Thinking about a Civic Type-R

[Vanilla]

Well, an M3 is too much to run. Petrol isn't a problem (fuel card) but the service and insurance is.

M3 - would put down extra for it but the insurance and services are a killer
RX8 - Lovely car, lacks the grunt I think. Would have to spen 15k to get a good un.

So i'm thinking of plonking down 11-13k on a Civic type-r. This kinda cash could net me a 2004 or a 2005 model if I wait a while. Both would be facelift models. My insurance would be £1400 but that is expected.

I did consider the DC5 Integra because they look lovely but I don't like the fact they are all imports and my money would only get me a 2002 model!

Been reading lots of CTR forums and am liking it more and more by the day.

So, I know there are a few CTR owners on here - how are you finidng the CTR?

 

[Vanilla]

I don't know much about the CTR, but have you considered a 330i? £11-13k should get you a good example.

hmm yeah, it is a possibility (330ci), I have thought about it but whenever I see the 330ci I can't help think 'nice, but it's not an M3'.

That's not the '330 is a poor mans BMW' mentality but just the fact I like the M3!

 

[Vanilla]

£1400? How old are you? Mine is £890FC and I have 0ncb (25yo).

As for my CTR; I love it to bits, I walk to work in the week so it's just a bit of a weekend toy really so it only gets driven hard and hasn't missed a beat since I bought it.

I've been thinking about selling recently (just for more power) so have been on a number of test drives but nothing has struck me as being as much fun as the CTR so far, the gearbox and engine really are a match made in heaven imo.

I'm 24 (25 in less than a month). I have 2 years NCB. I live in London

When I did my insurance quotes I lsaid I was 25 just to simulate the cost. SO my quote of £1400 is me being 25 with 2 years NCB.

 

[Vanilla]

I can see what he's saying though, the CTR is the top of the performance range for the civic and the M3 is the top of the performance range for the 3 series so getting the 330i would be a compromise of sorts.

Not sure I'd choose the jap crap over the beamer though

Kinda, I love the M3 and it would be the only and first BMW i'd have. SO rather than getting a BMW and being disappointed or getting bored with them i'd rather jump ship to a totally differnt ship (VTEC) and come back to my beloved ////M later on.

 

[Vanilla]

...but you have to admit the Type-R cabin is sexy. With that console mounted gear shift, the double din HU space allowing for a nice screen, etc.

 

[Vanilla]

I'm confused about the comments on the M3. In the opening thread Vanilla commented that he thought the servicing and insurance would be the killer on the M3. Didn't mention the cost to buy at all.
I can see his point. An older M3 will almost certainly cost a LOT more to service and maintain, that's assuming that it doesn't suffer from reliability issues such as a failed set of vanos (not unknown apparently).
So on pure cost grounds, the CTR makes a lot of sense.
Excluding that, it is still the best fwd hot hatch I've yet driven, though I couldn't compare it to an M3, never driven an M3.

I would have been prepared to trump up 15-20k for a newer style M3.

The only off putting thing would have been the servicing often up to a grand a time) and the insurance was very high.

 

[Vanilla]

That would get you an E46 M3 with reasonable milage.

Personally, i say go for the M3.

Money would be too much. A grand on servicing, another grand extra on insurance (over the Type-R), more expensive to fix, etc.