DC02 prices......
Discussion
Ok guys, trawling through Pistonheads classified earlier (always a dangerous thing) I have chanced upon a DC02, on which appears to have been lavished a lot of love. I am seriously tempted, but a couple of things bother me. Firstly the mileage of over 100,000 isn't a worry for me as both my current cars have over 100K on the clock and are as fit as fiddles, BUT, In terms of investment potential, it isn't good news. Secondly, is £6495 a lot for a 1.8 litre 15 year old coupe, given the advances in performance and handling over the past decade or so? I mean Tegs are no longer very fast these days (Fiesta ST fast?)....prices of Integras have risen a fair bit already....they could go up, but equally a market correction could see them stumble...
I actually eventually want a Megane 250 CUP if I am honest (sorry), but these are still too expensive (I am not spending 10 grand on a Renault), so the idea is to scratch an itch in the meantime and buy a car I've always fancied, keep it for a bit and then hopefully sell it for at least what I paid for it......
The link is here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
I actually eventually want a Megane 250 CUP if I am honest (sorry), but these are still too expensive (I am not spending 10 grand on a Renault), so the idea is to scratch an itch in the meantime and buy a car I've always fancied, keep it for a bit and then hopefully sell it for at least what I paid for it......
The link is here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
These are starting to get a long in the tooth now, and will start to show a bit of age.
Howver, the example does appear to be very clean and if the the ad is true, then I dont think its alot of money.
These are a truly fabulous car to drive (I know, I had one) and good clean versions are getting harder to find.
Ive seen DC2's at nearly £10k with good provenance.
Lower quality DC5's are pretty much down to good DC2 money these days, so its a tough choice IME.
Howver, the example does appear to be very clean and if the the ad is true, then I dont think its alot of money.
These are a truly fabulous car to drive (I know, I had one) and good clean versions are getting harder to find.
Ive seen DC2's at nearly £10k with good provenance.
Lower quality DC5's are pretty much down to good DC2 money these days, so its a tough choice IME.
Yeah, I had noticed that DC02s aren't much cheaper than a dC05.
Another one with higher miles (129,000!) is on PH for a lot less...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
But, again, over 5 grand for a 129,000 mile 17 year coupe seems a fair bit...
Are you set on a UK model? When I was looking for mine I found the imports were generally 'cleaner' at similar prices, I paid £4,995 for my rust-free JDM model and all the UK examples in similar condition were more expensive and higher mileage.
It might not still be the case, but worth looking into. Obviously with the different fronts people tend to be a fan of either one or the other- I was fortunate that I preferred the look of the JDM at the time.
As others have mentioned, the engines are pretty bullet-proof if looked after, so quality of the bodywork and suspension would be my priorities if looking for one now. I wouldn't be too put off by modified examples as long as it's quality stuff that's been done properly- however I would personally avoid any suspension modifications as for general road use I don't think you can beat the OEM setup, in my opinion.
Mine came with a Mugen exhaust manifold, ARC air intake, Kakimoto exhaust, Volk TE37s and a few other minor bits. As mine was a 96-spec model I also upgraded the front brakes to 282mm discs (the biggest that would fit under the 15" wheels) and 98-spec calipers, this made a HUGE difference to the way the car stopped and I would consider this an essential upgrade for the earlier models. A very inexpensive upgrade too. Wheels aside, I would always want it looking standard cosmetically though.
Despite all of those modifications mine sold within 24 hours of going up for sale, for the full asking price, to a guy in Holland who collected it a couple of days later. So I wouldn't say originality is essential for re-sale when buying one of these. In fact if I was buying one to use extensively I would rather a lightly tweaked one. I would only consider the premium for a low-mileage, completely standard example if it was going to be locked away as an investment and only see occasional use. But these cars are meant to be enjoyed.
They are certainly something special though, and if you have a hankering for one I would say do it. They might only be 'as fast as a Fiesta ST' on paper, but to drive one properly you won't for one second be wishing you were in the Ford- it's so completely focused at what it does, with zero compromise towards things such as noise or comfort, that almost every other car you drive after will feel somewhat 'watered down'.
