In response to the "big power rst" thread where theres loads of back and forwarding of the m5 vs rst debate and bitching. seems people with genuine 250+bhp rst's are loosing to the "its a bmw m5, i've owned one and its phenominal" argument. although seldom; it seems there are rst's out there capable of humbling even the best german engineering.
My question is why do we run rst's? spend copius amounts of money on old patched up fords with a history and reputation for unreliability.
Heres my two penneth even though i am nowhere near finished with mine OR even close to some of the machines being built and run on here.
you dont have to even have a "big spec" rst to surprise the super cruiser tourer thingy's.
even my 170ish hp rst can raise eyebrows. i've pissed off all manor of porsches, audis, bm's and mercs. now before everyone jumps on, i know its only a mild spec and i'm not claiming to have shown a clean pair of heels to them BUT its great when you get away from the lights and you know what they're thinking... "i'll just show this twat boy racer what a proper car is" and you hold them off for abit and make them work for the win. come 120 though and your toast but its never about that well not for me anyway its the underdog doing surprisingly well. i've held off stuff worth 100times what my old orion cost me. and its worth even less than that now if i came to sell it.
Ok so case and point.
On the way home from nms after having a shit load of work done to mine to get it running right finally, its now stage 2 and beautifully setup. theres an 09 bmw weaving through traffic in roadworks and generally not wanting to ride out the coned area like everyone else. its a 50mph limit and he's not sticking to it. so after the two lanes end its back to 3 and i'm in the middle when this white bmw starts weaving across all three lanes to exit the slight congestion (sp) caused. i get annoyed at this and drop to third at 50mph. takes a second for the boost to pick up but then i'm off. the microchip in his brain clicks in (see above) and he decides he's gonna show this prick boy racer what a proper car is. only he cant his new car isn't THAT good and he cant gain on me. my £320 orion is showing him its rear bumper and thats all. So a few miles later and we get to the traffic lights at the end of the slip road and i've been there 5 or so seconds when he pulls up. i glance across (admittedly with the hugest grin on my face) and will he look across? Will he bugger.

THATS why we do it.

next on my list is a front mount IC, act gauge, nice cam and some more chasing... thanks for reading my waffling too.

 

Because some people only look at the well my car is modern and comfy and fast!

I look at RS Turbos like I look at my old mans MG MIdget when I drive it! A fuck load of fun an it has a charm not much else can match!

Untill people see that I am not trying to make out its a M5 its just a fun car I love to bits and can show up the odd modern car when it needs to you have no hope!

Its one of those 'If you have to ask you wouldnt understand' things!

 

I love my RST for a few reasons!
The wooshes, pop's and bangs of and old turbo block!
the fact that doing 60mph feels the same as 160mph in a modern car! (All the rush and rattles of going fast, without breaking the law lol)
Also the large number of big jap cars that have tucked in behind me at the lights rather than alongside because of "Ive been done by too many of them, your all nutters" lol
and whilst filling up at a petrol station a gentleman in a Jaguar XKR-R turns and says to me "nice motor mate".

 

Bang on.

 

As some people will know ive got an rst pickup which in my eyes is a complete one off!! ive had about 7 rst's a mint saph,focus rs,mk1 golf vr6 turbo etc etc but the pickup is the most fun car ive ever had and i cant wait to get it finished!!
Ive not spoke to anyone who doesnt like my rst and thats why i spend all my money on it lol

 

i love my cossies and rsts because they are a part of motoring history, They are good fun and i also like the noise and sensation of going faster than you actually are.

Cut me and i bleed RS, im just reasonable and realistic in what they are like and whats quicker.

That comes from experience, too many people think their RST is quicker than cars they have never driven or experienced thats all.

good thread though!

 

Ive learnt so much about the rs since i bought my nans old one about a year ago.Completely stripped that ,completely stripped a cabriolet i bought and then swapped everything over. I think the more standard they are the better, now looking for a hard top.

 

Good read and I must agree.

Chopshop is right too, the sounds and the feel of driving my RST is what gets me. I have an '04 Astra GSI Turbo as my daily hack and it's nowhere near as fun to drive as my RST, even though the Astra has 50bhp more than my RST. The Astra just doesn't throw you around, bounce over every little crease in the tarmac and rattle or give you feedback like the RST. You have to really concerntrate (sp) driving the RST otherwise it will bite you in the ass, unlike a modern car that has it's own brain looking after you.

