Ford Focus RS500

Janesy B said:
What the hot hatch market? A bit hard considering it isn't a hatchback.

The Focus RS's rivals are the Evo, Impreza STI and Megane R26.R. Tell me where a 370Z belongs there?
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Focus RS is 35k.

An R26.R is like 20k?

If I was looking for a sporty decent performing car with good looks I'd be looking at Focus RS, 370Z, EVO's, Imprezas.

Not so sure I'd look at an R26.R its not really a road car and the build quality is not upto par with the others you mention though its abilities are impressive.
 
Since when does the cost of the car ultimately determine what's it's competitors are?

Anyway the R26.R was around 24k new and the new RS (not the stupid expensive limited edition) is 27k.
 
Quite nice looking, menacing even! Very over priced. but works well as a limited edition I'd say. I agree with the, I'd never buy one due to price and what else is available, but there will always be people who will pay it, just for the exclusivity.
 
AgentSm1th said:
Focus RS is 35k.

An R26.R is like 20k?

If I was looking for a sporty decent performing car with good looks I'd be looking at Focus RS, 370Z, EVO's, Imprezas.

Not so sure I'd look at an R26.R its not really a road car and the build quality is not upto par with the others you mention though its abilities are impressive.
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I'm a Ford fanboy and if I had the choice of a Focus RS or Evo/Impreza brand new, it would be the Evo/Impreza everytime.

However I would love to pick up a Focus RS for around £15,000.
 
How can you compare the R26.R which is all out track focussed, but ultimately compromised to an RS, which is simply a Focus but better/faster?
 
Janesy B said:
Since when does the cost of the car ultimately determine what's it's competitors are?
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Since just about ever..

Man has X cash.
Man wants product.
Man compares what products he can get for X cash.
Man buys product.

As for the barryboy comments..

Actual lolathon..
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gord said:
Since just about ever..

Man has X cash.
Man wants product.
Man compares what products he can get for X cash.
Man buys product.
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Unfortunately it doesnt work like that, like with houses, you dont just get the cheapest/biggest/fastest one you can, you may want the best of a segment and be willing to pay for attributes its competitors dont have. Hence people buying Golfs @ £18k when I personally think a £13k Focus will do. People buying the golf think/recognise it is better than its competitors in the segment and will pay more because of it, doesn't mean they'll start considering bottom range 3 series BMWs.

Competitors in the motor industry will always volume hatchback / family saloon / compact exec etc. Price doesn't really come into it unless you're talking a 50% differential. But manufacturers wont price them so far away from it's competitors unless it's something special, which, I believe, this RS500 is.
 
Kappa said:
Unfortunately it doesnt work like that, like with houses, you dont just get the cheapest/biggest/fastest one you can, you may want the best of a segment and be willing to pay for attributes its competitors dont have
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that argument still doesnt hold

if you wanted to buy a really modern 2 bed flat, and that really modern 2 bed flat costed .. say 250k.

Then people would quite rightly, say that yes you are buying the best of that segment and it does have attributes other flats dont have....

But thats enough to buy you a 4 ded detached as the ammount extra you have spent has openned up other categories that would previously have been unaffordable to you.

If you've got 250k to spent on a flat, you've got 250k to spend on a 4 bed house (round here you wont get a 250k flat, but im just using it as an example)

Same goes with the RS. If you've got 30k to spend on an RS, you've got 30k to spend on a 370Z that you might not have previously been able to afford only looking at sub 25k hot hatches (like the R26R)
 
Going by that arguement that would make a 3 Series a competitor to the RS because you can buy one for the same price.

A Focus RS has four usable seats and a reasonable size boot, the 370Z is a two seater with a small amount of luggage space, trying to say the 370Z is a competitor is flawed.
 
competitor is a wrong choice of word

competitor implies similar market placement which obviously it isnt.

Just because you have 30k to spend doenst mean you have to have a hot hatch and not a coupe though. If your young free and single, then surely if you have 30k to spend and arent bothered, buyers will possibly end up looking at both, even if they are in different market sectors.
 
MrLOL said:
that argument still doesnt hold

if you wanted to buy a really modern 2 bed flat, and that really modern 2 bed flat costed .. say 250k.

Then people would quite rightly, say that yes you are buying the best of that segment and it does have attributes other flats dont have....

But thats enough to buy you a 4 ded detached as the ammount extra you have spent has openned up other categories that would previously have been unaffordable to you.

If you've got 250k to spent on a flat, you've got 250k to spend on a 4 bed house (round here you wont get a 250k flat, but im just using it as an example)

Same goes with the RS. If you've got 30k to spend on an RS, you've got 30k to spend on a 370Z that you might not have previously been able to afford only looking at sub 25k hot hatches (like the R26R)
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Of course, thats how I see it, price is irrelevant to an extent as they're not targeting people who would buy a 3 series coupe, they're targeting people who want an extreme hot hatch.

Theres an 'upstream' way of looking at it, which as you say, 'I could get X instead of this Y for the same money', and 'downstream', where the car is intended for a certain target market/segment irrelevant of cost.

It does work both ways, however, in criticising the vehicle we have to also take into account the nature of it and for what it was intended. In that sense, those opinions of 'I'd love one, but not pay for one' are truly apt.
 
MikeHiow said:
How can you compare the R26.R which is all out track focussed, but ultimately compromised to an RS, which is simply a Focus but better/faster?
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A better comparison would be the new Megane RS 250, which isn't track focussed at all.

That's within shouting distance of the RS performance wise (270bhp vs 278bhp if you believe the Evo review), but starts at £22k.
 
MrLOL said:
or alternatively, like the bloke who bought the mint e30 M3, it will just be put in a garage somewhere and left to accumulate in value.

Then, just like a mint RS500 sierra is rare as hens teeth now, it will be wheeled out and sold, probably to another collector. One of the car collectors is on pistonheads, she has about 2 of every RS ford ever made all stowed away in car cacoons, still mint from the factory.

Sadly i fear with only 500 examples ,a large portion will end up in the hands of people like these :(
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I was saying ??

Because 500 people all happened to be in the market for a £35,000 hot hatc didnt they ?

Most of those buyers will be collectors or people with tons of cash looking to sell em straight on and make a quick quid. Sad really :(
 
Can I order 2?

Can anyone lend me the dosh to buy them :)

And the RS will hold its value, just look at the price of some the Escort Cossies of the early 90s
 
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Just found out that a mate I used to work with has managed to get his name on the order list, the lucky sod.
 
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