Put simply there is little else that will provide the same experience as a well sorted DC2. The Accord Type R comes extremely close, and having owned both for a substantial period of time I would almost certainly take another ATR ahead of another DC2, but the DC2 is just one of those cars that every petrolhead should experience at some point.
Oh and it has to be white for a DC2
Unless you can justify selling a kidney to buy a Pheonix Yellow one...
It might not still be the case, but worth looking into. Obviously with the different fronts people tend to be a fan of either one or the other- I was fortunate that I preferred the look of the JDM at the time.
As others have mentioned, the engines are pretty bullet-proof if looked after, so quality of the bodywork and suspension would be my priorities if looking for one now. I wouldn't be too put off by modified examples as long as it's quality stuff that's been done properly- however I would personally avoid any suspension modifications as for general road use I don't think you can beat the OEM setup, in my opinion.
Mine came with a Mugen exhaust manifold, ARC air intake, Kakimoto exhaust, Volk TE37s and a few other minor bits. As mine was a 96-spec model I also upgraded the front brakes to 282mm discs (the biggest that would fit under the 15" wheels) and 98-spec calipers, this made a HUGE difference to the way the car stopped and I would consider this an essential upgrade for the earlier models. A very inexpensive upgrade too. Wheels aside, I would always want it looking standard cosmetically though.
Despite all of those modifications mine sold within 24 hours of going up for sale, for the full asking price, to a guy in Holland who collected it a couple of days later. So I wouldn't say originality is essential for re-sale when buying one of these. In fact if I was buying one to use extensively I would rather a lightly tweaked one. I would only consider the premium for a low-mileage, completely standard example if it was going to be locked away as an investment and only see occasional use. But these cars are meant to be enjoyed.
They are certainly something special though, and if you have a hankering for one I would say do it. They might only be 'as fast as a Fiesta ST' on paper, but to drive one properly you won't for one second be wishing you were in the Ford- it's so completely focused at what it does, with zero compromise towards things such as noise or comfort, that almost every other car you drive after will feel somewhat 'watered down'.
Put simply there is little else that will provide the same experience as a well sorted DC2. The Accord Type R comes extremely close, and having owned both for a substantial period of time I would almost certainly take another ATR ahead of another DC2, but the DC2 is just one of those cars that every petrolhead should experience at some point.
Oh and it has to be white for a DC2
Unless you can justify selling a kidney to buy a Pheonix Yellow one...
I sold my UK Teg just over a month ago for 5k, had 96k on the clock, FHSH minus 1 stamp, very clean interior and the exterior was tidy too. Minimal modifications carried out in my ownership (coilovers, poly bushes for ARB's, catback, decat and SRI). Only weakness was the rust on rear arches (standard). I'd treated them from the inside as best I could, but they needed sorting properly. Had the car not had rust, the price would have been closer to £6000.
The Teg on the first link you've posted looks like a great example and owning proposition, whether you're looking to own it for a couple of years or 10. The history it's got as well as list of refreshed parts is great to see, should mean you don't have to replace them yourself! The rust is apparent from the pictures as said above, best to get proof the whole arch has been cut out and removed, if not that's a fair bargaining chip with bodyshop price's being at least £300 per arch (from my understanding).
I think if you've got the chance, buy it. You will NOT regret it! Best car I've owned and probably one of the greatest I'll ever own.
The Teg on the first link you've posted looks like a great example and owning proposition, whether you're looking to own it for a couple of years or 10. The history it's got as well as list of refreshed parts is great to see, should mean you don't have to replace them yourself! The rust is apparent from the pictures as said above, best to get proof the whole arch has been cut out and removed, if not that's a fair bargaining chip with bodyshop price's being at least £300 per arch (from my understanding).
I think if you've got the chance, buy it. You will NOT regret it! Best car I've owned and probably one of the greatest I'll ever own.
