Living with a mk1 Focus RS

[Richair]

Hi folks,

I will soon be starting a new job which requires me to have a car for work and I'll be changing locations yadda yadda so I am going back to owning a single car.

I need something practical (i do a lot of mountain biking), reliable, 'reasonably' frugal and is capable on the track out of the box (im over modifying cars for the time being!). Therefore the mk1 Focus RS fits the bill and has made my shortlist

But what are they like to live with as a daily? I'm guessing they're pretty reliable being a modern Ford? Are there any/many parts which have a short/expensive lifecycle?

I know the suspension is going to be a 'little' firm, but that doesn't really bother me... (this is PH after all, not WhatCAR lol.).

Any input/advice would be gratefully appreciated Rich

[tattymarbots]

bought mine about a month ago and currently doing between 600-650 miles a week, mainly up and down the m3. no problems at all so far apart from being done for speeding (11 days in) reckon i am getting 30mpg on super unleaded, absolutely love it and am hoping it will last till 200k, see how many sets of discs and turbos i will go through
ride is pretty firm, especially after a 1.6zafira haha

also not much ground clearance for jacking it up as i found out yesterday while fixing (removing temporarily) the lower exhaust heatshield

toot toot

steve

Edited by tattymarbots on Monday 8th June 17:51

[Chris_w666]

Not lived with an RS but a 5 door focus is a good car to live with. You could always try a MK1 Focus ST170 in estate form, they are quite rare though, the car will be quick enough to have fun in, return 30mpg on a run, be more practical than the 3 door and still surprise more than a few things through the corners.

[Richair]

Chris_w666 said:

Not lived with an RS but a 5 door focus is a good car to live with. You could always try a MK1 Focus ST170 in estate form, they are quite rare though, the car will be quick enough to have fun in, return 30mpg on a run, be more practical than the 3 door and still surprise more than a few things through the corners.

Thanks for the suggestion, but i'm afraid an ST just won't cut it when compared to the other cars I'm looking at and/or previously owned. If buying an estate, it would have to be a impreza wagon or 330i sport touring. But I feel asthetically neither would excite all that much I really want something a bit special, hence the RS

Thanks Steve; that's good to know! I did read your thread regarding the 'zorst rattle

[neiljohnson]

Had mine for 3 years now and done 40k in it with no major worries have just done the turbo at 70k there are parts which can be very expensive but the aftermarket is getting better which is bringing down the cost of running one every day.

Remap it though completly changes the car and there is no way i would have had it as long as i have if i hadnt done it.

Good Luck!

[Richair]

Cheers for the input Neil; that's a resonable test mileage for a car like this

So did the turbo 'just' need a rebuild then? Am I right in thinking its a GT series turbo? I notice quite a few for sale have already been fettled; most apear to be sensible though... Think I would prefer to buy standard though

I thinking of taking a visit to J28 Sales for a look see and a drive; they have a fair lot to choose from! http://www.jct28.co.uk/154/jct28.htm Not actualy been in/driven one yet...

[neiljohnson]

Yes the turbo did need a rebuild as was passing oil but i upgraded to a turbo technics hybrid which was a good decision

It doesnt matter if you buy standard or otherwise as long as the mods are sensible i would guess that mine is close to 300bhp (ran 254 with knackered turbo on vixpy's rollers) and that is enough as can spin the wheels in third without to much trouble

They are a very strong car and can take the extra power in their stride just be careful as there are some snotters starting to appear and if you can get a full phase 2 model.

Phase 2 means stitched seat bases, pink throttle cable gromet and 'engine start' sticker around the start button.

[Richair]

Cheers for the info; I've had a good look around at the various websites/owners clubs etc. which has been pretty useful. So far I've not picked up on anything to put me off so I just need to have a look at some in the flesh and have a drive!

Is all the press hype regarding inconsistencies between different cars garbage or is there some truth? (obviously disregarding wear&tear etc...). Also, I'm used to Quaife part-throttle busy steering etc. as I have one in my mk1 golf. I guess the press just weren't ready for a reasonably hardcore bit of motorsport kit in a normalish road-car

[tattymarbots]

i must admit the first time i "gave it the berries" in 2nd it was almost enough to put me off but been told regular tracking/camber checks help.
going down the chip route next then exhaust etc to give it some more power, not that it needs much
go on you know you want to
and also exclusivity, i have dome 3000 miles this month and only seen one other mk1 rs being driven and that was yesterday by winchester about 6.45pm

i think most are kept as weekend/track/sunny toy cars

toot toot
steve

[Chris_w666]

Can't quite decide about the torque steer problem thing, I am sure its fairly subjective and depends on the driver as much as the car. A mate of mine had one totally standard for a bit and he felt it was a sod to hold when you gave it full throttle in 2nd and 3rd especially on a poor surface.

Maybe its a difference in attitude or the fact I generally drive quicker than he does but I found his car nothing but exciting and a great drive. One thing he does do is hold on tight as he accelerates where I just let the car wriggle a little so I wasn't fighting it.

[neiljohnson]

Chris_w666 said:

Can't quite decide about the torque steer problem thing, I am sure its fairly subjective and depends on the driver as much as the car. A mate of mine had one totally standard for a bit and he felt it was a sod to hold when you gave it full throttle in 2nd and 3rd especially on a poor surface.

