RE: Shed Of The Week: Honda Civic VTI Aerodeck
Discussion
A friend of mine bought one of these, but he's not a car person and had no idea what he was buying, he thought it was a cheap way of getting his surfboards around. When I pointed out it was a VTi with LSD and 160ish bhp, he got a bit more interested in cars. Unfortunately, he had no idea about mechanical sympathy, servicing or checking fluids and it only lasted a few months until he seized the engine.
s m said:
Yep, Autocar test example weighed in at 1241kg
0-60 8.1
0-100 21.7
As said, hot hatch of the time ( Saxo VTS ) performance
That amazes me, but I'm not questioning it. In 1999 I thought my Vti was really quick but 16 years on and my current daily 520d does the 60 sprint in 7.7 secs and think the BMW is slow. Amazing how times and perceptions change. 0-60 8.1
0-100 21.7
As said, hot hatch of the time ( Saxo VTS ) performance
stumpage said:
s m said:
Yep, Autocar test example weighed in at 1241kg
0-60 8.1
0-100 21.7
As said, hot hatch of the time ( Saxo VTS ) performance
That amazes me, but I'm not questioning it. In 1999 I thought my Vti was really quick but 16 years on and my current daily 520d does the 60 sprint in 7.7 secs and think the BMW is slow. Amazing how times and perceptions change. 0-60 8.1
0-100 21.7
As said, hot hatch of the time ( Saxo VTS ) performance
opieoilman said:
A friend of mine bought one of these, but he's not a car person and had no idea what he was buying, he thought it was a cheap way of getting his surfboards around. When I pointed out it was a VTi with LSD and 160ish bhp, he got a bit more interested in cars. Unfortunately, he had no idea about mechanical sympathy, servicing or checking fluids and it only lasted a few months until he seized the engine.
Was he from St Agnes? Did he used to have a BX 16v?Reminds me of a guy used to see at Chapel Porth and thereabouts
I had an Aerodeck as a company car.
Great car, on the small side for an estate but entirely practical & reliable. A superb engine, to the point where I actually used to get up that bit earlier to get where I was going just so I have more space to drive around the other company plodders
(which this did with aplomb).
It really did improve the quality of my work life, unlike every other POS company car I ever had (Apart from the Alfa 33 Cloverleaf that was frankly scary and alternated between trying to kill me and leaving me stranded by the side to the road - exciting I guess..)
So many cuts above the other crap that was available at the time.
Great car, on the small side for an estate but entirely practical & reliable. A superb engine, to the point where I actually used to get up that bit earlier to get where I was going just so I have more space to drive around the other company plodders
(which this did with aplomb). It really did improve the quality of my work life, unlike every other POS company car I ever had (Apart from the Alfa 33 Cloverleaf that was frankly scary and alternated between trying to kill me and leaving me stranded by the side to the road - exciting I guess..)
So many cuts above the other crap that was available at the time.
You could have so much fun with that. Adamski69 said:
Ha, funny to see the 0-100 in type, it feels faster than that but probably isn't. What that does make me wonder is how accurate some other cars figures are as it easily keeps tags on 'faster' machines (even when loaded up) in the mid range stakes...
Also some one noted that it dropped out of VTEC range on change up. Easy way round that, don't change up till 8500RPM then it just hangs on to it. Just enough t get to the next fuel station...
Yes, the "it drops out of VTEC" comments tent to overlook the fact that you can rev to 8500rpm and, once VTEC has engaged, there is simply no reason not to. I also own precisely one of these for day-to-day duties, having taken inspiration from a Shed article some years ago. Here are some observations for the excitement of the thread:Also some one noted that it dropped out of VTEC range on change up. Easy way round that, don't change up till 8500RPM then it just hangs on to it. Just enough t get to the next fuel station...
-It can be driven quite satisfyingly in a calm and economical manner, never even touching VTEC.
-The engine remains utterly smooth, even at the very limit. It is extremely addictive.
-An 8500rpm rev limit makes for decisive overtaking as that extra 2000rpm often negates the need to change gear, mid-manoeuvre.
-The handling is not that exciting as standard but can, on occasion, snap into unexpected lift-off oversteer. Possibly remedied with more expensive tyres.
-The Torsen diff. seems very picky about when to noticeably cut in.
-I enjoy the fact that it goes almost unoticed by the Type-R crowd.
