I'm looking for an RS2 - advice welcome

[robo]

Welcome to rs246
I live in london (essex) and travel to central London every day to work , if you want me to look at that blue rs2 for you I can do that.

[afhgus]

I've enjoyed reading all your banter re RS2 buying. Contary to all sensible advice I bought the second one I saw and the first one I drove. Not sure I'd recommend it but having just sold my flat there was a sizable amount of money resting in my account and well, two flight ups to Scotland later I was driving back from the Trossachs feeling like the cat who got the cream. No warranty or even car tax included ( how tight was that) but I was very happy. The car has been with me for a year now an not without its problems. However nothing majorly expensive, a £1000 service which included 2 tyres and a brake refurbishment (thats enough!). The lamda probe was replaced and was subsequently repalced again due to being fautly. Belts have been changed and a mysterious misfire have all contibuted to plenty of worry though. I hope the next year is less eventful. Oh also there was a bit of rust. A stone chip neglected which I have just had rubbbed down and resprayed. Yes, if you look closely its coming back but as the rubber strips could do with replacing I'm not worried as I'm afraid where I live they are coved in mud most of the winter anyway! I think the rear window has been replaced as there is some rust there too. Note who has not got a lose boot handle?

[GlynRS2]

Don't worry. These cars are very rare and once driven you are addicted. It does not sound like you got a bad deal at all. RS2s are now 10 years old so need a bit of love and attention.
I have spent quite a bit on my car since buying it, just bringing it back to the right sort of condition it deserves - just lots of minor things, but together make quite a difference.
Ideally it would have been nice to own one from new like Scilly Isles, but the 40K list price was a bit steep for me back in 1994. It has just taken me a bit longer to get where I wanted to be.
I admit I think I was quite lucky with the deal that I got. I think the price reflected that I am now the 6th registered owner, which although a lot of the changes were the car moving around from demonstrator to company car to private owner quite legitamately, this sort of thing puts people off.
It is very difficult to put values on such rare and specialist cars and there is a lot of variation in condition as well as mileage. Ultimately I believe condition is much more important than mileage, which does not necessarily indicate wear on the car.

Every time I push that accelerator pedal hard I cannot believe the performance that is there.

[afhgus]

Thanks for your words of comfort. I think it was a fair deal. I omitted to say I had a coolant leak which was differcult to find. A seen better days radiator was replaced, a cracked coolant reservoir dito and eventually at service a worn seal was detected. . The moral of the story if I'd taken it straight to some specialists I would had saved lots of time, worry and probably money too.