.

I didn't see the point of it sitting in the garage for months on end and paying 2 lots of insurance/road tax/servicing etc etc for a car stood around most of the time....better uses for the cash.

 

Mine used to be garaged for a few years there after taking it out for just the odd day things never went right. Now I drive it every day and it is great they need to be driven and given the odd good blast. As for mpg I average between 18 to 30 mpg depending on the journey town being the 18mpg and 30mpg on a good journey.

 

How many miles per year do you do?

Between 18 and 30mpg is fine, the 320d only did 400 mile per tank (£90 to fill) so not that economical in the real world as that equals 27.5 mpg per gallon of mixed driving yet the Computer would have you believe it was doing 37mpg on average!!

 

Never said there rare and there not common I work at Vw so know what percentage you will see on the road.

St are common there everywhere.

 

Not sure how many miles tbh not more than 6000 I would think.

 

I drive mine everyday, and apart from the fuel costs it never lets me down, only down fall is i dont like leaving it anywhere unless i can see it :P lol

 

Mileage for last year was only 7,500 for me.

I guess they need to be used like any car to keep things moving.

Jay - Is MPG bad, I know it depends on how you drive, compared to more modern stuff?

 

I used to use mine everyday for 3 years and it never really let me down fuel wasnt that bad proberly no different than the wifes st focus at the time and i got more looks in the escort than she did

 

What made you stop daliy driving it?

I see you are Warrington based...me too.

 

MPG isnt great but if you have to work out how much it costs then you cant afford it, thats is the way i look at it. lol 30 psi of boost and a heavy right foot dont come cheap :P

 

In real world nothing I have ever owned or driven anything does decent MPG.

My Father has a 2 litre Mondeo Automatic and it cocks its leg at every garage!

 

yes i am from warrington aswell

only stopped using it as have acces to a works car and fuel so its a no brainer but if i had to yes i would use it again just gave it a good wash daily in the winter to protect it from the elements

 

I shall give it more thought and look for some running report style threads on here.

My only other consideration is how Clients will react but its not like turning up in a Brand New M3 or RS4 etc (great cars I am sure)...its a considered purchase rather than latest greatest.

Thanks for the input so far

 

i used to use my 3dr every day for the first few years - then got paranoid about leaving it everywhere and fuel was becoming expensive so bought a second car to run as a daily and kept the 3dr for evenings and weekend fun

 

I plan using mines as my daily from April to October next year. I don't think enough of them get used these days.

 

well im using my saf everyday and once the cossie engine is in that then it will still be used everyday. Helps that i cycle to work i guess.

 

Between 18 and 30mpg is fine, the 320d only did 400 mile per tank (£90 to fill) so not that economical in the real world as that equals 27.5 mpg per gallon of mixed driving yet the Computer would have you believe it was doing 37mpg on average!![/QUOTE]There must be something wrong with that I got a 320d and get 600 mile to a tank and it's been chipped

 

There must be something wrong with that I got a 320d and get 600 mile to a tank and it's been chipped[/quote]

Nothing was wrong with it mate - I owned the car for 3 years, maintain regardless of cost and know exactly what MPG it did over a year. 53 plate, standard auto car....it would do over 500 to a tank if Motorway miles but no way on day to day running about.

Maybe the remap has helped on your car?

 

every day car yes the golf hands down will be a better choice mate on the whole which car is better no brainer escort coz way more fun to drive and obv course way more of a head turner and more desirable i dont think its as much reliability its just the jealous f>>cks that would worry me and the thieves as previously stated but if your looking for a daily drive may i suggest a mk1 focus rs i own 1 and wouldn't change it for the world

 

used mine every day for seven years then got too many other cars and stoppped using it now its sat in the garage lookin sorry for itself, but sellin some cars and gettin the escort out again for my daily car never let me down once, parking cars up don't do them any good

 

I know its not a escos but i use my saff cossie everyday.

 

if i had one i would use it everyday with pride, why hide something like that, yeh they use a bit of fuel but that depends how you drive them, i always use my fords everyday right from 1.1 mk2 fiestas to my old saph cossie and my saph was very good on fuel, used to get nearly 350 miles to a tank of v power and was a stage 3. my only problem would be leaving it out of sight without a good alarm and immob on it, and a steering lock thing aswell. new cars a good and all but if it goes wrong you gotta get it plugged in to find out the problem £30+ then fix the problem and on a vw its gonna be exspensive where a cossie is gonna be relativly simple and cheaper to maintain and you can do most of the work if your a competent mechanic at home. just got to remember cossies are old now so will need a little more maintaining as the parts are more worn than a 3 year old car