Hi all, I have had my lovely car for nearly 3 years now and im getting itchy feet, really considering an old shape civic type r, now they are obviously some downsides to the move, fuel (although i only do a 5 mile round trip to work), comfort, lack of traction control, and the image. Plenty of bonus's too, the engine characteristics, the reliability ( i big plus for me), the smooth engine, fairly cheap to buy now the new one is out. Now my main concern is I really dont want to be looked upon as a stereotypical type r driver and this is the thing thats really bugging me, my car is subtle and i think has quite a good image (as do the people who drive them) Whats everyones thoughts on my deliberation? I dont want a vrs v typr r response as we are all well aware of each cars performance stats, just if you think it would be a good move and if the image is not as bad as i think. cheers all. ps- if i had a civic it would be kept completely standard so it wont look like a chaved up one and ideally previously owned by a retired couple who never abused it (i know wishful thinking)

To be fair, there's probably not much more difference in the bodywork and trim between a CTR and a Civic and a vRS and a Fabia / Octavia. Sill trims, I suppose, but we're not talking the difference between an Evo and a Lancer! The ultimate 'Q car' IME is the Corolla T-Sport - there really is nothing between it and a standard one other than the spoiler! I've no idea what they're like to drive, mind...

Do it!

Then strap a supercharger to it!

Do it!

Then strap a supercharger to it!

Why just strap one on when you can build your own!

Personally, If presented the opportunity of a type r i'd take it

Screw what other people think. I personally don't have a single grudge against type r's, and I'm far from a chav

Confused_Cheese, thanks this is the sort of answer i was hoping for, i possibly care too much about what others think, in my opinion i want a good quality car that is entertaining and easy to drive, unfortunately the Civic has a bit of a following from the baseball hat wearing fraternity, i should just ignore that and go for what I want i suppose...

my brother had own one of these, and i must say what a great car it is. If i had the choice i would go for type-r, i just love the sound of that v-tec!! One of the best engine sounds ever to be built by man!

Driven a couple of these , to be honest i dont give a fig about perceived image , its a car , it suits you or it doesnt.

If it does the things you need and you like it , then buy 1.

However the lack of torque just killed it stone dead for me , had a revo'd cupra r at the time and the ease of use was brilliant if you were just driving around ,as tbh , most of the time you are you didnt need to change down 3 gears to get anywhere, particularly on a motorway.

Cars have to do the job in the way you want or you get rid really quickly in my experience and the ctr was too narrow in its focus .

However if you like the way it does what it does , just do it.

Pete, thank you, on the torque note (i know it has probably been covered elsewhere) is it THAT slow under the vtec, for example would it be nippier than the vrs without strangling it?

Thanks

Pete, thank you, on the torque note (i know it has probably been covered elsewhere) is it THAT slow under the vtec, for example would it be nippier than the vrs without strangling it?

Thanks

Try 1 and see , try and take it on roads you know , there really good when your up for it but a bit wearing in everyday use.

Tried a s2000 as well and hated it tbh.

Good cars and well sorted , but it doesnt do what i want it to do frankly, each to there own but i like torquey cars, my vrs is revoed and its just good everywhere , when i drive like my granny and when i want to press on it just works over a broader spectrum, which is the point really for me .

Basically, it's two engines - a 130bhp one below 5500rpm, and a 200bhp one above that. Being 16v petrol, it gets its power from high revs / low torque, so will be completely different to drive than the low revs / high torque diesel Fabia. Not a reason to dismiss it out-of-hand, but it is worth considering on a test-drive...

Whatever you do, do not keep changing up at 3,500rpm on the test drive!

I'd definitely have a Type R, I love them. Not a big fan of the old shape Civic compared to the new one but the old shape Type R looks awesome. Forget the baseball cap wearing idiots mate - get one and don't worry.

Truly a great sounding motor that sends shivers down your spine when it comes on song... One thing to look out for, Aircon was an optional extra and you will pay more for one that has it. What with all that glass and large front screen aircon would be a must-have in my book.

Don't let the image thing worry you, otherwise the chavs have won!

Try 1 and see , try and take it on roads you know , there really good when your up for it but a bit wearing in everyday use.

Tried a s2000 as well and hated it tbh.

