Why do I want an EP3 Type R!?
Discussion
rb5230 said:
itsnotarace said:
Yeah that special feeling that you've crashed into the Ripspeed section of Halfords
oz wheels, quaife diff, brembo brakes and sparco seats? you must be a special one.
Don't like the Oz wheels or Sparco seats personally and lets not forget the Civic's were only 16k to buy new compared to the Focus which was 20k. I paid a grand for a Quaife to be fitted to mine which left me £3k in pocket to spend elsewheremotor mad said:
I've owned mine four years and still really rate it. It's been the most reliable I've had and the servicing costs and day to day costs would be significantly lower than an RS. There are some brilliant Specialist Type-R garages such as TDi-North, CPL and TGM Motorsport.
Yes the Focus RS might be the more sought after car and it was one I considered four years ago. I am still convinced I made the right choice for what I needed from a car.
Well put, i totally agree. As my first "proper" car it has been faultless. It has exceeded my expectations in some areas, and satisfied me in all others. It does'nt go wrong either. (honda and those thrifty japs made really good plans and then we expertly nailed it together!)Yes the Focus RS might be the more sought after car and it was one I considered four years ago. I am still convinced I made the right choice for what I needed from a car.
If i had one critisism it would be that when its raining my arm sometimes gets wet with the window open..... (owners will know what I am refering to...)
Recently i took my 24stone mother in law, my very unflexiable father in law, two suitcases a golf bag, two hold'alls and a cat from south kent to heathrow in perfect comfort and ease. I then drove back to lydd and had a race around the MOD area with a 750cc GoKart and a GSXR (1100?)
Out of interest i have been out on 4-5 PH runs in kent and every time a RS has had to retire due to some sort of fault/issue.....
Oh and its worth looking about, i bought mine with 20k on the clock 05' plate with fogs (anniversary edition?) FHSH in Dec 08' £9750
Edited by GingerWizard on Thursday 21st October 16:14
itsnotarace said:
rb5230 said:
itsnotarace said:
Yeah that special feeling that you've crashed into the Ripspeed section of Halfords
oz wheels, quaife diff, brembo brakes and sparco seats? you must be a special one. Don't like the Oz wheels or Sparco seats personally and lets not forget the Civic's were only 16k to buy new compared to the Focus which was 20k. I paid a grand for a Quaife to be fitted to mine which left me £3k in pocket to spend elsewhereyou paid £16k for yours, whats it worth now? a focus RS will be easily worth that £3k more than yours if the same age and mileage and you dont see a dozen of them every day.
may store the RS and buy an old najjerI didn't buy a hot hatch for exclusivity, I buy it to use every day. If you want to talk about exclusivity between a Civic and a Focus, I'll leave it to you to debate but to me that's not important. Purists would argue the FRS shouldn't wear the RS badge, just like Type-R enthusiasts would say the EK9 was the last true Type-R.
I've lost maybe £3.5k - £4.5k in nearly four years on my Civic and I know people that brought their RS's around the same time and have lost £5-£6k. The most costly service I've had on my car in four years has been £200.
Modern hot hatches (with the exceptions of the R.26R, Focus RS500 and possibly the Mugen Civic) will not appreciate and I would not stick any car in the garage in the hope that it might appreciate. The DC5 is a good car, but in my view it's more of a side step than an upgrade. An LSD and 20bhp increase are things that can be added to an EP3 and its group 20 insurance being an import. The Integra everyone raves about is the DC2!
To the original post, I've driven RS's, DC5's, MK V GTI's and the early Renault Sport Megane. They are all good cars in their own right. My view is that value for money, the EP3 is a very good choice. You could pick up a 55 plate EP3 with Recaro chairs and 25-30k miles on the clock for £7.5 - £8k.
The EP3 definitely isn't for everyone and going from a 300bhp FRS it will feel a lot slower. I can't fault mine and truly am a Honda convert. I just hope they pull their finger out and come up with another Type-R.
Edited by motor mad on Thursday 21st October 21:19
Edited by motor mad on Thursday 21st October 21:20
Edited by motor mad on Thursday 21st October 21:21
Edited by motor mad on Thursday 21st October 21:21
My last car before the zed was an EP3 type R. I loved it. If I needed to go back to a car that had four seats or had the money for a decent second car as well I wouldn't hesitate to get another. Really fun car, reliable and I used to chuck it all over the place a lot more confidently than I do the zed.
While I love my Elise, I do quite miss my EP3 type R, and I'm certain I'll buy another one at some point. Excellent fun, and a brilliant noise!
I'll have one in milano red, standard wheels refurbished in a slightly lighter silver, maybe a filter and exhaust. I'm not thinking too much about them at all!
Completely off topic, but would the pre-facelift front bumper fit a facelift car? Looks much nicer IMO.
I'll have one in milano red, standard wheels refurbished in a slightly lighter silver, maybe a filter and exhaust. I'm not thinking too much about them at all!
Completely off topic, but would the pre-facelift front bumper fit a facelift car? Looks much nicer IMO.
I had an EP3 CTR and it was brill. Incredibly chuckable, I used to punt mine into big four wheel drifts. Very precise to drive and the best gearchange of any hot hatch bar none. The performance was very accessible and the handling sharp yet predictable. OEM Bridgestones fabulous in that you could position the car with seemingly centimetre accuracy. Less good in the wet where other tyres reign supreme.
The EP3 doesn't have the brute force of my current Focus RS but was arguably a better steer.
The EP3 doesn't have the brute force of my current Focus RS but was arguably a better steer.
itsnotarace said:
I didn't say they were s
t as standard, just not great.
LSD, KPro and better headlights should have all been factory fitted options. I could never drive a standard one now
I have to agree here - the EP3 is nice, but IMHO still a 'nearly' car - good powertrain (if lacking the character of the B18C), decent underlying chassis, but lacking that last bit of polish that the best Hondas have. Drive a DC5 and you DO see what you're missing* - better turn-in, better pick-up out of corners, slightly more involved rear-end, slightly stronger engine, better driving position.t as standard, just not great. LSD, KPro and better headlights should have all been factory fitted options. I could never drive a standard one now
* Albeit at the expense of a decent ride in a stock DC5.
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