Other cars 350Z to Type S Diesel

[MarkW]

Hi All , First post here.

I currently drive a 350Z which I love, but i have made a new years resolution to be more sensible with money and it does cost a fair bit to run so am thinking of changing to something more sensible.

Ive always liked Jap Cars, and the design of the Civic since it came out. I test drove a 5 door 2.2 ES last year and quite liked it but there were a few things that diappointed me. I cant see the point of me going for a Type R as it wont save me that much and will be a drop in performance.

Therefore the 2.2 Type S GT seems a good compromise with its sportier looks and handling, good equipment spec, resonable price, lower insurance and decent fuel economy. Especially with a set of 18" and a few other bits and bobs.

The 350Z has got a high spec as standard, so I am looking for a car with all the gadgets if possible. The Civic is better than most in this resect, but im disappointed thst you dont get xenons/leather/cd changer etc etc

Only others im considering at the moment are Golf GT TDI, 320d, but german cars are even dearer and more miserly with spec. Im not going to go down the Ford/Vauxhall/Renault/Peugeot route for a private purchase as these are predominantly fleet cars and depreciation disasters.

Are there any other cars out there i should be considering? (love Alfas, but not brave enough to buy one). Dont mind the Seat Leon but HATE the interior! Am looking second hand, budget around £15k

I've read the fuel economy doesnt live up to the figures, but as long as I can get 40-45mpg, I will halve my fuel costs anyway.

Anyone else downsized from a dearer/faster car and regretted it / been happy with it?

Cheers

[Type S Bournemouth]

I went from a Honda Accord 3.0L V6 to the 2.2 Civic Type S GT and dont regret it.

I just couldnt afford to keep running the Accord as much as i loved it.

The 2.2 diesel though is pretty quick anyway and is much less to run. i average around 40mpg which isnt as much as Honda quote but still better than the 22mpg i got from Accord.

[Dimplyred]

Hi Mark, welcome to civinfo. I think Pottsy ( the guy who runs this site ) had a 350Z before he had his 2.2 EX. So he'll probably have something to say on the subject.

[DeanFYoung]

What is it about the ES that disappointed you?

Have you considered the Volvo C30?? Spec wise, you also get a lot as standard, particularly if you go up to the SE varient.
I looked briefly at this and the S40 when choosing mine, but they were too expense on contract hire but I did notice that used values of nearly new were quite good.

But to re-plug the Civic, its a great car, you won't be disappointed

Hope this helps!

[MickJ]

Go for it! Last year I had 2 350Z's in the space of about 3 months, 1 350Z GT and a GT4 loved them both, but found only having 2 seats awkward at times so we bought a Type R which we both love although you will never beat the exhaust note of a Zed the 'R' is very addictive, one point this is not the time of year to sell a Zed and a Honda dealer will only put it to trade if you try to part ex, I sold mine back to the Nissan dealership I bought it from.

[Maquis73]

I have just moved from a Mini Cooper S to a Civic Type S GT - not as big of a drop in power as you would have but a drop all the same - I was getting about 21-22mpg out of the Cooper S and I am now getting 38-40mpg on my journey to work.

I am loving the Civic - It handles well - better than I thought it would and it the diesel engine has plenty of torque so pulls well.

I say go for it. I changed for the same reasons as you are - I want to save money.

[illegalhunter]

Wow what a step down in performance , welcome to the madhouse

[slick]

i went from an MR2 Roadster (with a tweeked engine) to the Type S GT diesel. am really happy with the choice. have been getting into the 50 mpg margin, but my drive to work is a traffic riddled 40 mile od dual carriage way. i would defo consider getting it remapped, have heard it makes the car transform. but as standard i've been happy.

amd like you i did it to save money.

[MarkW]

Wow...thanks for all the replies. Quite an active forum you have here. I do hang out on 350z Owners Club for FREE - UK Forum, FREE UK Owners Club, News, Gallery, Events, and More from time to time and they are are good bunch over there too.

