RE: Ford Fiesta XR2: Spotted
Discussion
blade7 said:
There's some powerful rose tinted specs in evidence on this thread....
This may well be true , but I would say from reading the comments , many people did have a real love for their cars years ago , warts and all . Things have definitely changed with modern cars seeming a lot more disposable , £300 a month for 2 years and give the thing back attitudes being the norm . E910 AUR.
My first proper 'performance' car when I was twenty back in 2001. Felt quick summary the time but failed it's first MOT badly mainly due to rot. This fixed and it was good as gold tbh. Only issue was a failed rev counter which was a pain to fix, got their in the end. CVH engine wasn't great, didn't sound good even with the pipercross or janspeed exhaust. Generally revved lazy thinking back wasn't exciting. My next car, a GT Turbo was the Saturn V in comparison.
My first proper 'performance' car when I was twenty back in 2001. Felt quick summary the time but failed it's first MOT badly mainly due to rot. This fixed and it was good as gold tbh. Only issue was a failed rev counter which was a pain to fix, got their in the end. CVH engine wasn't great, didn't sound good even with the pipercross or janspeed exhaust. Generally revved lazy thinking back wasn't exciting. My next car, a GT Turbo was the Saturn V in comparison.
I used to love fast Fords back in the 80s.
I had a MK2 Escort RS2000 in 1982 and had a test drive in a new XR3 (not an i) but it just didn't feel that exciting - maybe it was the CVH engine, maybe it was the FWD.
Anyway in 1984 I sold the RS2000 (what was I thinking) to buy a Capri 2.8 Injection - to be honest no Fiesta ever did it for me!
Too slow.
I had a MK2 Escort RS2000 in 1982 and had a test drive in a new XR3 (not an i) but it just didn't feel that exciting - maybe it was the CVH engine, maybe it was the FWD.
Anyway in 1984 I sold the RS2000 (what was I thinking) to buy a Capri 2.8 Injection - to be honest no Fiesta ever did it for me!
Too slow.
deltashad said:
Mk2 XR2s were generally bought by posers with no imagination.
To be fair, there wasn't that much about at the price point that compared, it was pretty desirable for the demographic.Stuff like Uno Turbos, R5 Turbos, Strada Abarths, 205's, Golf GTI's etc etc was too expensive and hard to insure, Nova SR was a notch down, nobody really wanted a Metro Turbo and a lot were very suspicious of anything without a Ford or Vauxhall badge, fuel injection was still viewed as witchcraft that could bankrupt you. No internet to help fix stuff so a lot kept it simple.
It hit a sweet spot in the market, fairly quick for the time, looked sporty, was fun to drive and not beyond the budget of the target market, Ford are still hitting that spot with the current Fiesta, the ST is fairly affordable but see loads of young drivers in ST lines, Red and Black editions, things never really change.
What did you drive back then ?
I had a couple of Capris to start (MK1 and MK3) my Golf as mentioned, then a Manta GTE.
Other thing to remember was just how easy they were to find back then, anything remotely exotic required furious searching of autotrader every Thursday and trips to try and track stuff down.
Yet your bread and butter XRs could be bought at most local dealerships or once a few years old were passed on to trusted local traders.
Never mind the fact that any monkey could work in a CVH, you try getting someone to diagnose a fault on something Italian or French with a turbo back in 1994! We only had one turbo specialist in our city and they looked after Saabs.
I remember the exhaust rotting through on my XR2 which was probably 6 years old by then, cheapest place to buy one and get it fitted-the bloody main dealer!
I remember selling the ‘2 and testing lots of other nice hot hatches to replace it. Simple fact was, even if the 5GTT or 205gti were better, for around the same money as a B to D reg one of those I could buy a G reg RS Turbo with way less miles on it and genuinely well looked after.
Yet your bread and butter XRs could be bought at most local dealerships or once a few years old were passed on to trusted local traders.
Never mind the fact that any monkey could work in a CVH, you try getting someone to diagnose a fault on something Italian or French with a turbo back in 1994! We only had one turbo specialist in our city and they looked after Saabs.
I remember the exhaust rotting through on my XR2 which was probably 6 years old by then, cheapest place to buy one and get it fitted-the bloody main dealer!
I remember selling the ‘2 and testing lots of other nice hot hatches to replace it. Simple fact was, even if the 5GTT or 205gti were better, for around the same money as a B to D reg one of those I could buy a G reg RS Turbo with way less miles on it and genuinely well looked after.
