RS series, '70s style...

[QueenOfSheba]

Reading through the various threads, is there anyone else but me who dislikes all these "new-fangled" cars and crave a bit of good old fashioned mechanics, as we used to have in the good old days, ie. no computers on board, ABS, PAS, electric everything etc?!

Think the Mk2 Escort RS series (and non-RS) must have been the most "bestest" cars in the whole wide world, does anyone agree? (I also have a bit of a soft spot for Mk3 Cortinas)

[bobis]

hi, nice question, i am with you on this one , as a 12 year old i can remember the day my old man bought a ford anglia in 1972 he has still got it and is used daily, he upkeeps it himself and can only remember it letting him down on 3 occasions, the mechanics are easily accessable and are a doddle to work on, on the other hand my daughter has a 4 year old corsa which has cost her hundreds of pounds and a good few trips to the garage just to sort a intermittent fault on the dash (engine warning light) they have changed the ecu, crank sensor, air control unit and finally finding the cause a melted lambda sensor wire, modern technology is good, but i would rather have something old classy and reliable, by the way my daughter has only used vauxhall garages with ref to her car prob, all the best keep the questions coming.

[PhilLew]

Quite agree, I've had a couple of Mk2's, loads of Capris and currently run a 1957 Ford Pop 100e which has a 2.0L pinto engine and escort back end :)

My son will be 17 this year and desperatly wants a Mk1 Escort as his first car !

Mabey we should start an AB old fords owners club LOL

[QueenOfSheba]

Bobis - Nice to have someone who is as fond as I am - I've always distrusted Vauxhalls..., I'm Ford all the way. Plus you don't need a big computer to diagnose what's wrong with one of our old Fords - Nice plain old tool box and a pinch of common sense thanks very much!

PhilLew - Bless you for keeping an old 'un going and on the road, Your son sounds like a very sensible lad indeed! I truly hope he does get one, its just the astronomical prices they're commanding these days!

Mdoo98 - The cars nowadays might handle better, but they aren't a fraction of the fun! Anyone who's had the back end of a Mk2 Escy out will understand! I'd still take the Mk2 if offered the choice between that or a Rolls, Merc, Jag, BMW etc.

[bobis]

hello again,i am watching this question and getting really excited, ho ho my mind is made up, i am selling my omega and getting a mk2 as soon as i get my missus pis-ed so she will agree with me and let me buy a mk2 escort, (anyone got one for sale) god i am looking forward to gettingcovered in oil and using tools that havent seen the light of day since they introduced those money grabbing diagnostic computers, thanks again for the excellent question.

[Impret-Sir]

Ah yes I remember them well.......crossply tyres and drum brakes, dodgy auto-choke carbs and primive electrics, struggling to set CB points correctly and trying to keep the damp out of the distributer, flat batteries on cold winter mornings, wind-up windows, snapped speedo cables, shiny plastic seats and hard rimmed steering wheels with no air bags and minimal crash protection anywhere else either, no air con on hot summer days, dim non halogen headlamps, and lovely smoky lead filled petrol etc etc......oh, those were the days!

[QueenOfSheba]

Good on ya Bobis, I'm delighted! Only wish I could do the same - My bruv told me he was going to give me his RS2000 as a very late wedding present as he drives it so rarely, just 3 days before we found out our baby girl was on the way and Hubby was dead set against it in the circumstance, so my youthful dreams were foiled!

Not very practical I suppose though getting baby & all the equipment that follows, into a RS2!

PS: Bobis, try the classifieds in Classic Ford - Available in WH Smiths - Just make sure you're sitting down with a brandy to hand before you see the prices, ha ha!

Impret-Sir, Bah humbug! You just don't understand, everything you mentioned there is why I love them! You never know what you're going to get, but at least you could fix it, not with electronic wizardry but with a few actual tools, remember those too?! :-)

[Jay70]

I'm with you QueenofSheba. I drive a 1989 Pug 309. I know its not that old yet or that desireable but I can repair it myself as its so basic. It has only let me down once when the fuel pump packed up but I diagnosed the fault in about 5 mins and it took as long to fit a new pump. This is one of the reasons I keep it as well as the fact that it doesn't seem to rust at all. I'm sure there would still be a market for such a basic type of car as on most new cars you cant even change a bulb yourself.

