been looking around at these for a while now,always liked them, thinking of buying one as a small project, keeping in factory condition and geting back to same state as say, a 3-5year old car,
but all i hear is bad things about them, like 'dont deserve an rs badge'
are they really that worthless?????

 

its a 2i with 20 more nags, they only made 500ish and they all rotten like a pear


they are just not that good a car and came when ford pretty much gave up with 'fast'

i would like to own a minter with the recaros and split pokes but they are all gone and any mk3 fiesta with plactic over teh arches is hiding something very bad

if they put a turbo on that zetec it would have been historic

 

get a 2i and a Ł1 rs1800i badge and away you go nobody will know lol

 

look at these 2, both rotten to hell and hiding much more
they white one has lost its recaros and it on 16v 2i interior and the black one shows teh propper seats

but i expect its the mk3 fiesta thats the bad car, not just an rs18, turbos are only good because they have a turbo, an 8v 2i is a pile of crap (ive had loads)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cars-Motor...p3286.c0.m1538

 

its a fiesta mk3 that equals rust,horrible drive oh and rust again lol

 

was the RS turbo in production when the rs1800 was?

 

noep the cross over what when the cats came in too

latest rs's were k plates when 8v 2i's stopped (the last being the silver with recaros) and 16v's and rs18's came about

i have an original motorshow book from '92

 

think so, ive seen both on a j plate

 

if you can find a good one(difficult) there good little cars,quite nippy,cheap to fix . my track car was one a long time ago....they can be made into proper little weapons.
i have always wanted a nice std one aswell.

 

I think they're ok actually. Decent power in a little car, and the chassis of the later ones was much improved.

People generally prefer the RS Turbo, simply because it has a turbo, but that was hardly a gem either, with wild torque steer and a worse chassis than the RS1800.

Sadly there's a lot of snobbery and put downs amongst Ford enthusiasts, but fuck 'em, if you like them, buy one. I'd rather pay Ł12-1500 for a nice RS1800 than Ł2k for a rotten to shit RS Turbo.

 

Couldn't agree more.

Was there much power difference between an RS18 and a Turbo?

Ben.

 

my mate has one,and its rotton

but if anyone wants to buy it to reshell,or parts let me know
(and i have a proper advert for this in the right section)

 

A non rotten RS1800...

Shame I have to sell it.

 

I really like them! Was thinking of getting one! Only go up in ŁŁŁ

 

It was mate yes in 92 the rs1800 and rs turbo where both available from fords. The earlier ones had the recaro's and the later ones had the wing back seats and same material door cards

 

I personally love the rs1800, i've never owned an rs turbo but i have friends that still have them. rs1800's rot less then rs turbos and dont rust around the fuel filler, the rs1800 is what some people call the "mk 3.5" as ford strengthened the chassis for better handling. The rs1800 is about the same bhp but a tiny bit slower 0-60, people think it shouldnt have an rs badge because its not quite as brutal. My rs1800 has been in the family for 7 years, its my daily car, fuel economys not to bad, its pretty pokey and alot of fun, and rust wise, its almost perfect. the zetec engine is bomb proof too. Its definately a hot hatch with wayyyyyy more street cred then saxo's and 106 gti's etc. My exterior is bog standard and it might be for sale.

 

might be for sale? how much?????

 

Wrong on so many levels. They rot just like any other mk3 Fiesta.
The RS1800 was not the mk3.5, that was the Si.

And IMO, I'd have a VTS over one every day of the week.

 

I'm afraid you're both wrong

RS1800 was produced in both MK3 and 3.5 variants

 

I did not know this!
I've never seen one in 3.5 guise.

 

Ok there is mk3 and 3.5,i apologise! i have the mk3.5 and it must be just well looked after then, rust is not an issue. Its basically a fezza rs turbo, with better handling, no torque steer, much more reliable, nicer looking alloys and same bhp. but its like 0.2 seconds slower 0-60? whats so bad about them??

 

Touche!
The torque steer is part of the fun of having an RST though, but then again if you want something slightly easier to drive hard, then I can see your point.

 

Yeah the rs turbo is definately a bit more fun purely because it has a turbo! but right now i live away from home for 8 months of the year so i cant have all my tools to fix a car when im away, so the rs1800 ticks all the boxes for me at this time. dont get me wrong i'd be happy as larry if i had an rs turbo, but in my opinion the rs1800 is still a brilliant little car and definately still deserves the rs badge.

 

I've owned 2 frst's and 4 fiesta RS1800's (still have 3 now) and the 1800's are much better cars to live with,especialy the later ones with power steering,better handling and the wingbacks are far more comfortable on long journeys.

 

Ive got nothing against them. I like them.I bet they go ok too. Most old fords bloody rust unfortunatly. The fords thay dont rust are the ones that dont get used.