Good cars and well sorted , but it doesnt do what i want it to do frankly, each to there own but i like torquey cars, my vrs is revoed and its just good everywhere , when i drive like my granny and when i want to press on it just works over a broader spectrum, which is the point really for me .

I'm with pete on this one. I know that I am used to massive amounts of torque but my experience is the same as pete's. I can drive around all day long at normal speeds with no issues whatsoever. In fact it is quite pleasant. The car obviusly never feels sluggish but it is just amazing the amount of pull you get when driving fast due to it being a turbo diesel. Go with your gut on this one but only after test driving a Type R. Have you thought about remapping your car (if you already haven't)? It will make it a different car to drive and will most definately restore your love affair with your vRS.

I would class them as quick, far from fast. If your only doing 5 miles why not get an Evo 6 or something? way more fun imo!

While not a Civic, my Integra is an absolute hoot to drive! Whilst I agree it's not an everyone car and sometimes a more relaxed drive would be nice one thing I can vouch for is that you'll never, ever have a boring drive :-) I never understood all the talk about VTEC until I tried it for myself and if the Civic's engine not is anything like the 'Teg's then it'll be sweet to listen to every time it comes on song!

It's a totally different beast to the Fabia though, if you like the lazy power delivery of the diesel, and driving to the supermarket is more up your alley than driving round a track then I say keep the Fabia.

if you like the lazy power delivery of the diesel, and driving to the supermarket is more up your alley than driving round a track then I say keep the Fabia.

That's exactly why I bought a vRS!

I did think about getting a Type-R (old shape) as they're cracking cars but feel I'm past the stage of going round corners on the door handles. Mind you, a guy I work with has one and he's 58!!

Unfortunately, as they get older and cheaper they can fall into the 'wrong' hands. However, it wouldn't make my chav chariot top ten, which would include the blindingly obvious Saxo VTR / VTS, Clio Renaultsport 172 / 182, MG ZR / Rover 25, Fester Zetec S / ST, Corsa (any model - and I seriously looked at a VXR!!), C2 GT / VTR / VTS, Peugeot 106 Rallye / GTI, Vauxhall Vectra SRi (original shape)...

Edited 8 December, 200916 yr by Wee Bri

The sad thing about your list is it is probably almost exact. I can say that I have owned one or two of them as well as wanting one or two of them in my early driving days. This doesn't stop a couple of them being fairly iconic cars and I'm sure that someone will be along soon to dispute what I am saying here but the Rallye is a legend in its own right. I also have a lot of time for the 106 GTI and (god forgive me) the VTS was originally a bit of a legend for it's power/weight ratio although was ruined almost immediately by it's built in chav magnet which was factory fitted by citroen as standard.

The VTS was originally a bit of a legend for it's power/weight ratio although was ruined almost immediately by it's built in chav magnet which was factory fitted by citroen as standard.

I too like most of the cars mentioned, but would never dream of owning one (or be able to afford it!)

Got to hand it to Citroen though, it is good marketing, espeacilly as the C2 followed on from the Saxo quite well with the chavs/modifiers.

Back to the OP, if you like the car, thats all that counts. The people that know should know your not a chav (I assume) and those who don't know you, have no impact on you. If you don't drive like a twit, then theres no reason why people should hold the car against you. At the end of the day, it's your money, and if someone won't make time for you based purely on your car, are they really worth knowing? Just my 2pence worth.

Hi everyone, thanks for all the great replies, i have considered the type r for a long time, but in my opinion having read loads of reviews (but admittingly not having had a test drive) i feel the car would be a little tiresome to drive, i would love it as a weekend car but sat in traffic winding it up to get anywhere would not be ideal, i think i will be looking at the old s3 or a octy vrs petrol (2.0) they have a great blend of torque and power from what ive read.

Thanks all

Hi everyone, thanks for all the great replies, i have considered the type r for a long time, but in my opinion having read loads of reviews (but admittingly not having had a test drive) i feel the car would be a little tiresome to drive, i would love it as a weekend car but sat in traffic winding it up to get anywhere would not be ideal, i think i will be looking at the old s3 or a octy vrs petrol (2.0) they have a great blend of torque and power from what ive read.

Thanks all

Good lad , where are you , if your close enough you can have a run in mine , i love it lots

S3 ftw

Honda Civic TypeR is a world away from the Fabia VRS, sorry Fabia left in it's dust.