FN2 Civic Type R (modified), what car next??

[Zestyboi]

Had an FN2 for 3 years and never had a problem with it, over the 3 years ownership I heavily modified the Civic and had it dyno'd at 242bhp from 200 standard. I loved the cars nimbleness and hectic free revving nature but it was written off in an accident last week this was my 2nd FN2 after my first one caught on fire due to an electrical fault so enough is enough and I need to move on from them.

I've got approx a £17k budget, can be lifted slightly for the right car.

Any suggestions on a replacement, here's what I'm after:

Manual
Under 70k miles on the clock (baring in mind the budget)
Don't mind FI
Don't mind what drive train it's on
Needs to be modifiable as I enjoy modding cars

I've been looking at:

Nismo 370z (heard this might be a bit "heavy" to drive in corners in comparison to the Civic)

Toyota GT86 (0-60 time puts me off so would probably look at the FI route?)

Honda Integra (tricky to find a sub 70k post-facelift integra)

[Belle427]

Maybe with a slight budget creep you my get into a newer type R.
Seems the obvious choice if your a fan, not much better around if your main focus is an all out driving machine.

[mnaylor]

I've had the Integra (DC5) and the GT86. A good friend had a Nismo 370z for a while.

In my opinion, the best car hands down is the DC5. The thing going against it is the age when compared to the other 2. Do you want a more modern car? DC5's are very reliable and there is not a lot to go wrong but at the end of the day they are 20 years old now.

The GT86 is a lovely handling car but the engine just lacks any drama so as you say you would want to be adding forced induction.

The 370 is cool but heavy, probably the fastest of the 3 in a straight line.

You can easily import a DC5 with less than 70k on your budget I reckon. Speak to someone like Torque GT.

[shakindog]

Test drive the fk2 type r you won’t be disappointed.
I’ve had various type r’s in the past and love them.
Have an fk2 now and wow what a machine. Definitely a car to keep long term.
Eats tyres tho but worth it
Only down side is tuning parts are expensive

[Zestyboi]

mnaylor said:

I've had the Integra (DC5) and the GT86. A good friend had a Nismo 370z for a while.

In my opinion, the best car hands down is the DC5. The thing going against it is the age when compared to the other 2. Do you want a more modern car? DC5's are very reliable and there is not a lot to go wrong but at the end of the day they are 20 years old now.

The GT86 is a lovely handling car but the engine just lacks any drama so as you say you would want to be adding forced induction.

The 370 is cool but heavy, probably the fastest of the 3 in a straight line.

You can easily import a DC5 with less than 70k on your budget I reckon. Speak to someone like Torque GT.

Awesome, thanks for all this info!

I've always had a soft spot for the DC5, it's just about one of the only cars my girlfriend keeps pushing me to get (she loves them!)

It's hard without ever driving one for me to put a bid in for one through an importer. Do you know if Torque GT do test drives on their stock to see if I want it scouted? Might need to give them a call I suppose.

Car age doesn't bother me either, to be honest I'd rather have something a bit more raw and avoid all these fancy traction conptrol systems etc. My girlfriend has a MK3 TT Quattro which is lovely to drive on B roads but feels a bit too safe in my opinion.

Edited by Zestyboi on Friday 4th June 20:41

[mnaylor]

I reckon Torque GT might let you test drive, I have bought a car from them before and they are really accommodating. Give them a call.

[Zestyboi]

Nice one, thanks mate.

Just out of interest, how long did the full import process take from bidding at auctions to collection?

[mnaylor]

You are looking at 3 to 4 months, but they and other importers do buy cars for stock as well so you might get lucky and find one that way.

[Jonstar]

Having owned a dc2 and fn2, the dc2 is the one I would buy again.

Edited by Jonstar on Sunday 27th June 18:22

[samoht]

That's a very wide-open set of requirements, lots of things you could consider.

Given you liked the FN2's high revs and nimbleness, it might be worth considering the S2000 and the RX-8, both agile and with high redlines.

