Mcerni2212
RMS Member
- Messages
- 18
- Drives
- EP3 CTR
Intro
Right so decided I would give this a go. Felt a bit motivated after reading an awesome forum on pistonheads about a particular accord type r. Just a small experiment to see if anyone is interested, I will quickly go over the cars I have owned so far, why I got them and things like that.
2007 Honda Accord
So first car I ever drove was my dads accord which was a 2 litre k20 with 150bhp (I think). My dad had it since brand spankin' new. I always hated it because of how sluggish it was, it was huge and the soft damping & spring combination made the car feel like a retirement house on wheels. To add insult to injury, my dad drove it like a grandad, big time. That was until I got into the car for the first time... The engine has so much character its like its communicating with you, its quiet when it matters but has a tasteful whining noise that lets you know what's happening. Since the first drive in the accord, I knew I would stay on the Honda path for a long time. I drove the accord for 2-3 years, paid the full price for insurance even though I only took it on weekends to get to work.
I wanted my own car as he was very strict with how I drove it, always found myself thinking if something happens to it I'm done so I drove it like he would, veryyy slow. In the meantime, I kept looking at different cars while studying at university. This was my big dream; a nice jap car, not one that people like but one I dreamt of. Anyway, I kept the accord clean inside & went to the car wash often enough too, it was like a baby to me but I really wanted to mod it (which I couldn't). Also worth noting, I came back to look underneath the accord a year back & noticed that its got a double wishbone setup both front & rear! Now that is a capable chassis going to waste..
2011 Honda Civic Type S
I always loved the shape & look of the 2006-2011 civics (known as FN), always called them "spaceships". Every time the family seen one we would shout "spaceship" to see who noticed one first and I dreamed of the day I could have one. But I knew I would be 30 before I got a car like that!?! Well, one day came when I finished university & had to move out of university halls... That was my jumping point! I was moving out into a rented house and now needed my own car to travel. Naturally, my dad wanted me to buy and keep his accord. But from one day to another I got a loan and bought the first civic I seen for sale! It turned out to be mint, just 45,000 miles on the odometer... Man I really wish I appreciated that fact more. It was modelled in a beautiful milano red, not a hint of fade nor rust anywhere near it. Spent most its life in a garage neatly tucked away from the winters... Once again I did not understand nor appreciate this anywhere near enough! The car was just a secondary one that was used for family runs to the beach and back. But now i'm just waffling.
So I bought the car, kept it for a year and about six months. It was great, I made sooo much memories with it that Im not sure I will ever be able to replicate with any other car. I visited so many locations for the first time, got so much more freedom, learned how to navigate and drive properly. I always took great care of it and the car never came anywhere near the rev limit, and never went beyond 70mph. But the steering wheel was never quite straight. I lowered it, done some other visual mods but kept toying with the geometry because for the car to drive straight, the steering wheel had to be turned to the left. This issue just kept annoying me; after many many wheel alignments, 2 wheel balances, changed trackrod ends and even completely new tyres, I was just getting fed up & this was completely ruining my experience with the car. Not to mention the harsh suspension which literally made my head hurt and meant I had to make 2 toilet breaks on every trip to Belfast.. Even though it was a motorway...
2010 Honda cr-z Sport
So one day scrolling through UsedCarsNI I noticed a honda crz for sale... It was coming up on valentines day which meant I could use the "have to go to Belfast to take the missus out" excuse to test drive it! Booked it in & away we went! Dealer let us take the car without him which was very nice. It was great, ride was less harsh and fuel economy incredible. Three buttons for eco, normal & sport modes which changed the throttle mapping & steering weight. A beautiful interior filled with creamy white all-round, a low-slung seating position completely different to the civic and everything very refined. So I took it, even though I lost 2k in the exchange & got a car with near double mileage! D'OH! I feel really stupid now considering I could have sold it myself with a profit. The crz was great, but then the hybrid battery started cutting out... Left me stranded a few times when I went on far trips even after replacing the 12v battery. Honda got that fixed with their re-learning coding luckily but it made me doubt the car. The tyres were over 10 years old so had to get them replaced, then came brakes, lowering, engine oil etc. etc.
The door handles were on their last legs, as soon as some sunlight hit them, they would not open at all. So I had to teach my girlfriend how to open the door as to prolong their life. This got me thinking... Why the hell do I have to baby a 11 year old car just to make sure door handles don't break!?! I still loved the crz because of how it drove, the technology it offered (I was an eco freak at the time) and the economy it returned... I mean with its manual transmission I got 44-48mpg on the bi-weekly tesco drives & 50-52mpg on the motorway driving the speed limit. I kept saying to my girlfriend; I don't need nor want a type r anymore, I love the crz. It was fast enough because I never went hard in it and I said with a type r I would just be breaking the laws, but I said I needed to find a crz I can keep for long. Rust was creeping out on the one I had & it had its mileage quite high already for a hybrid powertrain.
So the search began for a GT trim crz with less miles and hopefully fewer issues... I thought I had found the one, so I went to England for two days to buy it. With just 40k miles in an awesome white colour which was what I wanted... All I wanted really. The black crz I had at the time developed unbelievable stone chips on the front which made my mind up; I will never get a black coloured car again. Well, the trip to England was not as successful as anticipated... Even though the crz was very low mileage, it also had rust creeping out, and to make matters worse, the steering wheel when straight didn't make the car go straight!! That was an instant no for me, I got flashbacks of the civic. I couldn't bear it but in the end had to walk away without a car and with one and a half day to burn through England, in depression. I thought, if a car in England with not a single mot failure looks like this, I have no chance at all...
2002 Honda Civic Type R
Im not even certain how my love for the type r began nor when... But for me the type r was where it was. If I had a type r, I knew I would finally be happy.. Every car I bought was just bringing myself that one step closer to the "R" badge. It was everything I ever wanted; high revving NA engine, superb chassis, red sporty seats and the sound of it all!
But anyway, back from England, already looking through facebook marketplace (not a good sign that). Still thinking about how my whole plan had fallen apart.... I notice an ep3 for sale, not a bad price I thought. So I read a ton of reviews about them, always thought they were tramp wagons but I thought i'll give it a go. I always wanted a type r right!?! So I book in 2 test drives, one is an ep3 and another the newer fn2 type r (spaceship)! My girlfriend was trying to discourage me from the ep3, she also had the same opinion about the ep3 as I did.
So first came the ep3, missing wheel log nuts, missing honda logos, just genuinely looked like a death trap. Then I started it up, Jesus that thing was so loud I thought I was going to go deaf, no joke! I started pushing the car a bit through the country roads and that's when I felt that spark, what a car I thought as I felt the chassis dance through the turns. But I was very cautious because the seatbelt wasn't even working, didn't grab up at all when I went forward during braking. My girlfriend freaking loved that car haha! She told me to take it... But of course this wasn't the one, too unsafe. Quick 20 minute drive and I arrived at the fn2 test drive location. Got into it, started it up... I was underwhelmed. Not to **** on the fn2, its an incredible daily weapon but its a lot more refined, a lot more gentleman-like. So quick drive through a backroad and my mind was made up. So was my girlfriends... I get back in the crz and ask what she thinks about both. She says no way are we taking the fn2! This made me laugh, we both had the exact same thoughts.
Fast forward a few days and I find a silver 2002 year ep3, I think to myself; it doesn't matter that its older, all that really matters is that its been maintained well. So I arrive there, take a look around. The engine has a fault code; Im scared because I never dealt with something like that before... Do some research & find that both the intake air sensor is missing & the sensor that sits in the cat. I take it for a drive and im a bit sceptical, the vtec isnt as crazy as it was in the first ep3. But that first one was modified quite a bit to be that loud. Im impressed though; there are LOADS of service history papers that show what has been done, this ep3 had more service history than any other car I ever owned including my dads. It has some downsides like cigarette burns in the seats and so the huge list goes on but seems quite solid. I come the next day with a mechanic and pick up the car. Transaction done. Few weeks later I get both sensors done, turns out the car is HUGELY rusty underneath. D'OH!?! I've got quite the luck don't I? Not enough research on the problems!! I was too desperate after the crz failure. So far ive got the arches done and one sill... Much more work to come. The car is still incredible but I'm becoming a bit scared, what if one day it won't be enough... I still love this car but all the problems and money ive spent to fix it is once again taking its toll on my experience with it. So far i have spent nearly 3k on repairs and maintenance.
So now another chapter begins; I find myself looking for a japanese import of either an ep3, dc5, dc2 or fd2.... I love my ep3 but im wondering if it isnt more worthy to put that money towards a proper example with less miles.
2006 Honda Jazz
Im not sure why but i've seen quite a few nice builds online of jazz' so while my ep3 stretched two teeth on the cam chain, I decided to go with this jazz on a whim as my daily! Not much to talk about, it cost me £900 & was a cheap runabout for a few months. Changed oil, filters, silicone sealed the rusty boot that leaked a river & some other small stuff. The jazz wasn't bad to drive at all, the most annoying part was.... Take a guess... Yep, the freaking steering wheel wasnt driving the car straight. Not that I cared at that price! It drove well, loved to hoon it over bumps with the soft suspension & just gave it the beans constantly without fear, the clutch was revolutionary in that it didn't make the car swing like a madman if pulled out a little too fast (looking at you ep3).
Right so decided I would give this a go. Felt a bit motivated after reading an awesome forum on pistonheads about a particular accord type r. Just a small experiment to see if anyone is interested, I will quickly go over the cars I have owned so far, why I got them and things like that.
2007 Honda Accord
So first car I ever drove was my dads accord which was a 2 litre k20 with 150bhp (I think). My dad had it since brand spankin' new. I always hated it because of how sluggish it was, it was huge and the soft damping & spring combination made the car feel like a retirement house on wheels. To add insult to injury, my dad drove it like a grandad, big time. That was until I got into the car for the first time... The engine has so much character its like its communicating with you, its quiet when it matters but has a tasteful whining noise that lets you know what's happening. Since the first drive in the accord, I knew I would stay on the Honda path for a long time. I drove the accord for 2-3 years, paid the full price for insurance even though I only took it on weekends to get to work.
I wanted my own car as he was very strict with how I drove it, always found myself thinking if something happens to it I'm done so I drove it like he would, veryyy slow. In the meantime, I kept looking at different cars while studying at university. This was my big dream; a nice jap car, not one that people like but one I dreamt of. Anyway, I kept the accord clean inside & went to the car wash often enough too, it was like a baby to me but I really wanted to mod it (which I couldn't). Also worth noting, I came back to look underneath the accord a year back & noticed that its got a double wishbone setup both front & rear! Now that is a capable chassis going to waste..
2011 Honda Civic Type S
I always loved the shape & look of the 2006-2011 civics (known as FN), always called them "spaceships". Every time the family seen one we would shout "spaceship" to see who noticed one first and I dreamed of the day I could have one. But I knew I would be 30 before I got a car like that!?! Well, one day came when I finished university & had to move out of university halls... That was my jumping point! I was moving out into a rented house and now needed my own car to travel. Naturally, my dad wanted me to buy and keep his accord. But from one day to another I got a loan and bought the first civic I seen for sale! It turned out to be mint, just 45,000 miles on the odometer... Man I really wish I appreciated that fact more. It was modelled in a beautiful milano red, not a hint of fade nor rust anywhere near it. Spent most its life in a garage neatly tucked away from the winters... Once again I did not understand nor appreciate this anywhere near enough! The car was just a secondary one that was used for family runs to the beach and back. But now i'm just waffling.
So I bought the car, kept it for a year and about six months. It was great, I made sooo much memories with it that Im not sure I will ever be able to replicate with any other car. I visited so many locations for the first time, got so much more freedom, learned how to navigate and drive properly. I always took great care of it and the car never came anywhere near the rev limit, and never went beyond 70mph. But the steering wheel was never quite straight. I lowered it, done some other visual mods but kept toying with the geometry because for the car to drive straight, the steering wheel had to be turned to the left. This issue just kept annoying me; after many many wheel alignments, 2 wheel balances, changed trackrod ends and even completely new tyres, I was just getting fed up & this was completely ruining my experience with the car. Not to mention the harsh suspension which literally made my head hurt and meant I had to make 2 toilet breaks on every trip to Belfast.. Even though it was a motorway...
2010 Honda cr-z Sport
So one day scrolling through UsedCarsNI I noticed a honda crz for sale... It was coming up on valentines day which meant I could use the "have to go to Belfast to take the missus out" excuse to test drive it! Booked it in & away we went! Dealer let us take the car without him which was very nice. It was great, ride was less harsh and fuel economy incredible. Three buttons for eco, normal & sport modes which changed the throttle mapping & steering weight. A beautiful interior filled with creamy white all-round, a low-slung seating position completely different to the civic and everything very refined. So I took it, even though I lost 2k in the exchange & got a car with near double mileage! D'OH! I feel really stupid now considering I could have sold it myself with a profit. The crz was great, but then the hybrid battery started cutting out... Left me stranded a few times when I went on far trips even after replacing the 12v battery. Honda got that fixed with their re-learning coding luckily but it made me doubt the car. The tyres were over 10 years old so had to get them replaced, then came brakes, lowering, engine oil etc. etc.
The door handles were on their last legs, as soon as some sunlight hit them, they would not open at all. So I had to teach my girlfriend how to open the door as to prolong their life. This got me thinking... Why the hell do I have to baby a 11 year old car just to make sure door handles don't break!?! I still loved the crz because of how it drove, the technology it offered (I was an eco freak at the time) and the economy it returned... I mean with its manual transmission I got 44-48mpg on the bi-weekly tesco drives & 50-52mpg on the motorway driving the speed limit. I kept saying to my girlfriend; I don't need nor want a type r anymore, I love the crz. It was fast enough because I never went hard in it and I said with a type r I would just be breaking the laws, but I said I needed to find a crz I can keep for long. Rust was creeping out on the one I had & it had its mileage quite high already for a hybrid powertrain.
So the search began for a GT trim crz with less miles and hopefully fewer issues... I thought I had found the one, so I went to England for two days to buy it. With just 40k miles in an awesome white colour which was what I wanted... All I wanted really. The black crz I had at the time developed unbelievable stone chips on the front which made my mind up; I will never get a black coloured car again. Well, the trip to England was not as successful as anticipated... Even though the crz was very low mileage, it also had rust creeping out, and to make matters worse, the steering wheel when straight didn't make the car go straight!! That was an instant no for me, I got flashbacks of the civic. I couldn't bear it but in the end had to walk away without a car and with one and a half day to burn through England, in depression. I thought, if a car in England with not a single mot failure looks like this, I have no chance at all...
2002 Honda Civic Type R
Im not even certain how my love for the type r began nor when... But for me the type r was where it was. If I had a type r, I knew I would finally be happy.. Every car I bought was just bringing myself that one step closer to the "R" badge. It was everything I ever wanted; high revving NA engine, superb chassis, red sporty seats and the sound of it all!
But anyway, back from England, already looking through facebook marketplace (not a good sign that). Still thinking about how my whole plan had fallen apart.... I notice an ep3 for sale, not a bad price I thought. So I read a ton of reviews about them, always thought they were tramp wagons but I thought i'll give it a go. I always wanted a type r right!?! So I book in 2 test drives, one is an ep3 and another the newer fn2 type r (spaceship)! My girlfriend was trying to discourage me from the ep3, she also had the same opinion about the ep3 as I did.
So first came the ep3, missing wheel log nuts, missing honda logos, just genuinely looked like a death trap. Then I started it up, Jesus that thing was so loud I thought I was going to go deaf, no joke! I started pushing the car a bit through the country roads and that's when I felt that spark, what a car I thought as I felt the chassis dance through the turns. But I was very cautious because the seatbelt wasn't even working, didn't grab up at all when I went forward during braking. My girlfriend freaking loved that car haha! She told me to take it... But of course this wasn't the one, too unsafe. Quick 20 minute drive and I arrived at the fn2 test drive location. Got into it, started it up... I was underwhelmed. Not to **** on the fn2, its an incredible daily weapon but its a lot more refined, a lot more gentleman-like. So quick drive through a backroad and my mind was made up. So was my girlfriends... I get back in the crz and ask what she thinks about both. She says no way are we taking the fn2! This made me laugh, we both had the exact same thoughts.
Fast forward a few days and I find a silver 2002 year ep3, I think to myself; it doesn't matter that its older, all that really matters is that its been maintained well. So I arrive there, take a look around. The engine has a fault code; Im scared because I never dealt with something like that before... Do some research & find that both the intake air sensor is missing & the sensor that sits in the cat. I take it for a drive and im a bit sceptical, the vtec isnt as crazy as it was in the first ep3. But that first one was modified quite a bit to be that loud. Im impressed though; there are LOADS of service history papers that show what has been done, this ep3 had more service history than any other car I ever owned including my dads. It has some downsides like cigarette burns in the seats and so the huge list goes on but seems quite solid. I come the next day with a mechanic and pick up the car. Transaction done. Few weeks later I get both sensors done, turns out the car is HUGELY rusty underneath. D'OH!?! I've got quite the luck don't I? Not enough research on the problems!! I was too desperate after the crz failure. So far ive got the arches done and one sill... Much more work to come. The car is still incredible but I'm becoming a bit scared, what if one day it won't be enough... I still love this car but all the problems and money ive spent to fix it is once again taking its toll on my experience with it. So far i have spent nearly 3k on repairs and maintenance.
So now another chapter begins; I find myself looking for a japanese import of either an ep3, dc5, dc2 or fd2.... I love my ep3 but im wondering if it isnt more worthy to put that money towards a proper example with less miles.
2006 Honda Jazz
Im not sure why but i've seen quite a few nice builds online of jazz' so while my ep3 stretched two teeth on the cam chain, I decided to go with this jazz on a whim as my daily! Not much to talk about, it cost me £900 & was a cheap runabout for a few months. Changed oil, filters, silicone sealed the rusty boot that leaked a river & some other small stuff. The jazz wasn't bad to drive at all, the most annoying part was.... Take a guess... Yep, the freaking steering wheel wasnt driving the car straight. Not that I cared at that price! It drove well, loved to hoon it over bumps with the soft suspension & just gave it the beans constantly without fear, the clutch was revolutionary in that it didn't make the car swing like a madman if pulled out a little too fast (looking at you ep3).
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