New Car - Mk1 Focus RS
Discussion
Well my beloved winter hack, a Rover 416i, nicknamed Snover R400 finally give up the ghost the other day, the clutch slave cylinder bracket failed and for what the cars worth it’s not viable to fix it. So, I needed a new daily driver ASAP... Fortunately, I have recently been scouring Piston Heads for the last few weeks as now the weather is improving I knew I needed something a little smarter than an old, rusty Rover with a blowing exhaust as a daily.
This car was very much been an impulse buy, but that doesn’t mean I didn't know what I was looking for, I've fancied one for awhile now and have looked at a few over the years but never bit the bullet. Well yesterday I decided to go see a member of the RS Owners Club car... and ended up buying it, so I now own a Mk1 Focus RS (Number #4396).
Now as some know I'm a perfectionist, and I got fed up looking at cars that aren’t as described, but the advert for the FRS seemed very honest, it went into great detail, was well written and stated that cosmetically the car wasn’t perfect so decided to give the owner, Michael a ring and ask exactly what was wrong with the bodywork.
Straight away, Michael really undersold the car giving me a list of all its faults, which at first I was worried about but the service history and all documentation that came with the car still made me want to view it!
Anyway, roll on Wednesday morning when I pull up to find a very shiny RS parked up on its own outside a house in Dewsbury; first impressions were ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting that’. Upon further inspection all the points mentioned were there, but that was it no hidden surprises. So the deal was done and here we have it;
As mentioned above, mechanically the car wants or nothing it has a huge file of service history, as well as all the usual manufacturer booklets kept neatly in the RS leather wallet. There’s also press release information, Focus RS official brochure, RSOC documentation, RS stationary and a set of like new RS car mats.
The main faults all lie within the body, the bonnet has suffered a horrible re-spray at some stage in its life which really needs addressing, whilst I’m doing that the bumper may as well get re-done to match. There are two light dents, which could easily be removed by a good paintless dent removal guy (fortunately I know two!) and the tail gate just above the number plate in the corner appears to have had a touch up. Upon closer inspection it looks like it might have started to show a very small sign of corrosion (talking less than 5p size spot) so someone had touched it in which has stopped it spreading, but if a body shop has the car for the front end they may as well sort the rear too!
Only problem, been fussy I now need to find a body shop I trust! Other than that, the only other flaw is the steering wheel is grubby but I’m told this is quite common and there are several replacement or re-trimming options available.
All in all though, it was a really nice experience to finally deal with an enthusiast who was honest, especially after looking at 17 cars in the last four weeks (Clio 172 Cups, Focus RS’s and Golf R32’s) that were hardly as described. Un-fortunately I can’t see this car been a long-term addition to the fleet, purely because of the miles I travel fuel costs may get a bit excessive also once my BMW is done I’ll want to re-insure and use that, which I don’t think will be possible if I went for a new policy with no-NCB... but time will tell, I said I was only going to keep the e36 for a few months and have had it 15 months!
This car was very much been an impulse buy, but that doesn’t mean I didn't know what I was looking for, I've fancied one for awhile now and have looked at a few over the years but never bit the bullet. Well yesterday I decided to go see a member of the RS Owners Club car... and ended up buying it, so I now own a Mk1 Focus RS (Number #4396).
Now as some know I'm a perfectionist, and I got fed up looking at cars that aren’t as described, but the advert for the FRS seemed very honest, it went into great detail, was well written and stated that cosmetically the car wasn’t perfect so decided to give the owner, Michael a ring and ask exactly what was wrong with the bodywork.
Straight away, Michael really undersold the car giving me a list of all its faults, which at first I was worried about but the service history and all documentation that came with the car still made me want to view it!
Anyway, roll on Wednesday morning when I pull up to find a very shiny RS parked up on its own outside a house in Dewsbury; first impressions were ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting that’. Upon further inspection all the points mentioned were there, but that was it no hidden surprises. So the deal was done and here we have it;
As mentioned above, mechanically the car wants or nothing it has a huge file of service history, as well as all the usual manufacturer booklets kept neatly in the RS leather wallet. There’s also press release information, Focus RS official brochure, RSOC documentation, RS stationary and a set of like new RS car mats.
The main faults all lie within the body, the bonnet has suffered a horrible re-spray at some stage in its life which really needs addressing, whilst I’m doing that the bumper may as well get re-done to match. There are two light dents, which could easily be removed by a good paintless dent removal guy (fortunately I know two!) and the tail gate just above the number plate in the corner appears to have had a touch up. Upon closer inspection it looks like it might have started to show a very small sign of corrosion (talking less than 5p size spot) so someone had touched it in which has stopped it spreading, but if a body shop has the car for the front end they may as well sort the rear too!
Only problem, been fussy I now need to find a body shop I trust! Other than that, the only other flaw is the steering wheel is grubby but I’m told this is quite common and there are several replacement or re-trimming options available.
All in all though, it was a really nice experience to finally deal with an enthusiast who was honest, especially after looking at 17 cars in the last four weeks (Clio 172 Cups, Focus RS’s and Golf R32’s) that were hardly as described. Un-fortunately I can’t see this car been a long-term addition to the fleet, purely because of the miles I travel fuel costs may get a bit excessive also once my BMW is done I’ll want to re-insure and use that, which I don’t think will be possible if I went for a new policy with no-NCB... but time will tell, I said I was only going to keep the e36 for a few months and have had it 15 months!
It looks in great condition too.
Yeh, it is a great condition apart from when the body condition has been let slip... I'm willing to travel to a bodyshop so please do let me know you're suggestion, car was from Dewsbury but traveled to Leeds daily.
It certainly is an interesting thing to drive, very quick, pointly steering too.
It certainly is an interesting thing to drive, very quick, pointly steering too.
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