It's the way the power's delivered. You put your foot down and your brain tells you "here we go!" but nothing happens for a second or so, you can hear the turbo spooling and then whoooosh, boost comes in and your forced into that Recaro seat like nobody's business.

I went to Tesco's in my RST once, and when I came out there were two fellas stood looking at my car, when I got closer I heard they were debating wether it originally came with disks on the rear or not. Then they asked me if it did and told me it was a nice car!

Anyone you tell that you have one always say "I had one of those, I used to love that car, expensive to run though, wish I still had it". Someone happened to see over my shoulder while I was using PF the other day at work, he then came come over and told me all about the one he had when he was 19.

I had another fella once glance over at the lights and ask "Is that a turbo?", I said yes, "I won't bother trying then" was his reply! One thing I do hate is all the attention it gets from boy racers who try to "Race" you or intice you to "Race" them, and start driving like a bell end around you, I don't like that, they're too dangerous.

That's why I have one, not because I think it's faster than anything else, but because I love them.

Lee

 

I have 328i Beemer in daily driver, it is pretty realiable and good to drive.
My beemer is far way better to drive, handles better and goes faster in every situation exept quarter mile. It is 95% standard, wearing parts renewed and better suspension.
It is old car, 1996 model and not pricy or shiny thing. It is lot.. i mean lot faster in racetrack than rst.



I bought rs turbo about 2 years ago and i have restored it completly and some upgrades. ( Ms-efi, konis,powerflex etc. Spent nearly 10.000e for it.. In short words tried to get rst so good to drive as possible.




So i sometimes wonder why i even drive rst sometimes as it is what it is. Here in Finland those S2 rst:s are real boyracer cars and when i drive one i do treated like one.No matter my car is 98% standard from the outside. People do not know what original rs turbo look is, they mess those with big exhaust (mine has 2.5" out now only" carburettor 1.3i laser escorts with tinted glasses and wunderbaums....! But i have been so much money to car that i have to let it stay in my garage and not to sell, because i can maybe get 30% of money what i have spent to it. I know it makes good noices and kicks nicely when accelerating but handling & brakes and comfort are shit compared to my "daily driver".
I hope you can understand what i mean.

And i believe rst would never be close to classic... like E30 M3.

 

I loved my RS when i had it.

I ran it on a budget - was still a student, so things were tight and it wasn't a mint example by any means but it was good enough to use everyday and be complimented on often.

Like you said, its brilliant horsing a knob in a diesel jag just for a laugh, or pushing some poser and his schoolgirl missus in a typeR up the road etc...

However... would i have another one now? Would i fuck! Since then i've had a BMW, not an m5, just a 2.5 but it was comfier, smoother, more reliable - just! just a much nicer place to be imo.

Still miss the fun i had in the rst but not the maintainence or worries i had when driving it, could hop in the beemer and go wherever i want, 400miles away if i wanted and i knew it would be good for it, in the RS i'd probably think twice.

RS Turbo wins for a young, pennyless boy who wants a fast car to drive like its stolen and have great fun in.

BMW wins for reliable, quick, comfy motoring. Pro's and cons of both.

 

Reliable and comfy is something I want from a sofa.

 

gotta say a big reason for me is the whole underdog thing and the fact people who know cars will know how much fun they are! its not about being comfy and getting from a to b as fast as possible its about the journey and making me smile!
even my mate in work gets that altough he still takes the piss because hes a die-hard jap person- I made his dc5 work to overtake my rst last time it was on the road though and he was pretty suprised at how well they go once there upto speed even at quite a low state of tune
I also enjoy back to basics and home tuning, lots to be said for a car that needs you to know so much to get the best out of it

 

well said chop shop,i have my rst because i wanted one since i was 16,had an xr3i rs replica at 18 and my rst at 23,there is one onther mercury grey one in my area and a black one and a couple of white ones and a couple of series 2s,theres about 6 beemers in my street,theyre common as fcuk,and not actually that fast,325s and 328s only produce 196bhp standard,ok rsts are only 132bhp standard but not many are left standard,theyres plenty of 200bhp examples around ready to cause havoc.
i do agree,i also hate the stigma that comes with the rst's,boy racers always want a go,in the saxos,civics,and corsas and theyre not worth the time,had some aggro from stroppy bmw drivers too.on the other hand most people always comment on what a nice car the rs is,and for a 21 year old car that makes me very happy
p.s i think new cars look shit,prefer the old school boxy shapes,so more aggressive
jamie

