Mk1 Focus Rs or Honda Civic EP3 Type R ??

[CameronSangan]

Hi there

Really cant make up my mind on what to go for so thought i would ask some people who no what they are talking about to shine some light on the pros and cons of both the Civic and the RS.

ino that there is quite a price difference in the two, the RS being the more exspensive but then you have to look at the things that come standard with it, sparco interior, OZ alloys ect. ect.

But is there anything i need to no about common problems with both, and which one would be more reliable in the long run.

To be honest i was always leaning towards the RS just because it looks the part but then again so does the Civic. Please can someone give me there oppinion to what they think.

Cheers Cameron

[Rsohyes]

Im biased towards the RS, but with good reason
Its alot more rare, Looks better and has more tuning potential.
Tyre R has a more chavy image imo, but is still a good car

[S3000]

RS.. better brakes and faster in the right hands.

[Marf]

Turbo + LSD for me please

[CameronSangan]

Yea ino what you mean, you dont often see a Mk1 RS spinning about thats for sure. Only down side i can think about the RS and whant to know is how reliable is the turbo and the more you tune it, the more problems you get or what??

[muffinmenace]

Rsohyes said:

Tyre R has a more chavy image imo, but is still a good car

Pot kettle black there I think

[wackojacko]

I would say Focus RS ............ if ti were my money I'd get a Megane R26 F1 (for around 8K)


For a good RS you're looking at 9K+ whereas a good Civic canbe had for around 6-7K


The R26 is just an amazing car to drive one of my favourite FWD cars of all time.


The RS will be a timeless classic so out of the 2 options I'd go for the RS.

[Jimslips]

CameronSangan said:

Hi there

Really cant make up my mind on what to go for so thought i would ask some people who no what they are talking about to shine some light on the pros and cons of both the Civic and the RS.

ino that there is quite a price difference in the two, the RS being the more exspensive but then you have to look at the things that come standard with it, sparco interior, OZ alloys ect. ect.

But is there anything i need to no about common problems with both, and which one would be more reliable in the long run.

To be honest i was always leaning towards the RS just because it looks the part but then again so does the Civic. Please can someone give me there oppinion to what they think.

Cheers Cameron

Hey, some guy made a video (a PHer)
Hope this helps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrMNNbddRXU&fea...

[Otispunkmeyer]

Another vote for the blue oval from me. Absolutely love the MK1 RS. Just looks so proper. Dont chav it up or tune it though. Standard is best and kept clean I'm sure it wont depreciate half as much as the Civic (though as they ditched the Type R for now, maybe not!). Seriously though, most limited edition Ford RS's end up keeping their value rather well, especially for original condition ones.

[Mastodon2]

Type R for me. I love turbo cars, but they are better suited to 4WD. Coupled with some mixed reviews about the Quaife diff in the RS (makes some cars handle great, made other twitchy and nervous) and that's just not ideal. Turbos are ace fun, but the VTEC engine is much more rewarding to drive.

On the one hand, the RS is more collectable. On the other hand, it has a hideous interior. The EP3 Type R is much more ubiquitous, but it also looks better, has a nicer interior, and sounds nicer. In the end, I don't think these threads change the OPs opinion at all, but we all know which car we'd choose. Civic Type R every day of the year for thanks!

[CameronSangan]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Another vote for the blue oval from me. Absolutely love the MK1 RS. Just looks so proper. Dont chav it up or tune it though. Standard is best and kept clean I'm sure it wont depreciate half as much as the Civic (though as they ditched the Type R for now, maybe not!). Seriously though, most limited edition Ford RS's end up keeping their value rather well, especially for original condition ones.

Yea i think im with you on that one mate. Not even that but they look so much better i think. and everything that comes standard tooks the bollicks. only problem now is trying to find one that hasent been absaloutly thrashed! anyone got any tips or places they no where its best to pick one up at?

[nottyash]

Rsohyes said:

Im biased towards the RS, but with good reason
Its alot more rare, Looks better and has more tuning potential.
Tyre R has a more chavy image imo, but is still a good car

Chavy? How come a Focus RS isnt Chavvy but a CTR is?
Reading a few recent posts on pistonheads I believe calling a car chavvy is a way of saying you dont like it without a reasonable excuse.

