Type r running costs
Discussion
Excuse my ignorance but I'm not really farmiliar with the honda scene but my son is currently looking for a 2002 ish ep3?Civic type r...as he's only 19 and this is his second car..the first being a 1.2 3 pot polo I think firstly that it'll be too fast for him however I did tell him I'd post a thread asking for feedback on running costs (70 mile commute).
Any input appreciated.
Any input appreciated.
Relatively cheap for what you get.
Around 30mpg maybe more on the motorway, pretty reliable (no issues/costs in the last yr/9k miles for me), cheap-ish to service but £285 a year to tax at the moment.
I wouldn't personally want to drive 70miles a day in it but I'm not so young anymore.
Insuring it at 19 will be expensive, a DC2 is a much better way to blow his money imo.
Around 30mpg maybe more on the motorway, pretty reliable (no issues/costs in the last yr/9k miles for me), cheap-ish to service but £285 a year to tax at the moment.
I wouldn't personally want to drive 70miles a day in it but I'm not so young anymore.
Insuring it at 19 will be expensive, a DC2 is a much better way to blow his money imo.
Yep Insurance is bound to be a killer. Car can be a killer too in the wrong hands. If he is a very sensible 19 years of age, fair enough. They are quick cars and deserve respect.
Bullet proof engines, but the 2002 EP3s had their issues. Go onto some of the Type R forums and do a bit of digging. However I'd think some of the issues would be solved by this time in its life.
You will just have to deal with the usual like any car,brakes, and things failing, as the car is getting on at that age. I had a 2002 EP3, takes me back a bit.lol.
I would personally look for a DC2, JDM(Japanese domestic market), basically an imported one. They are generally pretty well looked after, clean underneath, and has the addition of the LSD comparing with EP3. Both are great, I've had all of the type Rs, and I cannot fault them one bit.
As i say, the only concern for me is a 19 year old with that sort of power underneath him.
Bullet proof engines, but the 2002 EP3s had their issues. Go onto some of the Type R forums and do a bit of digging. However I'd think some of the issues would be solved by this time in its life.
You will just have to deal with the usual like any car,brakes, and things failing, as the car is getting on at that age. I had a 2002 EP3, takes me back a bit.lol.
I would personally look for a DC2, JDM(Japanese domestic market), basically an imported one. They are generally pretty well looked after, clean underneath, and has the addition of the LSD comparing with EP3. Both are great, I've had all of the type Rs, and I cannot fault them one bit.
As i say, the only concern for me is a 19 year old with that sort of power underneath him.
There are much better cars for a 70 mile a day commute (this is from an EP3 owner) At that rate of miles I'd rather pick up a comfy diesel to waft in.
I predict a high chance of having a bump at 19 coming from a 1.2 Polo unless you are sure he is a mature lad for his age who will treat it with respect when he should - the engines are the type that begged to be ragged. It can also be easy to hang the tail out if you are aggressive with it (see Tiff Needell, fifth gear) albeit it's controllable on the throttle.
They are bulletproof provided the engine doesn't get run down on oil, I check mine weekly. Tax as mentioned is a bit high, I can get around 40mpg on a sensible run, they are also quite practical.
I predict a high chance of having a bump at 19 coming from a 1.2 Polo unless you are sure he is a mature lad for his age who will treat it with respect when he should - the engines are the type that begged to be ragged. It can also be easy to hang the tail out if you are aggressive with it (see Tiff Needell, fifth gear) albeit it's controllable on the throttle.
They are bulletproof provided the engine doesn't get run down on oil, I check mine weekly. Tax as mentioned is a bit high, I can get around 40mpg on a sensible run, they are also quite practical.
I've owned both and still have an Integra. Running cost aren't the biggest issue, insurance, especially for a 19 year old would be more than the value of the car. Japanese imports were even harder to insure as quite a few places wouldn't even quote unless you're over 25.
The K20 engine is chain driven so doesn't have costly belt changes but some of them like to drink oil. If the oil level isn't checked (Honda suggest every two weeks IRC) and it runs low, things will get expensive. The engines are good for silly mileage if looked after, however it's not a particularly nice car on motorways. 6th gear at 70/80mph, the revs will be at approx 4.5k RPM and the ride is harsh.
I should be fairly well placed to help with this, I had a 2003 Ep3 Civic Type R at 18/19 and then another at 21, I now am just about to turn 22 and I have an FN2 Type R. So similar age with the car.
