Always fancied a mk1 frs or saph cossie next year but running costs put me off both especially the cossie.


Im guessing that the focus would be more reliable and better to drive but then a cossie is a cossie


What really worrys me when looking at cosies are reliability issues and cost to get them fixed. Id be stretched owning either and if one went bang id be in real trouble.


Does anyone else own one when they really cant afford too?


Both of the car prices are on the up fast so for me its the last chance to own one. At the minute im happy with my rs2k as I can easily afford it, but always get an urge to move on to something bigger!

 

If you don't have the spare cash in the bank to repair possible big failures then don't buy imo


Awesome cars but sadly have not been 1 owner never been abused models these days.

 

I'll second this. you need to have the cash to maintain/repair it and it can be costly. Unless it's a second car and can be parked up until you have the money to sort it.

 

Cossies always need something, service parts for a sapph are no more expensive than any other car, it's when you start upgrading things that the list becomes endless.
If you found a lightly modified stage 1 car and we're happy to keep it that way the costs would be minimal unless you ragged it about.
Frs is still 12/13 years old now and like any car of the same age it will cost something to keep it in good running order.
Both great cars but no other car I've driven comes on boost like a cossie.

 

Touch wood mine has been really reliable. You just have to remember there an old car with ice age technology and design. The biggest issue ive had with mine is the bodywork but then again if i didnt get robbed twice and went to a proper bodyshop in the first place i would of been ok.

I used to use mine everyday for 5 to 6 years and it never let me down. There like most old cars they need a bit more tlc compared to modern cars.

You will also get more looks in the sierra than you will the focus.

 

Id not be after crazy power 250ish would do me fine as im happy with 170 now lol.


Body work doesn't bother me its the engine that scares me. My rs2000 went bang this year cost me Ł150 to buy a new one, that happens in the cossie id imagine it would be 3k plus. Id never be able to afford that. Would be a 2nd car, have the mrs car and work van to run round in.

 

There was always a saying…you should have the same amount put back, as you pay for a Cossie to keep on top of maintenance!

Out of the two, I think the Focus would be a far better daily driver but still special enough to really enjoy. I had one come past me at weekend that I’d never seen in my area and it looked amazing, kinda got me thinking about one if I’m honest.

I’m fortunate in that my Saff is purely a nice day car, to take out for a blast when I feel like it or to local shows etc. Love how raw and exciting it is, and gets attention wherever it goes.

I think the spending aspect deffo comes down to what car you buy and how you drive it….buy a ropey one and hammer it, and its gonna break down. A well looked after car that is treated with respect but a bit of fun as well should be all good!

 

Iv owned both and my cosworths have only been stage 1, it was super reliable and a very quick daily (especially at uni )

Frs is newer, easier to drive quick and has some refinement compared to the saph, the handling on the FRS is just brilliant.

Buy on condition and history and make sure you have about 1k sitting in the bank for anything that may come up

 

Cossies cost fuck all to run or repair lol unless you tune it blow it up or buy a rotter. There cheap and easy to maintain. I'd be much more worried about a modern vw that puts the engine light on every other month lol

 

Defo agree James. If its been mapped right it should last for ages.

A 300 bhp cossie is a quick reliable car.

 

old cars now-when tuned they wear out engines fairly quickly[it is an old design to be fair] engine blocks/cranks and heads are expensive-as are gearboxes/rebuilds for same
however normal repairs are cheap-along with the servicing,once you have a car "up to scratch" it shouldnt cost fortunes to run as standardish
to be honest though they are well past the age where they are a nice daily drive-better as a weekender,i used one daily year before last,now use a 335d and have a different classic for weekend use

 

This will change, trust me

 

not oned a frs but driven many and oned a few saphs back in the day, for me I would never go back to a saph, to be totally blunt they are just too dated now and ok for a 2nd car /toy but could not live with one as a main car in 2015

 

Oh no I doubt I could live with one it would be purely a toy. No I really wouldn't be after more power, that's never really bothered me. 250 would be more then enough for me

 

Get one bought then if you just want it as a toy.

Some people might of had bad experiences with cossie. Im only telling you about what mine has been like.

 

this is assuming you can find a decent car to start with because they all seem to be broken for bits or rotters

 

Go in a rwd saff with 600bhp and your wont no other toy if your against 2 wheeled toys lol

 

The cossie should be quite cheap to run unless there are the usual problems to solve....if it doesn't run 100% right then you could need to replace fuel pump, pump loom, coil, map sensor, whole engine loom etc as nothing worse than a popping and banging cossie.

If the engine has been looked after then unlikely to go bang but if the budget is tight I would at the very least get a good compression test and try it with a cold engine on a damp day.

The 4x4s can break boxes and diffs.

Old cars are pretty horrid to use daily, I have a 205 gti but only use it a few times a week and take something new on other times. I would get rid of it in a day if it was my only car.

 

4x4 boxes are normally ok up to 350 bhp.

