RE: £25k mega-hatches | Six of the Best

[Killboy]

Another_James said:

What I don’t do is set about every E92 owner that is happy and enjoying their car, telling them it’s a ticking time bomb, worth 50p and that they are a selfish person for sharing their honest ownership experience.

And claim that you would have otherwise been interested, but bought a Volvo instead because of these issues?

[biggbn]

Another_James said:

biggbn said:

Diablos-666 said:

To be fair to NGK I was at a track day on Monday with a mate who works for Honda.
I saw an FK there and mentioned this thread and asked about the gearbox issue.
He confirmed that they had multiple cars come in with issues with synchros.
One customer used it on track, as intended and as advertised and lost first gear.
Honda wouldn’t honour the warranty and cited gearbox abuse. The dealer put the gearbox back together without 1st and gave it back to the customer.

I have agreed with NGK, and i do not doubt that some cars have issues. I just doubt its widespread, and his posts totally ignore, indeed belittle, those who post about their positive experiences

I’d really love to own a E92 M3, but I’m put off by the potential of rod bearing issues and having experienced a spun bearing in a E36 M3 in the past I know that the ownership experience would be soured for me. I’d also happily share this opinion politely once or maybe even twice at the same time acknowledging that the majority of cars are no doubt perfectly reliable but it’s a huge barrier to me personally.

What I don’t do is set about every E92 owner that is happy and enjoying their car, telling them it’s a ticking time bomb, worth 50p and that they are a selfish person for sharing their honest ownership experience.

Kind of the point i have been making..

[toon10]

cerb4.5lee said:

I personally don't see the M140i as a hot hatch...especially with an auto gearbox. It is more of a cruiser for me and much like a smaller 3 series.

Out of that list, it's the car I'd choose but you are right, it's not a hot hatch in the classic sense. I had the M135i with the ZF box and it was an astonishing machine but more of a lively mini GT car.

[Haltamer]

NGK, Have you had a test drive?

[Haltamer]

NGK210 said:

With respect, perhaps you’re missing the point? His agenda is to protect the reputation of his car. Because when it’s time to sell, who wants to be lumbered with a car that has a reputation for being a potential money pit with the resale value of a Perodua Nippa?

Considering they're now 5 years old, the fact that the majority of FK2s are still listed at 20k+ speaks for the residual value...

[bcanning]

What about an i30N Performance? I see sub 5k milers less than a year old for sale for c. £23/24k.

I adore hot hatches, so much fun for very decent money. I'm very fortunate to have had quite a few over the years (and a couple of sports cars, and a couple of M cars) but I adore the bang-for-your-buck that a good hot hatch brings (and you can take your kids too).

Wanted to ask if any PHers have an i30N Perf, and if so, how you find living with the ride? (for disclosure, currently I have a 7.2 Golf R which is really good and its like an armchair, and an 1st edition M2 which I love but my Missues hates due to the rock hard suspension).

Cheers muchly

[SidewaysSi]

bcanning said:

What about an i30N Performance? I see sub 5k milers less than a year old for sale for c. £23/24k.

I adore hot hatches, so much fun for very decent money. I'm very fortunate to have had quite a few over the years (and a couple of sports cars, and a couple of M cars) but I adore the bang-for-your-buck that a good hot hatch brings (and you can take your kids too).

Wanted to ask if any PHers have an i30N Perf, and if so, how you find living with the ride? (for disclosure, currently I have a 7.2 Golf R which is really good and its like an armchair, and an 1st edition M2 which I love but my Missues hates due to the rock hard suspension).

Cheers muchly

Don't own one but have driven one extensively. Ride is pretty good IMO though everyone has different opinions on ride so worth a test drive.

I just found it pretty dull to be honest - not as quick as you would imagine and lacks sparkle.

[Driver101]

bcanning said:

What about an i30N Performance? I see sub 5k milers less than a year old for sale for c. £23/24k.

I adore hot hatches, so much fun for very decent money. I'm very fortunate to have had quite a few over the years (and a couple of sports cars, and a couple of M cars) but I adore the bang-for-your-buck that a good hot hatch brings (and you can take your kids too).

Wanted to ask if any PHers have an i30N Perf, and if so, how you find living with the ride? (for disclosure, currently I have a 7.2 Golf R which is really good and its like an armchair, and an 1st edition M2 which I love but my Missues hates due to the rock hard suspension).

Cheers muchly

Not so long ago you could get brand new i30N for that price such were the discounts. No point buying used.

[DoubleD]

The reviews I have seen seem to say that the I30N is a great car?

[bcanning]

Agree, the reviews I read / watch would have you believe its 2nd only to the Civic (unless you're dropping a lot more cash for an A45). Steve Sutcliffe did a review for PH's sister mag Evo (doing the NC500 and the Ring) and raved about it.

I'm looking at the Fastback N as it has a bigger boot (my Golf R is an estate - needs must) and the Fastback almost provides an alternative for family use, yet still driving nearly identically to the hatch (which the R estate does not - I had a 7R hatch before it). The F is £30/1k new, vs. the original i30N which was £25/26k at launch (in non Performance guise).

Am posting as I've never (ever) seen one on road, so was hoping a hot hatch thread might throw up someone who's driven one (I've got a test drive booked for late August..). Maybe I've not seen one because people don't like them, or perhaps the lease deals aren't great given their depreciation.

Cheers again, all views welcome.

[anonymous-user]

I have driven the i30N at Millbrook and thought it was a good car but ultimately not very thrilling. A bit like a Golf GTi but with added pops and bangs.

[Pommy]

DoubleD said:

The reviews I have seen seem to say that the I30N is a great car?

The problem with reviews is that they spend 99% of the time ragging the car round a track, or redlining it for hours around some mythical road which doesn't actually tell you, on a day to day basis in real world conditions, which one is actually great fun.

[Trevor555]

Another_James said:

Trevor555 said:

But isn't that what forums are great for?

Sharing the knowledge?

I'm grateful for it as I now know it's something I have to look out for when I'm sent to buy one.

Thank you NGK for sharing.

Also look out for rust or cracking around the boot lid mounting points and pay particular attention to any wheel damage as they are fragile and hard to refurbish with the red pin stripe.

Tbh what would concern me much more about buying any of these modern Turbo hatches 2nd hand is if it had ever been mapped. I’ve seen a few civics pass through the FB groups that are mapped to 400+ then returned to standard for resale citing the balance of the manufacturer warranty. Honda really won’t replace a gearbox or any driveline component in that situation.

Thank you.

When I go to buy something I've not seen before I do a few quick searches on relevant forums.

And googling the sellers phone number, that brings up some interesting info sometimes.