First of all the insurance will cripple him unless he gets a black box fitted, in which case what is the point of getting a hot hatch. The only way I could insure it was through company car insurance, got pretty lucky with that one.
I drove it like you would expect a teenager too and I averaged around 25mpg at best in my first one. The second one I had grown up a bit with my driving and averaged closer to 30mpg over lots more miles. My Fn2 is currently averaging 34mpg so you can see how I've grown up!
In terms of how safe it is for him to have a 200bhp hot hatch as his 2nd car? Well only you can know that from how he drives. I did drive mine like you would expect an 18/19 year odl to. I hit Vtec all the time, I was constantly overtaking just to feel the speed, I was a bit of a tit really. I didn't crash it mostly because I didn't push it too much in the bends. The only issues I had were when overtaking. Coming from a modified Saxo Vtr I though the Civic was a rocket ship and sometimes I went to overtake in gaps that weren't big enough to do safely. My advice to him if he does get the car is that although it will be very quick to him he should consider that if the overtaking space wouldn't be big enough for the Polo then don't try in the Civic, at least until he knows the cars performance in each gear etc.
Also what I was told when I got it. You have a Civic Type R at 19, you don't have to prove how quick it is by racing every Tom, Dick and Harry in chavved up Corsas etc. Let them kill themselves trying to race on public roads, you know yours is quicker than all your mates so you don't have to prove anything.
If he does get it then I recommend him joining the owners forums, they're all really friendly and will point him in the right direction for looking after it
First of all the insurance will cripple him unless he gets a black box fitted, in which case what is the point of getting a hot hatch. The only way I could insure it was through company car insurance, got pretty lucky with that one.
I drove it like you would expect a teenager too and I averaged around 25mpg at best in my first one. The second one I had grown up a bit with my driving and averaged closer to 30mpg over lots more miles. My Fn2 is currently averaging 34mpg so you can see how I've grown up!
In terms of how safe it is for him to have a 200bhp hot hatch as his 2nd car? Well only you can know that from how he drives. I did drive mine like you would expect an 18/19 year odl to. I hit Vtec all the time, I was constantly overtaking just to feel the speed, I was a bit of a tit really. I didn't crash it mostly because I didn't push it too much in the bends. The only issues I had were when overtaking. Coming from a modified Saxo Vtr I though the Civic was a rocket ship and sometimes I went to overtake in gaps that weren't big enough to do safely. My advice to him if he does get the car is that although it will be very quick to him he should consider that if the overtaking space wouldn't be big enough for the Polo then don't try in the Civic, at least until he knows the cars performance in each gear etc.
Also what I was told when I got it. You have a Civic Type R at 19, you don't have to prove how quick it is by racing every Tom, Dick and Harry in chavved up Corsas etc. Let them kill themselves trying to race on public roads, you know yours is quicker than all your mates so you don't have to prove anything.
If he does get it then I recommend him joining the owners forums, they're all really friendly and will point him in the right direction for looking after it
They're good cars - I had one from new in 2002. But, I was 29 at the time and had previously spent three years in a Peugeot warm hatch. Modern hot hatches are quite quick, and that was really the first of them. To put it into context for my generation, the straight line performance is about the same as a standard Sierra Cosworth. Would a cossie have been a good idea for me when I was 19? Hmm... They have no electronic stability or traction control systems, and the suspension tuning is a bit old school hot hatch - if you lift off at the limit of grip, the tail will come out, sharply. That's nice if you know what you are doing, but when I had mine the owner's forum had an annual toll of write-offs.
They also have a power delivery which has the advantage of being fairly benign at low revs, but which also tends to encourage driving like a hooligan. I can't think of many cars more likely to goad a youngster into driving like a dick and then bite him on the arse.
If he's sensible, he'll be OK. If he goes ahead, for your peace of mind it might be worth spending a couple of hundred quid sending him to one of these;
http://www.carlimits.com/script/viewEvents.php?typ...
They also have a power delivery which has the advantage of being fairly benign at low revs, but which also tends to encourage driving like a hooligan. I can't think of many cars more likely to goad a youngster into driving like a dick and then bite him on the arse.
If he's sensible, he'll be OK. If he goes ahead, for your peace of mind it might be worth spending a couple of hundred quid sending him to one of these;
http://www.carlimits.com/script/viewEvents.php?typ...
