Civic Type R / Type S / EX or another car?

AliP

AliP

AliP

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Joined
24 Feb 2008
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68
Hey all,

I'm in the rather nice position of looking for a young used car, around the ~£13-14k mark. I'm probably after a 'warm hatch' - something with a bit of poke, but nothing that's going to damage my wallet too badly. I currently drive a C4 110bhp, so anything above that will be an upgrade :)

I've been looking at Honda Civics, they seem to be a good combination of space/reliability/economics/looks/kit. I really like the interior, it feels a generation ahead of other cars in its class.

So I'm now trying to decide between an R, an S or a 5 door EX. The R is obviously lovely, but I'm concerned about running costs. I'm 25, and while insuring it will actually be not so bad - I'm a bit concerned about the ~26->30mpg economy. I'd hate to have a beautiful car I couldn't afford to fill up regularly. I calculated that next to the 2.2 Diesel Type S (which can return ~50s mpg), the R will cost me about £1250 extra per year to run - that's quite a substantial difference.

And then there's the EX. I honestly can't see a lot of difference between the 5 doors and the S. Same horsepower, same top speed etc. The EX just seems to come with a lot more toys and a nicer cabin.

So really I'm asking, anyone had any experience of any of these cars? Give me a nudge in the right direction? Is the R 'worth' the extra pennies? I realise this is a subjective question, but still am keen to hear people's opinions.

Also, am I making a huge mistake? Is there some other car I'm missing? The A3 seems solid, but a little dull, so does a BMW 1 Series. A good 3 series is a bit out of the price range. And what is it with the golf? Why are those things so expensive?!

Any coupe that delivers reasonable mpg I'm missing?

Thanks for your help. Car hunting has me in circles....
 
Only you can really tell us whether a Type R or a diesel is more suitable, they both fulfill two totally different uses, and aren't anything alike in terms of driving! But if you're doing the sort of mileage where the Type R is going to cost £1250 MORE than the diesel to fill up, then I'd say the diesel is by far the more suitable
 
Howard said:
Only you can really tell us whether a Type R or a diesel is more suitable, they both fulfill two totally different uses, and aren't anything alike in terms of driving! But if you're doing the sort of mileage where the Type R is going to cost £1250 MORE than the diesel to fill up, then I'd say the diesel is by far the more suitable
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Sorry I should clarify, £1250 is based on increased fuel, insurance and tax. That's probably a bit of an extreme estimate actually - it might be more £1000, but it's in that range.
 
AliP said:
Sorry I should clarify, £1250 is based on increased fuel, insurance and tax. That's probably a bit of an extreme estimate actually - it might be more £1000, but it's in that range.
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Its wether or not you think £83 a month extra running costs for a fun car to drive is worth it.

I would go with the tyoe r myself!
 
I have a Type-R.

Average economy is ~29mpg, mostly town driving. If I was buying again (in the "hot" hatch market) I'd get a Golf GTI.
 
AliP said:
May I ask why? What's 'wrong' with the CTR ?
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Well, there are lots of things right about the car, but things which put me off:

- Hard ride. Car handles well, but is pretty harsh, and seems to be getting harsher with time (car is 18 months old)
- Rattles. The dash has a considerable number of rattly / buzzy bits. Has been to Honda to investigate, but they fix one and another appears.
- Power delivery. Having to redline everywhere to make good progress can be pretty darn tiring around town.
- Road noise. On the motorway I can't hear the radio unless I turn it up to distorting like levels.
- Visibility. Rear visibility is appalling. The front A-pillars also make roundabouts pretty tricky.
- Seats. Every single time you let someone in or out of the back, the seat resets to a default position. Immeasurably annoying

Feel free to ask any other questions, I do like the car, but after 18 months ownership I'm quite tired of it.
 
Fuel economy is not THAT much of an issue in a CTR, neither is servicing (do it every with a reputable dealer/specialist and the car will look after you). Tyres and brakes do get worn quickly though, and they aren't the cheapest. Those are the figures where differences are made.

The Type-R is a bit hard day to day though. I had no problem with my EP3 but I'm an enthusiast and the car came first. I would have happily done big milage but the car is meant for getting driven hard on b-roads and the track, if you're not going to use it for that then there's better choices out there like the Golf for instance.
 
Dup said:
Fuel economy is not THAT much of an issue in a CTR, neither is servicing (do it every with a reputable dealer/specialist and the car will look after you). Tyres and brakes do get worn quickly though, and they aren't the cheapest. Those are the figures where differences are made.

The Type-R is a bit hard day to day though. I had no problem with my EP3 but I'm an enthusiast and the car came first. I would have happily done big milage but the car is meant for getting driven hard on b-roads and the track, if you're not going to use it for that then there's better choices out there like the Golf for instance.
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I presumed he was talking about the FN2?
 
jamief said:
I think the rattles/road noise/visibility are all noticably worse on the FN2 though, so it's worth mentioning.
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I've only ever been in brand new ones which were still tight OK. The 2.2 diesel I borrowed had some some milage and was quite rattly however.
 
jamief said:
- Power delivery. Having to redline everywhere to make good progress can be pretty darn tiring around town.
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Hmm, I manage to drive my EP3 around town without pinging it off the limiter. Must be an FN2 design flaw. :D

/runs
 
randal24 said:
Hmm, I manage to drive my EP3 around town without pinging it off the limiter. Must be an FN2 design flaw. :D

/runs
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lol

What I mean is that until you really hit the VTEC band, you are in a fairly standard 2.0L hatchback.... it doesn't become "hot" until you hit 5700rpm or whatever it is.

Whereas with a turbocharged car (GTI for example) you are in the powerband from maybe 2k rpm :)

Depends what suits your driving style I guess.
 
jamief said:
I think the rattles/road noise/visibility are all noticably worse on the FN2 though, so it's worth mentioning.
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The visibility isn't so much a concern as I'm currently in a C4, which has a similar rear window setup. I guess you just use the wings more.

The road noise/rattles/hard ride are very concerning though. I'd like to be able to cruise up a motorway in reasonable comfort.

Thanks to all for this discussion, it's certainly eye-opening.

The golf is an option I guess, I just can't help feeling it's a little dull. Maybe that doesn't matter.

Anyone had experience with an EX or S-Type, do you know if the ride/noise is any better?

Cheers
 
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