reliabitly of dc2/5

[steve_gti]

thanks to everyone who answered my previous post, very useful,
just need to get some test drives sorted now.
its between a dc2 and dc5, im put off the dc2 by the age, this is mainly having spent all my driving life as a ford owner (never good).
but im put off the dc5 by parts costs for services and replacement parts (with it being an import).
i've noticed that a decent low mileage dc2 isnt actually that much cheaper then a similar 02/03 dc5, and my biggest worry is buying one of the two and being landed with some massive repair bills.
i've noticed on someone elses post that they had to touch up thier rear arches, are thier many bodywork problems?, and how mechanically sound are the cars, i wont be driving it that hard most of the time anyway, it'll mainly be a steady communter to work and back and then just a few sunday thrashes lol.

any advice would be great.
cheers guys 8)

 

[neil278]

Very few common problems on the DC5 as long as its serviced and looked after

Servicing and alot of consumable parts are the same as the EP3

As for bodywork mine is a 52 reg with 17K on the clock and theres no rust on mine but then its not even been in england for a year yet :lol:

 

[Stuart_M]

Like you say you need to drive them both...

I wouldn't be put off by the age of the DC2, yes it is a little bit dated inside (facia etc) but all the right things are there inside.. Recaros, momo wheel with great steering feel, short shift box with titanium knob, exterior wise it still looks very good imo and has something different to most of the souless looking things you see these days,it can still turn heads, and mechanically it has everything you need to make it a great drivers car lsd, stiffened shell, light weight (something nothing todays bloaters cant get near) etc etc and then theres the engine 8) performance still more then cuts the mustard, and looked after engines are good for well into 6 figures. Same goes for DC5, just slightly more civilised. Type Rs aren't about luxuries there about hardware.. and its all there, they are still better equipped for the driver than most so called performance cars of today. Age shouldn't be a big issue.

You don't need to have any particular concerns about reliability/cost of the DC5...Honda service them for EP3 prices or there are plenty of specialists...as far as parts go, as an example I just got a set of front DC5 Brembo pads for 38.30+vat, Discs were something Like £55 each but I didn't need them, as for clutches/gearboxes.. never heard of one going so couldn't say, you will find that a lot of the parts are on the Honda happiness thing so are quite reasonable and specialists such as TGM aren't rip off merchants. K20A is reliable, you don't hear of many things going wrong, they are a Honda after all, just keep an eye on the oil level... As long as you buy one thats been looked after I don't think you will have any problems.

Think you are comparing a top price DC2 with a rock bottom and possibly shabby DC5 (bodywork shouldn't be an issue), in that case I'd go for a DC2. Personally even though I still love the DC2 I prefer the DC5, but im sure theres others on here that are the other way round.

HTH

Stuart

 

[steve_gti]

thanks for that guys, whats the fuel consumption like, i cant find any solid figures for it? also what size is the fuel tank on the car. 8)

 

[ian.herm01]

Who gives a toss about fuel comsumption, it is what it is. If your worried about it, buy a diesel.

 

[MilanoChris]

Who gives a toss about fuel comsumption, it is what it is. If your worried about it, buy a diesel.

8) 8) 8)

 

[steve_gti]

just want a rough idea mate, wanting to make sure ive taken everything into account, make sure i can afford it.

 

[neil278]

Who gives a toss about fuel comsumption, it is what it is. If your worried about it, buy a diesel.

This is so NOT true its very handy to see if you can afford the car be for you buy it

I jumped in the deep end with an impreza and struggeled to run it at 13 MPG and was one of the main reasons i sold it

My other half has an EP3 and we seem to get the same mileage but i put v power in and she sticks normal unleaded so about £5 more per tank full

Full tank cost me around £53 @ £1.18

 

[neil278]

sorry forgot to say i get 300-320 miles to a full tank when the light comes on

 

[ian.herm01]

What i'm saying is if your trying to run a DC 5 on a very tight budget and fuel cost is a major factor don't bother there are so many things to worry about.

e.g 4 tyres per year - dont put on crap economy tyres, two services minimum, road tax, insurance, 4 alloy wheel refurbisments, oh and a mugen blanket.

And you don't buy a DC5 to worry about mpg..........do i vtec or not :roll:

If you cover 10k per year it is about £1500 difference between 15 mpg and 32 mpg, about £29 per week no big deal, eat less, drink less don't smoke and live a happy vtec life! there is always a choice.

Oh and i get anywhere between 12 and 35 mpg

 

[Evs]

Who gives a toss about fuel comsumption, it is what it is. If your worried about it, buy a diesel.

8) 8) 8)

Well, Chris, you seemed to care enough to start a thread about it:

http://www.itr-dc5.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16020

The link should provide an answer to the OP's question... :lol:

I'd question the need for some of the expenses listed above as well - four alloy refurbs per year? Do you parallel park by steering feel? :?

Going back to the comparison questions, I would say that comparing like for like it's around a £5k difference between a DC2 and a DC5 to buy. As stated above there's not much point comparing mint DC2 with tatty DC5 as it's not a representative comparison. Like for like, a DC2 will probably depreciate less than a DC5 but will be older so the usual wear and tear items might be closer to needing replacement. Insurance on a UK DC2 will be cheaper, they're a bit less economical, tyres and spares (esp secondhand parts) are generally cheaper for the DC2.

Try a search on 'DC5 AND DC2' as there are plenty of people who've had both, quite a few of whom have ended up settling on a DC2.

 

[logik]

What i'm saying is if your trying to run a DC 5 on a very tight budget and fuel cost is a major factor don't bother there are so many things to worry about.

e.g 4 tyres per year - dont put on crap economy tyres, two services minimum, road tax, insurance, 4 alloy wheel refurbisments, oh and a mugen blanket.

And you don't buy a DC5 to worry about mpg..........do i vtec or not :roll:

If you cover 10k per year it is about £1500 difference between 15 mpg and 32 mpg, about £29 per week no big deal, eat less, drink less don't smoke and live a happy vtec life! there is always a choice.

Oh and i get anywhere between 12 and 35 mpg

Some very valid points in there tbh.

 

[morgan]

they're a bit less economical,

Really ? My DC2 was more economical than my DC5.
DC2 averaged 32, DC5 is 30. Minimal I realize....

 

[steve_gti]

cheers for all the posts guys, its not a case of being on a really tight budget with the car, i just dont want to get it and not be able to really enjoy it due to money worries, the rs2000 im driving at the moment averages around 28-30 mpg on v-power, and thats taking it easy, i just had visions of the teg being alot worse then it actually is for fuel.
also when i think about how much ive spent on the rs2000 for replacement parts and repairs for rust and things, makes you realise just how much of a gap there is in build and design quality between ford and honda, but guess thats where buying prices come into play

 

[MilanoChris]

Who gives a toss about fuel comsumption, it is what it is. If your worried about it, buy a diesel.

8) 8) 8)

Well, Chris, you seemed to care enough to start a thread about it:

http://www.itr-dc5.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16020

The link should provide an answer to the OP's question... :lol:

:lol: :lol:

I'm not worried about the consumption, I was just wondering what people were managing to get. Mine has dropped below 30 mpg since removing the KPro. I'm struggeling to get anything over 25 right now, oh well :lol:

 

[Evs]

they're a bit less economical,

Really ? My DC2 was more economical than my DC5.
DC2 averaged 32, DC5 is 30. Minimal I realize....

Hmm fair point. I get about 30 from my DC2 on average. It felt like I got a bit more than that from my DC5, but having looked at my post in the thread I linked to above, I said 30ish so there's not much in it tbh.