19 year olds first car- Honda Civic Type S GT (R18A2)

[crashmycar19]

After window shopping on autotrader and marketplace for what seems like eternity (2 years), I've finally bitten the bullet and bought my own car.

I was torn on one of three options; either a MK1 Focus estate, a Mk2 Mazda6 (also with the preference of estate), or a Mk8 Honda Civic. Fairly obvious what my final decision was. Interior is pretty swanky for the age, decent reliability, great parts availability, and the design no longer makes me feel sick (condition ceased circa 2023). I quite like the pseudo spaceship look now.

Gave the bloke £150 quid as a deposit once I'd had a look round, and am picking the car up later today. (12/01/26)
The listing pictures aren't all that, so I'll wait to put pics up until I get a chance to take some better photos. 99k miles on the clock, seems to be mechanically sound and no real issues apart from moisture under boot lining (apparently very typical), a possessed driver side mirror, and a hieroglyphic trip computer. Won't say how much, unless someone finds it to be a topic of interest.

This probably won't be the most exciting thread, unless I go wrapping it round a tree. I want somewhere to document whatever work I do, and a place to document my stupidity.

[crofty1984]

I recall the boot on these being enormous for the size of car.
I like the space ship styling. Do these ones have the "magic" seats where the base of the rear seat folds up to give straight-through access in the back?

[crashmycar19]

crofty1984 said:

I recall the boot on these being enormous for the size of car.
I like the space ship styling. Do these ones have the "magic" seats where the base of the rear seat folds up to give straight-through access in the back?

Good to hear, only have one mate with a car and its a 318i. Not much space for a tent..
The same ones as on the Jazz? It does, however apparently the three door design slightly limits the 'magic'.

[66HFM]

Great first car OP, looking forward to seeing the photos.
I've always had a liking of these and with the S rather than the R it has 3 rear seatbelts, unfortunately a must with 3 kids and a wife...

Personally, I think the shape is just right and is almost ageless, I do think though that they should have a rear wiper...

How was the insurance for a first car?

Good luck!

[Super Sonic]

crofty1984 said:

I recall the boot on these being enormous for the size of car.
I like the space ship styling. Do these ones have the "magic" seats where the base of the rear seat folds up to give straight-through access in the back?

They do, but on a three door car their utility is debatable as it's hard to get large objects in the back.
Damp in the boot is often caused by the gasket seals behind the tail lights. Their not expensive, or silicone sealant can be used.

[stang65]

I'm on my second Mk8 (about 60k miles total) and they're a really good mix of economy, useful size and performance. Both of mine have been 1.8s as the diesels have more issues that I can't justify sorting with the mileage I do (about 8-9k per year only).

The Mk8 Facebook group is useful and there is a "sticky" on chasing boot leaks. The most common cause is the welds under the black strips in the roof by the hatch hinges needing some sort of sealant, but it can be a blocked fuel filler drain, the glass screen needing sealing to the perspex parts, the light gaskets etc. It can take some tracing and is one of two major faults with them. The other major issue now that they are getting on is rust at the ends of the sills/rear axle mounts and the rear axle beam itself rusting. The beam can be changed quite cheaply but sill rust is a different matter and something to look out for the R and S in particular as the body kit hides some of it. The pixelated display can often be sorted by removing it and resoldering the row of connections, although there's a lot and you need a steady hand. Other than that it's normal 20 year old car stuff, broken trim clips, wear and tear. etc.

I keep looking to change to something less than 20 years old but the cost is hard to justify as I know whatever I get will be less reliable! Good luck with yours, if bought well it will be no hassle.

[DanielSan]

Check under the carpet of the boot floor for rot, they can and regularly do go under there badly, and also the rear beam. They're at the stage where they're rotting through and snapping. Replacements are surprisingly not that expensive but it's obviously pretty labour intensive to swap one over.
If you want to update the interior a double din carplay unit and the full Connects2 dash kit to make it work with the standard controls is a worthwhile upgrade. It looks massive daunting as half the dash looks like it's taken out in pictures but it's surprisingly easy to do in a couple of hours taking your time and following a decent how to.

[trickywoo]

Turning circle and rear vision on these are the main drawbacks.

Normally I adjust to a car quite quickly but I never got used to the oil tanker turning circle on these and had to take more than one go at a parking space for ages.

[Mr Tidy]

Well congratulations on getting your first car.

You'll always have fond memories however it works out although I hope it all goes well.

[crashmycar19]

stang65 said:

I'm on my second Mk8 (about 60k miles total) and they're a really good mix of economy, useful size and performance. Both of mine have been 1.8s as the diesels have more issues that I can't justify sorting with the mileage I do (about 8-9k per year only).

The Mk8 Facebook group is useful and there is a "sticky" on chasing boot leaks. The most common cause is the welds under the black strips in the roof by the hatch hinges needing some sort of sealant, but it can be a blocked fuel filler drain, the glass screen needing sealing to the perspex parts, the light gaskets etc. It can take some tracing and is one of two major faults with them. The other major issue now that they are getting on is rust at the ends of the sills/rear axle mounts and the rear axle beam itself rusting. The beam can be changed quite cheaply but sill rust is a different matter and something to look out for the R and S in particular as the body kit hides some of it. The pixelated display can often be sorted by removing it and resoldering the row of connections, although there's a lot and you need a steady hand. Other than that it's normal 20 year old car stuff, broken trim clips, wear and tear. etc.

I keep looking to change to something less than 20 years old but the cost is hard to justify as I know whatever I get will be less reliable! Good luck with yours, if bought well it will be no hassle.

Thanks for the advice, really helpful. Miserable weather today so haven't had much of a poke around yet apart from the obligatory soundsystem test. Got a solder kit at home, so hopefully that screen can get sorted. Will check out rear axle ect, might be something to keep an eye on as on last mot it had an advisory for corrosion on the axle. Might just do it for peace of mind if budget allows. Found some rear light gaskets for 20quid on ebay, so might fit them, and then check near hatch hinges.

[crashmycar19]

trickywoo said:

Turning circle and rear vision on these are the main drawbacks.

Normally I adjust to a car quite quickly but I never got used to the oil tanker turning circle on these and had to take more than one go at a parking space for ages.

Haha, perfect for a new driver then...

[crashmycar19]

66HFM said:

Great first car OP, looking forward to seeing the photos.
I've always had a liking of these and with the S rather than the R it has 3 rear seatbelts, unfortunately a must with 3 kids and a wife...

Personally, I think the shape is just right and is almost ageless, I do think though that they should have a rear wiper...

How was the insurance for a first car?

Good luck!

really good surprisingly, no blackbox with 450 excess was 1.1k per annum. Still not a small sum though, but cheaper than a golf.

[crashmycar19]

Quick update, the weather is absolutely miserable. Lovely. Haven't visited a car park yet, but I got a quick snap to show my mate after I'd parked up.


Not the greatest but somehow better than the listing pics. Feel free to check out the history, the woman I bought it off refused to talk to both myself and my dad (apart from through the door to tell us how to release the fuel cap). Husband seems alright though. Apparently they'd had it for about 2-3 months, as a runaround while they sorted a new car. Bloke was very pleased to tell me about his shiny CLA ( 180). Seems the previous owner(s) took decent care of the car though. 5 former keepers on the V5. Am thinking about getting the valve clearances done as saw on 8th civic that Honda dealerships don't charge an insubordinate amount of money, but not sure if I can just rock up..

[Stu0302]

crashmycar19 said:

stang65 said:

The Mk8 Facebook group is useful and there is a "sticky" on chasing boot leaks. The most common cause is the welds under the black strips in the roof by the hatch hinges needing some sort of sealant, but it can be a blocked fuel filler drain, the glass screen needing sealing to the perspex parts, the light gaskets etc. It can take some tracing and is one of two major faults with them.

Thanks for the advice, really helpful. Miserable weather today so haven't had much of a poke around yet apart from the obligatory soundsystem test. Got a solder kit at home, so hopefully that screen can get sorted. Will check out rear axle ect, might be something to keep an eye on as on last mot it had an advisory for corrosion on the axle. Might just do it for peace of mind if budget allows. Found some rear light gaskets for 20quid on ebay, so might fit them, and then check near hatch hinges.

I had a mk8 FN2 Type R for 3 years - I agree re. boot leaks. They can be an absolute pain to fix and some people literally remove the whole inside of the boot and pour water over hatch to see where the leaks are. Mine was exactly as a result of what has been mentioned. On the mk8 there are roof trims running parallel to each other. These need to be removed and the whole length of the seam needs to be checked and resealed if needed. Some owners pull the trim back a few inches from the boot hinge end and seal the seam - this won't fix the issue if the split in the seam goes further back.

[crashmycar19]

DanielSan said:

Check under the carpet of the boot floor for rot, they can and regularly do go under there badly, and also the rear beam. They're at the stage where they're rotting through and snapping. Replacements are surprisingly not that expensive but it's obviously pretty labour intensive to swap one over.
If you want to update the interior a double din carplay unit and the full Connects2 dash kit to make it work with the standard controls is a worthwhile upgrade. It looks massive daunting as half the dash looks like it's taken out in pictures but it's surprisingly easy to do in a couple of hours taking your time and following a decent how to.

Looked at the boot floor while viewing, teeeny bit of surface rust but just seems a bit sodden (i.e. hopefully not been leaking for long). Will check rear beam today if I can.
Head unit is sorted thankfully, its a pioneer one too!

[crashmycar19]

Stu0302 said:

crashmycar19 said:

stang65 said:

The Mk8 Facebook group is useful and there is a "sticky" on chasing boot leaks. The most common cause is the welds under the black strips in the roof by the hatch hinges needing some sort of sealant, but it can be a blocked fuel filler drain, the glass screen needing sealing to the perspex parts, the light gaskets etc. It can take some tracing and is one of two major faults with them.

Thanks for the advice, really helpful. Miserable weather today so haven't had much of a poke around yet apart from the obligatory soundsystem test. Got a solder kit at home, so hopefully that screen can get sorted. Will check out rear axle ect, might be something to keep an eye on as on last mot it had an advisory for corrosion on the axle. Might just do it for peace of mind if budget allows. Found some rear light gaskets for 20quid on ebay, so might fit them, and then check near hatch hinges.

I had a mk8 FN2 Type R for 3 years - I agree re. boot leaks. They can be an absolute pain to fix and some people literally remove the whole inside of the boot and pour water over hatch to see where the leaks are. Mine was exactly as a result of what has been mentioned. On the mk8 there are roof trims running parallel to each other. These need to be removed and the whole length of the seam needs to be checked and resealed if needed. Some owners pull the trim back a few inches from the boot hinge end and seal the seam - this won't fix the issue if the split in the seam goes further back.

Hmm. Definitely need to investigate this. First job after the essentials.

[Leftfootwonder]

Congrats on your car! Looks lovely. Insurance won't be cheap i expect but so much more interesting than the generic VW Polo. Enjoy!

[crashmycar19]

Will probably be last post of the day, not sure what restrictions are on posting and don't want to crowd the thread. But I took some (albeit very wet) photos, was worrying about condensation last night but seems to be cleared up now. Going to clean it up once the weather lets off, but have snapped the essentials. Did have a little look around the boot area, grabbed some pics, but will wait to post until I take off the boot floor and get some better pics for that.


- extremely eager electronic mirror.


- ingerland!!!!!!!!


- this is going



- not sure if its very visible in the photos but it seems to have two exits? Could've sworn they had single exits?



- again don't know if its the light but the right rear window seems to be tinted a lot more than the other? Might be being thick










- aware they aren't the most amazing images, but hopefully this gives a good idea of the condition.

oh, and a free charger

[crashmycar19]

just realised the front tyres dont match ffs

[DanielSan]

crashmycar19 said:

DanielSan said:

Check under the carpet of the boot floor for rot, they can and regularly do go under there badly, and also the rear beam. They're at the stage where they're rotting through and snapping. Replacements are surprisingly not that expensive but it's obviously pretty labour intensive to swap one over.
If you want to update the interior a double din carplay unit and the full Connects2 dash kit to make it work with the standard controls is a worthwhile upgrade. It looks massive daunting as half the dash looks like it's taken out in pictures but it's surprisingly easy to do in a couple of hours taking your time and following a decent how to.

Looked at the boot floor while viewing, teeeny bit of surface rust but just seems a bit sodden (i.e. hopefully not been leaking for long). Will check rear beam today if I can.
Head unit is sorted thankfully, its a pioneer one too!

Some sealant over at the end of the rain gutters is worth doing along with the rear light gaskets. Those are the 2 areas water gets in from and then once it's dry inside you'll be all good for a fair while