ep3 for a P plater

**shogun124** · 06-07-2010 04:18 PM

Hi guys.
i'm planning on buying a stock 2002 honda civic ep3r. just wondering if you guys can give me some info on it.
like how much fuel it uses per 100km?
how reliable will it be in the long run?
how hard is it to buy engine mods and cosmetic mods etc?
what the experience was like owning one of these cars?
also i have found some with only 40,000km+ on the clock. how trust worthy is this number as it seem awfully low for an eight year old car.
and also will it be a perfect car for a P plater.

Thanks guys

**Philip Lee** · 06-07-2010 05:20 PM

like how much fuel it uses per 100km?

pls refer to the main EP3 thread, we were just discussing this very thing.

how reliable will it be in the long run?

depends on how you use your car. but it's a Honda so it should be fine if you treat it well.

how hard is it to buy engine mods and cosmetic mods etc?

with engine mod, it's just a K20 afterall. with cosmetics its hard as not many option available for body kit etc but you can always do wheels and Mugen stuff.

what the experience was like owning one of these cars?

if you like your vtec, it's great. if u like turbo, buy something else.

also i have found some with only 40,000km+ on the clock. how trust worthy is this number as it seem awfully low for an eight year old car.

you should always buy with condition.

and also will it be a perfect car for a P plater.

its not too hard to drive so a P plater should be fine but whether it's perfect for you, only you can answer this question.

**JohnO** · 06-07-2010 10:05 PM

when looking for one condition of the entire car is top priority, take a mechanic with you or someone who has experience to check the body and engine. most import cars are roughly around 40-60kms some are genuine some arent, think about it from the sellers pov they want to get more money out of selling it and you wouldnt have a clue because they usually dont have a log book to show its service history and etc. wouldnt consider age being a problem if its well taken care of thats good enough for me, if you want something newer than a ep3 get a dc5s.

fuel - well who cares its a type r meant to go hard.. you'll get over 350kms out of a tank

reliability- service it well and it'll be reliable

mods- your limited to mugen for cosmetics, performance is pretty good as there are parts that are interchangeable with the dc5r, good support for k engines.

experience- only had mine for 6months only problem ive had so far is steering rack...

p plater car for sure, if you can drive it that is.

**shogun124** · 08-07-2010 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by JohnO

when looking for one condition of the entire car is top priority, take a mechanic with you or someone who has experience to check the body and engine. most import cars are roughly around 40-60kms some are genuine some arent, think about it from the sellers pov they want to get more money out of selling it and you wouldnt have a clue because they usually dont have a log book to show its service history and etc. wouldnt consider age being a problem if its well taken care of thats good enough for me, if you want something newer than a ep3 get a dc5s.

fuel - well who cares its a type r meant to go hard.. you'll get over 350kms out of a tank

reliability- service it well and it'll be reliable

mods- your limited to mugen for cosmetics, performance is pretty good as there are parts that are interchangeable with the dc5r, good support for k engines.

experience- only had mine for 6months only problem ive had so far is steering rack...

p plater car for sure, if you can drive it that is.

Ok cool thanks for the info man. everything sounds good about the car. only down side is the fuel consumption. but it is a high reving vtec so cant really complain...
but i think that settles it. I'm going to buy one.
Know anyone selling or any recommended dealers?

**JohnO** · 08-07-2010 03:08 PM

Check the forsale section saw some pretty good ep3s tip top condition for a bargain think Patto was selling up. If you want a fresh import then head to IMG- location is like near lidcombe/auburn. Just google international motorgroup.

Fuel wise is pretty good in my previous civic the sedan one took me about 380 and ep being a performance car suprised me to be able to go past 350km on a fuel tank

**shogun124** · 11-07-2010 07:10 PM

I know this a honda forum so the answer will be biased. but which would be better. the EP3r or the nissan s15 Autech?

**JohnO** · 12-07-2010 11:14 AM

with the autech im not so sure of but you'll get hassled alot because stupid cops think its boosted and they'll search for the snail. it would be a better buy if you plan to keep it after your p's and boost it, would make so much more power, i hear its pretty quick being an n/a cause they had to make up for the removal of the turbo so i think they added better cams and all the internals. in the end never driven one will never know.

**Antv** · 13-07-2010 01:16 PM

why dont you wait for fulls then get a s15 jdm spec r (instead of getting a boring non turbo autech). by then prices for it would probably drop even more. but for now ep3r is the best choice i reckon.