scooby seb

iTrader: (1)

so who's owned a cossy in their time??

if so how do they compare to an impreza as in handling and grin factor!!

still really want one (one day) but wondering how they faired to the impreza

kin quick

iTrader: (2)

Frayz had a lovely black Saph with white wheels, running 350bhp if I remember correctly

Only saw pictures, he is a Cossie nut through and through!

Think that car had an engine and everything!!

Captain Carbon

I have but sadly not in the scoob...in this:

















I....how do I put this so it's user friendly...self-pleasured? all over it?

Like you I have always wanted one but i've never seen one that made me hand over the cash..

*EDITED to say...apologies!! I thought you meant 'owned' as in 'destroyed', 'raced' or 'made my b!tch' woops!

frayz

iTrader: (7)

Someone mention Cossie?

What are you looking for? 3 door? 2wd saff? 4x4 saff? Escort?

I had a 350bhp 4x4 saff, owned and daily driven for 2 years, never let me down once and it was driven hard. Timed by Performance Ford 0-60mph in 4.2sec, 0-100mph in 10.9sec, standing qtr mile in 12.53 @ 112mph.

The saff was really really nice to drive, much nicer than the 3 door and much nicer than the escort believe it or not. Find a good one and they still feel comfortable and i had no issues taking mine on a long run up the country.
4x4s used am MT75 box which is much nicer than the T5 used in the 2wd cars. However the T5 is stronger of the two.

Stage 3 cars will put out about 330bhp and if well setup in this guise will be bombproof. Well built examples will be fine over this level too as long as theyre built and cared for properly.

All of the Cosworths were mainly on the same chassis and all will suffer if the bushes are worn etc.
Handling wise, they handle great and are an absolute blast to drive. However they do not handle anything like a scoob and are nowhere near as easy to drive. Cossies bite and when they do they will throw you off the road if you dont have your wits about you. On country roads youll need some serious power and skills to keep up with an impreza or evo of lesser power.

However on the straights a pound for pound cossie will muller an impreza or evo. My car used to regularly pull itself off of the speedo that read an indicated 170mph. What that is in the real world, who knows but i never found a scoob or evo that would touch it.

Servicing and tuning is cheap however fuel is not. Theyre juicy especially if you like the loud pedal... which you most deffo will. In standard guise the YBT motor will consume 1ltr of oil every 620miles, so this needs to be kept an eye on.
Piston slap is common on worn motors and rebulds will be costly.
Even the newest escort is 13 years old now so rust is a very real problem and should be looked out for.

Exciement wise, cossie are off the scale and no evo or impreza i have ever experienced has come close. Cossies are real hooligans cars that give you a grin like no other car will. They are old and will rattle but the experience will blow you away and to this day my cos still is the most fun ive ever had in a car.

Im happy to talk to you more if youre serious about looking for one and am happy to point you in the right directions.

Best of luck, but in my opinion a car that every true petrolhead should own at least once in their lifetime. RS's and scoobs of today my very well be miles better, but when theyre long gone... the cosworth will always be remembered.

Frayz

Tiny

scooby seb

iTrader: (1)

cheers frayz, thats just what i was looking for, sorry forgot to state what model, yeah it was the saff 2wd/4x4, the 3dr is my favourite but just think its to far out of my price range for a really nice example, as for the rust thats whats always made me warry about owning one, it was a toss up between a saph and the impreza but end up with the impreza as it was newer and no rot

thanks for your tips and advice just need to try and talk kathryn round to one then maybe next year you might be getting a pm from me for some pointers

cheers again scott

p.s your saph is a stunning looking car

rossi_p

iTrader: (26)

Nice write up Frayz.... I think it is easy to see where the passion lies

A friend of mine had an Escort Cossie that had loads spent on it, but to be honest, I was hugely disappointed when he took me out in it. It was a large turbo st3 MA Developments one.. (??).

Another also had one of the white RS500's. This was just stunning. didn't feel great on the road but was hugely quick.

Was never fortunate enough to have a ride in a Saff.

Who did you use to maintain/modify? My Ford friends all swear by Tommy Field in SWF.

When you talk about excitment wise and more likely to through you in the scenery etc are beyond that of Impreza/Evo, is this based on your bugeye experience? I only ask as wondered how the older (namely a classic) Impreza would compare to a cossie in this perspective? Have you tried an RA or R with the variable diff? Did you want a go

I'm driving around in a newage Scoob at the moment, and I agree, it is silly easy to drive and worlds apart from the R.

best
rossi

incarsolutions

iTrader: (12)

i've owned a couple of saphs both 2wd and compared to the scoob they're very raw and take a lot of skill to drive quickly, they were both stage 3 running about 340 brake and felt loads quicker than the scoob with the same power, as with fords rust is a big issue with them as are head gaskets and turbo failure when the boost is upped (mine were both on 21-22psi on pretty much standard t3 turbo's) and never gave me any trouble. But i did witness 2 self destruct at the same time doing 150 over the medway bridge in kent!