To answer some questions,

Dean - dislikes on the ES were softish suspension, over light steering, high up MPV like feel, lowish spec and bland looks. To be honest they would apply to most cars coming from the 350Z. I havent driven a Type S yet (plan to do so tomorrow) but it addresses most of those issues and the others (eg driving position) I would get used to hopefully.
Hadnt considered the volvo, cant say I like the looks of the C30 tho. A mate has the diesel S40 tho and is quite a nice motor with leather and the cool floating centre console.
MickJ - Mines a GT4. Had it 18 months and love it, but nearly all my driving is urban traffic and speed cameras everwhere and hardly ever get a chance to use the power these days so whats the point?
Maquis73 - my g/f has a cooper S, which is great but thirsty too as you say.
Slick - I would definately consider remapping. I used to have an A4 2.5TDi Quattro and had it remapped from 180 to 210bhp by AMD which made a difference.

One downer on the Civic Type S GT, is that prices of 1 year old cars seem too high. There are none for private sale, and dealers are all £15k+ which for a one year old car (£16.5 new?)is not showing much depreciation. I never keep cars more than a couple of years and try to avoid big depreciation hits.

[Maquis73]

Originally Posted by MarkW

One downer on the Civic Type S GT, is that prices of 1 year old cars seem too high. There are none for private sale, and dealers are all £15k+ which for a one year old car (£16.5 new?)is not showing much depreciation. I never keep cars more than a couple of years and try to avoid big depreciation hits.

Hi Mark

The Type S GT I-Ctdi's start at 17,500 new without any extras. I just bought a 4 month old demonstrator from my local dealer for £15,700 - this is with 18" Blade Alloys, Front and Rear Splitter, Spoiler and Bluetooth Phone kit. You will find that you will be able to get the dealer to drop their prices as long as you haggle a bit.

Tony

[MickJ]

I found a 07 plate at Motorhouse with under 8k miles for £14999

The Motorhouse :: The Original Car Supermarket :: 1000s of Cheap Cars

[MarkW]

Thanks Guys

My mistake, if the GT is £17500 new, then I could live with £15k for a nearly new one.

My fav spec is black with blade alloys and image pack at the moment.

My local dealer has this one in stock. Looks very nice. He told me on the phone it is £19k (still to dear), but look at the price on the net!

ListersGroup.co.uk - Your Chosen Used Honda Civic

Have got a test drive booked for tomorrow in a bog std GT with Satnav. (Up for £17995 ) Will let you know how I get on

[slick]

i got mine about 2 weeks ago, was an 07 plate with 1800 on the clock. got it serviced, and a full tank of fuel for £14700. have a look at holdcroft honda, they're up in stoke on trent, and it was a bot of a trek for me from suffolf, but well worth the saving.

my local honda couldn't even come close.

i believe that holdcroft are linked with this forum, and they do alot of parts sales on ebay as well.

[Maquis73]

Originally Posted by MarkW

My local dealer has this one in stock. Looks very nice. He told me on the phone it is £19k (still to dear), but look at the price on the net!

ListersGroup.co.uk - Your Chosen Used Honda Civic

Have got a test drive booked for tomorrow in a bog std GT with Satnav. (Up for £17995 ) Will let you know how I get on

I cant believe they are asking £19,000 for that one - yes it has Type R alloys and is Colour Coded but it is not that much different to mine. Mine had 5468 miles on the clock - even if this one has Sat Nat it shouldn't be that much - and the £21,000 displayed on the website is just crazy anyone would think that they don't really want to sell it.

I am not sure but it is more than likely a demonstrator like mine - they are used by workers in Swindon - they do between 5000 and 6000 miles in them and then they are sold to dealers quite cheap - I asked my dealer how they could offer mine so cheap and they said that they had got a good deal on it. Looks like Listers are trying to get as much as possible for this one.

[FWH]

Welcome!

Regarding the fuel, have a look at the fuel economy survey here:
http://www.civinfo.com/forum/survey.php

[Pottsy]

MarkW,

You'll get on well with the Civic, I suspect. I'd strongly recommend getting a remap of some description done, and then the 2.2 engine and gearbox are a real pleasure (my 3 favourite engines are the 2.2, the Z engine and 993 engine).

[MarkW]

Hi All, here are my thoughts after my test drive on Saturday.

Just as we arrived it started to rain. The sales guy went to get the car - it was the red one in the link (now 'reduced' to £20k on the website) not the silver one he mentioned on the phone.

