MK1 FRS vs Cooper S
Discussion
Depends what you want from a car really.
I assume for 10k your looking at the mk2 cooper s (the 1.6 turbo R56) which is an extremely economical engine for the power it offers, quite tuneable and lovely handling cars.
The FRS is a much older car but fast and handle quite well (although torque steer is an issue if that kind of thing bothers you). The fact they are older inevitably means they will probably cost more to maintain.
For me i'd have the MINI just because its a newer and more economical car (which in these times is a good thing since if petrol prices keep soaring like they have been, the price of uneconomical petrol cars is going to plummet, perhaps not so much on "special" cars like FRS's, but they will take a hit for sure.) yet still has plenty of power and tuning potential.
I assume for 10k your looking at the mk2 cooper s (the 1.6 turbo R56) which is an extremely economical engine for the power it offers, quite tuneable and lovely handling cars.
The FRS is a much older car but fast and handle quite well (although torque steer is an issue if that kind of thing bothers you). The fact they are older inevitably means they will probably cost more to maintain.
For me i'd have the MINI just because its a newer and more economical car (which in these times is a good thing since if petrol prices keep soaring like they have been, the price of uneconomical petrol cars is going to plummet, perhaps not so much on "special" cars like FRS's, but they will take a hit for sure.) yet still has plenty of power and tuning potential.
Your confused.
Pulleys etc are for the mk1 cooper s (they swap over on late 56 plate/07 plates). That model is supercharged, pulleys are for superchargers. the mk1's drink petrol too I wouldn't recommend one to anyone in these times.
The mk2 cooper s (07 onwards) is turbocharged. A decent exhaust and a remap will see 230bhp and 260lb/ft torque, in a car that weighs that much it that takes it over the 200bhp/tonne mark and as i said for the performance they offer they are extremely economical (30+mpg is easy on them if you like putting your footdown, on a run you can see around 45)
The mk1 is the better drivers car is more raw and handles a bit better. the mk2 is more refined.
the only "common" (not that common) problem with the R56 Cooper S (the mk2) is the timing chain tensioners causing the chain to rattle on cold start up. The engine itself is a decent block.
Pulleys etc are for the mk1 cooper s (they swap over on late 56 plate/07 plates). That model is supercharged, pulleys are for superchargers. the mk1's drink petrol too I wouldn't recommend one to anyone in these times.
The mk2 cooper s (07 onwards) is turbocharged. A decent exhaust and a remap will see 230bhp and 260lb/ft torque, in a car that weighs that much it that takes it over the 200bhp/tonne mark and as i said for the performance they offer they are extremely economical (30+mpg is easy on them if you like putting your footdown, on a run you can see around 45)
The mk1 is the better drivers car is more raw and handles a bit better. the mk2 is more refined.
the only "common" (not that common) problem with the R56 Cooper S (the mk2) is the timing chain tensioners causing the chain to rattle on cold start up. The engine itself is a decent block.
Xilent said:
Was wondering which car that you guys think is the better choice.
Ive got a 10k Budget, so i was thinking either a Mk1 Focus Rs or a Cooper S.
They are both the same price on insurance for me
Thanks
If you are looking at pre 2006 MINI's they are the R53 with the supercharged engine. I personally prefer these to the latter turbocharged R56 MINI's.Ive got a 10k Budget, so i was thinking either a Mk1 Focus Rs or a Cooper S.
They are both the same price on insurance for me
Thanks
However in both cases I think the MINI's look better than the Ford, although the Ford does look quite butch. Strangely the RS has held its money quite well, odd when you look at Fiesta, Escort and even Sierra Cosworth RS's as they haven't. So I don't know if the are due to a price drop at some point in the future. Probably when the MKII's drop a bit in price.
Yes you can up the bhp on the R53 MINI. 230hp is quite possible and I think the MINI is lighter than the Focus, certainly more compact.
The R56 MINI can also be tuned too. But then again there is nothing to stop you tuning a Focus RS either.
I think the MINI will always be the prettier, better looking, more classy, nimbler option. But the Focus has the potential to have more HP, be faster in a straight line, have more of a rally pedigree and look far more badass.
