Obviously this will pretty much be opinion and everybody is different, i have owned my saph for a year but i cant help thinking i want an RST.

I actually wanted an rs turbo when i got the cossie but when i realised i could insure a cossie i thought fuck it i may as well go for that but i have never been fully happy knowing an rs turbo was what i actually wanted.

Basicaly if i sell the saph and buy one will it be a massive disapointment, bearing in mind my saph is a 4x4 running standard power so its not exactly fast.

I need reliability but i want it to be fast, i have been told that EFi is better so i am looking at fiesta turbo's. Im wondering wether its possible to have one that will live up to the cossie but not give me a shit load of grief.

Im not sure what the saph is worth but im sure i can get a decent spec RST for it?


any opinions are very much appreciated as all my mates are saying im off my head

 

Yes, RST's are fucking horrid nasty peices of poo. No power steering, gearbox is horrid, brakes are fucking shite, and generally just very poor build quality, and very complicated old mechanical fuel injection system that very few tuners fully understand, and often just get bodged up (obviously the likes of MSD NMS etc excepted!) , and just as expensive to run as a cossie bar the shouting IMHO.

I always wanted one, lusted after them in my youth, then I drove one, and another and another..... They say you should never meet your heros, I was gutted and IMHO they offer nothing now apart from looking nice and sounding nice. I still love RST's but I could never own one as they just cannot hold a candle to a cossie.

Stage 3 the cossie with MSD's closed loop lambda, 320+BHP and 30+Mpg, everyone is a winner, even a stage 1 makes the car soooo much better.

Awaiting incoming from angry beantin owners

 

that was basically the plan up to last week lol, the car is bog standard though apart from filter, exhaust and coilovers and i have got it into my head that i would be better with a ready sorted RST then spending money i dont have on the fuck loads of bits i want for the cossie

 

i really enjoyed mine that i had and i'm going through a phase where i'm buying stuff i had when i started driving, i had a mk2 xr2 last year and it was a hoot, i'm currently in the process of trying to do a deal with my impreza on sale here for a mk4 erst.
i once said i could never go back after having a cozzie but the things are old school and thats cool now, i once remember kicking a clio williams's arse in my rs turbo i dunno how much waft they had but my turbo was about 190 hp and fucked all over it. you had a lot of power for the money with a rs turbo

 

tbh it all depends on what the cossie is worth, idealy i would like to do a deal on an RST rather then sell the cossie first.

its bugged me ever since i got the saph, i have never driven an rst and im not sure why i want one so much

mk2 xr2 is another car i have always wanted to own as well but the rst is further up the list

 

Standard Cossie, shit slow, standard bean tin shit, shit, shit slow. I bought my RST as standard after having a Cavalier turbo and honestly thought WTF have I done. Got it cheap and planned to sell it on. Met a guy and many dump valves, heads, turbos, cams, money, time, etc later blew it up, tuned it again, blew it up and now hopefully it's a tin of Chum or Kit-e-Kat. You cant believe how bad they are until you drive a decent car, never looked back.

 

Well i enjoy my rs turbo, but having been out in my mates saph i think it would be a step backwards going from a cossie to an rs turbo.

 

that exactly what i was thinking

 

those little rst pocket rockets are really good if you get a good one and i will say that again... if you get a good one...
so anyhow how much for your saff then?? inc delivery to daventry...lol PM me if you want mate..
Lee.

 

i loved my escort .. had far more fun than the stage 3 4wd i had after it ...
was around 230 bhp tho .. wiped the smiles fom a few faces ..

the reality is though ... it needs work to make it fast and handle, and stop tbh .. when its damp it wheel spun like anything grip was an issue even with a new diff in it .. finding a tuner that knows how to set the fuelling up is limited... but they are fun..

so stick with the cossie and go 350 bhp will be a good driving car and can have fun with it ... unless you want the expence of spending loads of money finding a good one .... or building one correctly ...

 

the saph is a bigger car and better screwed together, plus it's got power steering and abs and 4wd making it go forwards, backwards, round corners and stop very nicely

the rsturbo has none of these things

my mate had a very mint s2 on a d plate that made about 160 brake and, very very nice as it was, it couldn't hold a candle to my 3 door or the saph

gripped well in the dry though, but i'd hate to see what it was like in the wet

 

They're good fun but a cossie is in a different league,deffo a step backwards if you get one m8.

 

ive owned 3 rs turbos and have always loved them, i recently made the change to a

saph and would never go back to a rs turbo the saph is another league. My turbo

was highly modified and did keep up with saphs but never stopped that well and

didint feel it should have that sort of power, stick with the saph youd be made.

apart from that keep the saph and enjoy a s2 awell

 

I prefer my escort to a saph, I really wanted a saph and very nearly purchased a 4x4 until I went in it.
The slowest most disappointing car i've ever been in in my life and not the least rewarding to drive.

For me a decent escort is more fun and more rewarding to drive than I could ever see a saph being

 

Are we talking S1 or S2's??

 

pm sent

 

2wd cossy all day long.....