[danneth]

i had an ep3 and my mate has an FRS, there both great cars only thing that got me after a while was i needed more power and that cost big £££ with the civic, so instead i went for the MPS which for the money beats them both hands down, better spec, newer for the money, quicker etc

[Arun_D]

nottyash said:

Rsohyes said:

Im biased towards the RS, but with good reason
Its alot more rare, Looks better and has more tuning potential.
Tyre R has a more chavy image imo, but is still a good car

Chavy? How come a Focus RS isnt Chavvy but a CTR is?
Reading a few recent posts on pistonheads I believe calling a car chavvy is a way of saying you dont like it without a reasonable excuse.

Strictly speaking, he didn't explicitly say it's isn't chavvy....just not as much as the CTR

[Baryonyx]

I'd go for the Civic. I love fast Fords. With a passion. But the Focus is not a high point of the legendary RS badge, not by a long shot.

[Chrisw666]

Focus RS for me, I love NA lumps especially highly tuned ones but a CTR is just another hot hatch vs the Focus RS.

The RS may not be a race bred car like some of its ancestors but if you get a standard one, keep it that way and don't follow the urge to barry it then it will be a car that should end up dodging the depreciation bullet.

[S1_RS]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Dont chav it up or tune it though. Standard is best and kept clean I'm sure it wont depreciate half as much as the Civic (though as they ditched the Type R for now, maybe not!). Seriously though, most limited edition Ford RS's end up keeping their value rather well, especially for original condition ones.

Std is most definitely not best! As an owner of a Mk1 FRS since 2004 they come alive with a minimum of tuning. As std in a straight line they are outclassed by most modern machinery. In my opinion at the very least they need a Bluefin/Dreamscience map. Even better with a tubular fanimold. Mine runs a Bluefin, K&N panel filter, Motorsport manifold, hybrid turbo, boost controller etc and runs in excess of 300 giving it enough pace to keep up with a mates late M3, 2009 model I think.

Mk1 Focus RS prices have dropped hugely in the past 3 years, initially they held up great, so much so that a car costing 20,500 was still worth 15-16K after 3 years. Now they have plummeted and are a serious performance bargain. Cheap to run and service with no massive bills if anything goes seriously wrong. They are the more reliable than of its RS predecessors.

[marky911]

nottyash said:

Reading a few recent posts on pistonheads I believe calling a car chavvy is a way of saying you dont like it without a reasonable excuse.

Or, how's this..
calling a car chavvy is because when you hear a certain car being mentioned, the first image of one that springs to mind is of the one you saw wheelspinning out of the local retail park at the weekend, being piloted by a back-to-front hat wearing chimp, pulling his "hard face".
Don't get me wrong I love both cars mentioned but the fact is the Focuses/Foci? are older and much rarer and are probably coming out of their chav phase. As all RSs eventually do.
RS everytime for me. Just as mentioned though, don't bling/tune it.
Or if you do then keep the standard parts.

[Bella Smallville]

If you want something rare, special and has some character why not go for a well sorted 147GTA? Oh plus they sound superb

[Arun_D]

S1_RS said:

Otispunkmeyer said:

Dont chav it up or tune it though. Standard is best and kept clean I'm sure it wont depreciate half as much as the Civic (though as they ditched the Type R for now, maybe not!). Seriously though, most limited edition Ford RS's end up keeping their value rather well, especially for original condition ones.

Std is most definitely not best! As an owner of a Mk1 FRS since 2004 they come alive with a minimum of tuning. As std in a straight line they are outclassed by most modern machinery. In my opinion at the very least they need a Bluefin/Dreamscience map. Even better with a tubular fanimold. Mine runs a Bluefin, K&N panel filter, Motorsport manifold, hybrid turbo, boost controller etc and runs in excess of 300 giving it enough pace to keep up with a mates late M3, 2009 model I think.

Mk1 Focus RS prices have dropped hugely in the past 3 years, initially they held up great, so much so that a car costing 20,500 was still worth 15-16K after 3 years. Now they have plummeted and are a serious performance bargain. Cheap to run and service with no massive bills if anything goes seriously wrong. They are the more reliable than of its RS predecessors.

Granted, you can modify it to improve it greatly, but std is definitely preferred by a lot of people, especially as the mk1 is going the way of 'future classic' imo. I'd love to get a minter standard one, irrespective of how outclassed they are by more modern cars. By all accounts the Escos isn't much to drive these days but there's way too much modified tat out there and all I'd want is a standard car.