 

You are spot on mate! On saturday evening i was going through dartford tunnel and a 200sx was giving it so i dropped an down a gear an fucked off.
He pulled up against me at lights at thurrock services and shouted at me "WHAT THE F**K HAVE YOU DONE TO THAT!!!" I just laughed an took off again

 

I got 212hv from stock 328i in dyno, my co-worker got 216bhp from his 328i. But thats not my point.
If we compare anything else but performance, bmw takes 100/0 RST. When i go my garage and swap rst to beemer there is always feeling "what a great car to drive" okay, it is old beemer and i have driven much better handling cars, like e60 M5 for example. But every time beemer feels SO good. after S2 : )
Here in Finland, S2 rst are now pretty rare thing. I believe in this city where i do live is 1 original rst and thats mine. But no one respects that because it is only old escort and it has not same position as i believe in Britain.

 

Antti O,

the s2s are such a more fun car than the bmw though,the beemers more of a cruising car,whereas an rst isnt

 

you seem to miss the point of the thread. we all know that bmw are quick, reliable, luxurious cars. thats why its more fun to spank one in a 20 year old ford.

end of story.

 

Quality mate!

 

feels good when u drive down the road past scoobys evos skylines etc and u just know they are looking at u rst

 

maybe so on the odd occasion, but id much rather be in the bmw drivers seat on the way home after.

 

says the man who gets the best of both worlds german build quality and comfort, with a smacking of cossie noise and smell. thats just cheating mate! lol

 

I have had mine for about 14 months now..

I grew up with these cars as my parents had both s1 and s2, xr`s etc..

Yes since owning it i have spent afew grand on it. I have a love hate relationship with it, when it goes wrong its a pain in the arse BUT when its right i love it to bits..

I have surprised no end of cars off roundabouts and all i get in return is repect.. A guy in a porsche pulled along aside me and put his window down and shouted "what the hell you got in that"

I would only ever sell it if someone wanted to give me a good price for it..

 

totally agree.and it gives u the bigest smile in the world when they are all lookin.nothing will beat the character of an rst

 

i see my turbo as a modern classic and love the look of it love the drive and going to pf meets shows etc. i also love mk2 golfs r5 gtt 205 gti etc i think it was the best era for hot hatches style wise and new cars dont seem to have the charm!!i have a 55 plate clio and my old ford is much more solid built.IMO

 

I do it for the boost and bwarrpppppp tisshhhh!

 

old skool rules guys,80s classics all the way,i dont care if theyre half rusty lol,golf/jetta gti mk2 owned each of them,quality cars,far better than the new eco friendly fuel effiecent crap theyre putting on forecourts these days.

 

good thread!!
ive had newer cars, driven faster, better made, better handing cars,
but love fords, was in a car park loading up some shoppin in the cossie with the X and her babe, 2 guys come over and said "nice car mate" tis the best feeling
then I was coming along the A12 with some cock in his drop top porker with his blonde missus with him tailgating me, i moved over let him get half way past then booted it, twat couldnt keep up, always makes me smile. I'll grow up one day, but untill that day, i shall play

 

Wheres the fun in having a car that starts up 1st time anyway!

 

rst's are for boys

m power cars are for men

 

so a car with no abs, air bags crumple zones traction control is for boys
and a car with all of the above it for men

 

Ha ha! Its true. I dont mind driving around with a set of jump leads in the boot.

My car is the only RS1800 fez in Cork.

Its all about the Jap cars where I live. The RS is just so different. I get a superiority complex when im driving it. like im a genuine enthusiast and all the jap heads are just sheep.

I was driving it last weekend and realised I was grinning from ear to ear just cos I was driving it!

 

No its the fwd and rwd that seperates the men from the boys

 

ive had 4 cossies, 3 rwd and 1 4wd,
tho i loveeeeeeeed my cossies, still feel happier in a fwd, im just a boy