Civic Type R, new owner questions
Discussion
I am after some advice.
I currently have an 03 Ibiza TDI, And looking at a 2004+ Civic Type R (EP3).
I posted on the Civic forum about what the cars are to live with day to day but people just banged on about you dont notice this and that as you just drive it hard. So just wondering if i could get any input from people off here.
Whats the build quality like with the interior, Any rattles, bangs or squeks.
Whats engine noise like inside the cabin when just driving around without using the VTEC, Reason i ask is i am fed up with the noise of the diesal engine being more than noticable in the cabin.
Any other bits would be great!
Luke
I currently have an 03 Ibiza TDI, And looking at a 2004+ Civic Type R (EP3).
I posted on the Civic forum about what the cars are to live with day to day but people just banged on about you dont notice this and that as you just drive it hard. So just wondering if i could get any input from people off here.
Whats the build quality like with the interior, Any rattles, bangs or squeks.
Whats engine noise like inside the cabin when just driving around without using the VTEC, Reason i ask is i am fed up with the noise of the diesal engine being more than noticable in the cabin.
Any other bits would be great!
Luke
I think its pretty quiet when just driving normally, i would say 80% of the noise is wind and tyre noise !
If your on the motorways a lot its not ideal but normal daily driving as i do its not too bad on petrol.
As for driving it hard everywhere its a load of crap, your either on it or not, this car does both brilliantly imo, but its fast enough when just pootling about as most people do, drop a few cogs and floor it and if you don't smile then you don't have a soul
But yeah a test drive may help.
If your on the motorways a lot its not ideal but normal daily driving as i do its not too bad on petrol.
As for driving it hard everywhere its a load of crap, your either on it or not, this car does both brilliantly imo, but its fast enough when just pootling about as most people do, drop a few cogs and floor it and if you don't smile then you don't have a soul
But yeah a test drive may help.
interior can have the odd squeak and rattle, but no worse than most other 6 year old hatchbacks
If currently on standard bridgestones, tyre noise can be a bit wearing. Switch for other tyres and it's not that bad. The engine is pretty quiet around town.
Engine is bulletproof as long as you keep the oil topped up. They can use oil quickly, but not all do. Honda's acceptable spec is something like 1 liter every 1000km (600 miles). Mine was nowhere near that bad.
Keep an ear out for knocks from suspension/steering. Top mounts can come loose. Steering racks can start to knock at any time.
Various common engine rattles due to heatshields. Outlet mani and iVTEC cover mainly. Also driveshaft heatshields can rattle. Take these off and you'll have no problem.
Get one with aircon as the outlet mani is against the bulkhead and the cabin gets hot in summer.
If currently on standard bridgestones, tyre noise can be a bit wearing. Switch for other tyres and it's not that bad. The engine is pretty quiet around town.
Engine is bulletproof as long as you keep the oil topped up. They can use oil quickly, but not all do. Honda's acceptable spec is something like 1 liter every 1000km (600 miles). Mine was nowhere near that bad.
Keep an ear out for knocks from suspension/steering. Top mounts can come loose. Steering racks can start to knock at any time.
Various common engine rattles due to heatshields. Outlet mani and iVTEC cover mainly. Also driveshaft heatshields can rattle. Take these off and you'll have no problem.
Get one with aircon as the outlet mani is against the bulkhead and the cabin gets hot in summer.
Engine noise/refinement is fine. I drove from Hemel Hempstead up to Mallaig (nr Fort William) and back over the course of 2 days, which is over 1,100 miles and the car was fine. Nice and quiet on the M1/M6 when cruising and very good fun on the A72 across Rannoch Moor.
Good car for the money, but I discovered I'm not a fan of FWD so sold it after a year.
PS - The most annoying thing about the whole car is the lever to move tilt the front seats forward: when you puch the seats back they go into an upright position and you've got to fiddle again to get comfy! Still, if that's as bad as it gets...
Good car for the money, but I discovered I'm not a fan of FWD so sold it after a year.
PS - The most annoying thing about the whole car is the lever to move tilt the front seats forward: when you puch the seats back they go into an upright position and you've got to fiddle again to get comfy! Still, if that's as bad as it gets...
I did 125,000 miles in mine over 23 months. It's not particularly noisy and the engine is far smoother at tickover right through the rev-range than a four pot diesel, so that shouldn't be an issue. It is relatively low geared though, so making progress on the motorway you will have to get used to hovering towards and beyond a reasonable RPM a lot of the time.
What you would notice, coming from a turbo diesel, is how tractable it is from very low revs at town speeds. It'll pull in second from standstill uphill and pottle along at 30mph in 4th or 5th without complaining. Yes, to commit to overtakes you're going to have to change gear, but the resultant pace and noise is something you're either going to love or tire of quickly.
What you would notice, coming from a turbo diesel, is how tractable it is from very low revs at town speeds. It'll pull in second from standstill uphill and pottle along at 30mph in 4th or 5th without complaining. Yes, to commit to overtakes you're going to have to change gear, but the resultant pace and noise is something you're either going to love or tire of quickly.
my brother in law has left me his 2004 ctr while hes away for a couple of months and im using it as my daily driver at the moment. its a great car, not too loud on the motorway, yes the ride is a touch on the stiff side but what do you expect? it goes well, handles nicely and is easy to drive quickly. theres no rattles or squeaks from the interior and the build quality is very close to my s2000. personally i could live with one as my permanent daily drive if i didnt need a diesel due to the miles i do
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