Fiesta RS Turbo - Beware (Ford Fiesta (pre-1995))

Member Name: paddythedaddy

Product:	Ford Fiesta (pre-1995)
Date:	05/02/01 (2075 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Its a Ford, Cheap, Fast, Fun!

Disadvantages: That bloody Turbo! 3 Spoke wheels!

Having a Father in the motor industry has its advantages....

I was the very proud owner of a 1991 'J' Reg, Mercury Grey Fiesta RS Turbo for about 2 months.

Anyone considering buying one of these will have been throught the thought process I did...

There are plenty of Escorts out there, I want to be a little different.

Let me get this clear from the start, the Ford Fiesta is one of the best cars on the road. They are cheap to run, own and buy. The RS Turbo can for these purposes be regarded as a completely different car enriely.

With the near exact same engine as the Escort RS Turbo (90 Spec), the 1600 EFi, CVH Garrett Turbo'd engine produces about 135 bhp in a good condition model. This means a 0-60 time of about 8 seconds. These figure may not relate to the ones isssued by the factory, but they were true for my own vehicle.

Living with the Fiesta can be a stressful job. I bought my car knowing it would soon need a new turbo (remember to think about this when negotiating a price, they can cost up to £400 + fitting!) and managed to source a reconditioned Ford Unit, which had all the bearings and seals renewed and tested. The engine is not bomb proof, you need to look after it and change the oil and filter every 8000 miles to stay safe. For those of you that have never owned a turbo'd motor before, I will not bore you with the technicalities of how they work (e-mail me if you want a fools guide!), there is one point that you NEED to know about ALL turbo's:

TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR EXPENSIVE TURBO UNIT.... Leave it running for about 30 seconds before you switch off. Turbos run at a very high RPM (about 40,000 to those techies out there!) and when you switch off your engine it creates a lot of stress (opposing forces and stress on bearings). By letting it run and cool down, you are decreasing your chances of a blown turbo and a buggered engine!

Driving the RS is Good Fun, It i
s nippy and handles fairly well (it could be dropped by 35 mm - on up to 15 inch wheels -with 195 50 rubber), it could benefit from a front mounted strut brace just for the extra rigidity.

The interior is 'A LA' Recaro, it can be expensive to replace or repair (bloody cigarette burns) but you will be rewarded with a firm comfortable seating position. Later RS's have the Electric windows mounted on the doors as opposed to in the centre dash below the ash tray (this makes for interesting erratic movements when taking your eyes off the road!). The Steering wheel and Gear Knob are Chunky leather and you will be lucky to find one where this is not cracked. Don't worry though! You can swap them over with the shniy knob from the Puma and a nice new Wheel if you like!

Styling is distinctive (from bog standard fiestas) and a matter of taste, there are loads of options open to style a fiesta! GET RID OF THOSE BLOODY WHEELS! Yeeuch! 3 spokes are well and truly grim, they do nothing for the car and can be replaced very cheaply, so don't let me see you still on them!

If you want an RS turbo and have your heart set on buying one, please remember to check the car thoroughly before you part with your hard earned. There are PLENTY of dogs out there, make sure you don't buy one.

Alternatively.... Buy an RS 1800, this later model fiesta is just as fast, but has no turbo so... LESS TO GO WRONG!!!

How about.... a Renault 5 GT Turbo? Quicker than an RS but its still an unreliable French Tin Can.

NB. This article is just my opinion, I have owned and driven many, many cars. Look out for my reviews on other cars at DooYoo.

Please leave a comment so my next review can be better!

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