The mk 3.5 fiestas haf a petrol flap and different door mirrors.

 

Only people who havent owned one will have a bad opinion. Same as mk5 rs2000.

I've had a turbo and a 1800 and would choose the 1800 all day long. Especially on track. Mine was a 3.5 and handled so much better. Rev limited removed and a light head port and it flew.

 

Not got anything against them. I'm about to start getting mine ready for track next year.

 

i like em, great little cars. mk3.5 were better being a little better built and had better mirrors and the tigger wing backs. i had 2 rs18's and 2 2i16v's there great if you love fez turbos but something you can use everyday without worrying about it starting or bloewing up. jsut turbo the zetec and have something quicker than a frst and didnt luca's fiesta start as a rs1800?

 

Just for the books.
Here in Holland, we didn't have the RS1800, but the same fiesta was badged as XR2i 16v over here (with the 130BHP engine)
The 105BHP 1.8 16v was in a fiesta, but only badged as "S", and was pretty bare ("XR2i 8v seats, no side skirts/wheel arch extentions) standard (but painted) mirrors and bumpers .. and rectangle fogs underneath.

Enginewise, nothing wrong with the 1.8 16v (either 105 or 130BHP) but lacked the torque the FRST has.... but better for daily driving.

I'm pretty sure the additional power steering etc was a huge inprovement, but not much was improved compared to the 2i 8v and the FRST.

The later spec ones (mk3.5) had a fuel-cap-door in stead of a fuel cap, but rusted as hard as the mk3 ones, but this was covered by the fuel-cap-door

There are some more design flaws in the mk3, which they haven't solved in the mk3.5.. all related to rust... just to name a few:

- water disposal holes of the bulkhead .. dripped water ONTO a weld .. which was welded inside out (the lower plate was on top of the upper plate .. it was sealed off, but still water and dirt remained on the seal.. causing it to stay wet all the times, creating a hole inside the wheelarch @ hight of the side repeater.

- seat mounting points .. they stick out, catch dirt, stays wet.. rusts...
- wheel arches.. no comment
- Battery tray, and the beam below.. always trouble..
- around front windshield.. They placed some tape on the corners.. in stead of paying some attention on closing off the welds
- door-rubber ... is open to water, tends to rust .. drips on the not very well welded panels.. which start to rust too.

But in all.. the RS1800's . or XR2i 16v's as they were sold like here (without the recaro's )-: ) are pretty nifty cars.. and great runabouts (-:

 

whats the specs on them comps dude?

 

Each to their own really.....we all have our opinions likes and dislikes........

I have a prize winning 93 XR2i Mk3 1800 completely standard and 78k on the clock - never been welded.
And a 95 RS1800 Mk3.5 (Diff mirrors, seats (to Mk3 RS18) power steering, immobiliser and floor pan amoungst other bits to a Mk3) yep its rusty but not a lot - 110k.

Their nippy lil Fords....

But both are fun in their own way.....what more does one want?

 

My friend has a mk3 K reg radiant red rs1800 and a mk3.5 N reg Diamond white rs1800. So definately made them in both formats!!

He also has a 90 frst 1.8zvh in rad red and a 1994 Si 2.1 zetec turbo in imperial blue. He still prefers his rad red frst 1.8zvh out of them all!!

 

After reading this thread I'm thinking a mk3.5 rs1800 with a turbo is the ideal combination!

 

Think what you want it work and get a good engine builder to suggest somthing that will fit wat YOU want! It might be torque over power, for acceleration arround the wigglly bits, out and out power for top end! remember its going to be your TOY so build it to do what you want!

 

Engines are dead. Get one then Puma it.

 

you are a moron...

how the hell can you say ford had given up with fast in 1992, the sierra cosworth only just finished production before the RS1800, and ford were well underway producing hemolagation RS cosworth escorts...


its showing that ford could produce a pokey N/A engine that WAS relible and lasted longer on less breakdowns and mishaps

they made far more than 500ish too


i have a Rs1800 spec engine in my fiesta and at 22 it certainly entertains me, if you dont mind the 33mpg and having to get it up to 3k rpm a RS1800 would make a awesome enjoyable daily/weekend car


oh also since you slated its power... 3bhp less than the RS turbo of the time

 

my old rot box ,loved every minute of owning this!!!

 

wow how did i miss this lol rs1800's are a rare car these days. nearly all have major rust issues(even the red one on black comps in this thread)my old car! until i spent far too much money sorting it lol)
some of the best fiestas out there are rs1800's( luca's,mine lol)
just to answer a few posts above.. the red one on black comps above as mentioned is a mk3.5 on a m plate for anyone who thought they were all mk3's
and the comps were 7.5x16s..

 

Shame I think it's no more mate...

 

really? so it sold? crashed or stripped?