I would love a Mk1 Escort Mexico or a Mk1 1 Lotus Cortina. I recon you'd get as much attention in one of these as you would in andy new BMW, Audi etc

[ianess]

Impret-Sir puts his point well, but in reality times have moved on and the reliability of even 10 or 12 year old cars is nowadays superb. The only problem is that no-one can actually repair anything when it does go wrong....it's usually a simple but expensive matter of replacing the bad with the good instead of patching up the bad to make it last a bit longer.

While we all long for nostalgia, today's vehicles are 100% better and safer. And that includes Vauxhalls....they're not all bad.

[QueenOfSheba]

Jay70 - You would 1000% guaranteed get a milliom times more attention in an Escort or a Cortina because everyone is sick of looking at all these new BMW's and Audi's. Get one, get one, get one! Only thing is, the price tags can now be more than some of the Audi's and BMW's, hee hee!

As for you Ianess, I think we're going to fall out!! :-) I know what you're saying about the safety aspect and you're right there, but you have to agree, there's far more personality in an Escort, Cortina or Capri than a new car of any kind!

Never had a Vauxhall as they're Ford's main "rival"! Just think back to the Roger Clark days and do an "Alan Partridge" sigh, ha ha!

QoS

[ianess]

QueenofSheba.......great name........sorry but I just can't visualise a little [or large] tin and plastic box with a wheel in each corner as anything that remotely has a personality.
We all have our favourites, and I've had a few, but they've only ever been a means to an end. Usually a dozen years down the line they're just a useless pile of junk to be disposed of after totally destroying your bank balance on the way.
I used to think that British-built motorbikes were the best in the world but with the benefit of hindsight I've realised the heaviest and most essential load they ever carried was the toolkit just to make sure you could get home from a trip out.

As they say, nostalgia isn't what it used to be. Be careful out there!

[bobis]

well queenofsheba thanks for the very entertaining question, it has really got me going i have asked the wife if we could get a mk2 and she has agreed (2 bottles of wine and a spaghetti bolognase)the only condition she has put is it must be orange and if not then i have to get it resprayed, so tommorow my omega goes on ebay while the wife goes to wh smith for the mag you have suggested, thanks for waking me up with your question i will keep you posted when i get my new car, all the best.

[QueenOfSheba]

Ooooo, Ianess, now we've definitely fallen out!! I've just had a passion (& nostalgia too I s'pose!) about them since my older bruv had them when we were younger in an if you can't beat 'em kind of way!

We'll agree to differ me thinks, for the sake of peace!

Maybe you'd change your mind if you went to a Ford night (1st Mon of the month) at the Ace Cafe, of 1960's Mods & Rockers fame, on the North Circular Road in London. www.ace-cafe-london.com

I get the feeling you're kind of a bike fan anyway! (They have bike nights there too!)

QoS

[QueenOfSheba]

Well Bobis, I am Deeelighted! I love it when someone who has a real passion for them keeps another one "alive", especially as I'm not in a position to at the moment, what with baby and all! But orange? eek! Small price I suppose, as you've got the go ahead from Mrs Bobis! I reckon she's a closet Escort fan and is as equally delighted as me, hee hee!

My Dad had an orange Mk3 Capri once, The Orange Streak we named it. That's not copyrighted, so feel free!

I wish I could see a pic of your car when you hopefully get one, but as far as I understand, its not poss to put picturs into a post, cus I've tried! Nor I think is it allowed to e-mail someone - Shame, but I'm sure there are ways around that.

Maybe, in due course, you could get a factory-condition model and get it featured in Classic Ford!

My "centuries ago ex" 's little bruv had his lime green Mk2 Escort featured in there a few years back, so it does happen!

[bobis]

hi, i am still up 01.45 i just cant get to sleep and i blame you queenofsheba, i am glued to this question of yours you have really got my mind going, i am thinking of all the goodies to fit to my new car when i get it, wheels,webber carb,modified springs, i have even found a site that does vinal roofs, on the other hand the sensible side of my brain is telling me to go for a standard mk2 as they hold there own in value and appeale,god it is a hard decission but one i am willing to wrestle myself with, i really cannot thank you enough for making me feel this way and as i have said previously i will keep you informed when i get my new wife, sorry i meant to say car ho ho.