Cheap Fun 4 Door Runabout - Civic 2.0S, Fabia VRS ?

[V8RX7]

Looking for a fun 4 / 5 door car for the school run 15 miles around the lanes.

Sub £2k

A quick look on AT shows Civic 2.0 S (I like the gearchange) or Fabia vRS diesel (I'm not so keen on but they are supposed to be good and probably double the mpg of the Civic

Anything else worth considering ?

I did note the A4 convertibles are surprisingly cheap but 2 doors and kids are a pain

Edited by V8RX7 on Monday 4th March 14:59

[Aiminghigh123]

Is that the Civic with k20 engine? 160bhp.

If so cracking cars. MPG will do over 40mpg on a run but short runs expect 30ish.

Good little B road blaster not amazing but fun. It’s got a weird vtec below 2200rpm it runs as an 8 valve then above that 16 valver. At 5krpm variable valve changes and pulls quite well to the red line not like type r but can be addictive.

Mine was brilliant and wish I had kept it.
Oil wise make sure you use 5w30 mobile 1. Honda actually use 0w20 which gives better mpg but i found I had to keep topping it up.
In the US they had recalls on the engines with 0w20 oil due to cam wear so changed to 5w30. Uk didn’t bother but bear this if looking through history. AC compressors can be damaged due to location. 1 killer on these cars is power steering. It’s electric and a know weak point that’s over 1k to fix.

Other than that not much can go wrong.

[V8RX7]

Aiminghigh123 said:

Is that the Civic with k20 engine? 160bhp.

Good little B road blaster not amazing but fun.

Yes

My daughter has the 1.6 and I thought the same.

It's for my wife as she wants a change from her 3.0 X Type, I'd rather get a Civic R or 182 Clio but 3 Dr and school runs aren't ideal as I'll only drive it occasionally.

[browna]

I have one of these "type s" civics, got after my ep3 type r as a more family friendly option. They do drive nicely and the engine is nippy once your going, pretty good for daily use, nice gear change and has been very reliable. only -ve is a hard ride bit scrabbly pulling away from junctions and a terrible turning circle.

[Glosphil]

Owned a 2005 Civic Type-S for 7 years from 15k to 87k miles. Cost me just over £300 total in repairs (replace both universal joints in drive shafts).
Enjoyed driving it but rather low geared in 5th for motorway cruising.
Ride & road noise very tyre dependant I found.

[ZX10R NIN]

Alfa 147 Collezione

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Ford Focus ST170

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

308 GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mazda3 Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Octavia VRS

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

325i Touring

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[V8RX7]

Thanks - I was expecting more love for the fabia.

the 147 is a good idea - I like them and I see they do a rare 2.0 - but bearing in mind it's my wife's second car and I'm maintaining at least 5, I can't justify an Alfa over a Honda.

The Mazda is good but she used to have a Mazda6 and fancies a change

The Focus is possibly the best car but we both hate the looks - inside and out

If they did a 5 door Suzuki Swift it would be perfect - but they don't