I'd consider a Boxster or Cayman also with those parameters. With the Boxster you could get a 987.2 with the 2.9 engine from 2009 onwards, avoiding the roulette wheel of the 986 and 987.1 engines.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105273...

[Zestyboi]

samoht said:

That's a very wide-open set of requirements, lots of things you could consider.

Given you liked the FN2's high revs and nimbleness, it might be worth considering the S2000 and the RX-8, both agile and with high redlines.

I'd consider a Boxster or Cayman also with those parameters. With the Boxster you could get a 987.2 with the 2.9 engine from 2009 onwards, avoiding the roulette wheel of the 986 and 987.1 engines.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105273...

Yeah, I just want something fun and chuckable basically, definitely not a number chaser but it's nice to have a bit of go round the bends.

S2K and RX8 are a great shout, I've been looking at the S2Ks recently too, would be nice to keep VTEC 😎

Only thing that puts me off the RX8 is that wankle engine, could get pretty expensive to maintain from what I've heard?

With the Porches, I'm trying to stay Jap with my cars (my dads a German car fanboy so I think it's me rebelling against that) 😂

[Objective Alpha]

If you love modding cars, Get a gt 86 for 10-12k and get a turbo conversion! would be amazing and really special!

[samoht]

With the RX-8, the way I see it the purchase price is much lower than comparable FR sports cars like the S2K or GT86, which then balances the likely cost of an engine rebuild, so in terms of overall cost:fun ratio it's probably still fairly comparable. The other thing is if you can find a good specialist not too far away, so that problems can be sorted efficiently. Do that and tuck the £5k purchase price saving away for a rebuild if needed and it's probably a reasonable ownership experience. But not for everybody.

OTOH, the rising values of S2000s and general reliability make them quite attractive.

If you import something like a DC5, I think to some extent you could probably sell it on without losing too much money if you don't like it.

I understand about seeking a Japanese car, I've had Japanese cars for years. I finally gave in and bought an AMG last year, but still have the RX-7 in the garage

It could also be worth considering an MX-5, could probably get an ND1 2.0 and some BBR nat-asp tuning to restore the zing. The smaller size maximises chuckability.

Talking of smaller lighter options, I know they're not Japanese, but £17k is just about the bottom of the Lotus Elise market, although would be K-series rather than Toyota engined. It would also get a VX220.

[RichFN2]

As an FN2 owner, then a Megane 265/275 is what I would be looking at for a fun 3 door hot hatch but with more up to date performance and discreet looks.

FK2 would always be worth a consideration

[ZX10R NIN]

Zestyboi said:

Had an FN2 for 3 years and never had a problem with it, over the 3 years ownership I heavily modified the Civic and had it dyno'd at 242bhp from 200 standard. I loved the cars nimbleness and hectic free revving nature but it was written off in an accident last week this was my 2nd FN2 after my first one caught on fire due to an electrical fault so enough is enough and I need to move on from them.

I've got approx a £17k budget, can be lifted slightly for the right car.

Any suggestions on a replacement, here's what I'm after:

Manual
Under 70k miles on the clock (baring in mind the budget)
Don't mind FI
Don't mind what drive train it's on
Needs to be modifiable as I enjoy modding cars

I've been looking at:

Nismo 370z (heard this might be a bit "heavy" to drive in corners in comparison to the Civic)

Toyota GT86 (0-60 time puts me off so would probably look at the FI route?)

Honda Integra (tricky to find a sub 70k post-facelift integra)

From the list above it would the 370Z Nismo I love driving them they're a proper drivers car, not on their toes like a GT86 but composed with a nice amount of depth so as you push on you get to see more from them, something I've not experienced in the GT86.

I've not driven an Integra in a while I remember it being great chassis wise but lacking when you weren't fully lit.

The only downside to the 370Z Nismo is that you'll have to be spending 18k before haggling to get one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324643206583?hash=item4...

& at that price I'd be haggling hard & finding the extra to get this one with some choice upgrades:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009093...