Civic Type R vs used sports cars 911, S4, C43?

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I'm about to purchase a new 2020 Civic Type R but I'd like to hear your thoughts on these alternatives. I'm looking for a fun-to-drive car that will put a smile on my face. I already have a daily driver. I've never owned cars other than Hondas so reliability of these European cars worries a bit, especially because they are used and out of warranty.

Let me know your thoughts if you have owned or driven one of these:

Porsche 911 (2005-2006 non turbo)
Maserati GT (2008)
Audi S4 Avant B9 (2017)
Mercedes C43 AMG (2016)
BMW 540i (2018)
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AdamD19DFK8

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I'd stay far away from anything from the early 2000s. Only recently has Porsche stepped up their reliability game. I do love 911s. If I was loaded I'd get a new GT3 RS or a GT2 RS over in fantasy land. Hell dream car would be a 720s.

If you're looking to go fast through a turn, it's hard to find better than the FK8 for the price. Sure there are plenty of cheap platforms to throw power down a straight line, but it's hard to beat the Rs track and road experience.

It's got a lot of aftermarket support, though adding more power to get over 400Hp is quite costly.

A newer Cayman GT4 would be awesome but you're getting close to $100k there lol
 
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willskiGT

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I'm about to purchase a new 2020 Civic Type R but I'd like to hear your thoughts on these alternatives. I'm looking for a fun-to-drive car that will put a smile on my face. I already have a daily driver. I've never owned cars other than Hondas so reliability of these European cars worries a bit, especially because they are used and out of warranty.

Let me know your thoughts if you have owned or driven one of these:

Porsche 911 (2005-2006 non turbo)
Maserati GT (2008)
Audi S4 Avant B9 (2017)
Mercedes C43 AMG (2016)
BMW 540i (2018)
Civic Type R will certainly outhandle/outbrake most of those cars. Personally, I would not consider any of those except the Porsche.

The early years of the 997 (non-Mezger engine, so Carrera and Carrera S) had IMS bearing issues, which if left untreated will grenade the engine.

I have a good friend with a 997.1 GT3, and we are evenly matched on track/mountain runs. He is running some slightly older Toyo Proxes and I am on Pilot Sport Cup 2s, so that is a lot of the difference. I find that I am a bit better in braking and initial cornering, while he has much better acceleration and traction exiting corners due to the rear engine.

997.1 GT3 had a 1 second faster Nurburgring time vs the Civic Type R (7:43 vs. 7:42). Weight is about the same, Porsche has 70 kW more power and 5 more Nm of torque (but the torque is over a narrower range).

All of this to say that the Civic Type R is about even with the top naturally aspirated 997 from 2005 to 2006, so a regular Carrera or even Carrera S would likely be slower, even if it does provide more of a traditional, RWD sportscar feel. The Civic will also be much cheaper to maintain and insure.
 

TornadoredGen3

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IF you going german,, S3 end of story .. if not go for a older S.C S4.. the new turbo 3L S4 is more of future build ,, because straight out of the box with a tune and bolt ons they can make 500-600 hp BUTTTT Expensive . For me tho Type R if you on a budget ,, S3 if you want see :mad: o_Oon other drivers
 


vasilas432

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Get the Type R to have a brand new car
 
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I'll throw in the 135is, a car I used to have fairly recently. 320hp/tq stock, easily up to almost 400 with the Dinan Stage 2 tune.

Not the same as the other stuff on your list, but a sleeper. In the time I owned it (2.5 years), it was super reliable and just required normal maintenance.
 

BABY NSX

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Type R is going to be more fun to drive than all of them except maybe the old 911.

None of the cars listed are going to be cheap to maintain so if that is a concern just go with the Type R.
That was a big consideration for me when I got my CTR. The other car I was considering was a 2013 M3 e92. This is the last year of the V8 and they had rod bearing issues. I was just going to considerate cost of ownership and a “regular” maintenance item:rolleyes: but wanted something reliable and not have to worry so much about check engine lights coming on as it would be my daily driver. I do the work myself but time is a problem for me.
 

willskiGT

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IF you going german,, S3 end of story .. if not go for a older S.C S4.. the new turbo 3L S4 is more of future build ,, because straight out of the box with a tune and bolt ons they can make 500-600 hp BUTTTT Expensive . For me tho Type R if you on a budget ,, S3 if you want see :mad: o_Oon other drivers
S3s are significantly slower than a Type R stock for stock. You can tune them up (and RS3s) to go very fast in a straight line but they don't handle well.

so the new mid engine vette is not being considered?
The guy is in Finland - I don't think it's even sold there. It's also double the price of the cars he's considering.
 


123sillyboy123

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Ctr is known to be fun to drive.. fbo with a proper tune, the car will be pushing close to 400whp...
It is a fun track car, not fastest on drag race but none of the car on the list can beat it on track provided that the driver are same skill level.

I have a ctr, fbo and tuned.. i love it each day
 

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Purchase price being just one variable in the whole equasion, you'll be hard pressed to find a more reliable car on that list than the Civic. There are just so many things about a used car that affect the need for maintenance that you really cannot make any reasonable predictions.

That said, glad you went for the CTR.

Tervetuloa klubiin Suomenlahden toiselta puolelta :)
 

TornadoredGen3

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S3s are significantly slower than a Type R stock for stock. You can tune them up (and RS3s) to go very fast in a straight line but they don't handle well.



The guy is in Finland - I don't think it's even sold there. It's also double the price of the cars he's considering.
S3 significantly slower then a type r stock vs stock?? reall world data likes to say otherwise. I have pulled on 2 type r from a roll in my 1.8t and am not even making close to 295-305hp S3 makes. S3 dont handle well?? is like you never had one! or cant even put the logic together. S3 have a better weight distribution then ctr a tad heavier but not much. and i dont even wanna talk about modding or.platform potential...
 

123sillyboy123

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S3 significantly slower then a type r stock vs stock?? reall world data likes to say otherwise. I have pulled on 2 type r from a roll in my 1.8t and am not even making close to 295-305hp S3 makes. S3 dont handle well?? is like you never had one! or cant even put the logic together. S3 have a better weight distribution then ctr a tad heavier but not much. and i dont even wanna talk about modding or.platform potential...
My ctr is fbo and custom tune..
I have pulled on a RS3 and C43 at red light..
1st gear the RS3 is already ahead of me, 2nd gear and 3 rd i manage to tag behind RS3..
We both slow down.. and roll down the windows at next light.. he gave me a thumb up and we stopped in a parking to talk.. his rs3 is stage 1 tune, changed test pipe, pushing 475whp. Mine is 370whp..

100 whp different but type r 2nd and 3rd gears are really fast... rs3 owner was impressed..
I know it doesnt prove anything but i think type r is really a great platform..
Perhaps is not best car to built but for the money you paid, it gives you so much more.
 
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willskiGT

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S3 significantly slower then a type r stock vs stock?? reall world data likes to say otherwise. I have pulled on 2 type r from a roll in my 1.8t and am not even making close to 295-305hp S3 makes. S3 dont handle well?? is like you never had one! or cant even put the logic together. S3 have a better weight distribution then ctr a tad heavier but not much. and i dont even wanna talk about modding or.platform potential...
No you haven't hahaha.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a23319884/lightning-lap-times-historical-data/

Honda Civic Type R (2018) - 3:03.9
Audi RS3 (2017) - 3:05.6
Audi S3 (2015) - 3:11.3

Type R is faster than an RS3 and leaves the S3 for dead.
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