Ford Escort RS Turbo > Reviews (9)

Yeah they are unreliable at times, noisy down the motorway, Recaro's uncomfortable on long journeys, and insurance absolutely shameful, but you just cant beat them if its good fun your after in a car...

Personally buying my RS was a dream cometrue having wanted one since the age of 16.. bought mine a year ago at 22.

A 90 spec version on a H plate it cost me 4 grand from a garage and although people always say never buy the first you see.... i did and have never regretted doing so.

one downside being lack of Ford Dealership help... dont count on it.. they just dont want to know about performance cars anymore.. seems they would rather play with diesels than real cars.

Possibly another downside is the fact that the power you have just ever feels enough with these cars... you get used to it and despite feeling incredibly fast at 180 bhp when i bought it, my RS is now giving "performance" cars (never lost to a scoobie yet!) hell, pumping out in excess of 230 bhp.

Reliability wise older cars tend to suffer.. but if the worst case scenario occurs and your engine goes bang(as mine did!.... please respect the bleed valve...despite what your passengers my tell you winding it out to 25 psi is not good!)a brand new highly moddified engine can be purchased and fitted for under 2 grand.
..(try finding a deal like that for your Japanese motor)

In total ive spent £000's on mine ... 17 inch wheels,Large intercooler, lowered,uprated engine gearbox and clutch... and im still not finished as ive got a new hybrid turbo and chargecooler still to go.. but its definately been worth it.. in total ive probably spent around £9k on it... but try finding another car for that money that turns as many heads.. or is anywhere near as fast... even £20k subaru impreza's cant beat me

Fuel consumption can be bad if you rant this car... however drive it sensibly and youll get 30+ to the gallon.. as i do down the motorway to work.

Anyone who wants a really good and cheap true british sporty car should look at this.... although bewarned when the tuning bug hits.. and it will... remember to uprate your brakes as standard ones are rubbish... go for a big disc conversion.. its the only way

lower your RS to get the best out of its handling though otherwise it can get a bit hairy..!

dont go to your back street garage for any repairs as they just dont know what they are doing, even companies such as the AA dont know much about turbocharged cars!!! so dont rely on them... all they will ever do is tow you.

Always take your RS to a specialist such as Power Engineering as they know exactly what they are doing, and you cars treated to the very best of care.

Ensure that you secure you car with a good steering lock (or snap off wheel as in my case!) and a really good Cat 1 alarm and imobiliser (i recommend Clifford)... otherwise you will wake up one morning without an RS.... as its every joyriders dream!!

In summary BUY ONE... youll never regret it IF you take care of it.. these cars can be as reliable as anything if taken care of.. never forget a service and your car will keep on going...

Take care of it and when the time comes to sell it ... as these cars become increasingly hard to get hold of a good one... you will get back your initial investment with ease.