Any pointer on what to look for when buying a Mk1 Focus Rs? ive only ever dealt with old fiesta's and Esocrt Rs turbos and im looking at taking a step into modern car ownership lol!

 

just sold mine and im putting an rs engine in an st170 now

-look out for knocking front suspension struts (worn)

-leaking/ corroded coolant pipe on underside of engine in o/s wheel arch, also leaking/ corroded oil cooler.

-make sure the chargecooler pump is working when the engines running (should be small jet stream in chargecooler tank)

-rattly chargecoolers (youll here a `knock` under acceleration when the chargecooler is moving and hitting the fuse box) cheap to fix though.

-af `cough` at 5k rpm. theres two engine maps from ford, the earlier one (ae) is the better one, af is the later one it has a misfire at 5k. if youre unsure how to find out ask for lami or carl on the focus rs section on the rsoc or a wds machine.

-idling problems, all easily sorted but the frs can have 2 or 3 causes!! either the maf, icv, or the black vac pipes on the back of the inlet manifold so make sure it revs/ pulls smoothly and doesnt stall when you come to a stop.

-thermostat housings leak, so look for signs of dried coolant on the stat housing. sometimes they last 100k sometimes they last 5k, it all depends on who replaces them and how they go about it i suppose.

-worn steering wheel, they all go manky after around 30k and theyre 150 notes!!!

- worn/ sagging seat bases. the earlier cars came with unstitched seats bases and they sag under your arse. the later ones have a stitch right across under you bum and stops the sagging.

-apart from that the usual panel damage and tyres, check front brake pads, discs and clutches are all very expensive on the rs so check theyre all good or start knocking the seller down.

-check the black trim around the front grill, see if its `warped`. they do it from the heat form tuned cars..

-the turbo heat shiled (white ceramic heat shield on the turbo) check this isnt cracked or hanging off (check above and below) the bolts can also come lose from these so again check top and bottom. another 100 if it needs one

the only other bits to look out for come from serious abuse i.e worn turbos from overboosting (on a standard turbo it should be running no more then 22psi (if its chipped with a manifold) at the very very max!! 18-20 is safe (again if chipped), if a seller is claiming over 300bhp on standard turbo+mani then be worried

if its got a venting dumpvalve then take it off, as these cause massive over fueling, poor fuel consumption, loss of power and stalling issues. they have a re circ valve as standard and these can be uprated and sound nearly as loud as a venting one if you go with an induction kit too

the engines sound tappety as standard so dont worry unless its really noisy, and the paint is soft on these cars so expect stonechips on front end and rear arches, dont be suprised if you see fresh paint on them!!

this `phase 1` and `phase 2` you hear is a load of bollocks. ford just changed a couple of bits on the car but didnt do it in any order and just seemed to fit them when they could be arsed. these included the engine start sticker around the start button, the pink throttle grommet on the throttle cable, the stitched bases, covers on the rear seat hinges, a yellow insulation on the bonnet support and a dashboard light dimmer.

oh and the build numbers arnt it order of time the cars where built. once they get to around number 2500 they went tits up.
some of the last cars made are actually numbered around 3250 instead of the 4501 that they sold..

cant think of anything else.. if i do il add it

 

sweet nice one mate thats alot of information, will come in very handy just got to get my rs turbo sold now lol

how much did you sell yours for if you dont mind me asking?

 

i ended up with 10500, i took 6500 cash and a part ex i sold for 4k. mine had done 37k with full service, was hpi clear and pretty mint.

but i had replaced the engine as mine let go after sucking some water up at 32k (watch out for this if you fit an induction kit!!)

i sold it 6 months ago when car prices where really low, but the rs prices seem to have climbed again recently. if you need any help just go in the frs section on the rsoc, loads of lads who have a passion for these cars, they even have their own frs specialist mechanic and a specialist frs turbo builder! if someone over there doesnt know it then it doesnt need to be known!!

 

good info there

 

yeah, i saw a FRS for about 7k thought it was too good to be true and it was cat D write off that had been repaird, put me off a little bit. im going to be looking at the 8-9k price bracket hopefully find a good higher milage one for that money.

with the k&n is that why they provide that bag thing or does that make no difference?

 

yeah the k&n helps keeps little splashes out but dont go through any puddles!! lol.

if its only cat d dont worry mate as cat d is cosmetic panel damage only usually, the st170 im putting this engine in was a cat d. see if the owner has any pictures of the damage or repair. but its upto you.

its cat c`s that usually have had chassis repairs or more serious damage..

7-8k is the going rate for cat c or d repaired or a high mileage one.

you should get a tidy one if you keep looking for 8-9k, there is still people dropping prices for quick sales but otherwise expect a nice 50k miler for that money.

you dont have to bag the first one you see either anymore as there is plenty of them about for sale.

if you find one with an aftermarket manifold on its a bonus as your saving at least 600 notes!!

 

best way to find out how good they are is to see all spectrums of them. e.g go see a focus rs thats up for 14-15k i.e high end price to get an idea of how the car should be then work your way down from there to your budget! did the same afew years ago, was so impressed with the car i saw i bought it, paid over the odds like 2k but it was perfect.

 

@A16X
Yer fingers must have been bleeding after typing all that...lol

got all of the points in there as well...

 

yeah thats a good idea, why would the insurance company register it as cat d then if it had only been cosmetic?

 

well.. thats the downside to the frs, getting hold of the rs specific parts! lol.

all depends on how many panels have been damaged, its the total cost of repair the insurance look at, and have you tried ordering focus rs panels from ford recently?

IF they can get you them, you`ll be waiting a looooong time (meanwhile your cars is in the repair garage with the storage bills mounting up) and paying mega bucks for the parts mate, theres lads importing them from america for less then what ford charge, and ford is where your insurer will buy them from.

if they cant get hold of them then its a write off!

they are still available, just hard to find

 

never priced parts up! well ive got the money for a none written off car so thats what i will look for! cheers for all the info though

 

no worries fella, hope you bag a good un

 

Alex has sorted you with pretty much all of the info there! Id only add not to be put off by 'enthusiastic' owners, by this I mean boys who like to have fun with these cars. They are pretty robust cars and will be able to take the abuse (but the advice on overboosting turbos should still be followed).

My seller openly admitted he's used it on track days etc. and admitted to having 150mph from it at the Nurburgring. Did this put me off? No.

Be prepared to see one, get sucked in, and wanting it bad. Just as I did

 

cheers for the info people just need to find a nice one now!

 

very true

i bought mine from a mate so i know how it was abused... lol

i sold mine to a different mate who knew the both of us and how hard i drove the thing, hes still got it now