I have owned a Honda Civic Type R (2005 Model) for around six months now. I had many concerns about the car before buying it, however not one of these concerns still hangs over my ownership. I chose to buy a red example, but this is personal preference.
I was concerned about the road noise of the car, given the stiff suspension and low profile tyres, as I do a fair amount of motorway miles. So far, I've barely noticed. I don't find the road noise too intrusive, only on the most harsh of road surfaces. Even then, the sweet engine note is more than enough compensation.
The hard suspension is a bit of an issue over speed bumps - not to the point that you hear bottoming out noises, but it will certainly throw you around if you don't slow down. The low-set stance of the car has also caused me to scrape my front splitter (lower bumper) on some kerbs while parking. Be careful!
I love the drive - when you hit the i-VTEC (at just below 6000 rpm), the engine comes alive, and the speed of the car really becomes apparent. It's not the fastest car on the road, but it's still got the grunt to surprise me after six months and ten thousand miles.
Another concern I had was when I read that some people had troubles with the drive on thier commute. I have found that this is not the case. In fact, I found this car easier to live with day-to-day than an old turbo-charged hot-hatch I owned (Gti) - this is due to the Honda i-VTEC kicking in at 6000 rpm, hence you can easliy drive in traffic to 4000 rpm and the engine is quite passive and easy to use.
Choosing to buy a 2005 Civic Type-R today, you must consider that the shape has now been updated. A good friend of mine has recently purchased a 2008 shape - it has to be said that the new shape car's interior is far nicer that the 2005 shape. The racing seats are awesome (although they are more awesome in the newer version). The interior of the 2005 shape is, however comparable to it's competitors in the same price range, and, although basic - it is really well built.
My car has been driven hard, although not excessively - and I have changed my oil once in six months (and will probably do so again very soon). Due to the nature of the engine, the car will require topping up regularly (maybe once a month, depending on how hard you drive) and I would recommend an oil change once every five to six thousand miles - factor this in when thinking about running costs.
Also, the car does like to drink petrol. On a full tank of fuel (approx £55-£60) I will get arounf 250 miles of mixed driving (some motorway, some easy town-driving, some 'fun' driving) - closer to 300 miles driving carefully, closer to 200 miles if I was to really go for it.
Running costs should also consider tyres - the Bridgestone Potenza's are between £80-£100, depending on where you go.
As a whole, the car is a dream to drive. In my opinion nothing in it's class betters it. There may be more powerful hot-hatches, there my be more flashy hot-hatches, - but the CivicType-R is the best value, as it provides the Jekyl and Hyde thrills with good looks and very reliable build quality. I found that I have become very passionate about my ownership of my Type-R; I have also found that I exchange nods and 'thumbs up' with complete strangers that are also Type-R drivers on the road! I can't describe it, but I would recommend at the very least test-driving one before you buy any alternative!
Thanks for reading my review.
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