SmallBlogV8
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Hello! I'm a first-time Honda owner who likes to waffle on somewhat.
I recently bought a Vivid Blue facelift and did nearly 1200 miles in the first fortnight of ownership!
The decision to get a DC5 came after going to the Spa 24 Hours with my old uni mates this past July (which was epic). One of them volunteered his Focus ST (a Mk.2, with the 5-cylinder engine) and I got insurance to do some of the driving on our roadtrip in and out of Belgium. Having previously only owned my first car - a 1.2 Fiat Punto - I thought 225 horsepower would blow me away, but instead it felt... natural. Very fun, yes, but not something I couldn't live with. I realised what I was missing out on, so since I'm 25 and have a steady job, I decided to get something with that level of performance for myself.
Not a FocuST, though; that car's all about the engine. Eight years of chucking a 67-horsepower Punto around had taught me that corners are more fun than straights, so I wanted something with a better chassis to go with the power.
Having grown up playing every Gran Turismo game ever, I fancied something Japanese, too. An Integra-R ticks a lot of boxes for me, with a high-revving engine, slick manual 'box and being more purposeful than a hot hatch, but it's still a practical daily - if a bit stiff-riding. A DC5 appealed over a DC2 for its bigger, more modern interior (and, to my eyes, better looks). I saw this car in the classifieds and immediately decided it was the exact spec I wanted. Plus, it was comfortably under £10k when 95% of facelifts are about 11 or 12 grand - yet it looked really tidy.
I had a look and, while there are a few clear symptoms of hard miles, overall the car was fundamentally sound... so I went for it anyway!
Then came the journey home, from coastal Scotland down to eastern Berkshire. With a few detours to try it out on B-roads and break up the motorway stints a bit, it was about 430 miles. In the many hours it took, I think my spine got reshaped to fit the Recaros better! Part of the bonding process... xthumbup
I could tell it needed some TLC, though. There's quite a lot of play in the gearshift when it's in gear, plus a couple of odd noises, some slack in the throttle pedal and slightly weak brakes. Oh, and a knackered seat bolster (quite common). These will all be addressed and I very much feel like it won't cost the ~£2-3k difference that a fresher DC5 facelift for sale would've cost to buy.
A week after I'd got it home, the family went on a week's holiday to the Lake District, which meant going over halfway back up to Scotland again!! And then home by the end of August, once and for all. So, with a few commutes too, that's how the miles added up so quickly...
While in the Lake District, I went to lakes Coniston and Ullswater, where Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7 set all its world water-speed records before killing him at over 320mph.
Here are some gratuitous photos of the car next to some water:
But that was a couple of weeks ago.
Yesterday I took the car to TGM Sport - since they're well-rated and only 25'ish minutes away from me - for a service and general going-over, only to find there are more wear-and-tear issues than I realised! Looks like it's previously been owned by someone a bit careless who didn't quite know what they were doing...
Thankfully it'll 'only' cost hundreds, not thousands, to freshen it all up. So it looks like taking a punt on this car wasn't as bad an idea as it could've been!
In the meantime, I'm much enjoying the car, even if I have to drive around some of the ongoing issues for now until after payday. VTEC is addictive!!
I recently bought a Vivid Blue facelift and did nearly 1200 miles in the first fortnight of ownership!
The decision to get a DC5 came after going to the Spa 24 Hours with my old uni mates this past July (which was epic). One of them volunteered his Focus ST (a Mk.2, with the 5-cylinder engine) and I got insurance to do some of the driving on our roadtrip in and out of Belgium. Having previously only owned my first car - a 1.2 Fiat Punto - I thought 225 horsepower would blow me away, but instead it felt... natural. Very fun, yes, but not something I couldn't live with. I realised what I was missing out on, so since I'm 25 and have a steady job, I decided to get something with that level of performance for myself.
Not a FocuST, though; that car's all about the engine. Eight years of chucking a 67-horsepower Punto around had taught me that corners are more fun than straights, so I wanted something with a better chassis to go with the power.
Having grown up playing every Gran Turismo game ever, I fancied something Japanese, too. An Integra-R ticks a lot of boxes for me, with a high-revving engine, slick manual 'box and being more purposeful than a hot hatch, but it's still a practical daily - if a bit stiff-riding. A DC5 appealed over a DC2 for its bigger, more modern interior (and, to my eyes, better looks). I saw this car in the classifieds and immediately decided it was the exact spec I wanted. Plus, it was comfortably under £10k when 95% of facelifts are about 11 or 12 grand - yet it looked really tidy.
I had a look and, while there are a few clear symptoms of hard miles, overall the car was fundamentally sound... so I went for it anyway!
Then came the journey home, from coastal Scotland down to eastern Berkshire. With a few detours to try it out on B-roads and break up the motorway stints a bit, it was about 430 miles. In the many hours it took, I think my spine got reshaped to fit the Recaros better! Part of the bonding process... xthumbup
I could tell it needed some TLC, though. There's quite a lot of play in the gearshift when it's in gear, plus a couple of odd noises, some slack in the throttle pedal and slightly weak brakes. Oh, and a knackered seat bolster (quite common). These will all be addressed and I very much feel like it won't cost the ~£2-3k difference that a fresher DC5 facelift for sale would've cost to buy.
A week after I'd got it home, the family went on a week's holiday to the Lake District, which meant going over halfway back up to Scotland again!! And then home by the end of August, once and for all. So, with a few commutes too, that's how the miles added up so quickly...
While in the Lake District, I went to lakes Coniston and Ullswater, where Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7 set all its world water-speed records before killing him at over 320mph.
Here are some gratuitous photos of the car next to some water:
But that was a couple of weeks ago.
Yesterday I took the car to TGM Sport - since they're well-rated and only 25'ish minutes away from me - for a service and general going-over, only to find there are more wear-and-tear issues than I realised! Looks like it's previously been owned by someone a bit careless who didn't quite know what they were doing...
Thankfully it'll 'only' cost hundreds, not thousands, to freshen it all up. So it looks like taking a punt on this car wasn't as bad an idea as it could've been!
In the meantime, I'm much enjoying the car, even if I have to drive around some of the ongoing issues for now until after payday. VTEC is addictive!!
the weekend before going up super fly's dc5 came up for sale, was after a f/L but his was so good I drove it away . I still have a soft spot for blue F/L looking forward to seeing your progress. Good luck and welcome to the club 