I think the above 2 posts sum up the popularity of them pretty well. They weren’t class leaders, the French duo of R5GTT and 205GTi were, but were close enough it didn’t matter when you paid a lot less for one and could get cheap bits the same day or very quickly. Back in the 80s over their 6-year life rust was no worse than most other cheap stuff - especially Fiat and Alfa hatches like the Sud and Stradas.
Friend had a couple of Stradas, 105 and then 130 and they were dire for corrosion which even put him off - not to mention tricky getting parts quick sometimes even though they were current models. Can remember a few times he was cadging lifts over weekends as couldn’t get a part till the next week.
Golf Gtis were more of an Escort competitor and much pricier as I remember
We all moved onto pricier stuff as we got older and insurance/funds allowed
Friend had a couple of Stradas, 105 and then 130 and they were dire for corrosion which even put him off - not to mention tricky getting parts quick sometimes even though they were current models. Can remember a few times he was cadging lifts over weekends as couldn’t get a part till the next week.
Golf Gtis were more of an Escort competitor and much pricier as I remember
We all moved onto pricier stuff as we got older and insurance/funds allowed
I had a ‘Y’ plate Mk1 in Sunburst red as my first proper car. Liked it a lot but eventually part ex’d It for a 1800 Mk1 Golf GTi.
I ended up a few years later buying an XR2i (again in red) and hated it, it felt gutless and the handling was rubbish. Traded THAT in against a new Saxo VTS... now that WAS a good fun car.
I ended up a few years later buying an XR2i (again in red) and hated it, it felt gutless and the handling was rubbish. Traded THAT in against a new Saxo VTS... now that WAS a good fun car.
Just for clarity, despite the disparaging comments these cars attract these days, after my run of XR and RS Fords and once settling down to refurb my first terraced house I admitted I could no longer afford to be wasting time and money on such frivolities.
I purchased a very well looked after 90 big bumper golf gti 16V-circa 70k miles and well known. This allowed me to buy a higher spec boiler and roll top bath (amongst other things) than the Renault 5 Turbo 2 (yes, I know!) I wanted to fund after selling my Fiesta RS Turbo that was properly mint and low mileage.
I honestly found it dull as dishwater.
Engine had no zing to it (despite what the rose tints tell you about the 16V), it felt heavy and lift off oversteer was like a distant memory. It wasn't a shed either, it was properly sorted. Parts were bloody expensive back then and there really weren't that many folk who specialised in VW either (we had one specialist and it was their way or the high way). This would be in about 1997-98.
It was like I'd suddenly grown up and was driving my dad's approximation of what a hot hatch should be.
Within 6 months of completion the house was up for rent and i pissed off to Spain for 3 years to be a DJ and barman
I purchased a very well looked after 90 big bumper golf gti 16V-circa 70k miles and well known. This allowed me to buy a higher spec boiler and roll top bath (amongst other things) than the Renault 5 Turbo 2 (yes, I know!) I wanted to fund after selling my Fiesta RS Turbo that was properly mint and low mileage.
I honestly found it dull as dishwater.
Engine had no zing to it (despite what the rose tints tell you about the 16V), it felt heavy and lift off oversteer was like a distant memory. It wasn't a shed either, it was properly sorted. Parts were bloody expensive back then and there really weren't that many folk who specialised in VW either (we had one specialist and it was their way or the high way). This would be in about 1997-98.
It was like I'd suddenly grown up and was driving my dad's approximation of what a hot hatch should be.
Within 6 months of completion the house was up for rent and i pissed off to Spain for 3 years to be a DJ and barman
generationx said:
LARK F1 GTR said:
Someone local to me whan I was a kid had an XR2 40 - it was metallic blue & had a '40' going through the side stripe on it. I thought it was so damn cool! It had a colour coded bodykit (I think) I heard that it was called a 40 as it ran on Weber 40's - not sure if that was true though!
I remember that edition, probably a run-out for the Mk2. I’ve been wracking (sp?) my brain trying to remember why it was called so, I worked for Ford in Dunton at the time. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t much more than paint and trim, maybe it was a dealer special celebrating something like Essex Ford’s (the local BIG franchise at the time) 40th anniversary?(Edited for more spelling fails)
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Other thing to remember was just how easy they were to find back then, anything remotely exotic required furious searching of autotrader every Thursday and trips to try and track stuff down.
Yet your bread and butter XRs could be bought at most local dealerships or once a few years old were passed on to trusted local traders.
IIRC something like 20-25% mk2 Fiestas were XR2s as well!Yet your bread and butter XRs could be bought at most local dealerships or once a few years old were passed on to trusted local traders.
