2005 Honda

55-plate UK Honda Civic Type-R Premier Edition.

Here we have my fiancee’s 2005 UK market Honda Civic Type-R Premier edition for sale, the reason? We’ve just replaced it with a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST.

For those that aren’t aware, the Premier edition Honda Civic Type-R was produced towards the end of the EP3’s lifecycle (2001-2006) and is differentiated by its Momo steering wheel, red carpet, tinted rear windows and embossed brake calipers. But by far the most noticeable, and useful, change is the replacement of the standard Honda bucket seats for excellent Recaro bucket seats finished in red cloth and black Alcantara.

The seats are particularly comfortable over longer journeys, while providing plenty of support when driving enthusiastically. This car’s red carpets have always been protected by OEM Honda overmats, the seats only show slight wear and are in very good condition – as you can see by the photographs. The Momo wheel had some slight wear on the top of the rim – they seem more prone to this than the standard leather wheel in normal CTRs – but this has been repaired and is now almost unnoticeable.

The only other blemishes on this car are a couple of small stone chips on the windscreen, a tiny stain on the front passenger’s seat and an almost undetectable kerb mark on one wheel.

This particular Honda Civic Type-R benefits from the fitment of the optional air-conditioning. In VN55RZR it still blows cold, and is used almost constantly so there’s no nasty musty smells like you’d find from a neglected system.

I’d love to tell you this is a 100% standard car. It’s not.

But it is close and from the outside only an aficionado would spot that it rides a bit lower, using quality Bilstein dampers and lowering springs. Before buying this car I was warned at how bad the ride can be, the CTR renowned for crashing and banging over bumps, but we’ve been delighted with the balance of comfort and precision these units offer. Plus, despite being slightly lowered the car copes with speedbumps with ease and on the move you can’t tell it doesn’t ride at anything but an OEM height.

There is no invoice for these parts, but from looking at other paperwork and inspecting the condition of their bodies I believe they were replaced in 2010. That said, in 2014 we replaced the front dampers and top mounts with another pair of new Bilsteins as they exhibited slight play. This was done by Matthew Bentley Racing in Kimbolton (Lotus and race car specialist) who looks after one of my other vehicles – he also replaced VN55RZR’s brake pads in 2013 – and the geometry was checked at the same time.

The car runs a conservative ‘fast road’ setup, which means the front tyres last approximately 20,000 miles while providing sharper turn-in and better high-speed stability.

Apart from these dampers, the only things we’ve had to do on this vehicle is replace consumables and undertake regular routine maintenance, and in the time we’ve owned the car (since Nov 2011) we’ve had approx 38,000 trouble-free miles. Cliché or not, this car has never let us down and has primarily been used to commute to work by my fiancé, a teacher, who travels approximately 40 miles each day.

In our ownership the car has always received an annual service by a Honda Main dealer, with work completed to schedule (including items like valve clearance check and adjustment and gearbox oil or brake fluid changes where necessary). Apart from the above the only other jobs completed have been tyre fitment by specialist retailers – the rear Bridgestone RE050As were replaced in March this year, and the fronts with the same rubber just 20 miles ago.

The wheels themselves were professionally refurbished late last year in the correct silver paint and two months ago we had the bonnet and front bumper repainted by a professional bodyshop due to stone-chipping, which is a common issue with the EP3. At the same time the rear bumper was repainted due to some scratches from bikes being loaded along with the nearside rear quarter panel due to a previous parking scrape while the headlights were polished to remove the ‘yellowing’ that often afflicts these cars. The cost of this work was £500+ but there is no invoice due to a cash agreement through my work – one look at the paintwork will confirm this though.

Talking of invoices, this car has an almost full Honda service history which I’ve listed below.

PDI 17/6/2005 and first registered 28/9/2005

23/06/2006 Service 12,919 miles (Startin Honda)

13/03/2007 Service 25,182 miles (Startin Honda)

27/10/2008 Service 45,094 miles (Startin Honda)

15/09/2011 Service 62,317 miles (Southall Honda)

14/09/2012 Service 70,785 miles (Dunstable Honda)

25/09/2013 Service 80,857 miles (Norton Way Honda)

25/09/2014 Service 90,796 miles (Norton Way Honda)

You will notice the gap between 2008 and 2011, but there are a number of invoices in that period to back up the claims from a previous owner that the car was home-serviced. The mileage is also backed up by MOT certificates that show VN55RZR had 53,259 miles in Sept 2009 and 61,065 miles in Sept 2010. Since we’ve had no issues with the car since buying it, and Honda technicians have never reported any problems, I suspect all of the above rings true. You’re very welcome to pore over the comprehensive array of paperwork for the car if you come to view.

Currently the car has 99,720 miles on it and if we were to keep the car we would have it serviced once again towards the end of September. The MOT runs out on the 29th September 2015, though I can see no reason why it wouldn’t pass first time. I’m happy to sell the car with a fresh 12 month MOT at the buyer’s expense, and the price has been adjusted to take into account the impending service. I have just replaced the wiper blades and rear brake pads due to an advisory about pad material crumbling, plus remember the rear tyres are approx 3,000 miles old the fronts just 20 (yes twenty) miles old.

So in short we have a well looked after and desirable 2005 Honda Civic Type R Premier edition in near standard condition finished in Cosmic grey. The tyres are new, the bodywork and wheels have just been refreshed, there’s an extensive and mainly Honda service history, fresh suspension and consumables and the mileage is below average.

As an EP3 Honda CTR I'd suggest it's a clean, well maintained example. As a buyer that's for you to judge though, so come have a look and, providing you have the insurance, a drive too before you make your mind up.

Asking price is £4,950. If I don’t answer your call please leave a message and I will get back to you ASAP. Car is available for viewing at our home in Houghton Regis most evenings and weekends.