ok over the years iv had a lot of fords, a 1.3, a gti, an rs2000, st and a mk1 focus rs...but never an rs turbo. for awhile now iv been lusting after one, and having never driven one was intrigued to how they drive, spec seeing iv never had a ford without power steering.

now for the sense part...iv recently bought a bmw 57 320 m sport coupe with the 19s, but my lust for an rs turbo has not subsided, and i find myself looking at potential buys most of the time, id keep the beamer but would like to keep the escort all being well to spend a bit of time and money on, but everyone says im either an idiot, or crazy or both. so i thought id come to a one sided opinionated forum for some sense and some advice on how they drive, feel, and how problematic they are.

thanks, stew

 

Of the four or five RST's I've driven in the past, the one thing that struck me was just how horrible they actually were to drive....

 

Had a 90 spec S2 for 3 years back in the day, probably didn't appreciate it as much as I would do now.

Nostalgia rules...

Don't expect these old fords to drive like a modern hot hatch, they just don't, things move on so quick.

 

get one with a "genuine" 200bhp, cosworth brakes, uprated gearbox and polybushes and coilovers and you will love it

i would reccomend buying one with better condition over spec though and doing it yourself

the best single mod you can do is fit aftermarket management, just transforms the car
aswell as cooling and handling upgrades

i find they are at their best with around 200bhp so if you can get one with that, that runs lovely with good allround upgrades in good condition its the car to have

ive had focus rs's mk1 and mk2, cossies, st's, oldskool fords and ive still gone back to an rst, theirs just something about them i love

 

I remember a mate of mine spending a fortune on his s2 years ago and getting it mint, everything you would want doing on one was done, engine rebuild, suspension sorted, was a nice thing.

He then decided to sell it and I thought he was mad and tried me best to talk him out of it.

Anyway he was working away and a lad wanted to view the car so I had the job of showing him it and taking it out for a test drive. I'm not even joking when I say within 200m I could understand why he wanted rid of it.

Reality is they really are an absolute bag of shite

 

wow, in a way this is the sort of things i did need to hear, as dont want to go and spend on something i will soon be frustrated with, spec seeing im sure i wouldnt get any of the money back id spend.

met a bloke who did the same, had a mint one with a zetec engine, really looked impressive, but guess thats only half the story

interesting, maybe ill ponder the decision a bit longer, or wait to get a nostalgic car that can replace the beamer, maybe a cosworth, disappointing, so many people are complementary on how they are, apart from the body rot ofcourse

 

...or listen to 'rsmark86'...

 

Are you replacing a modern car to have a series 2 as a daily driver or a weekend toy?

If its a daily you will be massively disappointed imo

 

Great for a toy, wouldn't dream of 1 as a daily.

People slating how they drive I cant understand tbh, its part and parcel of the car, I loved how my s1 handled when I was a lad, just wish I had the same handling in my cabrio.

 

Strange u shitting all over them but your on an erst forum

Or could u no handle torque steer


Daily runner ad say no...weekend/summer toy deffo ..

 

go test drive a standard car and a genuine 200bhp car, i would check its for you before you buy

they need to be correctly set up and built as breaking down in the winter is horrid, and driving a dog isnt fun either

i once had one that was crashed into but after set up was 231bhp and owed me peanuts and it was the most fun ive had in a car

it totally depends whos built it and set it up

my advise is if you buy one take it straight to a professional and get it set upto its best and serviced and it will transform it

 

its the noise and sound I love about them and cosworths.

My rst cabrio was good but I only ended up selling it due to my ex otherwise i'd have had it for longer. Always wanted another and toyed with putting a rst or zetec in my 944 but only reason putting me off is i'm moving to america at some point so the 944 will be sold or scrapped whichever comes first.

 

i personally love them along with cosworths, and will proberly be pissing about with them for years to come

 

I love the old skool feel of the drive tbh, but its all about opinion, I used my old one as a daily for over 2 years and my cabby as a daily for a year, not that im saying they were trouble free years mind lol, but you have to take into consideration the youngest rst's now are 23 years old and can't be compared to a modern hatch, I can't ever see me being without one tbh

 

true, over the years i got too the point that i like them as a second car, that way when i get time to use them it reminds me what i like about them

 

I'm on a FORD forum not a series 2 forum and if you look at most of the replies they tend to agree with me that as a daily there actually pretty wank. The only difference is I am putting it a little more bluntly than others.