-It has a strange contrasting sense of reliability and solid build, yet cheap crappy details. The door fabric pulls away; the black stick-on trim on the window frames peels off; water gets into the passenger footwell via the cabin blower.
-The pub carpet seats are very comfortable, with decent side bolsters.
We had a blue one of these. Had a crx vti first and then the 1.8 vti aerodeck. Not a bad car, looked identical on the side to our old 420 gsi tourer - that's bee all the rover switches then.
No dramas as I recall but the vti engine didn't really suit it in the way it did the CRX. It did prove rather more frugal on fuel than the impreza that replaced it!
Going back I'd rather have the 420 tourer than this I think.
No dramas as I recall but the vti engine didn't really suit it in the way it did the CRX. It did prove rather more frugal on fuel than the impreza that replaced it!
Going back I'd rather have the 420 tourer than this I think.
s m said:
Was he from St Agnes? Did he used to have a BX 16v?
Reminds me of a guy used to see at Chapel Porth and thereabouts
No, Penzance, but he's surfed Chapel Porth and Porthtowan a fair bit. When I was at Chapel Porth the other day it was pretty much all Transporters and Vitos, my Volvo looked a bit out of placeReminds me of a guy used to see at Chapel Porth and thereabouts
I owned a hatch version in that colour about 15 years ago - ran for 3 years, then replaced it with a DC2.
...and the Civic is not a Type-R. Changing-up to the DC2 was a genuine revelation in how a fwd car can behave and can involve a driver.
That said, the Civic was good fun - the engine/'box was typical quick Honda, but the mid-range was even thinner than the DC2 (blame another 150kg)...which just meant you had to rag it everywhere! The steering was more than a little numb, and as above the chassis defaulted to safe understeer (probably for the best given my driving skills at the time). But it was a nice place to be (for a late-90s hatch), it had a good driving position (much better than the 306 XSi I also looked at) and it was utterly bulletproof, despite being owned the mechanically unsympathetic version of me back then.
It was also ridiculously practical for the money / size of car / class, and I got mid-30s mpg regularly.
Today I'd put it as a mechanically safer alternative to the ST170 - a 'nearly' car that actually makes very good sense for someone running a fun car on a low budget...so good shedding!
(Well, aside from the afterthought-style Aerodeck on this one, that is...)
...and the Civic is not a Type-R. Changing-up to the DC2 was a genuine revelation in how a fwd car can behave and can involve a driver.
That said, the Civic was good fun - the engine/'box was typical quick Honda, but the mid-range was even thinner than the DC2 (blame another 150kg)...which just meant you had to rag it everywhere!
The steering was more than a little numb, and as above the chassis defaulted to safe understeer (probably for the best given my driving skills at the time). But it was a nice place to be (for a late-90s hatch), it had a good driving position (much better than the 306 XSi I also looked at) and it was utterly bulletproof, despite being owned the mechanically unsympathetic version of me back then.It was also ridiculously practical for the money / size of car / class, and I got mid-30s mpg regularly.
Today I'd put it as a mechanically safer alternative to the ST170 - a 'nearly' car that actually makes very good sense for someone running a fun car on a low budget...so good shedding!
(Well, aside from the afterthought-style Aerodeck on this one, that is...)
I can see the attraction as a tip-run car, or a shoestring jack of all trades.
BUT - IMO with shedding it's as much about buying the seller as it is the car, and someone with a choice of five cars comes across as more of a back street dealer than a loving owner.
Could be completely wrong of course, but it would be enough to keep me away.
BUT - IMO with shedding it's as much about buying the seller as it is the car, and someone with a choice of five cars comes across as more of a back street dealer than a loving owner.
Could be completely wrong of course, but it would be enough to keep me away.
YellowCar said:
I can see the attraction as a tip-run car, or a shoestring jack of all trades.
BUT - IMO with shedding it's as much about buying the seller as it is the car, and someone with a choice of five cars comes across as more of a back street dealer than a loving owner.
Could be completely wrong of course, but it would be enough to keep me away.
You could be very well justified in your suspicions - but how many back street dealers have a stock of one marque of car? I'm leaning towards a disgruntled other/better-half who is at the end of their tether and has given a less than gentle reminder about downsizing "the Fleet" - or else......BUT - IMO with shedding it's as much about buying the seller as it is the car, and someone with a choice of five cars comes across as more of a back street dealer than a loving owner.
Could be completely wrong of course, but it would be enough to keep me away.
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