What is the point?

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jackinthegreen
Posts: 208
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 1:58 pm
Car(s): Ford Capri 2.0 Laser (fair-weather daily driver)
Ford Mustang 5.0 GT (rain/ice/salt daily driver)

Previous moderns:
Ford Focus RS MK2 (traded in)
Jaguar Sovereign (traded in)
Jaguar X-Type 2.5 auto (traded in)
Vauxhall Astra MK4 1.6i 8v spi (exported to Poland)
Vauxhall Astra MK3 1.4i 8v mpi (broken for parts)

Re: What is the point?

Post by jackinthegreen »

Arya2.0S wrote:Gotta admit I'm tempted to sell my Capri for a mk2 focus st but I'd never be able to afford the fuel costs, I'm struggling with my 2.0 Capri as is
You will struggle in any car, if you're struggling with a 2.0. It was the most fuel-efficient Capri made, and should return you 30+ mpg pretty-much however and wherever you drive. The smaller engines need to be worked harder, and the larger engines are bigger and heavier.

I'd second other opinions here that the 2.5 Volvo-engined Focus ain't thirsty if you don't drive it like a maniac. I had the RS, which with a Mountune exhaust, Mountune intake, and rolling-road remap was about 355bhp and a neck-snapping 580NM (428 lb-ft) of torque. Once it was already moving, I've never known anything so quick. from 30 MPH to top speed, it'd make my Mustang GT look like it wasn't even moving. It pulled like a freight train to the rev-limiter, even in 6th. I once had a bloke in a Tesla model S (which of course would be far faster from a standing-start) follow me onto a petrol station forecourt just to ask me what the heck I'd done to it to make it take off "like a scalded cat". He couldn't believe it was just an exhaust, intake and map. There's no denying it's a thirsty engine (I used to average about 26 MPG most tanks), but if you drove it carefully and sensibly, you'd get just shy of 30 without being Miss Daisy. It'd push 40 on a longer run too. All that combined with the incredible fun when you unleashed it, providing you could hold it in a straight line with all the torque steer. It made for very safe and easy overtaking, unless the road was wet. ...and absolutely nothing I ever encountered in it could stay on my tail once it came on boost. All that said, it's far more fun to push a Capri to its limit, and you won't even get points on your licence on a lot of roads! A fast modern car gives you about 3 or 4 seconds of acceleration before you break the law, and will corner like on rails. It takes no skill to drive, it's boring, and you get just 3 or seconds of being flat-out before you have to ease off. In contrast, just trying to do the speed limit in the Capri has it twitching and squealing on bends, and you feel like you're in a chase scene in the Professionals.
andyd
Posts: 8268
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:43 am
Car(s): 1981 XR3
Location: Devon

Re: What is the point?

Post by andyd »

jackinthegreen wrote:A fast modern car gives you about 3 or 4 seconds of acceleration before you break the law, and will corner like on rails. It takes no skill to drive, it's boring, and you get just 3 or seconds of being flat-out before you have to ease off. In contrast, just trying to do the speed limit in the Capri has it twitching and squealing on bends, and you feel like you're in a chase scene in the Professionals.
:agree: never too far from points or losing your licence in these cars.

Driving my ST at 70mph was no different to driving our 1.6 Focus Zetec, and legally that's all you can do in this country and the £300 road tax hence why I sold it. Coming off a roundabout in 2nd gear was great :drive: but not worth the hassle imo :?
Many lads in their 20's have them now so that's another reason to move on imo, the RS is still out of their reach at over £20k for a nice one....
Not_Anumber
Donator
Donator
Posts: 894
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2017 3:54 pm
Car(s): Just sold 1983 2.8 Injection 5 speed. Currently restoring another classic Previously owned 2 Capris. Likely to own another at some point

Re: What is the point?

Post by Not_Anumber »

Not the place for adverts I know but oddly a friend of mine is selling a low mileage Focus ST 225 for sensible money if you know anyone interested.

I got involved in the engine rebuild for this as it had suffered some oil issues with the first owner due to round town use and Bob didnt want to leave anything to chance on the rebuild. His day job is in the high end of the motor trade so he is rather fastidious about stuff. When he had an issue with the engine rather than going the usual route of buying an engine from a petrol turbo Volvo S70 for a quick transplant he wanted to stick with the original engine number and rebuild it to a higher spec than the original. All the usual boring and grinding was done abut then the crank, con rods and pistons were sent for specialist balancing, heavier duty bearings were procured and stainless shims were fitted between the water jackets to remove any risk of the liners moving, which can be a potential achilles for that engine. Its a lovely car I would have bought myself if I didnt have the Capri. Ive known Bob for 30 years or more, no hesitation is recommending this 07970062056
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Arya2.0S
Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:23 pm
Car(s): ford capri 2.0 s

Re: What is the point?

Post by Arya2.0S »

Good point about the 2.0 Capri, it is a great cruiser and since it's only putting out around 100bhp you can use all its power all the time safely (mostly), whereas like you say in a modern car you only have a few seconds before you need to lift off or run the risk of breaking many laws or killing yourself :xd:
I'd only consider getting rid of it under the worst case scenario and even then it would be a tough decision, especially after all the love and care I've put into it.
But you know what it's like, we always think the grass is always greener and whatever.
But I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon, we're just trying to make some big changes in our lives (the wife and I) and selling it would pay for all of it and then some so it's tempting, but we'd also be getting rid of the most valuable thing we own and something we both love so we're going to do everything we can to keep it in the family and figure out a way to move forward without sacrificing it.
That's if the Essex lunatics on the road don't do that for us first :banghead:
Just glad I've got good insurance lol.
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