Hi guys,
It's my car for sale in the advert at the top of the thread.
It's a good one, I looked at a lot of Integras and had a budget of £10k+ for the right car.
Yes there's a small amount of rust on each arch, they have been treated from the inside so it's not extensive.
Regarding price, I pitched it at what I paid for it, like the advert says I'd be keeping it if I didn't need the money to pay for an engine rebuild on my E30 M3.
HTH
It's my car for sale in the advert at the top of the thread.
It's a good one, I looked at a lot of Integras and had a budget of £10k+ for the right car.
Yes there's a small amount of rust on each arch, they have been treated from the inside so it's not extensive.
Regarding price, I pitched it at what I paid for it, like the advert says I'd be keeping it if I didn't need the money to pay for an engine rebuild on my E30 M3.
HTH
Turn7 said:
I would be (actually, am) very tempted with your car.
I do miss mine and have been keeping an eye on DC5 prices, but I think this one is probably one of the best on the market that Ive seen of late.
Good luck with the sale, someone will get a very nice DC2.
Thanks Turn,I do miss mine and have been keeping an eye on DC5 prices, but I think this one is probably one of the best on the market that Ive seen of late.
Good luck with the sale, someone will get a very nice DC2.
You're right someone will get a great car, I waited a long time to find something unmolested, well looked after and within budget.
It's not perfect, but again, I looked at low mileage cars north of £9k which also had rust issues.... Difference being they also had none of the suspension refresh which this one has undergone.
Completely depends on driver and state of the Teg.
My DC2 seemed to have a proper strong unit, kept up with a 335d estate, couple of E46 M3's till about 90, mkV golf GTI's and the fact a Focus ST couldn't get past me, I'd have said it would beat a new Fiesta ST. Not tear it a new one, but I'd have been surprised if one had pulled on it.
When it's a close match up though, it's all down to the driver
My DC2 seemed to have a proper strong unit, kept up with a 335d estate, couple of E46 M3's till about 90, mkV golf GTI's and the fact a Focus ST couldn't get past me, I'd have said it would beat a new Fiesta ST. Not tear it a new one, but I'd have been surprised if one had pulled on it.
When it's a close match up though, it's all down to the driver
TommyZ4 said:
Completely depends on driver and state of the Teg.
My DC2 seemed to have a proper strong unit, kept up with a 335d estate, couple of E46 M3's till about 90, mkV golf GTI's and the fact a Focus ST couldn't get past me, I'd have said it would beat a new Fiesta ST. Not tear it a new one, but I'd have been surprised if one had pulled on it.
When it's a close match up though, it's all down to the driver
I think it does come down to the driver. No offence, but a properly driven E46 M3 would be a fair bit faster than a Teg, those things are blisteringly quick on the road if driven by someone who knows what they are doing......... things have moved on a lot since 1998 and a standard Teg would not tear about an ST at all..contemporary road test figures give the Teg the smallest of advantages to 100 MPH, I think it would be a very close on the road with the Fiesta probably quicker on track. The lap times I have seen for the Fiesta ST really aren't bad at all. Same ball park as a Clio 200 Cup.....My DC2 seemed to have a proper strong unit, kept up with a 335d estate, couple of E46 M3's till about 90, mkV golf GTI's and the fact a Focus ST couldn't get past me, I'd have said it would beat a new Fiesta ST. Not tear it a new one, but I'd have been surprised if one had pulled on it.
When it's a close match up though, it's all down to the driver
That white teg is still for sale BTW, but I went in an entirely different direction in the end and bought the polar opposite of a Teg, a 2000 Merc CLK 430.....less than £2K, rust free and less than 100K miles.....handles like a boat, but has a nice V8 waffle. The Integra itch is one that I fear may not get scratched now.......for less than the money these cars go for, I just find a lot of newer, tempting alternatives with similar performance....
greenarrow said:
for less than the money these cars go for, I just find a lot of newer, tempting alternatives with similar performance....