I remember at the time there seemed to be quite a lot of pensioners driving them round in my area (West Dorset - pensioner-central). I asked my local Ford dealer why this was and he said they had quite a lot of customers who would insist on buying the top-of-the-range variant of whatever model they were buying. Really a Ghia would have been more appropriate but they would be unswerving... and end up with a hot hatch.
As mentioned in an earlier post. My XR2 had 135 HP.
When I got to the point of looking for a new car. I test drove the brand new Puma 1.7.
The salesman came out with me in the Puma and was giving it large about how quick it was. I pushed my foot to the floor and uttered it's not as quick as my XR2. He looked at me if I was mad. Until I told him that it's 'had some work'. When we got back to the dealership. I showed him under the bonnet of my XR2, he didn't have anything to say - I guess because he was sure he was going to lose the sale purely down to the fact the Puma wasn't quick enough.
He was right, I sat in the showroom with my missus... and just said to her - what's the point in buying the Puma if it is slower than my XR2? Hence we did not buy it.
Problem is, towards the mid / end of the 90's. Hot hatches had nearly dried up from manufacturers. Insurance premiums went up, performance and lairy looks softened. What hot hatches that were available just didn't look exciting enough. I mean - the Fiesta Si - FFS!
After that point, cars that I bought got heavier with bigger engines, etc. I've had V6's and V8's.
But, 2 years ago. I decided I wanted to relive the 'good old days', when cars had a usable amount of power - and a chuckable lightweight chassis. You can forget all of these overweight and overpowered German 'hyper hatches'. Not interested. Yes, they go like stink but most of them are utterly dull to drive at lower speeds.
Hence, bought a 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport (in 2016), and just recently - bought the new 2018 turbo Swift Sport. I'm more than happy. It's like being in my 20's all over again. Chuckable, lightweight cars with more than enough 'usable' performance (especially in the turbo).
The only bigger hot hatch I would consider right now is the latest Honda Civic Type-R. I've driven one of the old NA Type-R's (EP3). Not a turbo variant. I quite like the lairy looks of the new car. Maybe one day! LOL
When I got to the point of looking for a new car. I test drove the brand new Puma 1.7.
The salesman came out with me in the Puma and was giving it large about how quick it was. I pushed my foot to the floor and uttered it's not as quick as my XR2. He looked at me if I was mad. Until I told him that it's 'had some work'. When we got back to the dealership. I showed him under the bonnet of my XR2, he didn't have anything to say - I guess because he was sure he was going to lose the sale purely down to the fact the Puma wasn't quick enough.
He was right, I sat in the showroom with my missus... and just said to her - what's the point in buying the Puma if it is slower than my XR2? Hence we did not buy it.
Problem is, towards the mid / end of the 90's. Hot hatches had nearly dried up from manufacturers. Insurance premiums went up, performance and lairy looks softened. What hot hatches that were available just didn't look exciting enough. I mean - the Fiesta Si - FFS!
After that point, cars that I bought got heavier with bigger engines, etc. I've had V6's and V8's.
But, 2 years ago. I decided I wanted to relive the 'good old days', when cars had a usable amount of power - and a chuckable lightweight chassis. You can forget all of these overweight and overpowered German 'hyper hatches'. Not interested. Yes, they go like stink but most of them are utterly dull to drive at lower speeds.
Hence, bought a 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport (in 2016), and just recently - bought the new 2018 turbo Swift Sport. I'm more than happy. It's like being in my 20's all over again. Chuckable, lightweight cars with more than enough 'usable' performance (especially in the turbo).
The only bigger hot hatch I would consider right now is the latest Honda Civic Type-R. I've driven one of the old NA Type-R's (EP3). Not a turbo variant. I quite like the lairy looks of the new car. Maybe one day! LOL
soad said:
It's one of those cars that hasn't appreciated past their purchase price! 
The only XR2 I'd be interested in, is Mk3.
I’m not sure you’re quite accurate with thatThe only XR2 I'd be interested in, is Mk3.
Top notch ones do seem to go for a fair bit at auction
This from a few weeks back
They haven’t reached Mk1 prices ( or 205 Gti/Renault 5 GT prices ) just yet though to be fair
Similar ones of those going for half as much again
You can still find driveable ones for a few k at the moment though - probably why the one in the OP article sold so quick at 6k
In the new Modern Classics today someone turned a bit of cash on this ordinary Mk1
neil-1323bolts said:
This may well be true , but I would say from reading the comments , many people did have a real love for their cars years ago , warts and all . Things have definitely changed with modern cars seeming a lot more disposable , £300 a month for 2 years and give the thing back attitudes being the norm .
Very true indeed. Especially your last sentence. I couldn't figure out why I kept seeing kids driving round in 40k cars...It's all on the 'never never'Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff