Honda is predictably unpredictable. As its longest serving, most popular model, the Civic is perfect proof: every single generation is almost entirely different from the one that preceded it. No VW Golf-style gradual evolution of the species here. Though it'll always be renewed in some form or another, nobody is ever quite sure what will come next - Honda seemingly least of all. Whatever is best at the time is what's made.
Same goes for the fast Hondas - you never quite know what you're going to get. The first Integra Type R was inspirational, only for the replacement not to be offered in the UK. The EP3 Civic Type R became a legend in its own lifetime; certainly not a feat achieved by its successor. And the S2000 built up a loyal fanbase over its decade on sale, which itself was 30 years after Honda had last done a two-seat sports car, only for nothing similar to ever emerge again.
So, while it's never wise to count on a Honda class-leader - or even what might be made next - there is no doubting that some real gems have been built over the years. They're exactly the models we celebrate here, the icons that have arrived in the 73 years since Sochiro formed his eponymous company.
Up to £5,000...
A Legend? Seriously? Well, yes, seriously. Because those cars that might once have occupied this slot - Civic Type Rs, CRXs, S2000s - are now much more valuable. An Accord Type R would be a great candidate, but they're extremely hard to track down now 20 years after not that many sold. If you can find a good one for £5k, get it - front-wheel drive saloons really don't get any better to drive.
At the other end of the Honda spectrum sits the Legend; sure, it won't be as furiously entertaining as a Type R, but with more than 300hp from its 3.5-litre V6 and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive - with torque vectoring before it was cool to have torque vectoring - there's more to the Legend than its dowdy exterior might suggest. Furthermore, if you want cheap, dependable, durable luxury motoring, then where better to buy it from than Japan? They've never made the coolest, trendiest upmarket four-doors out there, but then there's nothing cool about a prohibitively expensive repair, either.
This Legend is for sale at little more than 10 per cent of its new price, with a decent wedge of history and looking more than presentable. It won't be cheap to fuel, but it's hard to beat a Legend when it comes to bargain barging.
Up to £7,500...
As the automotive world battles with making environmentally friendly and interesting fast cars, so the little Honda hybrid launched more than a decade ago looks all the more relevant. Sure, with 122hp it wasn't all that quick, but the CRZ proved that a car sharing an awful lot with the Jazz hybrid could be entertaining. It looked funky, had a great manual gearbox, weighed just 1,200kg and promised almost 60mpg.
Like so many of the bold Hondas, the CR-Z struggled when new, largely because buyers could have a VW Scirocco - or even a Civic Type R - for similar money. And that's tough opposition when you're not that quick. If the CRZ was a little ahead of its own time, a decade later looks a great time to buy - cheap to run with Honda's proven hybrid technology, still good to look at and rare as well, it makes an intriguing alternative to the typical commuter car.
High mileage cars start at less than £3k - and there are plenty around 100k - with decent CRZs around the £5,000 mark. With £7,500 to spend there are pristine examples around, with 'future classic' already being touted for this one. They might not be too far of the mark this time around...
Up to £10,000...
Now we're cooking. The first Civic Type R for the UK was a sensation when it launched 20 years ago - '200hp for £16k!' screamed the headlines, as the hot hatch kicked off its 21st century resurgence. It's hard to imagine now, with hot hatches having now been so good for so long, but at the turn of the century there really wasn't much to get excited by. The Clio 172 was great, yes, but there wasn't yet a Renaultsport Megane, the Golf GTI was still insipid, neither the Ford Focus nor Fiesta ST existed... It was a bleak time for the hot hatch enthusiast.
Into the void howled the EP3 Civic Type R, delivering exactly what was needed at the time: a new kid on the block that was fast, fun and eminently affordable. The Civic was a less sophisticated proposition than its Integra sibling, not quite as fabulous to drive, yet it countered with an RRP thousands of pounds less a VTEC 2.0-litre that screamed its way to even more power than the coupe - and that matters in a hot hatch.
