DC5 - Am I too late to the party?

[DUBS73P]

I thought i was done with purchasing new cars for a while but the Audi TTS I bought was a complete dog so i rejected the vehicle and returned it to the garage, back to square one!

I was originally going to go for another Megane 250/265 but having had 2 already i'm being extremely picky with the spec, when i look on here people get recommended ones between 8-10k but they have none of the desirable options, for what i want, the cheapest is £16,995 on Pistonheads and even that isn't top top spec. So i'm happy to put that on the back burner until one pops up locally.

So for the time being i'm looking for something that could be a little more temporary

Previous ownership Highlights;
E92 M3 Manual - Awesome vehicle but found it lacking a little soul for the 12mpg i was getting
Z4 3.0 Coupe - Just awesome, right power/weight for a road car, little too jittery on the road, sold on when it needed some work
Clio 200 Cup - Loved the car, gearbox makes it a hopeless ownership proposition IMO
Clio 182 - Owned 2, 1 being the best spec in the country IMO, couldn't get another unless it was on par.
Megane R26 - Awesome car, perfect road vehicle... when its working and not full of water in the rear footwells
Megane 250 - 300bhp, perfect for what i need practicality wise, favourite seats in any car ive owned (recaros) all the modern creature comforts being the newest car i've owned, as i said, if i hadnt already had one with every single option then it would be an easy choice to get another.
S2000 - VTEC, RWD, LSD where can you go wrong? Hated the soft top

Looked at the following
350z - Rust, Low on power to get the lower VED, rear space is naff but makes an awesome noise
E46 M3 - Feel like i may have missed this one, prices are too steep compared to what you get from the E92
Cooper S R56 - I love small cars but a colleague had a ridiculous ordeal with BMW trying to get her engine replaced when it went pop
S2000 again - I bought mine at a good time and sold for a big profit, prices have held firm since and i would be buying with higher mileage for more money
Golf GTI 5/6 - Mate just got one, im sure it would be fun but its always seemed a bit bland - Same for all the Seat/Skoda alternatives really
Scirocco R - Terrible reviews against the megane
M135i - I hate depreciation
Golf R - As above
Focus RS MK2 - £20k but with tiny depreciation, test drove the ST a while ago and was really unmoved, fords dont generally do much for me

and then i stumbled upon a DC5, i have always loved them! One is close in mint condition, but the question is have i missed the boat on these and would it not be too special compared to my past? What other options have i missed?

[MRobbins1987]

FD2? I think the DC5 looks better but with the price gap between the two getting closer I would probably be going for the FD given the choice.

Z4m would be another car worth considering and will probably feel more of an occasion to drive.

[marcella]

DC5's are great but getting harder to find decent ones, FD2 would be my pick but they are pricier.

How about a Clio 220 Trophy, that's what I currently have and they are going for around 13-14k for a low mileage one. It's great fun and the gearbox is actually really good, don't believe the journos!

[anonymous-user]

These: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Integra-DC5-type-...

I like them, they are quite rare from what I have seen. Or if you like Renaults how about: http://revitupuk.com/product/201111-renault-megane...

[boombap]

DC5 definitely one of the better looking cars, especially for it's age.

Echoing the above though I find it hard to stomach the price, same goes for most Jap cars of that era I guess.

[MissChief]

rdb85 said:

These: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Integra-DC5-type-...

I like them, they are quite rare from what I have seen. Or if you like Renaults how about: http://revitupuk.com/product/201111-renault-megane...

Not a single shot of the DC5 interior which would worry me.

[nickfrog]

DUBS73P said:

I was originally going to go for another Megane 250/265 but having had 2 already i'm being extremely picky with the spec, when i look on here people get recommended ones between 8-10k but they have none of the desirable options, for what i want, the cheapest is £16,995 on Pistonheads and even that isn't top top spec.

What's missing in the spec for you Daniel ?

[DUBS73P]

nickfrog said:

What's missing in the spec for you Daniel ?

Im not fussy about colour

But i do want Recaros (Ideally all leather), Vision Pack, Climate Control, RS Monitor, obviously cup pack

Very rarely do these come up and i got my first one just by dumb luck

[nickfrog]

DUBS73P said:

Im not fussy about colour

But i do want Recaros (Ideally all leather), Vision Pack, Climate Control, RS Monitor, obviously cup pack

Very rarely do these come up and i got my first one just by dumb luck

The £16,995 one seems perfect then! I believe it's in Sussex too.

[DUBS73P]

nickfrog said:

The £16,995 one seems perfect then! I believe it's in Sussex too.

