Ford Escort RS Turbos

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Ford Escort RS Turbos

I've had two or three in the past, all of them had serious reliability problems, electrics, injection, turbo, you name it - all are very old now, probably thrashed, and suffer from chronic rot underneath (all of mine needed the sills welding at some point, and holes in floorpan!).
Another common problem is bubbling rust around the sunroof.

The CVH engine is not great, suffers badly from sludging if oil changes haven't been done very regularly.

Gearboxes are very weak. Had to have several fitted over the years (don't last long with spirited driving!).

Cabriolet was only ever officially normally aspirated (most in XR3i-trim).
Probably a few conversions out there but heavy body takes the edge off
performance and they scuttle shake like no tomorrow!

Can be tuned but there are LOTS of bad ones out there, about to blow up.

Very very much of a gamble - I for one would never have another one.

My advice - look elsewhere. A Golf GTI, etc. is a million times better and can be had for the same money.

Dave.
 
:yeahthat:

At last, someone who's had first hand experience and has seen through the myth that is the RS Turbo Escort. They're not that great, they rust badly, the CVH engine is a dog, they can be incredibly unreliable and they didn't have the leading edge in performance for their time.

Series 1 (mk3 Escort) are more 'raw' but can be very temperamental. Series 2 (mk 4 Escort) was somewhat softened round the edges/ toned down and was easier to live with as a result. They never made a cabriolet RS Turbo though there's probably a few home conversions out there.

There were quicker turbo hatches from the 80's (Renault 5 GTT) and more reliable (Fiat Uno Turbo), but with all respects any performance hatch from that era is going to be troublesome now unless it's been cosseted throughout its life. At the age they are now they will probably have been rebuilt/ restored at least once. However well that was done is down to the owner...

A Golf GTi is better made, a Peugeot 205 GTi handles better (and in 1.9 guise is almost as quick as an RS Turbo) and even the bog standard Escort XR3i is more suitable for road use if you can find one that hasn't rusted to bits.

Personally I wouldn't touch an RS Turbo as they're overpriced and not as good as people make them out to be. There are better cars out there, but if your dad is set on getting one then all I can say is good luck...
 
the RS as has been said are dogs. got a mate who has one sitting in his scrap yard. and this one was well taken care of and its still a mess. the AWD turbo cars from that era are not cheap to run. you buy one for £1500 you looking at spending that again in fixing it up. I'm currently rebuilding my 1989 GT4, shes too old to get thrashed (i found out the hard way) if you honestly want one of these cars. you need more than £1500 or your just gonna buy a heap that will need alot of work, which i may add getting done in a shop is VERY expensive on these cars.
 
mk3/4 escort cabbys were never sold in RST form, but there are a fair few conversions on the road. i wouldnt want one, the cabby had a heavy chassis and worryingly you can feel the flex in it. handling suffered on the cabby, and they leak, and a design flaw on the mk4 means a new roof will rip quickly where the folding mechanism is.

regardless of what many people (born after 1985) say, the series1 RST is my favorite car of all time. its a very involving drive that keeps you occupied (i.e. hard to keep on the road and as relaxing as war). its a beautiful beast, i could look at one all day. plus they were only sold in the best colour.
for a half decent series1 you're looking at £4k (and it will need welding every year), for a concourse clean example expect to pay £7k+. if i had £7k i'd spend it on a series1 and keep it off road in my garage, only getting it out at weekend to apply yet another layer of waxoyl and go for a spin around the block if its dry. if the mrs would let me i'd keep it in the house so i can look at it while eastenders is on, but i think thats asking for a bit much in life.
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if you're talking about the mk2 RST (aka the girly RST, or the long geared disgrace, or ford's biggest mistake, etc etc.) then i'm not interested. its a chavcharriot and worst of all you could fall asleep driving it, how can that be considered 'sporty'?!
 
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My friend is selling his mk1 rs turbo cab (was xr3i cab) with the zvh (2.0l mondeo block mated to the mk1 turbo head) 240 bhp proven, absolutely mint, everything as new, and i mean new, the spec is endless, and the interior was retrimmed by aston martin where he worked, this car has turned about 5k in 6-7 years its under a cover in his garage, only drives it now and again esp now his attention is on the evo 6, (he is a mech with his own garage) also has a minta xr3i but he is keeping that he's looking for near as to it 5k il get a pic! Ant!
 
hi all, my dads changed his mind after talking to a bloke at work that used to have an RS Turbo!

anyone know much about them? he wants a cabby but im not sure they're turbo'd as standard.

having around £1500 to play with.

My friend is selling his mk1 rs turbo cab (was xr3i cab) with the zvh (2.0l mondeo block mated to the mk1 turbo head) 240 bhp proven, absolutely mint, everything as new, and i mean new, the spec is endless, and the interior was retrimmed by aston martin where he worked, this car has turned about 5k in 6-7 years its under a cover in his garage, only drives it now and again esp now his attention is on the evo 6, (he is a mech with his own garage) also has a minta xr3i but he is keeping that he's looking for near as to it 5k il get a pic! Ant!

:chin:
 
if you're talking about the mk2 RST (aka the girly RST, or the long geared disgrace, or ford's biggest mistake, etc etc.) then i'm not interested. its a chavcharriot and worst of all you could fall asleep driving it, how can that be considered 'sporty'?!

Granted when it came to the Mk4 Series 2 Ford realised it had a money spinner on its hands and made it less "raw" so more people would buy them.

The tuning scene has had a new lease of life and they're currently being pushed even further- 300bhp 1.6 CVH 8v's are considered normal, then there's the Zetec conversions pushing 500bhp (all through the 80's front suspension setup!:cry: )

(y)
 
well WE Bought it, i went halfers with him. its amazing! i drove it back from the place, 120miles nearly.

the bloke who we bought it off was a total car boffin! we couldnt get away, he told me how to change the clutch and everything lol.

its never been welded, its solid!

lowered 30mm
4" backbox unsure of make until morning
dump valve
phase 1 turbo
lightened flywheel

some other stuff too but i forgot..

inside it has an 1800w and a decent looking sub in the boot aswell as 6x9s on the parcel shelf which were an added bonus!

its soo fast its untrue, 130 without noticing :eek: :p

acceleration is amazing too, i love it!

gunna get it RR'd next week.

pics and more details tommorow :D
 
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Enjoy it mate. I take it the car's still running the Bosch K-jet system? Sadly this is where most of the unreliability centers around for RS's, though many have managed to push them to 250bhp with a few mods. Other than that the options are cossie management or the Fiesta RS EFI setup, usually with an aftermarket management.:D

Here's a vid of the quickest 1.6 Escort RS in the country (the car's gone much faster since and runs a reliable 350bhp on standard manifolds and head gasket!) The EVO 7 is owned by his workmate (they run a tuning business in Norfolk)-

(y)
 
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