Maybe its a difference in attitude or the fact I generally drive quicker than he does but I found his car nothing but exciting and a great drive. One thing he does do is hold on tight as he accelerates where I just let the car wriggle a little so I wasn't fighting it.

They do squirm a bit under full throttle on uneven roads its the action of the diff transferring torque to find grip. Mine improved with better tyres and by playing with the geomatry. Its all part of the experiance of owning one and it makes it feel like your actually driving the car

Each car is differant as they were largley hand built i have driven differant ones and must admit it does make a differance. An early one i drove was terrible, we found out after the nearside shock was very slightly bent! one set of shocks later and it was fine.
If you drive one and it feels really bad then there is something wrong but its normally fairly easy to find out what as ultimitly its a Focus so its relativly simple to work on yourself and there is no over complicated crap to go wrong.

[Richair]

The more I read, the more tempted I am! Keep it comming guys

Believe me I'm no stranger to getting my hands dirty, which bodes well for a focus! They appear to fairly easy to maintain in the engine bay department; obviously there's the CC-plumbing to contend with but nothing an ex-Integrale owner can't handle lol. And besides, I trust myself much more than the mechanics at dealers....

[Alexbturbo]

Also well worth reading through the posts in the Mk1 FRS section on the RSOC website - http://bbs.rsownersclub.co.uk - lots of useful info there

[Lambchopski]

I've had mine 7 months now and done 5k miles. AWESOME daily car.

I replaced mmy turbo this week but it's done 62k miles so not so bad. Also replaced the crank case breather hose which split. Otherwise faultless

[owen_legend]

I wish i could have an RS.
Problem is, they are 20000 - 25000

And my insurance on 1 is 20000 - 25000

So yeah... no RS for me.

[Richair]

Buy a mk1 then! (like this thread is about no way I could afford one either!).

Half the price and insurance is suprising cheap! The quote from my current (big) insurer is around £690; 10k PA with Class 1 business, 25yrs old, 5yr ncb, clean license. Much less than some of the other cars I was considering!

[owen_legend]

Yeah i'm 18 with 1 year NCB... I was looking at a ST170 and that was 5K to insure.
I just have to wait until i'm 21 until i think about a car over insurance group 12 lol

[neiljohnson]

Richair said:

Buy a mk1 then! (like this thread is about no way I could afford one either!).

Half the price and insurance is suprising cheap! The quote from my current (big) insurer is around £690; 10k PA with Class 1 business, 25yrs old, 5yr ncb, clean license. Much less than some of the other cars I was considering!

My insurance dropped just under £100 a year when i went from my st170 to my Rs not really sure why but was an added bonus!

[:J:]

neiljohnson said:

Richair said:

Buy a mk1 then! (like this thread is about no way I could afford one either!).

Half the price and insurance is suprising cheap! The quote from my current (big) insurer is around £690; 10k PA with Class 1 business, 25yrs old, 5yr ncb, clean license. Much less than some of the other cars I was considering!

My insurance dropped just under £100 a year when i went from my st170 to my Rs not really sure why but was an added bonus!

My insurance went up when I went from the ST170 to the RS (as I expected as one group higher). I am still paying around £400 p/a (Direct Line) for it with full no claims at 33

It did drop around £50 when I put the o/h on the policy though

All said and done, the Mk1 RS is a lot lower insurance group than most people give it credit for. Most people I speak to automatically assume it's a group 20 affair !!

As for the OP's original question, I have found that pretty much everything it has needed is expensive !! However, I am a bit anal and will only replace it with OEM stuff, I know a fair bit can be saved with aftermarket parts, but like I said, to my detriment, I just have to have everything as Ford intended.....

Edited by :J: on Tuesday 16th June 19:21

[neiljohnson]

:J: said:

neiljohnson said:

Richair said:

Buy a mk1 then! (like this thread is about no way I could afford one either!).

Half the price and insurance is suprising cheap! The quote from my current (big) insurer is around £690; 10k PA with Class 1 business, 25yrs old, 5yr ncb, clean license. Much less than some of the other cars I was considering!

My insurance dropped just under £100 a year when i went from my st170 to my Rs not really sure why but was an added bonus!

My insurance went up when I went from the ST170 to the RS (as I expected as one group higher). I am still paying around £400 p/a (Direct Line) for it with full no claims at 33

It did drop around £50 when I put the o/h on the policy though

All said and done, the Mk1 RS is a lot lower insurance group than most people give it credit for. Most people I speak to automatically assume it's a group 20 affair !!

As for the OP's original question, I have found that pretty much everything it has needed is expensive !! However, I am a bit anal and will only replace it with OEM stuff, I know a fair bit can be saved with aftermarket parts, but like I said, to my detriment, I just have to have everything as Ford intended.....

Edited by :J: on Tuesday 16th June 19:21

A lot of oem parts are dear front pads are £300 ish! but if you spend a bit of time looking then you can make good savings. For example rear wheel bearings are big money but if you buy a bearing for any other rear disc abs focus its a simple press in job to change and much cheaper.
Also a lot of parts were sourced from outside suppliers by Ford and are therefore available elsewere for less money. The front brakes are Brembo, so the discs and pads can be bought from them and the only differance is the box.