Other cars All in a car choice muddle

[montana]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are changing the 2006 Golf GT Tdi for something less boring. The shortlist is:

VW Eos TDi
Audi A3 Sport TDi DSG
Honda Civic Type S GT 2.2CTD

We are currently reading as much detail as possible on this site after spening 1/2 an afternoon with Roy at SG Honda Crewe. We obviously have worries about:

What are the spec changes on the 2008 build? (This forum has only guesses)
Civic paint seems rubbish
Dashboard is made of cheap plastic
Key does not fold and can do damage to your manhood in your pocket
Dealer fitted accessories should be factory fit
The 'things you must check on collection of your new Civic' list is a worrying list.

Appart from that, we'll keep reading.

[TTDegs]

Originally Posted by montana

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are changing the 2006 Golf GT Tdi for something less boring.

Hi both

The shortlist is:

VW Eos TDi
Audi A3 Sport TDi DSG
Honda Civic Type S GT 2.2CTD

a good list!
Not tried the Eos, but the A3 is a nice car, and the DSG box is sublime
However, seeing as how 'un-boring' is one of your requirements...
Personally, I found the A3's cabin to be a pretty dismal place, and the cost of adding extras to it to get to a decent level soon turns an expensive car into a very expensive one

We are currently reading as much detail as possible on this site after spening 1/2 an afternoon with Roy at SG Honda Crewe.

Good call!

We obviously have worries about:

What are the spec changes on the 2008 build? (This forum has only guesses)

They are only guesses, true, but some of the info has come from the established dealers who visit here , so I believe we know as much as anyone outside of Honda themselves
To date, ay changes made to the Civic have only been for the better (with the exception of removing 2 of the colour choices ), so it bodes well

Civic paint seems rubbish

yes Definately a weak point - though wether the (water based) paint on any other brand new car would be better is open for debate.

Dashboard is made of cheap plastic

not so much cheap, as soft and easily scratched, but I take your point
Whilst not good, it is possible to keep it looking fine, as long as you are aware, and careful. Mine is over 25K miles (and 1 year) old now, and has just 1 scratch that I managed to do before I realised there was an issue.

Key does not fold and can do damage to your manhood in your pocket

Having come from a succession of Audis with folding keys, yes the Civic one could be better.
However, I can confirm that it has not caused me any damage

Dealer fitted accessories should be factory fit

from a personal point of view, I couldn't agree more!
But that's just because my lease company let me fit factory options, but not dealer fit ones
In reality, as long as you have a good dealer, there is no reason why their trained techs can't fit the bits just as well as at the factory
It does also give you the option of adding (some) bits later on after purchase

The 'things you must check on collection of your new Civic' list is a worrying list.

again, yes it is - but the vast majority of owners have only ever suffered from maybe one to two of the items - and that number reduces further with the newer cars.
For example, every single 2006 Civic will almost certainly, at some point or other have a fuel cap that fails to open (unless of course the fix has been done).
However, every single Civic rolling off the line today has the fix in place already - so its one less thing you need to worry about

Appart from that, we'll keep reading.

It's all good!

Just remember that people will often use the 'net to find solutions to a current problem, and therefore often end up in here

If you check out the survey results, you will find that the vast majority of owenrs are very happy

Yes, there are things that Honda could do better, or make better
But for the most part, its a stunning car, at a great price

[ADE Type S]

Welcome to the site, i too spent an afternoon with trish from SG Honda in crewe the other week going through the Type S and R. still undecided myself yet as what to do

[montana]

I've just rang Honda Cars UK and asked a few questions.

The dashboard is staying as it is. They had a meeting this morning to find a recommended cleaner to use which does not scratch, but other than that you just have to take care of it.

The paint it soft she says and the protective coats the dealers offer are not much help. Black (which my wife is insisting on) is always going to show scratches.

She will ring back with regard to 2008 spec changes on the Type S GT which we are keen on. All she can think is an aux socket and probably reversing sensors, but will check which model.

We've yet to test drive the Audi DSG though which I know is better built but is rather more boring looking.

[Bog]

When you say dashboard, do you mean the whole thing or just the perspex cover over the rev counter? I know some have had problems, but mine is fine even after 1 year of good use!

Did the lady at Honda UK really say that about the paint

[Anastie]

I have a close friend who drives an A3 with the DSG box. She loves it. But I would say that the Honda diesel engine is better. The Honda feels more like a driver’s car. I even find the engine note quite rorty for a diesel.

I owned a Skoda Fabis vRS for 2 years and prefer the Honda engine. One thing I should add is that the A3 appears to have a more solid feel to the switches etc. Something (the only thing) I miss from owning a BMW.

I cannot really comment on the Eos. But I like the folding metal roof (If I have the correct model!) Our other car is a convertible (MR2) and we would always have a convertible now. But other than that I prefer the look of the civic.

Prior to owning this Civic diesel I had a BMW diesel. The Honda is a lot better to drive.

[Foggy69]

Originally Posted by montana

We've yet to test drive the Audi DSG though which I know is better built but is rather more boring looking.