WRX_Dazza

for the millionth time.... do not exaggerate !!

frayz

iTrader: (7)

Id love a go Ross, i love the classics and they offer some of the raw cossie feeling, but still uncomparable in my opinion. As for tuning, i always used Ahmed Bayjoo. My car was running a built engine with light headwork and stock cams pushing 26psi through a T34, greens, RS500 cooler etc.

The subaru is undoubtedly a better car with a better chassis, make no mistake. However, none of them sub 430bhp compare to a 350bhp Cossie.

I rememeber being out in a stripped, caged 485bhp 3 door, it was brutally brutally fast and every gear was relentless. We was next to a friend in a 600+bhp R33 skyline and the skyline couldnt touch the Cos...

The thing with a cossie, is when you put your foot down at 100mph, they still accelerate like the scoob does at 50mph.

I guess you need to go in or own a few to get the feel for em.

scooby seb

iTrader: (1)

i've driven a stock saph and a stock escort but these where when i was at work so did'nt get to drive them in anger, and took my friends 385bhp 3 door out and that was his pride and joy so again not driven in anger, but in the wet in 4th gear at 70mph i accelerated and it just lit the rear wheels up with out trying, like alot of you have said they are alot rawer than a scoob(which i like in away as it keeps you on ya toe's) and been passenger in a few tuned one's and they did feel quicker than the scoob but sumtimes it does when your passenger??

it's just that dreaded rust, i'm in the right trade for it not to be a problem but i just want to own a car and drive it, as i don't want to come home from work after repairing other peoples cars then start doing my own

will have to start having a look round i recon

pjsprojects

Had a few some years back, best was a Saph 402R which blew its guts on a track day and a strange estate that i built with 4x4 running gear and a 24v BOA cossy engine.
As mentioned already the 2wd ones have to be driven or your off the road but are much fun to mess around in.

Bottom line watch for rust

yellowvanman

Aaaaah, Is this the rose tinted old boys thread?

rossi_p

iTrader: (26)

Understand the raw feeling.. Completely agree the case with older cars. Like you're a Cossie man, I'm a Peugeot 205 man at heart and will probably get another soon. Kind of regret selling the caged Mi16, twin webbered 205 a while back

I will have to pop over so you can have a go... might give you some more enthusiasm to finish yours as well

KickboxingCrazy

iTrader: (15)

i have and to be honest there great fun cars, not only because there so easy to work on and tune your self, but parts are also cheep and the engines are reliable. but the are absolute ****e at handling! there like boats and mine had coilovers. the main reason i would not have one is because in essex there is NO hotter car for thieves. it just getts rediculous the amount of times they try to nick them you have to keep it in a cage. on the plus side insurance is cheap as they are now a classic car.

incarsolutions

iTrader: (12)

one of the ones that let go is the one i bought after we fully rebuilt the engine and gearbox for him, he went out and bought a maserati



this is how the bay looked after we finished playing with it

BeeSTi

This is my One, purchased at 6 months old and as you can tell that's some time ago (1988) Pre Imprezas in this country, and I a Mear 27 years young ......Those were the days .................................................. .






Sorry just day dreaming there for a minute, anyway back on track, the cossie is a fantastic drive even in standard form, a comfortable drive with an aggressive side if you want it, it made me smile every time I would join a slip road on to a due carriageway and all the drivers on the main road would look in amazement as you accelerate up to and beyond their speed in a matter of 150feet

Mind you when I was 27, their was no other car other than the usual exotics that would even come close to a standard one.

I only ever meet a like car once and that had an unheard of (remap ) with larger injectors, needless to say he left me standing as though I were in a mini

if I remember correctly they had head gasket issues being an alloy head but was soon sorted other than that i had no problems apart from a back ache until I got used to the recaros.
I had the car for just over 1year in which I can say was the most fun i have had in a car to this day ,apart from the outcome of a £800 fine and 6 months ban.


Buy one and enjoy !

FLAT ERIC

iTrader: (1)

That's altitude Dazza not mph.

jami3-wrx

heres a picture of my back garden a few months back

2wd saph cossie nearly 400bhp
totally standard esc cossie with 23,000 mls n my wrx