This is an S GT (non sat nav), with Type-R wheels, Image pack, Rear Spoiler, Fully Colour coded and dark rear tints. Must admit it looked good. My only thoughts were it needs a Type-R grille, and lowering. Even 18"s look small in those wheel arches.

As we drove off we were in torrential hail, followed by rain so not the ideal test drive conditions and didnt really get to push it. The sales guy drove for a while, then me, then my girlfriend.

First the negatives - The rear visibility is worse than the 350Z which is saying something. The split rear screen reminds me of a Merc C230 coupe my ex had. I dont know how I would get on without a rear wash wipe, how dirty does the rear screen get? I dont like the fact you cant see the bonnet at all, and due to how steeply the windscreen is raked it does feel un-car like to me in a tratitional way. I dont know if I would just get used to this or if it would bother me. I also noticed on the trip computer it showed 27.8mpg, so whoever is driving it must be giving it some and Im surprised it would drop below 35ish at all. My A4 2.5TDi never went below low thirties even when pressing on.

Now the positives - I love the shape and the interior styling. The seats felt comfortable (I have a bad back) and I liked the cloth/alcantara coverings. I thought it drove well, excellent gearbox, the steering felt better than the 5 door i drove previously if a little light, and the torque from 2000rpm pulled well. In fact from 2000-4000rpm I would say it feels as fast as the 350Z. The diffference being the Z has another 3500rpm before it runs out of steam! Apart from idle, it doesnt sound diesel like at all which is a good thing.
The gadget list is great - steering audio controls, cruise, the independent temperature control on the passenger door is a good idea as is the one touch window. I didnt realise the CD player did MP3s - so Im not bothered it hasnt got a CD changer now. Plus folding mirrors, panoramic roof, auto lights/wipers, start button etc.

My girlfriend wasnt that keen unfortunately, she didnt like the rear view or the fact you cant see the bonnet. She liked the gears and steering though which she said were better than her Cooper S, plus the climate etc as she always likes to be warmer than me. She was also not keen on the turbo lag, but she's not driven a TD before - it didnt seem to bad to me - ive driven a lot worse.

Had a look at a few other cars, Im waiting for the VW sales guy to get me a Golf TDi 170 DSG to drive, as quite fancy trying the DSG box before I make up my mind. I think I will like it but still cant get away from the fact that the golf spec is rather basic and to get one in the spec I want will be difficult and expensive.

Bottom line in the Civic is a definate possibility but im still undecided. If I got offered the deal of the century from someone Id probably go for it, but otherwise im in no rush so might just wait and see if I can sell the 350Z privately in the spring.

Finally, the sales guy at Honda was a really nice guy. Only young, but much better than any of the others ive seen recently, just seemed genuine and enthusiastic. However I did point out to him that their prices are well over the top, and I could get a similar car with blades and image pack for around £15500 from another dealer 50 miles away. He seemed genuinely surprised, and was going to look at it. Im expecting a call this week

If anyones still reading, how much do you think that red one is worth? I would say £15500-£16000 tops, which if £3k+ off their asking price.

[Maquis73]

This is my Type S GT that I bought a few weeks ago for £15,700 - registered september 2007 - 5468 miles on the clock - Image Pack - Blade 18" Alloys - Phone Kit. They are charging a hell of a premium for Type R Alloys and a bit of colour coding - click on link below

My New Civic Type S GT

[MarkW]

Cheers Maquis73. Yours looks good!

On that basis, this one should be around £16k then with the colour coding/tints. If they offered it me for that i would seriously consider it.

Check this one out on ebay, must be the cheapest 2.2 S GT in the country! Shame its 350 miles away from me.

2007 HONDA CIVIC TYPE S GT on eBay, also, Honda, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 13-Jan-08 16:17:10 GMT)

oops! ignore that - just noticed its petrol.

[MickJ]

Coming from a 350Z myself I have to agree that the rear visibility leaves a lot to be desired, but you get used to it and as a lot have said the rear spoiler blocks out the headlights of the cars behind you, but don't let that put you off, I also don't find the 'R' that far off the pace of a Zed and to be honest I enjoy driving the Civic more so than I did the Zed.