Is this a reasonable deal on a Focus RS?

[MiniMorganOrgan]

From an independent dealer near me:
FORD Focus 2.0 RS , 3 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 2003 03 Reg , 21,000 miles, Imperial Blue. Climate control, FULL SERVICE-HISTORY, Radio/CD, Leather seats, Leather upholstery. Insurance Group:16, Nice Example. 2 Owners £14,495

Expensive? I've noted the mileage and as (the wife) and I will be doing a small mileage (<7K pa), I'm wondering whether this will help.

Downsizing back down to one car and have been looking for something more imaginative than an Audi A3 and have been musing about the Focus RS, but I know sweet fanny adams about these things.

I recall EVO and Clarkson mumbling about the handling, is it ok or is it as difficult as mentioned in the past? Or is it variable from car to car?

[Witchfinder]

They hold their value well. It's probably worth about £14K, as long as it's in good nick and hasn't been modified. Something to look for is whether or not the Sparcos have the stitching on the seat (the stitching goes across where your bottom goes) - the earlier seats tended to sag around this area, and later seats are more durable with this stitching.

[RS-Dog]

MiniMorganOrgan said:

From an independent dealer near me:
FORD Focus 2.0 RS , 3 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 2003 03 Reg , 21,000 miles, Imperial Blue. Climate control, FULL SERVICE-HISTORY, Radio/CD, Leather seats, Leather upholstery. Insurance Group:16, Nice Example. 2 Owners £14,495

Expensive? I've noted the mileage and as (the wife) and I will be doing a small mileage (<7K pa), I'm wondering whether this will help.

Downsizing back down to one car and have been looking for something more imaginative than an Audi A3 and have been musing about the Focus RS, but I know sweet fanny adams about these things.

I recall EVO and Clarkson mumbling about the handling, is it ok or is it as difficult as mentioned in the past? Or is it variable from car to car?

For a dealer car that isnt a bad price considering the mileage, Try and knock them down to £14k though.

The talk of horendous torquesteer and dodgy handling has been put down to the press cars having the LSD set very aggressively. They really are a very easy car to drive, just take the first few miles a little easier till you get used to the power delivery and the diff as a aggressively planted right foor coming off a roundabout can see you heading rapidly for the central reservation. The throttle requires a little finesse but it is a very rewarding drive.

The suspension is stiff so you will feel everything but the almost unending grip more than makes up for this.

The advert is technically incorrect, the RS never came with climate control, only air con.

Running costs arent too bad but as with most RS's you tend to pay a premium for parts, I was quoted £750 to replace a full set of disks and pads at a main dealers, needless to say I bought uprated aftermarket gear and did the job myself for around half that price.

Depending on how heavy your right foot is it will drink petrol and can only be run on Super unleaded, I average around the 250 miles to a tank mark with a good mix of driving, its a 55 litre tank but I very rarely run it down to the light so in fairness I'd probably get more than that.

Tax wise, it comes in the top bracket so currently £205 as registered pre 2006.

For the performance the insurance rating is VERY fair

There were a few revisions through the build history, later cars came with stitched seat bases to prevent sagging that was reported by some owners of early cars. Later cars had an "engine start" sticker around the starter button incase you cant work out what the big green button is for, they also had a pink grommet on the throttle cable in the engine bay where it goes through a bracket onto the throttle body, this was to stop a throttle pedal vibration issue reported by some owners. Dont let the lack of any of the afore mentioned revisions put you off though if the car is in nice nick, I know plenty of owners with early cars who have not experienced any issues!

Things to look out for, Have a look at the thermostat housing on the right hand end of the engine block and check for leaks, this is quite common and will require a new housing. Listen out for any knocking from the front on cornering, there can be any number of causes of this but the common ones being the lower arms or struts needing replaced. A knocking from the front can also be attributed to worn bushes on the intercooler mounts causing it to knock against the fuse box (very cheap fix though).

The paint is fairly soft so chips easily and due to the wide track of the car the rear arches take a pounding, all cars came with armourfend on the leading edge of the rear arches as standard, more armourfend patches were an optional extra.

I've had mine 2 and a bit years and absolutely love it, I've been known to take 60 mile detours to the local shops just for the sake of driving it. I'd highly recommend the car

Hope this is of some help.

Rich

[Davemurphy007]

Bummer Dog................you got there before me!!!

I don't have an RS myself but can echo the sentiments from other owners opinions.

Prices seem to vary from around the 12k mark all the way up to 17.5k depending on age/condition and mileage.

[MiniMorganOrgan]

Dog, thank you very much for taking the time to reply. It's given me exactly the info I was looking for!

Cheers again!!

[chriz1]

they are wicked cars and very fast,respond well to mods and 300bhp is easily achivable,torquesteer isnt as bad as the press made out as mentined above.
Stick with most cars on the road in the dry!