Where have all the good Civic Type R's gone?

[mat205125]

Butter Face said:

Tickle said:

Why discount the ones that are 'miles away'? You can get pretty much anywhere in the uk in a day. Make sure the seller sends all the pictures and information on the car to satisfy your expectations, the get the train and drive it home. Whats a day of travel for the car you want.

I did 8 hours on the train for mine. Then an enjoyable 5 hour drive back!

I did it once for a 205 GTi that was in some god forsaken arse end of East Anglia.

It was a the perfect car for me, in the right spec, price, and had been well looked after.

I'd insured the car before leaving home, and had the full asking price in my pocket.

Left home at about 4am to arrive at the sellers before 9am, having arranged to "come and have a look, since he wasn't too far from me". Played it cool, got a good deal with a discount which covered fuel and food for the journey for me and my chauffeur, and returned home with the car I wanted.

That car would probably be worth £10k now

[rossub]

TheJimi said:

Martin_Hx said:

TheJimi said:

Eh?!

Where?

In the odometer on the dash, press the little button and it will switch from mileage/reset trips/outside temp

Huh. Who knew!

Learned something new today

The JDM Pre-facelift has this too. Bad enough to deny the UK pre facelift market with all the other goodies, thats just taking the piss

[CaptainSlow]

There's a perfectly good CTR on my driveway, sadly likely to be for sale soon though.

[TheLordJohn]

CaptainSlow said:

There's a perfectly good CTR on my driveway, sadly likely to be for sale soon though.

Price please...
Do any of the post March 2005 hit the daft road tax bracket or not?

[Butter Face]

I haven't driven mine for a week now. Looking forward to getting home for a drive!!

[CaptainSlow]

TheLordJohn said:

CaptainSlow said:

There's a perfectly good CTR on my driveway, sadly likely to be for sale soon though.

Price please...
Do any of the post March 2005 hit the daft road tax bracket or not?

I don't want to break any PH rules so pm me (£4k).

re the tax...you mean March 2006...and no they don't.

[Butter Face]

Seems like a very fair price!!

[Baz2000]

CaptainSlow said:

There's a perfectly good CTR on my driveway, sadly likely to be for sale soon though.

Looks a nice car, it is a shame about the seats though.

[Butter Face]

You can get a pair of premier recaros for £400-£600 on eBay so if the car is the right price you could replace them easily.

[Baz2000]

Butter Face said:

You can get a pair of premier recaros for £400-£600 on eBay so if the car is the right price you could replace them easily.

That's true, I'm just lazy and don't like hassle.

[Baz2000]

So a Ep3 Type R has been advertised down the road from me. It's a 2004, cosmic grey, 75k, full service history although not Honda for the last 4 years. It is quite clean, had 3 previous owners, although the current owner is a young lad and I don't like to be judgmental but fits the current stereotype of a type R owner. He kept saying how quick it is in Vtec etc but seems to have very little mechanical knowledge or sympathy. He's had it two years, fitted a K&N filter which puts me off a bit. It's also had an advisory for an oil leak on the previous 2 MOT's but not the most recent and tbf can't see any sign of a leak, what could have this leak been? It obviously concerns me that it potentially could have run low on oil.

Anyway I don't know what to do it seems a nice car and is priced well I believe at £3500, was up at £4000 but will except £3500, everything seems fine but the things above put me off. Would you or wouldn't you?

Edited by Baz2000 on Thursday 10th November 15:03

[CaptainSlow]

I'd buy mine if I were you.

[TheLordJohn]

When buying any car, follow your gut and listen to your head, not your heart....!

[stargazer30]

Red 4 said:

TameRacingDriver said:

I'm always amazed by how marmite responses to the FN2 are.

"Wouldn't see which way a Renault Sport went". I've had 2x RS Clios, a 172 and a 182. They were certainly capable of decent speeds on the back roads, but the FN2 was pretty damn good as well, I was always surprised just how HARD I could push it and it just kept obeying my commands. Therefore, I strongly disagree with that statement.

Too wide - really?! I doubt its any wider than a Focus.

I'm afraid I find many of the arguments against the FN2 sensationalist, emotive bks frankly. It's nowhere near as bad as some make out, just like the EP3 is nowhere near as good as some like to suggest!

I owned a Renaultsport Clio RS200 a few cars after I owned the FN2.

The difference in handling was vast - the Clio actually had a comedy value about it; it was one of the best handling cars I have owned (unlike the Civic which would try and spit you onto the other side of the road if you hit a bump mid-corner - like I said the suspension is simply harsh and doesn't do it's job.

I've owned a Ford Focus ST too - the Civic is wider (or maybe it just has big mirrors).
I also much preferred the Focus - bags more character and quicker (after a plug and play re-map).

I'm not being sensationalist here - I just don't like the FN2.
I've owned many cars. The Civic was one of the worst (reliablity aside).
It should never have been marketed as a Type R in my opinion.
And they should have sorted the suspension - not gone backwards.

Well I've owned 3 x Focus ST 2.5L and 2 x Civic FN2 and I've driven the EP3.

