Why did you buy your Type-R?

I bought the Type R because of reasons:

1. My Evo X was falling apart. Clear coat was peeling, power steering was bad, transfer case was leaking, ACD was failing...etc etc...
2. I've always admired Honda and their reliability/styling/brand
3. The Type R was the closest comparison to the Evo. I did think about the Focus RS...but who wants a Focus?
4. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to shop until I found one without ADM, but either way, I'm happy with my purchase.

After close to a decade driving pickups I wanted something fun again. I started looking at the CR-Z with the hfp supercharger, but they seemed pretty hard to find, parts availability isn't great, and in the end they just arent that spirited. An older NSX is still out of my budget, and an unmolested low miles S2K isnt exactly easy to find either, especially the CR coming in around the same price as a brand new FK8. So I decided rather than inheriting someone elses problem I would create my own. I could not be happier with my decision.

Zeffy94 said:

There were two reasons I bought my Type R... one which was the highest priority was that I was tired of driving an automatic. I wanted to learn how to drive a manual transmission. The second reason was I wanted a fast, fun and daily drivable car that I could rip down back roads. I also wanted something that was unique and didn’t blend into traffic. I didn’t want to spend anything above $40K if possible either.

Based on those three things I had three choices... the Type R, the WRX STi and Focus RS. The Focus got eliminated quickly when I read that the ride quality was punishing and of the whole head gasket issue. So that left the Rex and R. I love Subaru so I thought the STi may have been it but the price was already a bit too high for me, not to mention there was a bit less utility. After doing lots of research I narrowed it down to a few things - one, perceived reliability, two, how easy the transmission was for a beginner, and three, the price. The Type R became the clear choice after a bit more research and I absolutely love my car. Yeah the manual transmission has not been at all smooth but 3 weeks or so into my ownership I’m getting the hang of it, and I am loving it more and more when I see how hard a I can push it.

If the STi was still a hatchback I may have defected because I like hatches more than sedans personally, not to mention I love the look of the 5-door Impreza. The STi has a bit more in the creature comfort department and has the bonus of Subaru’s wicked AWD System... but it’s a sedan and to be honest the Honda just get right to me.

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How has learning how to drive a manual in a car like the Type R been? (fastest front wheel drive car in the world etc.)
Asking because I'm in the same boat (learning how to drive manual for the first time) in the 19 Si and am scared I'm gonna do serious damage to the car somehow

MutatedMango said:

How has learning how to drive a manual in a car like the Type R been? (fastest front wheel drive car in the world etc.)
Asking because I'm in the same boat (learning how to drive manual for the first time) in the 19 Si and am scared I'm gonna do serious damage to the car somehow

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New cars are so easy to learn on. The shifting is just so smooth. I learned on a 95 and 03 cavalier...talk about work. The clutch was stiff as hell and the gearbox wasn't smooth. Type R has rev-match too which makes learning that much easier because it does the hard stuff for you.

MutatedMango said:

How has learning how to drive a manual in a car like the Type R been? (fastest front wheel drive car in the world etc.)
Asking because I'm in the same boat (learning how to drive manual for the first time) in the 19 Si and am scared I'm gonna do serious damage to the car somehow

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Just don't downshift to first from sixth at 90+mph nor toss it in reverse at some extreme amount of forward speed and you probably won't hurt it. Wait on the "power shifts" until you are more comfortable with driving the manual transmission, if ever. Hondas are very forgiving. Just pay attention to what you are doing, don't be nervous and you should be fine. It should become second nature soon.

wildbilly32 said:

Just don't downshift to first from sixth at 90+mph nor toss it in reverse at some extreme amount of forward speed and you probably won't hurt it. Wait on the "power shifts" until you are more comfortable with driving the manual transmission, if ever. Hondas are very forgiving. Just pay attention to what you are doing, don't be nervous and you should be fine. It should become second nature soon.

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Yeah I don't do anything insane and I understand how a manual transmission and rev matching and downshifting and everything works. Basically the worst that is happening is the car bucks a little (like super slight jerk) when starting from neutral to first gear at a stop or downshifting (still getting the hang of rev matching). No crazy bangs or jumps just little jerks.

None of that should do any damage. Rev matching as well as downshifting could be saved for a later time after you are more comfortable.

MutatedMango said:

Yeah I don't do anything insane and I understand how a manual transmission and rev matching and downshifting and everything works. Basically the worst that is happening is the car bucks a little (like super slight jerk) when starting from neutral to first gear at a stop or downshifting (still getting the hang of rev matching). No crazy bangs or jumps just little jerks.

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tylermmorton said:

I saw the Type R Prototype at the Paris motor show and was sold. I'm getting mine wrapped in the same material in a couple of weeks

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I was thinking of the same thing after seeing the car at that show . . . . I am too cheap to pay for a wrap, though. Please post some pics after the wrap is done!

I wanted a 270+hp fwd or rwd hatchback and there wasn't any other option lol
I also looked at was Kia stinger GT. I mean, it has 5 doors and it is RWD with tons of power but it was too big and heavy for me.
I wish we had a lot of different options to choose from like the Europeans do.
I thought it was gonna be CTR vs i30N vs Clubsport-like GTI or something like that but the other two never happened here in the states.

Oh, and would I buy it again? Yes. Yes, of course. But I wouldn't trade mine in until the actual refresh.

