Civic EP2 (1.6 sport) as first car?

[zingrock]

Hey folks, first post here,

Looking to buy my first car in a couple of months, want some advice!

Bit of info about me:
21 years old, been riding motocross and bikes since a young age, been riding on the road since 16 and currently ride a kawasaki er6f.
Finally in a financial position to get a car, having been able to drive since 15.
I have 4 years no claims on a bike, which some insurers will take into account I have heard.
3 points on my license (pesky mobile camaras)
Budget of around £2k, insurance budget of around £1.5k (fingers crossed).

Having driven many of my friends cars, I really liked the 1.4 civic, and have always lent towards jap cars.
Originally had a pipe dream of getting the ep3 type r as my first car, but my 3 points, limited budget and age, I've lowered my sights.

A few questions:
Can I get a decent enough one and insurance for my budget?
Bearing in mind I'm used to going 0-60 in 4 seconds, will the 108bhp vtec be enough or will I get bored? (obviously I'm not expecting anything like that, but I think a 1.2 corsa would feel like a cruiseliner)
Are there any pokier alternatives, jap or not, with just as good styling but similar cost?

Any advice would be appreciated

[MyVTECGoesBwaaah]

I had one as my second car, after a Saxo VTR. Compared to the Saxo the build quality and reliability was fantastic, in my year of ownership I only had to change rear discs and pads due to them wearing and an air con pipe - Everything else just worked first time every time. There is quite a range of aftermarket support if you like a bit of modding (Not massive body kits necessarily but more subtle things like different wheels, exhaust, Type R spoiler, etc...). Obviously with them sharing the shape of the Type R a lot of parts can be swapped (Engine bits excluded of course).

Now the negative! It isn't fast, the performance was rather disappointing but that may just be me coming from a much lighter Saxo with similar BHP. To try improve that engine modifications are very limited, you can get a intake, exhaust changes, decat, but that is about the limit. May not bother you but worth mentioning. Also the VTEC is an economy version, so you don't get any cross over noise like you do in a Type R as it activates at something like 2-3k RPM.

I sold mine for 2.4k, so with your budget now you should be able to get a decent one. Just make sure it doesn't have any dodgy gearbox/clutch noises as they can be a bit of a weak point.

All that said I did enjoy my ownership, and the reliability just sold me on Honda's completely. In an EP3 now which has been similarly faultless so would definitely recommend those as well

[HJMS123]

similarly to the chap above I had one as my second car and it was absolutely faultless! For what it was it was great!

They are pretty slow and they're not very refined but as long as you expect that then you won't be dissapointed, they're a pretty rare sight on the road.