Monday 6th March 2017

Honda Accord Type R: PH Buying Guide

Tempted by a Type R after our recent evangelising? Here's how to get the best!

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By any stretch of the imagination, the 1998 Honda Accord was not the most exciting saloon at its launch. Then, Honda had one of its periodic moments of madness and launched the Type R. In place of plodding 1.8- and 2.0-litre motor came a fizzing 2.2-litre that made peak power at 7,200rpm and would crack 0-62mph in an official 7.2 seconds but could drop that significantly in the real world.

Rare, great to drive and still good value!

Of course, the engine used VTEC variable valve timing to achieve its 212hp maximum. If you wanted to keep it on the boil, you had to brush the red line before each change as the five-speed manual gearbox's ratios didn't allow any margin for laziness. It didn't help there was only 159lb ft of torque at 6,700rpm, but a helical limited-slip differential helps put every drop of power to good use.

The H22A7 engine was, and is, a glorious engine. Little wonder the Type R soon gained a reputation for being the hardest charging sport saloon you could buy this side of £25,000. Not everyone loved its all or nothing character, so it was just as well the Accord was fastidiously built and easy to live with thanks to its four-door practicality and 29mpg.

And a badge we haven't seen since in the UK

A facelifted version arrived in 2001 and the only obvious exterior clue was a front grille with slats rather than mesh. However, the gearbox had been strengthened internally to solve a problem with crunching synchromesh. This also saw the official 0-62mph time fall to 6.7 seconds.

This was all for the cars sold in Europe through Honda's dealer network, but now you may find imported Type Rs with the Euro-R designation. Confusingly, these were Japanese market machines that used the 'Euro' tag as a nod to their European inspiration and they were sold from 2000 to 2002. There are detail differences between the two versions, with the most important being the Euro-R's engine produces 220hp.

However, the same caveats apply when buying either and you'll pay from £1,500 for a high mileage example with some MOT left to run. It's worth paying more for a car that's been cared for and has a full service record, which is likely to be around £3,000. The very best can still fetch £4,500.

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PHer's view:
"Had one new and then bought another a couple of years back for old time's sake. Still felt as good as ever, though it's needed more maintenance than I expected to keep it on song."
Dave Bunker

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Buying Guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling chassis
Body
Interior
At a glance

Search for Honda Accord Type Rs here

[ShuthanVtec]

Pretty much spot on what to look out for, just to mention even the facelift ATR's except the very last few made had the syncro issue but you will be hard pressed to find one that hasn't already been fixed. Bulkhead (Shine a torch under the footwells on the sides and taking the arch liners off will show it more clearly) I would recommend undersealing when possible. Make sure it has Service history/receipts throughout or most of its life, preferably from Honda or a Honda specialist. All H22A7 engines are hand finished, however just keep an eye on oil weekly at least. Mileage isn't an issue as long as its looked after as theres a few that are over 200,000 miles and still going strong, the arch lip liners on the rear arches need coming off as they trap water and rust out like every Honda. Well worth checking the MOT history as with any car before viewing one. Just to say they are 209BHP and 0-60 is certainly quicker than the 7.2 Seconds, it is more into the mid 6 seconds if driven properly.

A.C being an option is a handy thing to have, Front Fog lights were an option and check to see if it has the rare optional suede armrest, different from other Accords. As on the last post made on the ATR, brilliant cars, underrated and a great drivers car that does everything. Well worth buying one now before they are down to the few hundred with only 648 recorded last year on the road. Love mine and its in stock form apart from a catback exhaust...

Edited by ShuthanVtec on Sunday 5th March 20:07

[ShuthanVtec]

Notanotherturbo said:

Sorry I cant agree. Best friend had one and I drove it extensively. Well built, handled tidily but the extent you had to ring its neck to access any acceleration at all was ridiculous. The lack of torque below the VTEC zone just ruins it in my opinion. Remember thrashing the absolute ass out of it and was still slower than one of those 1.4 Golf GTs with the supercharger/turbo engine.

Thats the nature of Hondas, they all need to be revved but thats the joys of it IMO, most of the power is in the top end. Honda's don't appeal to everyone though, but for those who get them are those who enjoy the cars and get the full potential.

Edited by ShuthanVtec on Sunday 5th March 17:23

[ShuthanVtec]

^ I agree, certainly more useable outside of VTEC compared to other Type-R's, never had a problem with the torque side of things from the H22A7, I can get off the line under 2k RPM much easier than the B18C engine from the Integra I had before which had less torque and drove me insane day to day. I think people complaining about the dropping out of VTEC, need to drive them properly, yes it needs certain skill to hit the limiter and then quickly change up, but its a challenge which once done, will come second nature to you.

[ShuthanVtec]

323ti said:

"the Type R soon gained a reputation for being the hardest charging sport saloon you could buy this side of £25,000"

Did it? IIRC everyone who was "in the know" about affordable performance cars at that time were queuing up to buy Impreza Turbo's.
I know I was... The torque and the traction made the Subaru charge a lot harder than this Honda. Or pretty much anything at that time that wasn't silly money. Better soundtrack as well.

The Impreza is turbo which yes, it is a little faster, but for everything else, the ATR triumphed it. It is there in black and white from the reviewers back in 1998 and it isn't any mickey mouse magazine either. I think you also need to hear a H22A7 at full chat, its glorious.

[ShuthanVtec]

As said above, they have discontinued certain bits of the OEM exhaust system, they have all of it except one rear box, which is a shame hence people have aftermarket systems, nothing overly loud is needed but a subtle look with some noise at high RPM is fine.

As for the tests, I don't remember reviews where the Imprezza took it, it certainly had the higher performance figures due to the turbo nature but everything else, Accord had it from the handling, quality, steering feel, interior and drive. but fast forward over 20 years, both are considered great performance saloons, but I would always choose the ATR.

[ShuthanVtec]

Oh the Mondeo's, 156's and Vectra's had no chance in that era, the ATR and Imprezza were the two main rivals going head to head but they are both great high performance japanese saloons. I am just not a huge fan of the Imprezza to be honest but can appreciate its abilities. The ATR was the performance saloon that caught my eye from the start, a BTCC racer for the road

[ShuthanVtec]

s m said:

Here's the other Accord Type R/Impreza Turbo comparison I remember - this time the Accord just edges it for the reviewer on the handling/chassis behaviour

Thats the magazine I have in hard copy, The thing is when things come to the twists, the Accord Type-R will have the Impreza despite its turbo power. Handling is a must in any performance car IMO, but yes it depends on the reviewer at the time too on which he prefers.

Edited by ShuthanVtec on Wednesday 8th March 18:46

[ShuthanVtec]

fivepointnine said:

Since the Accord is generally regarded as the best sports saloon of the era, why is it worth the least? An Impreza will be worth roughly 2x the value and even the Mondeo ST220 is worth almost £1k more on average.

Really? Mondeo ST220 worth 1K more? I can find MANY examples for around £2000 and those are good ones, a good Accord Type-R will set you back 2.5-3k easily.

It is the underrated Type-R and an underrated car in general, many don't know about them to this day and all these articles let people know these exist and how good they are. Let them get rarer and more well known, and they will push up in value nicely. There are already many requests for ATR's since the sudden surge in articles/blogs/reviews.