Mick the Quick said:

I was thinking of the same thing after seeing the car at that show . . . . I am too cheap to pay for a wrap, though. Please post some pics after the wrap is done!

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It's not as shiny as those photos from the auto show, but to be fair, they had giant fluorescent lights shining on it and it was gloomy when I took that video

Reason I purchased a CTR was fairly surprising to me, wife and I went to the dealer to replace her 2016 ILX, I also wanted to step into a new car as I've has my 2012 Si coupe for a few years. Looked at how much everything cost in regards to the Si monthly and my wife said....why don't you just get the Type R, you've wanted one for so long its about time lol.........I've been with Honda since my first car 1991 Civic hatch CX.......will never own another car other then Honda......I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford to have a toy now that im 41, wife, 1 kid........You can't take your money with you but you always have to be able to pay for things like this and not let it effect your bills......its a toy, and i like toys, much like another member said previously
Friends of mine have had the car since it was released, I drove it and I fell in love with it

Im in Canada....so i paid a reasonable price for the car and not a penny over MSRP......

Fg4Marko said:

Reason I purchased a CTR was fairly surprising to me, wife and I went to the dealer to replace her 2016 ILX, I also wanted to step into a new car as I've has my 2012 Si coupe for a few years. Looked at how much everything cost in regards to the Si monthly and my wife said....why don't you just get the Type R, you've wanted one for so long its about time lol.........I've been with Honda since my first car 1991 Civic hatch CX.......will never own another car other then Honda......I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford to have a toy now that im 41, wife, 1 kid........You can't take your money with you but you always have to be able to pay for things like this and not let it effect your bills......its a toy, and i like toys, much like another member said previously
Friends of mine have had the car since it was released, I drove it and I fell in love with it

Im in Canada....so i paid a reasonable price for the car and not a penny over MSRP......

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tylermmorton said:

It's not as shiny as those photos from the auto show, but to be fair, they had giant fluorescent lights shining on it and it was gloomy when I took that video

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You’re right, it looks different. But it looks downright sinister - I like it a lot.

I bought this car because I felt like it was time for an upgrade from my 06 RSX. Don't get me wrong, I loved that thing and was going to keep it until it crapped on me. I started looking about a year ago, just to see what was out there, what I could afford. I didn't like what I saw until one day at the store I saw a black R. I knew that's what I wanted. I was initially between that and a 4Runner, but knew I'd instantly regret a 4Runner because I wanted a manual. Been driving a manual for 12 years, why stop now?! I wanted a daily driver, a fun daily driver. Good on gas since I commute (another regret I probably would have had with the 4Runner). And a bit of power never hurts either! I have a little over 1k miles and loving every second of it. I'd buy this car again.

I had a really nice Honda (Acura TL SH-AWD 6-speed) but it was getting a little old, and it was also a pretty big car. The CTR isn't exactly petite but it's still a good bit smaller than the TL. First time I saw a blue one, I really liked how it looked. Then a buddy of mine, while talking about maybe looking at an M-Coupe, or maybe a basic Cayman S (09-ish), I mentioned the CTR offhand. He said well, if you think you don't want one, do not drive them. You will buy one if you do.

Almost immediately I came here and started poring over the Reviews Compilation thread. In just about every video, you could just sense how involved in the driving process each person was. They wanted to be driving the car, it wasn't just another vehicle to go over. So then I started to find more info, get more excited, and I felt like I was 19 again, looking at an Electron Blue '99 Si all over again. So I called my local dealer and they had just gotten a blue allocation, so I said I'll take it.

Hadn't discussed it with the wife, so that was a fun conversation. But it's worked out ok. And that same day we get a call from the same dealer about her '17 Odyssey, which was a lease. We wanted to get out of the lease and get back to buying them, so we also ended up with an '18 Odyssey. $#%$ that was an expensive week. But both cars are fabulous in their own lanes.

I'd absolutely buy the R again. I've never had a car, even my '99 Si, that I wanted to make as potent as possible but not overdo it, not change the character of the car, and that I felt as emotionally connected to as the CTR. It's a godd@mn riot, and I love it.

MutatedMango said:

How has learning how to drive a manual in a car like the Type R been? (fastest front wheel drive car in the world etc.)
Asking because I'm in the same boat (learning how to drive manual for the first time) in the 19 Si and am scared I'm gonna do serious damage to the car somehow

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It’s been an adventure, but for the most part I have finally gotten it down. Stalling is a thing of the past for me, and I don’t instinctively really think about shifting. Plus, it is just fun and really breaks up the monotony of a commute after a day of work (unless there’s tons of traffic in which case...)

What I still want to improve on is smoother upshifts in the lower gears, namely 2nd and 3rd and also moving off smoothly. I have found that I may have been too high on the bite point which was causing some of these issues. Low RPM shifting I get more pronounced jerks, and I don’t really understand why - I even try slipping the clutch but it doesn’t feel fully smooth.

As for the damage, I am always paranoid about all of the small jerks I get, but at the end of the day, it’s probably only going to amount to maybe a few thousand or so miles of clutch wear. The clutch is a wear item so I basically just tell myself that it’s designed to take it and I whenever I need to replace it I will replace it. The crunchy shifts always concern me but I don’t think it’s actually grinding.

But yeah, learning to drive on it has been quite a journey. Still lots to improve, but hey, I’m just glad I can drive it relatively smooth.

As long as you are moving without stalling and not flinging yourself forward when shifting then you are doing a good job!