You wouldn’t happen to be the guy selling it would you? Lol

[DUBS73P]

nickfrog said:

The £16,995 one seems perfect then! I believe it's in Sussex too.

I personally think it’s a little overpriced, recently there’s been a handful with ohlins, akrapovic and alcantara for only a small amount more, not bad when you consider the cost of those options from the factory

[nickfrog]

DUBS73P said:

nickfrog said:

The £16,995 one seems perfect then! I believe it's in Sussex too.

I personally think it’s a little overpriced, recently there’s been a handful with ohlins, akrapovic and alcantara for only a small amount more, not bad when you consider the cost of those options from the factory

Yes it's mine but I didn't see any Cup-S on Ohlins / Akra for anywhere near that little. Trophy yes but that's for 2014 cars at £18k/£19k and 30k miles.

I'd like to think mine is the best value Cup-S on the market atm even if you ignore the free servicing.

[DUBS73P]

nickfrog said:

Yes it's mine but I didn't see any Cup-S on Ohlins / Akra for anywhere near that little. Trophy yes but that's for 2014 cars at £18k/£19k and 30k miles.

I'd like to think mine is the best value Cup-S on the market atm even if you ignore the free servicing.

There’s been a couple flame red ones on Pistonheads in the last month for 18-19 similar ages to yours

Trophy doesn’t really tick all the boxes for me as you lose some of the creature comforts

I hate depreciation, I would much rather stump up more money for something that isn’t going to lose a fortune than buy a lesser model and then it lose its value. The ohlins and akra make it the best spec possible in the 250/265/275 range imo and will no doubt make them hold their money.

Same goes for why I bought the Z4 coupe rather than the convertible and why I want the integra (amongst other differences) over the equivalent UK civic

[nickfrog]

I definitely didn't see those red Cup-S at those prices. And I looked daily.

The DC5 is fab. I reckon the depreciation delta will be offset by the repair cost delta though.

[DUBS73P]

nickfrog said:

I definitely didn't see those red Cup-S at those prices. And I looked daily.

The DC5 is fab. I reckon the depreciation delta will be offset by the repair cost delta though.

Here’s one that I had bookmarked, admittedly this one has sold now
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Having read through the forums the DC5 seems pretty bulletproof when standard services are completed regularly, my S2000 didn’t cost me a penny in over 12 months, although in fairness, in the 13 cars I’ve owned, only the R26 needed more than service items so I’ve definitely been lucky or sold at the right time lol

[nickfrog]

DUBS73P said:

Here’s one that I had bookmarked, admittedly this one has sold now
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Bloody hell that was good value although if I was buying I would happily forego both Akra and Ohlins and save £2k. The std damping is so good, it beggars belief for OE basic parts. The Akra sound effect can be emulated by a centre box delete for around £22.

It's also probably down £500 worth of free servicing and tyres.

[Donbot]

DC5s cost roughly the same to run as the Civic typeR. I found that insurance was the biggest issue (costing about 3x as much as a CTR).

[SarGara]

DUBS73P said:

Looked at the following
350z - Rust, Low on power to get the lower VED, rear space is naff but makes an awesome noise

If you've ruled out 350z due to age related rust, but you are looking at Meg 250/265 then I assume you have the budget to consider a 370z? It would provide a lot of the same appeal as the 350 but without the age related concerns being a newer car.

[Alan16ac]

My biased opinion would tell you to try the R56 Cooper S, or even better an R56 John Cooper Works. MINI never appealed to me... that was until I drove one. I'm now on my seventh...

They are so much fun and so chuckable! Shame they aren't the most reliable though. But read up on common issues, and carry out some preventative maintenance and they can be fine. Just be aware of the issues with the PSA lump in the R56. The later cars with the N18 engine were not as bad, but regular de-cokes are definitely needed.

I'm yet to drive a car that makes me feel the way the MINI does. I currently own and earlier petrol R53 supercharged Cooper S, my favourite despite shocking fuel economy and VED. This is my fun car. I have an R56 Cooper SD for the daily as my commute is so far, all the fun of the normal Cooper S, but with 50mpg and a reliable BMW 2.0 diesel.

A DC5 is always a car I've wanted to try though, and if I were in a position to own one, I'd definitely give it a go!

[DUBS73P]

Donbot said:

DC5s cost roughly the same to run as the Civic typeR. I found that insurance was the biggest issue (costing about 3x as much as a CTR).

Was pleasantly surprised by insurance, all mods declared and it was exactly the same as the Audi TTS, about 50 a month, I’m 24 and 7 years protected no claims

Only my M3 cost a bit more, everything else has been in the same ballpark really