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1.8 or 2.2 - Very much confused

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4.5K views 38 replies 18 participants last post by  Jack The Lad.  
#1 ·
Hi,

I've just worked out a semi-done deal with a Honda dealer to trade my 2006 Focus ST2 11k mi, for a 2007 1.8 EX in Vivid Blue, 6k mi he's given me £14k for my ST and wants £14,500 for the Civic, he's included the first service on the Civic FOC too.

Does this sound like a good deal? The car was an ex-demo and looks to be in perfect condition inside and out.

I'm reasonably happy with the deal on that car, but my real dilemma is whether I shouldn't be going for the 2.2 diesel :confused:

My friend has the 2.2 in Sport trim, and I've driven it many times. It just seems as though you have to pay a lot more to get the diesel, and I'm telling myself that if money were no object I'd buy the 2.2 and not the 1.8.

Any opinions to add to my confusion are welcome!
 
#2 ·
My opinion, for what its worth, is go Diesel.

The Petrol is a good unit (having had a go in one), but i suspect the Diesel will give a similar performance buzz as your ST2, albeit its not as quick.

If you'd rather thrash the undies off it, go for the 1.8 or Type R.
 
#3 ·
Personally I had a test drive in diesel then a petrol 1.8 a few months later - as much as I now don't need the petrol economy, I loved the performance of the diesel, felt like my old TT! Think the Civic diesel would be easier to sell on later as there does seem to be more petrols up for sale than diesels imho.

Myself i'm still Civic-less - driving in a Focus diesel at the moment, which I can assure you is no patch on the Civic either!

Good luck anyways!
 
#4 ·
Long debate on here regarding diesel v petrol.
Dont think it will ever be concluded, as each to his own.
I won't do enough miles to justify buying my Type S GT 2.2 diesel, with fuel costs offsetting the additional outlay, but I just love it. Never thought that I would buy a diesel, but now I am completely changed about them ( Honda One anyway).
 
#6 ·
Has to be the 2.2 for me and if you ever get bored you can always get a re-map, an extra 50+ BHP and nigh on 100 more Torques for £375 or less. :p
 
#7 ·
Sounds like there's a divided opinion. I'm impressed with the 1.8, and I genuinely miss having a car you can thrash about! My last car a 1.6 Focus rewarded you when you revved it out too. The current ST doesn't like revving and the diesel is definately not meant for it...

...what does anyone think of the price for the 1.8 EX?
 
#8 ·
Ah the debate rages still....

Firstly, that sounds like a good deal to me....

As for the diesel / petrol option, if it were my money (my Civ's a comp car) I would probably go for the petrol as ultimately I do prefer them, its much much quieter and for me, I think its unreasonable to pay such a price premium for the diesel. I paid 113.9p a litre for Diesel the other day and the milege I'm getting doesnt (for me) recoup the cost (given my milege).

But Welly makes a good point about the tunng...a very good point indeed
 
#9 ·
Its sometimes the case that only when you've ran a car for a while do you find out if its really the car for you.Was happy with my 2.2 ES,but came to the conclusion I perhaps wanted a more sporty drive that I suspected the type S had to offer.

Had my 2.2 Type S for approx 5 weeks and its the best move I've made.Brilliant looks,handling and the car feels quicker off the mark/mid range too.

I chose the Type S (not GT) simply because I did'nt want the glass roof again.Hav'nt driven the petrol (although have had a previous gen.ivtec type S),and for me its no question,the diesel every time.For anyone who does'nt need 5 doors,the 2.2 Type S is the one I'd definitelty recommend:D:D.
 
#33 ·
hi there

...any particular reason for not wanting the glass roof again?
just curious. ive got deep bronze type S GT arriving with me (hopefully!) in a couple of days - and sitting here withe civinfo sticker and nuthin to stick it on!!!!!
after my better half got her 207 with panoramic glass roof, thought it'd suit the civic as i did feel quite closed in when in the car on test drive (at least, compared to C4 coupe im driving at the moment - which has no sunroof, but loads of light gets in all round anyway) cheers
 
#11 ·
So it looks as if that's not a bad price - considering it's an EX which is a high spec car in anyone's book.

Still I might ask the dealer on Monday if he can scan around for a 2.2 EX - if he doesn't find much it will maybe rule it out for now. I could always change!

Just wanted people opinions of the two engines and the deal in general.
 
#13 ·
I've just found another EX, but a 2.2 with only 3k miles instead of 6k, and it's only £500 more than the 1.8 I've been looking at. I think I'll need to mention it to my dealer. It's at another Honda dealer about 350 miles from mine though!

I wonder whether he'll be interested in trading with that dealer so I can buy that car instead? lol... I've no idea how dealers work with each other on these sorts of things.
 
#16 ·
depends if they are part of the same franchise group primarily I believe :)

although there is a definate case of 'scratch my back...' :D
so you might get lucky :)

fingers crossed for you :D
 
#17 ·
Interesting... I guess I can only ask my dealer locally and if he's not interested in doing something like that then I can fall back to contacting that dealer directly.
If nothing else comes of it at least it will put the wind up the local dealer and he might be tempted to sweeten the offer a little more.

I was thinking we could forget his free service, but also forget the £500 difference in the ST and Civic? lol
 
#21 ·
I dunno - the 1.8 isn't that far behind in economy terms, and the price differential is quite big, about 101 vs 107 at the moment. Might take a while to get the extra cash back at only 12,000 mi per year.

It's the torque thing that I think might swing my decision towards the diesel - especially the thought of spending £400 odd on a remap or chip and getting 185 PS and 420 Nm.
 
#27 ·
Interesting points made here about the noise levels. I'd did go for a drive in a 2.2 (even tho I'd been in my friends lots) and it stuck me that it's quite a grumbly older diesel sound when you set off at any pace. The petrol doesn't start making itself heard until 5k+ revs.

One point (this may seem weird!) is that I love my Air Con in the summer, and I'm worried the 1.8's power will be zapped by using the A/C - from what I've seen the effect is barely noticeable on diesels. They must be able to gear the compressor differently or something.
 
#32 ·
*UPDATE*

The dealer is keen for me to take this Vivid Blue 1.8 EX away from his sight, lol.

He's let me take it for a big test drive, I picked it up this evening after work and he said to just bring it back next week! Very surprising, and very good I thought. He also had to tax the car, put me on their fleet/trade insurance and he put £30 of petrol into it!

Initial impressions from the 35 mi journey home are very good. There's more power and flexibility in the 1.8 than I was expecting. I guess coming from a Focus ST that's actually high praise indeed.

I should never have bought the ST, and gone from my 1.6 Focus straight into the Civic; it would have been a lot easier!
 
#36 ·
I've not got a Civic, but I was certain I'd get a diesel. However I've recently changed my mind. I will at least test drive a Petrol. What appeals to me is the smoothness and quietness of a petrol. The fuel efficiency doesn't really bother me as I won't do enough miles to justify the extra initial cost of the car. The diesel does have more torque though, and the ability to remap the engine for big increases.

A 'Type D', if it ever happens, will probably trump all other models for me though.