I'm genuinely looking at these now, so I've got a couple of questions for you...
- What are the running costs like, fuel etc? (did you have a 197? How's it compare to that?)
- How do you rate the performance, does it feel like it needs more poke?
- Are the brakes good as standard and how do you rate the handling before and after the springs?
Cheers!
I think you would enjoy one!
The running costs are not bad, mine averages 36 mpg with a mixture of driving, I dont do any particularly long journeys, mainly 5-10 miles with the odd blast. I do run on super unleaded though as when I ran a few tanks of 95 when I got it the same driving was returning 32mpg!
Tax is £190 a year which is not great, but better than the Civic, servicing is every 9000 miles / 12 months, which for me isn't a problem as I don't do that many miles a year.
Performance wise, it depends what your used to, I don't think it feels very quick but it has ample power, it definitely never feels under powered. Also the standard set up sounds quite nice, so you don't mind wringing its neck, its quite satisfying how the power builds smoothly as the revs rise.
The brakes seem very good as standard, never had any fade with road driving, however I am about to find out next month as doing a day at Anglesey, I was looking for some DS2500 pads before I go but it seems they are not available so Ill just see how the standard brakes do. They feel very strong but you never know!
Handling wise, it felt a bit crashy on rough roads, which was the main reason I went for the Eibachs, it has smoothed out the ride. Handling wise I dont think it feels much different from standard, I haven't really pushed it that hard since having them fitted, but the car handles really nicely and has a good feel as standard. In terms of feel compared to say the Civic and the 182, I would put it somewhere in the middle of them if that makes sense!
Overall I don't regret buying mine one bit and really looking forward to taking it on track!
Cheers
Nick