Looking At Buying A Honda Civic Type R

[Stevie1986]

Hi Folks,

Just as the title states, looking into buying myself an 03/04 honda civic type r and I would like some advice from the car maniacs out there on not only how to maintain the car to make sure it's kept in good condition but what I would be looking for when buying one to make sure i'm not buying a busted type r.

I know this has no doubt been done to death but i guess it keeps you car maniacs busy eh lol.

Also what's the difference in the models if there is any, MK///A-C//EP3 civics? I'm no mechanic so these questions may very well sound like the most ridiculous you've ever seen but I need some help with this.

• What price range am I looking at here as well, 2-4k for a standard or?**

Any help is much appreciated folks.

Cheers,

Stevie

[Stevie1986]

P1H said:

I couldn't be further from an authority on Type R's, but I have owned an 55 EP3 for around 6 months. Here are some general thoughts which most likely fail to answer your questions!

Firstly go for a facelift model (04 onwards). Whilst choosing my car I drove both the pre-facelift and facelift (& a FN2). In my opinion the facelift model looks better, has far better steering and has a lighter clutch. To me it felt like a completely different car.

Secondly as you have gathered there are a good number of EP3s for sale but not necersarrily a good number of high quality ones. For example I paid significantly above your budget but got a relatively low mileage (for age) car in excellent condition throughout. In my experience a £4k type R has usually been ragged to death and is an unattractive prospect. BUT that said I do live in a part of the country where car prices are probably well above average AND I was only buying from dealers for various reasons. I think there is a balance to be reached at the top of your budget between quality and price and a pre-facelift version might present the best balance. But generally I think you get what you pay for.

As for what to look for when buying http://type-r-owners.co.uk has masses of information, e.g. this buyers guide: http://www.hondacivicforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5...

Finally, buy one. They are epic machines when you learn to get the most out of them. Hope some of this helps.

Cheers mate, will have a good look through these before going for a Type R EP3, just kinda blows you can't buy them off most garages nowadays so having to go private etc.