My car saga continues....

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Thu Apr 06, 2023 10:37 pm

jenniferlouise wrote: ↑Thu Apr 06, 2023 10:16 pm Got our daughter a Seat Mii. Terrific little car and she loves it. Insurance was less than £1,000

My daughter's best friend's mum has a Mii (or a VW UP, not sure) so don't think that would be 'cool' TBH.

Insurance on a Mini is £300 cheaper than a 'bag of sand' too!

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Thu Apr 06, 2023 10:40 pm

Tomorrow I shall be 'introducing' my lovely wife to the delights of a Golf R. Wish me luck!

Nictrix · Post by **Nictrix** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:04 am

Make sure you get lots of security for the golf.
The amount of theft videos around the net is scary and puts you off them.

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:28 pm

Not going to be Golf R......underwhelmed by the looks and the drive TBH. Even 'er indoors wasn't keen.

Also 99% I have seen for sale seem to be ex-lease cars with terrible MOT histories (due to being just driven and ignored). Not buying shite! I remember reading a few years ago about the R being leased for peanuts; which may explain a lot!

So now we have moved on, again....

The only two contenders now are a mk3 Focus RS or an FK8 Civic type R. The wife hates the (chavvy, apparently) looks of the Civic and I am concerned by the amount of modded RSs around (they also had a major issue with head gasket failures).

I love the Civic, because apparently I am an ageing Chav!

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:32 pm

In 2016 the R lease was about £250 a month. A lot of my son’s friends got those at the time as the lease was so cheap for 2 years

MikeyH · Post by **MikeyH** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:37 pm

Pondrew wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:28 pm Not going to be Golf R......underwhelmed by the looks and the drive TBH. Even 'er indoors wasn't keen.
Also 99% I have seen for sale seem to be ex-lease cars with terrible MOT histories (due to being just driven and ignored). Not buying shite! I remember reading a few years ago about the R being leased for peanuts; which may explain a lot!

So now we have moved on, again....

The only two contenders now are a mk3 Focus RS or an FK8 Civic type R. The wife hates the (chavvy, apparently) looks of the Civic and I am concerned by the amount of modded RSs around (they also had a major issue with head gasket failures).

I love the Civic, because apparently I am an ageing Chav!

Agree with your wife very chavvy. I have always liked the Ford Focus and if I hadn't gone for the Z4 I would have one.

Argyll Andy · Post by **Argyll Andy** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:43 pm

Pondrew wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:28 pm The only two contenders now are a mk3 Focus RS

Funny, don’t I remember someone on here having one of those and selling through motorway?

9designs · Post by **9designs** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:23 pm

I have the Focus RS, since new in 2016.... I ain’t selling, even though I have a GR Yaris as well.... Any questions ask away.

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:47 pm

Argyll Andy wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:43 pm
Pondrew wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:28 pm The only two contenders now are a mk3 Focus RS
Funny, don’t I remember someone on here having one of those and selling through motorway?

I had a Mk4 ST (estate) not an RS. Very different animals.

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:56 pm

MikeyH wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:37 pm Agree with your wife very chavvy.

I really like the looks of the Civic. Completely different to anything else out there (apart from the Yaris GR and they seem to be rather popular!). I like different.
Looks aside, they are rated as the best hot hatch by the press, bar none. Much more comfortable to drive than a Focus, one of the best handling cars on the road, best manual gearbox, bigger inside than all the competition (which is always useful). 100kg lighter than an RS, 200kg lighter than an E89 and nearly 1/2 tonne lighter than my 440!

As I keep telling the wife; you can't see what it looks like from inside, so don't see the problem TBH!

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:59 pm

9designs wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:23 pm I have the Focus RS, since new in 2016.... I ain’t selling, even though I have a GR Yaris as well.... Any questions ask away.

Did you have the head gasket recall done?
Did I read somewhere that the ecoboost needs the correct oil at change time, or it can lead to problems?

9designs · Post by **9designs** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 9:26 pm

Yes mine was just old enough to need the rework done, it was done before any issues occurred.
As much as I love mine, more the than the GR, which is a one trick pony, I would say it’s not for everyone.
It has quite a character and not everyone bonds with it, it’s quite hard core, not ideal for pottering around a family daily.

Yep oil and fuel and way you drive can be critical, drive it like a diesel and good chance you’ll suffer pre ignition, crack a piston and blow the engine.... a few have gone and not all were modified.

The ride is very firm, to much for some, I have fitted a coil over kit. From factory they could be a bit asthmatic, so the warranty approved 375 map or similar 380 remap transforms the car and becomes a must....
Original MPSS tyres tramline and are not nice, I just fitted Goodyear Asy6, huge improvement.

That said, way more fun and engaging than a GRY, more versatile, has much more character, just as quick down a B road, still requires a driver to bring something to the table (unlike the GRY). For me nothing replaces it.....once correctly tweaked.

I’d also suggest a Fiesta ST, much easier to live with and bundles of fun and engagement, I should have ordered an Edition rather than the GR !!!!

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 9:47 pm

9designs wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 9:26 pm Yes mine was just old enough to need the rework done, it was done before any issues occurred.
As much as I love mine, more the than the GR, which is a one trick pony, I would say it’s not for everyone.
It has quite a character and not everyone bonds with it, it’s quite hard core, not ideal for pottering around a family daily.

Yep oil and fuel and way you drive can be critical, drive it like a diesel and good chance you’ll suffer pre ignition, crack a piston and blow the engine.... a few have gone and not all were modified.

The ride is very firm, to much for some, I have fitted a coil over kit. From factory they could be a bit asthmatic, so the warranty approved 375 map or similar 380 remap transforms the car and becomes a must....
Original MPSS tyres tramline and are not nice, I just fitted Goodyear Asy6, huge improvement.

That said, way more fun and engaging than a GRY, more versatile, has much more character, just as quick down a B road, still requires a driver to bring something to the table (unlike the GRY). For me nothing replaces it.....once correctly tweaked.

Thanks for the confirmation; an RS is not what I want, or need.
I don't want a Fiasco and have done the ST thing. Good car, just a little 'vanilla'. Didn't last long.

Another vote for the FK8 Civic is that there don't seem to be any inherent engine issues (at all), which is pretty remarkable for a 320bhp/ 400nm 2 litre 4 pot TBH.
The biggest problem I could find anywhere was the driver's seat thigh bolster foam get's misshapen quite early. That's not really a biggie IMO.

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 9:52 pm

I despair

9designs · Post by **9designs** » Fri Apr 07, 2023 10:22 pm

Current Focus ST...... BMW 1 Series Ti.

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