I would have a hard time paying the money required to get another DC2 in similar condition to my last one so I can kind of see see where you are coming from. That said, I am extremely glad I did get a couple of years with one as they really are something special, far more than their performance figures suggest. I spent a bit of time with an S2000 whilst I had my Integra and remember feeling relatively underwhelmed by it in comparison- yes it was RWD & slightly faster, but the Integra was simply more fun and 'felt' the higher performance car out of the two.
As I've mentioned in another thread though, if I get the itch again I will almost certainly go for another Accord type R ahead of another DC2 now. It provides 99% of the DC2 experience, and is in my opinion, actually superior in a couple of aspects too. Whilst available for half the price.
Squirrelofwoe said:
I would have a hard time paying the money required to get another DC2 in similar condition to my last one so I can kind of see see where you are coming from.
That said, I am extremely glad I did get a couple of years with one as they really are something special, far more than their performance figures suggest. I spent a bit of time with an S2000 whilst I had my Integra and remember feeling relatively underwhelmed by it in comparison- yes it was RWD & slightly faster, but the Integra was simply more fun and 'felt' the higher performance car out of the two.
As I've mentioned in another thread though, if I get the itch again I will almost certainly go for another Accord type R ahead of another DC2 now. It provides 99% of the DC2 experience, and is in my opinion, actually superior in a couple of aspects too. Whilst available for half the price.
Dont fancy a DC5 ?That said, I am extremely glad I did get a couple of years with one as they really are something special, far more than their performance figures suggest. I spent a bit of time with an S2000 whilst I had my Integra and remember feeling relatively underwhelmed by it in comparison- yes it was RWD & slightly faster, but the Integra was simply more fun and 'felt' the higher performance car out of the two.
As I've mentioned in another thread though, if I get the itch again I will almost certainly go for another Accord type R ahead of another DC2 now. It provides 99% of the DC2 experience, and is in my opinion, actually superior in a couple of aspects too. Whilst available for half the price.
Turn7 said:
Dont fancy a DC5 ?
I'd love to try one, but I think I'd have a hard time justifying the cost of one over another ATR. The closest I've got was an EP3 civic and I just never felt the same love towards the K20 engine compared to the balls-out rawness of the B18 & H22 in the DC2 & ATRs that I owned. The H22 especially was just something else in terms of sound, absolute 4-cylinder perfection in that regard. That said, I currently have an Accord Estate as a daily driver with the K24 engine and it's absolutely brilliant, so much so that I'm very tempted to get a decent exhaust system on it!
I've no doubt the DC5 would be superior in terms of handling etc though. It's a moot point at the moment however, as next on the list is either a Monaro VXR or a TVR Chim- the V8 itch is something I've yet to scratch
Squirrelofwoe said:
Turn7 said:
Dont fancy a DC5 ?
I'd love to try one, but I think I'd have a hard time justifying the cost of one over another ATR. The closest I've got was an EP3 civic and I just never felt the same love towards the K20 engine compared to the balls-out rawness of the B18 & H22 in the DC2 & ATRs that I owned. The H22 especially was just something else in terms of sound, absolute 4-cylinder perfection in that regard. That said, I currently have an Accord Estate as a daily driver with the K24 engine and it's absolutely brilliant, so much so that I'm very tempted to get a decent exhaust system on it!
I've no doubt the DC5 would be superior in terms of handling etc though. It's a moot point at the moment however, as next on the list is either a Monaro VXR or a TVR Chim- the V8 itch is something I've yet to scratch
Another reason Lotus is dragging me away from a DC5....
Squirrelofwoe said:
As I've mentioned in another thread though, if I get the itch again I will almost certainly go for another Accord type R ahead of another DC2 now. It provides 99% of the DC2 experience, and is in my opinion, actually superior in a couple of aspects too. Whilst available for half the price.
The ATR is one of the few fast Hondas I've not managed to drive, and I rate the DC2 up there as THE best overall steer of any car I've driven this side of a Caterham R300. Would love to hear your comparison...PM me if it's too involved for here.
Cheers,
Martin.
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