That said, for £10k I personally would look for a minter of these:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2689261.htm
Or maybe one of these if you want newer:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2263133.htm
sorry 300bhp/ton what utter tosh! have you sean the prices of old fords now adays?
a decent 3dr cosworth is well north of 10k and the rs500's north of 25k! series 1 rs turbos good one cost as much as a mk1 frs!
simple term are old fords hold there money well and when you add a rs badge its a hertiage car almost straight away.
as for the mk1 frs dropping money they have held we until now and i think will rise in value due to the limited numbers made.
id have the focus over the mini any day.
more power ,better handling, proper lsd, rare, holds value well, imho better looks and its bigger and more practical to boot.
only issue is some parts are becoming hard to get and the mk1 focus has good and bad cars so drive loads until you find one that feels right, you will know what i mean when you do find the good one as some wheren't as good as others.
a decent 3dr cosworth is well north of 10k and the rs500's north of 25k! series 1 rs turbos good one cost as much as a mk1 frs!
simple term are old fords hold there money well and when you add a rs badge its a hertiage car almost straight away.
as for the mk1 frs dropping money they have held we until now and i think will rise in value due to the limited numbers made.
id have the focus over the mini any day.
more power ,better handling, proper lsd, rare, holds value well, imho better looks and its bigger and more practical to boot.
only issue is some parts are becoming hard to get and the mk1 focus has good and bad cars so drive loads until you find one that feels right, you will know what i mean when you do find the good one as some wheren't as good as others.
As stated above the Mk2 turbo-charged engine can suffer from problems with the timing chain tensioners ("death rattle"). BMW recalled cars in North America but not over here. Some cars have been fixed under warranty.
It goes without saying that from around 57plate the Cooper S gained Efficient Dynamics which means £125 road tax, but they would almost certainly be out of your budget (I'm thinking of one myself and been monitoring the classifieds).
It goes without saying that from around 57plate the Cooper S gained Efficient Dynamics which means £125 road tax, but they would almost certainly be out of your budget (I'm thinking of one myself and been monitoring the classifieds).
pitbull turbo said:
sorry 300bhp/ton what utter tosh! have you sean the prices of old fords now adays?
a decent 3dr cosworth is well north of 10k and the rs500's north of 25k! series 1 rs turbos good one cost as much as a mk1 frs!
simple term are old fords hold there money well and when you add a rs badge its a hertiage car almost straight away.
as for the mk1 frs dropping money they have held we until now and i think will rise in value due to the limited numbers made.
The older models prices have only gone up fairly recently though, a sign of their age and having reached that point on their depreciation curve. I personally think the MK1 FRS will lose money before it goes back up again when it becomes a classic, and for two reasons:a decent 3dr cosworth is well north of 10k and the rs500's north of 25k! series 1 rs turbos good one cost as much as a mk1 frs!
simple term are old fords hold there money well and when you add a rs badge its a hertiage car almost straight away.
as for the mk1 frs dropping money they have held we until now and i think will rise in value due to the limited numbers made.
1. The MKII will get cheaper. And it will get to the point where why would you pay similar or same money for a MK1? It wasn't actually a proper rally or race car, and as an individual model has no pedigree or heritage, it only sponges off the RS badge.
2. It's still new enough to be considered a daily driver. Give it a few more years and many people will see it as too old for daily use, yet not old enough or special enough for a weekend toy. This will affect prices.
A quick look in the classifieds says a MKV RS2000 can be had from under £1k, and RST Escorts from £2.5k with some choice.
The Fiesta RST does seem a little pricer at £3.5 and up. But it wasn't so many years ago when they where £1200-1500 motors.
Plenty of Cosworths in the £3.5-5k bracket too.
I doubt very much the FRS will ever become a banger motor. So taking these prices into consideration I see no reason why the MK1 FRS won't potentially drop to £3k +-, level out and stay stable then increase again as they get rarer and older.
As a short term purchase I think they are pretty sound though, or as a 20 year + purchase.
wackojacko said:
Focus RS or different options ?
top of my list will be and is a Megane R26 F1 ( come with an LSD as standard
)
second would be an Astra VXR
Third would be Focus RS
100th would be Cooper S
Bet you have never driven the mini.... If you can push your budget to £11k or so, check out the red 57 plate JCW on ebay, lovely car!!top of my list will be and is a Megane R26 F1 ( come with an LSD as standard
)second would be an Astra VXR
Third would be Focus RS
100th would be Cooper S
300bhp/ton said:
Xilent said:
Aww nice, what would the fuel consumption be like on both Tegs?
Better than the R53 and Focus I'd think and possibly not quite as good as an R56. DC5 better than DC2 mpg wise I'd have thought.I think both the Mk1 FRS and the Cooper S are decent cars. I'd probably go for the Cooper S as the Mk1 FRS is getting a bit dated, and I'm guessing probably harsher on the wallet fuel wise? I've only ever driven a Mk1 2.0L Zetec and a Mini One, found both quite uninvolving when driving them. Maybe I'm just used to my cheaply put together Jap wagon which I feel gives me better feel?
There's a whole world of cars out there for your 10K budget, seems a bit rash to just narrowing it down to two, should go out with a set of criterias, isurance costs, running costs ect, and find the cars which fits the bill, take a long weekend and go out to test drive as many as you can.
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