 

I have had both at same time ,got escos 12 years ago approx and got a frs mk1 about 5 years ago,
Ran them both side by side and I would say escos is cheaper than my frs to run , got rid of the frs (bored of it) still got me escos. My opinion only

 

I rebuilt the engine in mine with a brand new wire rung 200 block, group a spec head, bd10 & 12 cams , low comp pocketed pistons, high flow oil pump,balanced bottom end , competition bearings , grey injectors,T35 hybrid turbo, group a coil ,3 bar map sensor etc etc 19 years ago when the mileage was on 43,000. It is now on 105,000 miles. I ran it like this for the 19 years with no problems but did add 2 years ago wasted spark ignition, new engine wiring loom including fans and 044 pump relays, l8 ecu with 4x4 tps and custom chip, hart style inlet,Siemens 83lb injectors,T38 turbo with billet compressor wheel, lightened flywheel with new Helix 6 paddle clutch plus hydraulic conversion.It did need the gearbox rebuilding but after 19 hard years of abuse.It has had a new alternator,starter motor, steering coupling and a couple of batteries
That is the only things that have needed replacing in 21 years which I dont think is to bad.All the other things I have done to get more power plus big brake conversion, different suspension and wheels etc have been upgrades which of course are not essential.
My car has always been used hard but mechanically has never let me down.I am sure if he buys a 2wd or 4x4 Sapphire with only a slight power upgrade it will be as reliable as most other cars.
The trouble is a standard one was never going to be for me but that has been my choice and yes it has been costly but I have never regretted it.

 

Id probably be after a 2wd if I could but know they tend to fetch better money. My budget would be 10k in which I think id struggle for a cossie but frs would have abit of choice.


Yeah id love a massive power cossie of course but know I wouldn't be able to afford it. Id be fine running low bhp as id rather reliability then anything.

 

We've got both in our house, and both are broken at the moment....

FRS is a brilliant car to drive, and will be even better when the boy's got it back on the road with 400+ horses.

Mine's got the engine out, and needs a list of things doing over the winter. I'd not be without it now, had it since 1990, and it still makes me drive like a 21 year old every time I get in it!!

Wouldn't want to drive the Cossie on a daily basis, but the Focus in standard form is a pretty good daily drive. Bits for it are getting pricey now as well, so neither one's going to be cheap to maintain.

 

I don't think a cossie a expensive to run. The fact there is zero depreciation and actually a little appreciation means that in the year I've had mine, any money spent on upkeep has been absorbed into the slightly increasing value. Not that I plan to sell it but nice to know. You could equally go and buy something newer and boring and it be worth half its value in a few years and you wouldn't get the enjoyment out of owning a Cosworth! Or a FRS if that's what you decide...

 

2wd saffs are a piece of piss to work on.

 

I have a mate who's had one from nearly new and it's totally standard and it's his and his wife's only mode of transport and it's never once let him down, he goes to London and back in it once a month too to see family. Then everyone I know including myself who have modified them it becomes a money pit. StandRd apart from a stage 1 chip approx 275 to 280bhp and regular servicing should keep it trouble free

 

Couldn't agree more!

 

I honestly don't know why everyone thinks they're unreliable.

All my cossies have been reliable, only had the AA take me home once and that was due to me breaking my gearbox.

 

Coming from a former rs2000 owner, if you have that itch, scratch it now! I could never go back to an rs2000 now ive had a cossie. Yeas its another black sheep of the ford family being a saph, but I prefer 4 doors, and its rwd! Ive clocked 5000 miles since February, not had a single issue, and mines stage 3, 350 hp with similar torque.

Worst case scenario you blow it up, you could make your money back by breaking it lol

 

Yeah I know it should be scratched. Although look at the replys,


don't own one unless you have deep pockets


They are reliable etc


Ill be honest I traw for sale ads every night and the prices of frs seem to be as low as they'll go. A cat d wouldn't bother me either. Most are 260-280ish which would do me fine.


Think I might save a few more ŁŁŁ up and then see whats about in the spring!


I wouldn't have the heart to brake a cosworth, or any rs come to that!

 

Shop wise and your 10k will get you a nice Saph. You'll just need to have the cash ready and keep an ear to the ground and pounce when the right one turns up. Look after it and treasure it and if you do come financially unstuck you will always get your money back for it. Presuming you aren't taking out a 10k loan for it!

 

No a loan Christ no! Ive got 10k with the sale of my car but want a few more quid saved up before I blow the lot on a car.


Trouble is my head say focus, heart say cossie. I guess its what ever pops up at the time im ready to buy!

 

I was never a focus rs fan but the mk1's are growing on me and a friend recently got one. I've been in it a few times and yes it's a nice car not half as fun as a rwd saff with a bit of power but as a main car I think I'd have one.

 

Agree with you, the point I was trying to make in my thread above was that even when mine has been running big bhp for 21 years it has still been reliable.I think a lot of people wrongly assume that they are a fragile car which are always breaking down.
It has also passed 21 MOT tests on the trot, the latest one just done with no advisories.
I have had more problems with my everyday Renault Laguna 2.0 petrol estate which has only done 51,00 miles than I have ever had with my 2wd Sapphire!!

 

im actually thinking of getting my saph back on the road as a daily driver

 

I'm going to when the missus passes her test but I'm only going to use it for going to work and back, plus I work in a garage so any repairs it needs is easier to do with the car at work rather than scrabbling around on the floor at home. Luckily my commute takes me on a long dual carriageway and some country lanes

 

my commute to work is approx 3 miles

 

Very true


All the people saying you need the same in the bank etc are talking crap .


Cossies are just as reliable as any other car ,trick is not to piss about with stuff that your not 100% on . Most faults are human Error !!!!

 

I agree with Harris. When i bought my saff i didnt have a lot of money. I just replaced parts as and when the car needed it. I wouldnt worry about the running gear its the body you wanna think about.

Ive used mine for the past 3 months monday to friday and ive enjoyed every minute of it. Ive only used it cause im still waiting for a V5 for the st170 lol.

I used to use the car in all weathers its just the shity winter with the salty roads that i used to hate cause i didnt want the body to rust lol.

By one if you don't like it you can always get your money back.

 

I think mines about 3 to 4 miles to. 95% of it is dual carriage way.