Ford Focus RS (2002 - 2003) 2.0 RS 3d (2003/53) Owner Review
Want to know everything there is to know about this car?
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
Depends if you know about cars, if you do then it says "here is someone who values his car very much and knows what hes on about" if they dont know what the car is (many older people) then they will assume you are just a flashy boy racer.
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
They always comment on how great the car is and when you take them for a spin (mine was 285bhp) watch their eyes grow as you floor it in 2nd and 25s later your at 150mph!
Would you buy this car again and why?
Most definatly not! while i have enjoyed this car very much and given the chance 2y ago i would buy it again, the running costs are extremely high and seeing as parts are getting too hard to find keeping it on the road is just a constant nightmare.
What are you likely to buy next?
Because of the mileage i do now (13-15k a year) i bought a fiesta mk7 1.6tdci for economy and to save money after spending so much on the RS.
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Didn't buy from a dealer
Did you buy this car new?
No
What price did you pay?
£9,500
When did you buy the car?
May 2010
Did you get a good deal and why?
Id say i got a fair deal, the car was up at £9500 and i got £4000 off when i traded my clio 182 in which they later sold for £4300 so didnt make much on that!
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
The look of it was fantastic especially when seeing one up close, also a noticable power gain over my clio 182.
What was the dealer like?
The dealer was only small and had cheap family cars, this was the most expensive car on the forecourt. After i bought the car they lost the service history and never did get it which at the time really p****d me off! they gave me £50 back to get a new book which was useless.
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
Fantastic! The power is incredible, more power than a civic type R in vtec but for 2/3rds of the rev range! the handling in the dry is just rediculous, you can see why this car beats many faster cars round a track it sticks to the road brilliantly and i mean sticks! The only thing better than all those things are the brakes, expensive 4pot brembos as standard and when you stamp on those you had better wish there isnt a car behind you...
What's it like to park?
Very easily actually, good all round visibility and light steering. Just watch out for the front bumber though it sticks out more than you think.
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
Nothing really went wrong but this will be the most expensive focus you will ever run! even more than the mk2 RS! the reason being some parts are special and with limited numbers are very hard to get hold of. The car failed on 2 lower arms which on a normal focus are £100 each, on the RS your looking at £380 each! Tyres last 10k miles tops and £140 each, brakes dont last long either, tax/insurance is high and you will be very lucky to get more than 25mpg in the real world or 250miles to a tank.
What's most practical about your car?
It has a fair size boot and decent room inside just like any other focus. however its worth mentioning that when the front seats are moved forward the top catches the sun visor making it a little awkward to get people in the back.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
Got to be the garratt gt25 turbo as standard, this car really wears it on its sleave and you feel the boost really kick in at 3k revs. my dad has the focus st225 and the power delivery is very linear and boring if im honest. not in this!
