Right so after my last attempt at buying a performance car ended in buying a house... Boring i know! Im looking again.
Ive always wanted an M5, but after test driving afew the MPG and the lack of excitement put me off them somewhat. Im secretly hoping Rog or Stu has a go at me for this and tells me they are fun and i can squeeze 30mpg from one lol.
The Evo would suit my driving style, fast cornering, good handling and plenty of scope for tuning. Also they top 30mpg so ive read if driven carefully on a run.
The Focus Rs, im looking at from several perspectives. I think it is a very respected car, it handles well (as good as a evo?) and after some tuning they are no slouch. But i think one could also be a long term investment, like the early escort's?

Opinions, real world experiences and storys please...

 

All 3 are different cars imo. I like all the cars you have mentioned above.

 

If you like BM's and don't want M5 running costs maybe try a 635d/535d? Sensible mpg out of any of the cars you've listed in pretty much non existent so would really depend on what you like the look of and like to drive.

 

I use my focus rs mk1 as my daily and my family car.
It's handing is amazing it really is all that. Probably the best handling car I have owned.

It's standard and can get up to 320 probably more out of a full tank. It quiet too when you pootle around town in it. Even standard they are very quick imo

If I were to keep it I would put in a a touch screen cd radio nav thing and that's it

 

A focus rs for me but im biased because I love em, but I do love an evo VIII, all depeds on what you want from a car

 

Merc AMG's might be worth a look at as well.

 

Book a few test drives.

 

Hi currently have an evo 8 mr. Is a great car and can be got upto 380hp with just a fuel pump and remap. If your going to get an evo go for an 8 or 9 mr

 

I've got one at the moment.
I to think there very respected, I got no end of nods etc in it.
It is a lot more refined that a Evo round town and on a run. If u sit on the motor way it will do 32 mpg.

However
Round town I got 190 to a tank )19mpg. There slow as fuck std. ( my Clio 182 was quicker )
It's got a Decat, chip manifd and a exhaust now for 290 osh bhp. Much better

 

As above mate rs is slow standard, depends how far you want go with it, mines currently 400hp "genuine" fast as but shocking on fuel as you would expect. Been looking at evo's today very tempted.

 

Evo for me big boot 4 doors AWD cheap parts cheap to tune not that bad on fuel it'll even go sideways if you want it too love my 8 MR had mine from a year old with 2500 miles doubt ill ever sell it tbh.

 

E60 535D M Sport Touring for me!! Quick, good mpg, good space, room in the boot for a car bonnet never mind a pram or two lol

Fella near to me got his E60 535D M Sport Saloon remapped recently and it made 336bhp and 462lbs/ft torque.

 

Has it been pretty reliable since owning it? Have you done much to it modding wise? Have just had a stage 1 conversion on mine and upgraded the brakes. There pretty good out of the box really though arnt they

 

I had a audi a4 tdi s line before which was an econobox hence the rs feels really fast for me lol

Speeds in the bends are even more impressive

 

out of those 3 the evo wins for me

 

I'd take the evo

 

So as your after 30 odd mpg is it going to be a everyday car...? If so i wouldn't bother with the Evo. I've had 3 (2 IX's and a VII RS) the IX's weren't to bad on fuel really but lets be honest about them as standard, there not very quick apart from off the line, the build quality is crap and very boring inside, service every 6months or 4.5k, the AYC and 6 speeds gearboxes can have problems and rust is starting to set in a lot of them now. Dont get me wrong here i love Evo's but out of the box there not what a lot of people say they are

 

I would suggest an Audi S4, I have one as a daily driver.

Goes quite well, very nice interior and sounds gorgeous.

Really, really crap on fuel consumption though, so I guess it would be no good for you

 

Just bought a MK1 FRS as a daily/occasional track car... considered another Impreza or trying an Evo, but decided to try something else for a change. I've only had the car for 48hrs and already it's got more attention than I got in almost any of my Imprezas?!

It also feels more special to be in IMO.