 

My RST was a MASSIVE disappointment after owning 3 Sapphs. I had one for all of a week before I got totally sick and put it on the drive and sold it.

Dont do it mate, you will regret it

 

ive had a few rst's im on my 7th or 8th now
i had a focus rs loved it but wanted a cossie so i got rid of the focus and got a 51k 4x4 saph it was the slowest fucker ever but the handling and grip was amazing.
i got rid of the cossie and bought a vr6 turbo mk1 golf which was a missile but looked shite and handled shite.
now ive got an rs turbo pickup and im happy again they are a pain in the arse for rust etc but my one is mint so i have no worrys about that and i hardly use mine so not much can go wrong with it but i would never have one as an everyday car my mate bought one about 2 years ago it was very clean in diamond white he paid near 3k for it and i asked him if he was buying a different car for travelling to work he replied with nah the escort will be fine lol fast forward a year and it was completely fucked
rusty as fuck
wrecked gearbox
split windscreen
full of dents
engine was on its last legs
sold for 1k

 

sounds to me you entered RS ownership the wrong way around lol

 

Do you have any more pics of your pick up? i like the look of that

 

It all depends on the escort IMO. There are a lot of rubbish ones out there. If you get a well prepped one on efi or aftermarket management or cossie management and the suspension is sorted ( i dont mean just polybushed and lowered ) and it has decent brakes then they are a proper laugh and quick too. But to get one sorted isnt cheap..so you're better off with a middle of the road saff

 

ive not had any cossies yet but had a few rs turbo's, i always want to go back and get an xr2, had 3 now and want another!

 

I think one simple bunch of acronyms answers your question:

RST is FWD.

You're gonna be dissapointed.

 

having owned both, and agreeing that the saff is a better car overall i would say yes a driver you will be dissapointed....there are a few upsides.

no cossie tax, parts are way cheaper
no cossie paranoia, you can park it wheverer you like
the recaros in a 90 spec RST are a little firmer and feel better than the cossie ones
put a decent gurgling exhaust and the RST will sound better
the ERST is a little 'better looking' than the saff, although is seen as more of a chav car than the sierra...which is more appreciated by enthusiasts

just my 2p's worth, i agree the saff is a better car in many ways but the RST is still a good car and can be awesome to own. dont skimp though, some RST's are cheap for a reason

 

i wouldnt mind going from a cossie to a s1 turbo(not s2 or frst),not for perfomance but just the looks...but its deffo a step backwards.

 

No fucking way would i go backwards!

WHen i sold my rst i got my 3dr and wee while later i got a shot of the rst again. Nowehere near as nice to drive!

Also in my experience of a 3dr and 2 different saffs, the shell is WAAAAAAAY cleaner than a r(ustbox)st!!

 

get a focus RS, proper car

 

Aggree......Focus RS is a modern day RST

Far superiour motor

 

Shit if you go and buy a pony one, could be good if you bought Christian and Beccy's one as that is a bit naughty,

personally I wouldn't do as imo it is going backwards, however if there is no changing your mind I know of a decent S2 ERST which made 206 BHP on the rollers recently at TOTD the owner may be up for a bit of a trade with your saph


Luciano

 

If your after power then obviously the cosworth will put a far bigger smile on your face, if you want a mint car that people will look at and drool then go for a mint condition S1, they are far better than the S2. I know dozens of popel go from Cosworth's back to S1's and even RSi's but really the decisions your's.

Me personally i would prefer to have a S1 over a Sapp Cos.

 

all i can say is be ready for a exspesive bill, as to make a good rst you need too spend a fair bit onit, my engine before fitting wast just under 1.5k without turbo

 

Ive driven a few ERSTs and they are horrible to drive imo.

As stated put a bit of power down them and they are a laugh but I have a Saff now, and although i know its not the best built car it makes a average ERST look like a Rolls Royce imo.

Escorts feel so old and just shit!

The torque steer/looks and noise NEARLY makes up for it though!

 

I'd reckon on spending at least 6k on a bog standard mint condition RST to get it anywhere near fast and good handling (by modern standards), the engine would be last on my list of upgrades too

 

it really depends on what u want..if u want speed then a rst is not for u!!! unless your minted! ive had a few rst s1's..wouldnt have a s2..only have them for the looks tbh..i love driving mine after its been locked away for a while...but wish it had power steering after half an hour lol.. still hankering after a 3 door tho which is a better car.... but yous that have been slating rst's, ive been in a few saphs that have been more shonky than my c reg bean can, so not all saphs are the bees knees..theres some shite 1s of them about aswell

 

Go for a 2wd Saph IMO. I've had a few S2's, a couple that went pretty well, but unless I was spending BIG money on 350hp zetecs, proper suspension, AP's etc. I wouldn't ever look past a Saph.

 

fuck it... just buy a escort cosworth and a escort rs turbo, make sure they are the same colour and then post on here telling everone that the rs turbo is the better car

 

dojj, s2's had abs, but it wasnt very good.

 

did it have a warrenty from warrenty holdings

dojjy s2 with dodgy warrenty

 

It wouldnt of covered the elastic bands on it any way