I think the whole FN2 handling comments are to be expected as the car's Geo out the factory is very hit and miss. My first FN2 was quite literally as said, comedy handling. My current one was very good. Thankfully in either case a very cheap and easy fast road setup will cure the issue and it will handle like its on rails. In fact with FRS they are the best handling FWD car I've driven. You really can push them and they won't bite (unlike the EP3 which is grip, grip, grip, hedge lol)

As for comparing the FN2 to the Focus ST, don't get me started. Way too much weight on the front and suspension too soft. Even with eibach's its a barge compared to the FN2. I have not driven the newer 2L ST though, I hear its much better but its also newer than the FN2 so not really a fair comparison.

As for the FN2 being slow comments. It will for sure feel slow compared to a powerful sooter or a turbo petrol, it is a low torque, high reving car. But when driven in anger they have a good pace. More than enough to have fun on a public road without loosing your license.

I plan to keep mine a little while longer :-)

• EDIT* to add about the remapped ST comment. Guess what, no its not (at legal speeds anyway). The Focus ST's KKK turbo can't hold boost at high revs once remapped. The remap gives a massive whallop of torgue low down and then it dies off quick. The mapped car cannot get the power down in 1st and 2nd (that's why stock its torque limited). I have tried it with my ST remapped against a well driven FN2 and I could not get past it. On the corners, it was quicker. The FN2's delivery is very linear, so it can get power down on the corners much easier than a remapped ST, (even without the STs nose heavy handling). The ST with a remap is more a point and squirt car.

Edited by stargazer30 on Thursday 10th November 13:47

[TheJimi]

Baz2000 said:

So a Ep3 Type R has been advertised down the road from me. It's a 2004, cosmic grey, 75k, full service history although not Honda for the last 4 years. It is quite clean, had 3 previous owners, although the current owner is a young lad and I don't like to be judgmental but fits the current stereotype of a type R owner. He kept saying how quick it is in Vtec etc but seems to have very little mechanical knowledge or sympathy. He's had it two years, fitted a K&N filter which puts me off a bit. It's also had an advisory for an oil leak on the previous 2 MOT's but not the most recent and tbf can't see any sign of a leak, what could have this leak been? It obviously concerns me that it potentially could have run low on oil.

Anyway I don't know what to do it seems a nice car and is priced well I believe at £3500 ono, everything seems fine but the things above put me off. Would you or wouldn't you?

Strikes me as being a bit too cheap, at that mileage.

Anyone else agree?

[acme]

I was just about to say the same thing, would make me wonder why.

[Baz2000]

TheJimi said:

Baz2000 said:

So a Ep3 Type R has been advertised down the road from me. It's a 2004, cosmic grey, 75k, full service history although not Honda for the last 4 years. It is quite clean, had 3 previous owners, although the current owner is a young lad and I don't like to be judgmental but fits the current stereotype of a type R owner. He kept saying how quick it is in Vtec etc but seems to have very little mechanical knowledge or sympathy. He's had it two years, fitted a K&N filter which puts me off a bit. It's also had an advisory for an oil leak on the previous 2 MOT's but not the most recent and tbf can't see any sign of a leak, what could have this leak been? It obviously concerns me that it potentially could have run low on oil.

Anyway I don't know what to do it seems a nice car and is priced well I believe at £3500 ono, everything seems fine but the things above put me off. Would you or wouldn't you?

Strikes me as being a bit too cheap, at that mileage.

Anyone else agree?

I should have really explained more about the price, also I have no idea why I put ono. The car was advertised at £4000, I have negotiated it down to £3500. He needs the car gone, he car afford the insurance etc etc.

[Ultrafunkula]

stargazer30 said:

• EDIT* to add about the remapped ST comment. Guess what, no its not (at legal speeds anyway). The Focus ST's KKK turbo can't hold boost at high revs once remapped. The remap gives a massive whallop of torgue low down and then it dies off quick. The mapped car cannot get the power down in 1st and 2nd (that's why stock its torque limited). I have tried it with my ST remapped against a well driven FN2 and I could not get past it. On the corners, it was quicker. The FN2's delivery is very linear, so it can get power down on the corners much easier than a remapped ST, (even without the STs nose heavy handling). The ST with a remap is more a point and squirt car.

Edited by stargazer30 on Thursday 10th November 13:47

I have to chip in, I suspect you had bad tyres on your Focus as I can put power down just fine in my MK2 ST with stage 2 mods, in the dry at least in both 1st and 2nd.
It's considerably faster than the FN2 when rolling as well, my mate at work has one and I've proved that time after time (although the Civics handling is in a different league). Just to balance things up, there.

[Butter Face]

I almost got whipped by a standard EP3 this morning as I was getting 3rd gear wheelsping out of a corner and he was pulling away

Actually having torque sucks

[dannyDC2]

Butter Face said:

I almost got whipped by a standard EP3 this morning as I was getting 3rd gear wheelsping out of a corner and he was pulling away

Actually having torque sucks

What's the spec on yours?

OP - that sounds like a fair price. They can take a beating so don't be too put off buying it from a yobbo. The decider for me would be what tyres he's put on it and size? Hopefully it's not sat on some 205/40/17 budgets.