To be fair he is a really sensible lad however I think the whole new world of overtaking other cars would worry me! He's had a quote for insurance and he can get it for a quite surprising £1100 tpf&t.
We're all petrol heads in our house I've got a TVR cerbera red rose at 450 bhp and love going sideways so I'm probably not the best of role models however as most of you would agree I worked my way up to this and I think that's really important.
I recommended a fabia vrs as my wife has an octavia vrs and they really are cracking oil burners!
We're all petrol heads in our house I've got a TVR cerbera red rose at 450 bhp and love going sideways so I'm probably not the best of role models however as most of you would agree I worked my way up to this and I think that's really important.
I recommended a fabia vrs as my wife has an octavia vrs and they really are cracking oil burners!
As said there are many more refined motors out there for a 70 mile commute but in saying that I use my ep3 as a daily on my 45 mile motorway commute and it does the job just fine. Plenty of power to not make overtaking a issue, people will say it suffers from low down torque but its no different to any other 2.0 n/a motor. Sits at about 3800rpm at 80mph but it really is an OK commuter.
A vrs will no doubt be better for the 70 mile journey but it won't be as much fun on the back roads.
A vrs will no doubt be better for the 70 mile journey but it won't be as much fun on the back roads.
Patch888 said:
As said there are many more refined motors out there for a 70 mile commute but in saying that I use my ep3 as a daily on my 45 mile motorway commute and it does the job just fine. Plenty of power to not make overtaking a issue, people will say it suffers from low down torque but its no different to any other 2.0 n/a motor. Sits at about 3800rpm at 80mph but it really is an OK commuter.
A vrs will no doubt be better for the 70 mile journey but it won't be as much fun on the back roads.
This with bells on A vrs will no doubt be better for the 70 mile journey but it won't be as much fun on the back roads.
Looking at Patch888's garage it made me think about a Fiesta ST? I'm no expert on them but they could be a slightly slower, easier to manage version of the Civic, still enough power to make it good fun but with a bit more safety included? They're also pretty cheap to pick up now too. At 19 I wouldn't turn my nose up at a 150bhp hot hatch with good looks billy939 said:
Patch888 said:
As said there are many more refined motors out there for a 70 mile commute but in saying that I use my ep3 as a daily on my 45 mile motorway commute and it does the job just fine. Plenty of power to not make overtaking a issue, people will say it suffers from low down torque but its no different to any other 2.0 n/a motor. Sits at about 3800rpm at 80mph but it really is an OK commuter.
A vrs will no doubt be better for the 70 mile journey but it won't be as much fun on the back roads.
This with bells on A vrs will no doubt be better for the 70 mile journey but it won't be as much fun on the back roads.
Looking at Patch888's garage it made me think about a Fiesta ST? I'm no expert on them but they could be a slightly slower, easier to manage version of the Civic, still enough power to make it good fun but with a bit more safety included? They're also pretty cheap to pick up now too. At 19 I wouldn't turn my nose up at a 150bhp hot hatch with good looks Fabia vrs sounds like a good shout for that kind of mileage, that's a lot of miles sat in high revs in 6th gear for a VTEC engine - they're not made for motorway cruising.
MX-5 2.0 sport? 160bhp version of the Fiesta ST lump, but rwd so he'll at least be able to drift it sensibly at low speeds to show off to his mates
MX-5 2.0 sport? 160bhp version of the Fiesta ST lump, but rwd so he'll at least be able to drift it sensibly at low speeds to show off to his mates
Riknos said:
Fabia vrs sounds like a good shout for that kind of mileage, that's a lot of miles sat in high revs in 6th gear for a VTEC engine - they're not made for motorway cruising.
MX-5 2.0 sport? 160bhp version of the Fiesta ST lump, but rwd so he'll at least be able to drift it sensibly at low speeds to show off to his mates
I didn't think the MX5 was much longer geared than the Civic? 70mph in top is 3500rpm in the EP3, if I remember rightly. To be honest, it was perfectly acceptable on the motorway from an engine noise point of view, the main issue was tyre roar. Even then, it wasn't unacceptable.MX-5 2.0 sport? 160bhp version of the Fiesta ST lump, but rwd so he'll at least be able to drift it sensibly at low speeds to show off to his mates
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