My opinion on them is that there cool and I actually really like them as in there cool and a classic and seeing a nice one is nice to see. BUT reality is are they actually a "good car" not even close especially considering how much a decent one will set you back and what other cars you can get for the money.

 

Best way of getting into rs turbo ownership is build one

Most of the modified examples have issues and not built right and standard cars command too much money

A s2 is worth around half in parts as it is whole if its in good condition

This way you get the car with the spec you want built in the way you want it, rather than someone's bodged up mess

 

great cars sound great fun to drive but you will need deep deep pockets always something going wrong i used mine as a daily drive for 4 years tho it cost me a small fortune but i was young and enjoyed every minute of it so go for it get one you only live once

 

No, no plans as a daily drive just a potential weekend toy as I use a van for work in the week fortunately being a sparky. Like to say I'd keep my current car but not getting much of a buzz from it I can see it getting sidelined for something that I can work and play with. How bad are they without power steering, iv heard there not too bad in comparison to some other cars?

 

I like it without power steering tbh mate, more feel, just a fucker turning round lol

 

some are ok and some are shite

simsytall just removed konis and fitted gaz coilovers and made his steering very light for a car without power steering, dont know why though?

couple of companys selling off the shelf electric power steering kits but im sure you would lose some of the character of the car

as a weekend toy, aslong as you get a good one they are brilliant fun and nice to own, and lot cheaper to fix than a cosworth or newer models.


things that are expensive
oil pumps, only good ones are genuine ford and no longer available
cams are like service items lol, if its got one that works leave it!
go through gearboxs if you use them hard, so an uprated box is a must if you give it a kick in once in a while.
metering unit rebuilds (if the one you buy has problems)

all depends on your budget, theres a lovely spec red car on here and ebay with fully forged set up and gotech management for Ł5300 ono,

a decent standard car is Ł3500-Ł7000 but be careful of idiots trying for too much money

and Ł7000-8000 gets you a stupid spec car with every single bit modified

and 2k gets you a car thats got some problems thats most likely userable but will have issues in the future and anthing under that expect a project

 

The problem with buying old fords these days is that spending big money doesn't guarantee a good car. Unfortunately a multitude of sins can be covered up by a decent spray job and some of the "mint" cars are actually rotten through underneath.

Unfortunately there is no way of telling unless you completely take it apart which you cant do when buying one can you. Even the owners think there genuinely 100% solid with no rot but there are so many areas that rot away that are never seen or easy to poke at with a screwdriver.

That is the main reason why I probably wouldn't buy an old car again unless I was intending to completely restore from a bare shell to guarantee it is actually 100% solid.

 

I agree with the above, that's why I like building one instead, it's better to buy a complete car but at a price that lets you have enough cash spare so you can strip and go through the whole car sorting all the issues

 

I feel the same as most of the above. No good for a daily driver and a good one is now sadly hard to come by.

I agree with Mark though, build one. I built my current cabriolet, to my spec and standards using a lot of S2 parts. There's no rot whatsoever, I know the car inside and out and it doesn't owe me half what the same quality genuine S2 would command.

There is just something about the characteristics and sound of them that will captivate you. It'll bite you in the ass if you're not careful but when you rescue it from the torque steer you'll have a smile on your face.

I've owned an Astra GSi Turbo mk4 and currently drive a 2012 Merc C250 AMG Coupe. Both 200bhp cars but neither of them put a smile on my face like my Cabby.

Lee

 

A massive lift off oversteer on some lol

I would rather build a bonus that's rot free that work on a dog

 

yeh id be after a fairly good nick s2 ideally and then get it in the best shape im capable of, would love to tear in back and make it as good as, then id probably like an s1 but cant see how or where id achieve that without pooring into a money pit. but as you guys say, and as iv heard they can be pretty good at hiding their rust issues.