Unsurprisingly given its combination of performance and value, the Civic sold well. With Honda dependability thrown into the mix, it became a great cheap hot hatch, too, with many converted for track use - a lack of torque doesn't matter if you're never below 6,000rpm! All of that, plus the wider demise of the naturally aspirated engine, has seen values climb. So, yes, it is now possible to pay £10k for a Type R.
What you'll get for that is one of the best examples out there - less than 50k, two owners, a Recaro driver's seat still in one piece - and, perhaps as importantly, a glorious throwback to a Honda (and a hot hatch) heyday. Light, fun cars with revvy engines and brilliant manuals are going to be missed - they don't come much better than the breadvan Civic.
Up to £15,000...
Frequently voted one of the best front-wheel drive performance cars of all time, it shouldn't be hard to understand why the Integra Type R has appreciated over the years. This car introduced hot Hondas to Britain - the NSX-R and first Civic Type R remaining in Japan only - and did so in uniquely enthralling fashion. Never has a car so plain to look at been so extraordinarily good to drive.
This was late 1990s, remember, with the sports coupe not far from its pomp; for the same £23k, buyers could have had an Alfa GTV, Nissan 200SX, Audi TT, Fiat Coupe, or many others, all much more stylish - surely crucial for a coupe - and often with more power as well. But none of them came close to the Honda for handling, and, allied to an exquisite powertrain, that's why it became an icon.
Once upon a time, a good DC2 Type R was £5k - no, honest. As time (and rust) have claimed more, so values have crept up, with £10,000 now the start. And that means the best ones are even more, this 60k, 1999 car commanding £14k even in the least desirable colour. But then it has been for sale for a little while, so perhaps a decent offer will be accepted - it'll feel like money very well spent.
Up to £20,000...
We all should have seen this one coming, too. The S2000 looked great, was powered by a wonderful engine, never got replaced, and even had some iffy handling tendencies to contend with - it had classic written all over from almost the start. Which is now plain for everyone to see - this one is listed at POA...
And although the temptation of a cheap S2000 is never far away - £8k is the current entry point - the best cars now lurk around £15k and above. This AP1 version is extremely low mileage (a facelifted AP2 with more miles is similar money), in grey with red leather - arguably the ideal S2000 spec. Though many rate the later cars as better to drive, the early S2000s are just as prized for their styling purity - you pay your money, you take your choice...
Finally, though it now seems unlikely that the S2000 will appreciate any further, it can now be considered a bonafide classic - and people have spent far more than £20k on much less invigorating old cars than this. Even when new, the S2000 wasn't quite perfect - the steering and driving position saw to that - but the powertrain always ensured it was something special. What better time to see what the fuss is about?
Up to £30,000...
Though eminently recommendable as a new purchase, the e is also worth considering secondhand because they've already proved so popular. At the time of writing, there are more than 50 cars in the PH classifieds, meaning plenty of choice, and decent savings as well - it doesn't seem that demand is outstripping supply.
A new e Advance (with the 154hp motor) costs more than £31,000 with Crystal Blue Metallic added. This one, in just the spec, is for sale at just over £25k, a year old and with fewer than 3,500 miles. Which is not a price cut to ignore.
At that sort of age and mileage it's obviously going to feel brand new, meaning an e just as beguiling as it was when launched. Its bespoke construction is evident everywhere, from the surprising amount of space inside to the cruising refinement. The e feels like an accomplished, methodically developed EV, yet one with character and charm as well thanks to the way it looks and the way it drives. Though concerns remain about its range - there are lighter city cars out there with bigger batteries - it'll be easy to cast those doubts aside after 10 minutes behind the wheel. Rather like our next Honda, in fact...
Up to £40,000...
Though hesitation around the Civic Type R is of a very different kind to that which surrounds the e, it too can be solved by just by driving it. You won't care about how a Type R looks once on the road.
For sheer driver enjoyment, no hot hatch has come close to this FK8 Type R since launch in 2017. The fact that you also get rabid pace, class-leading practicality and an accommodating ride has made it repeatedly stand out from the crowd - there really isn't a situation it doesn't suit. Apart from maybe a beauty contest...