Hi montana, and welcome to the forum.

Good luck with the Audi dealer. The one I went to couldn't have been more useless if he tried. When asking what I wanted from the car I told him that I definitely wanted cruise control among other things. He then proceeded to try and sell me 4 different A3's, none fitted with cruise or other things I asked for. He just wanted to shift cars he had available, and didn't care less about what I wanted.
Needless to say, they didn't get my business.

Hope you have better luck, but still buy a Civic

[montana]

When I said 'dashboard' I thought the whole dashboard was dodgy.
I realise now it is the perspex from the climate control switch over to the starter button.
On our test drive, I noticed the car was badly scratched and impaired our vision of the dials. From the passenger seat the perspex looked very shabby and unworthy of such a superb dash design.

[Foggy69]

Originally Posted by montana

When I said 'dashboard' I thought the whole dashboard was dodgy.
I realise now it is the perspex from the climate control switch over to the starter button.
On our test drive, I noticed the car was badly scratched and impaired our vision of the dials. From the passenger seat the perspex looked very shabby and unworthy of such a superb dash design.

You can easily replace this with the dash out of a Type R, which doesn't look quite as good as the original, but doesn't scratch. Might be worth mentioning to the dealer as part of the deal

[ADE Type S]

Originally Posted by montana

I've just rang Honda Cars UK and asked a few questions.

The dashboard is staying as it is. They had a meeting this morning to find a recommended cleaner to use which does not scratch, but other than that you just have to take care of it.

The paint it soft she says and the protective coats the dealers offer are not much help. Black (which my wife is insisting on) is always going to show scratches.

She will ring back with regard to 2008 spec changes on the Type S GT which we are keen on. All she can think is an aux socket and probably reversing sensors, but will check which model.

We've yet to test drive the Audi DSG though which I know is better built but is rather more boring looking.

Keep us updated with any spec changes mr!

[Brodick]

the spec changes will be minimal it will be next year before anything major happens

I disagree with the comments about the dash being made out of cheap plastics the only questionable parts of it are the perspex areas

would buy a Honda over a VW anyday
Audi Build quality may be better - but more chance of having issues with electrics and other things

[montana]

I now have the 2008 spec changes. They are as discussed. Just the colour changes and the addition of factory reversing sensors on the EX.

I also have test driven the Eos DSG, A3 DSG, even the Golf DSG 5dr and the BMW 1 series hoping for the soon to be released Coupe. None came close to the Civic Type S GT.

We are currently in negotiation with our 2 local Honda dealerships with regard to an order. We will have put down a deposit within the next 7 days.

[jazzman]

Originally Posted by montana

I now have the 2008 spec changes. They are as discussed. Just the colour changes and the addition of factory reversing sensors on the EX.

I also have test driven the Eos DSG, A3 DSG, even the Golf DSG 5dr and the BMW 1 series hoping for the soon to be released Coupe. None came close to the Civic Type S GT.

We are currently in degotiation with our 2 local Honda dealerships with regard to an order. We will have put down a deposit within the next 7 days.

Good luck, you won`t regret it.
Since I have had my Civic all the fun of motoring has returned, even take it out just to enjoy it and I`ve been driving for 50 years

[psykik]

Did a test drive of an EOS 1 month ago before i decided on the civic type S GT ishift. Got a dealer down to £17800 for the basic 1.6l engine on the eos. Loved the convertible aspect, plus its the only car i know of with a glass sunroof AND a convertible. Beautiful smooth drive and VW quality finish. However, im quirky. The Civic i think is a quirky car. It reflects the trekkie aspect of me much better. Plus for a bit cheaper, i got myself a near fully loaded type s gt. Very happy with the Civic (2 weeks and 521 miles old).

PS the extra room in the back with the seats folded down all the way is surprisingly LARGE compared with the EOS (which in fairness was big for a convertible)

[cgsuk]

I've traded my Vw bora 4motion in for the ex diesel,it will be the 1st diesel car i've ever owned,funnily enough i went to look at the Audi A3 as well,I found that it looked very dated inside the cabin and thought the same of the new golf as well! The Eos is just sooo overpriced its a joke!
I do think you get more bang for your buck with the honda, and for me at least a better mpg than my Bora.

[ante00]

welcome to forum and your in right place for information about civic....

[amronno]

Originally Posted by montana

I've just rang Honda Cars UK and asked a few questions.

We've yet to test drive the Audi DSG though which I know is better built but is rather more boring looking.

.......but the civic is a much better car,
like all Honda's, and I don't find the build quality poor, espesially not compared to the A-3, they're just so d**n overrated!

[montana]

All finished now, we have just ordered a Civic!

Type S GT with Sat nav HFT, black, reversing sensors, city pack, blue footwell lighting, mats and boot net.

Estimated arrival 18th - 22nd November, can't wait.

Incredible deal at Stuart Graham Honda in Crewe. Roy did us proud!

[TTDegs]

nicely done both

[amronno]

Congratulations!
Great choice of car!