Cheers,
Grant

 

Only trouble I had was a rear diff going at 18k 50 miles after a service from Mitsubishi where they had changed the diff oil there fault or not I don't know I got a second hand diff from an mlr member that had covered 7k and it hasn't missed a beat since. Mines just a baby stage 1 but with an apexi avcr peaks at about 1.7bar fast enough for me as it's just a road car never been near a track.

 

Cant understand why a mk1 frs is on the list compared to the others

 

Mk1 FRS is on the list because, Its a Ford, Its always been on my car wish list, they handle well and are easy to tune and i think they look damn sexy! The car would be a toy mainly, but would do daily driver duties for afew months of the year too, i guess im being alittle unrealistic about needing 30+mpg.
There seems to be alot of 18-21yr olds round here with Mk1 FRSs, which puts me off slightly.
The build and interior of an EVO put me off massively and the potiential repair costs of the M5 scare me, i wouldnt want to spend Ł8k on a car to then need a Ł2-3k repair, whereas the focus and evo seem to be cheaper and more diy friendly to work on

 

Exactly what I thought when I read the title!

Evo for me

 

If your worried about build quality I wouldn't say a mk1 frs is that great either e46 m3 is nice car.

 

Sounds like you like the focus rs so go and buy one. Its properly the cheaper car out of them all to mantain.

 

The 2 words highlighted in bold do NOT go together.

 

Evo for me to but none of them are cheap to run lol

 

If it was me I would go evo as I know loads of mates who had them and love them . Mk1 focus are a good car and I loved ours .
You will get a evo8 fq300 for around Ł8000 and prob a mk1 focus for Ł6000-Ł8000 depending on condition .

They all different cars and do different things , I know the evo are bad on fuel but so is the focus with a heavy right foot

I would love a evo 5/6 if me though .

 

Spot on

But I'd still take the Evo!

 

I cant see the value in these frs mk1 esp's but then I have never liked them and driven plenty imo it was a stark reminder of how ford took the piss out the rs enthusiast !!

Im with you a good 5/6 is a awesome car for the cash

 

For the record, I'm not a big frs mk1 fan. Bought mine as it was a good deal.

Build quality blows my Evo 8 out of the water. Mines around 280bhp and his is 350odd. And apart from standing start my car is a lot quicker aswell. And I'd agree it does feel a bit more special. Want to get mine live mapped to gain some fuel economy.

Thing is with both the frs and the Evo is, they've all been fucked about with and given death for 10 years now. Good ones are hard to find.

 

Out of interest what makes you say the Evo has bad build quality?

 

did you have the E46 M3 grant?

 

Evos are brilliant all round cars !
But rot worse than any car I've ever seen ,look on eBay how many say [just been undersealed ]

It's nigh on impossible to weld the thin , shite metal there made of .

It's very easy to buy a bad one , as they all look very good on top .

I would be very cautious buying an evo nowadays

 

Do t get me wrong I love evos. But there plastic jap crap. The focus is ALOT Easier to live with as a Dailey.

IMO of course.

 

I wouldn't say the Evo was terrible as a daily at all. My dads Evo 6 isn't a bad daily at all and that's runs a double plate clutch to cope with the power/torque. But not best on fuel

 

M5 for me, rear wheel drive & amazing chassis are far more fun than FWD or 4x4. A sure fire future classic as well, good ones are going up in value already.

 

Loving this...
Ok so, when i said the EVO was cheaper to maintain, i meant i would feel comfortable working on it, servicing n basic repairs. Whereas the M5 looks abit complex under that bonnet, and working on the big old V8 probably isnt easy and parts are def not cheap!
In the new year some test drives are in order!

 

depends on what your criteria is....there's no way any of those cars will see 30mpg.

my FRS was about 19-20mpg round town and would do 300 miles if you took it easy on the motorway 25mpg - blufin remap, few other mods.

i also have an E39, not an M5 but can vouch for their build quality, my derv only does 25mpg round town so i dread to think what the 4.0 V8 would be like

having never owned or driven an Evo i cant comment, feedback from people i know are they drive and handle superbly, but cost alot in running and fuel....and the interior as said is a bit plastic.

 

Yeah, I've still got the M3 mate... it's just off the road for winter.


Cheers,
Grant