But the fact that Honda sorted out the cabin - and threw in a sublime manual gearbox - really are the cherry on top. This money buys one of the facelifted cars brand new, though improvements are minor. You certainly won't feel short changed spending a little over £30k on a 2017-2020 car; this one is in Championship White, has covered just 8k in two years and still has some warranty left - it's yours for £32,000.
Up to £50,000...
Obviously no list of great Hondas would be complete without the NSX, even if the New Sportscar eXperimental is found rather higher up the list than it once might have been. (Wait until you see what's in the next price category.)
More than 30 years after its launch, there isn't much left to say about the NA1 NSX. But then very few other sports cars have had quite the same impact, so it's worth repeating. Look at Honda in the late-1980s: yes, the F1 deal with McLaren was working out wonderfully, but the road cars were a long way from exciting - CRX excepted. This was the BL era for UK Honda buyers; perfectly worthy and competent cars, yes, though with precious little by way of excitement. The NSX changed all that: it was low and sleek like no Honda had been, powered by a sensational V6 amidships and yet no harder to drive at low speed than any other car with the 'H' on its nose. There was even an automatic. The foundations of the usable, exciting, mid-engined supercar of today are to be found in the NSX, which is why it's so significant.
And also why it's now hot property on the classic car market, as the NSX remains a car that can be used and enjoyed on a regular basis. See this one as perfect proof - how many other sports cars from 1991 have a hundred thousand miles on them? Of the tiny number that do exist, even fewer will look as good as this NSX. At £48,000, the dealer suggests the NSX will never go down in value, and while it's tricky to be too sure of that - once upon a time it looked like they'd never go up - we can be sure that the NSX is one of the most important sports cars ever made, and seminal for Honda. Then as now, not everyone wants a 911...
Up to £100,000...
Granted, this is a brave one. But so erratic has Honda's product line up been for so long - with a huge void between Civic Type R and NSX, plus the delays in replacing the latter - there was a need to think a little differently for this category.
Welcome, then, the Mugen Type RR - the £90k Civic. Yes, you read that right. But there are Civic Type Rs, and then there are Civic Type RRs, cap'n. Taking the supreme FD2 saloon as its base, the RR went to the kind of lengths reworking the Type R that had ensured Mugen its formidable reputation. The K20 engine was treated to new cams, a rowdier exhaust and better intake for an official 240hp at 8,300rpm; with forged wheels, carbon seats and aluminium bonnet as well, the RR was brimming with intent lacking from even the very serious Type R. As such, the Mugen costs £8k more than a standard one. It says something of the car that resulted (and its maker) that all 300 sold out in 10 minutes...
This one is a recent import to the UK, and up for sale having covered a just a few hundred miles over here. Given its status as one of the most revered Hondas ever (and the very specialist nature of the project), that the Mugen is in impeccable condition should be no surprise. Whether it'll sell for £90k is up for debate, though whoever does buy it is in for one of the most exhilarating front-wheel drive experiences ever.
Sky's the limit...
Perhaps another Honda that was ahead of its time, which is ironic given how long the world waited for a new NSX. But just as the world ramps up its collective anticipation for the McLaren Artura and Ferrari 296 GTB, it's hard not to think of the hybrid Honda, also powered by a V6 with electric assistance and launched half a dozen years ago. It doesn't have the plug-in range of those two and carries more weight, but as proof of the NSX's validity you could hardly ask for better imitators than Ferrari and McLaren.
There was plenty going for the NSX in 2015, too, with mighty performance and handling that belied its 1,800kg - that's torque vectoring for you. It even looked pretty good, too, albeit with less drama than the early concepts hinted at. But what probably held the NSX back as much as anything was exactly the same thing that meant the first didn't sell all that well - the big 'H' on the front. People spending 911 Turbo money (as it was when this NSX launched) want a Porsche badge, or an Audi one, or even a McLaren one - not an emblem shared with their Nan's Jazz, no matter how clever the underparts.
Those that care more about the package than the prestige ought to find a lot to like about the NSX, however. The value is pretty hard to ignore, too. Though registered in 2017, this NSX has only covered 3,500 miles, and looks like new. As seen with the original earlier in this list, NSXs are built for many more years and many more miles driving than that. And you never know; this might one day be an appreciating classic car, too...
1 / 19