Any higher-mileage Type R owners here who daily it as their only car, or plan to?

[VLJ]

Love my '24 Boost Blue FL5 to death. Bought it new, have had it for six months and 6,000 miles, swapped in the Type S ADS module, got my dealer to honor the TSB for the '22 Civics regarding the buzzing in the dash/infotainment (they go into the dash and add felt pieces at some of the contact points between plastic pieces), and overall I think I now have a pretty decent handle on what this car is all about.

Pros:

—The shifter and transmission are insanely good. No news there.

—The seat is amazing. Again, no news there.

—The looks remain stunning to me. I still turn around and glance back at her every time.

—The Bose stereo is surprisingly good.

—The front end is straight-up magical. The handling, the sheer grip, it's almost difficult to believe. This car is a freak show.

—The interior looks fantastic. The gauges, the lighting, the red touches. It's all good. Everyone loves it.

—So much room everywhere. Comfortable for all four occupants, and still there's a lot of storage in that huge hatch space.

—The motor feels wonderfully smooth and solid. It's fast, but not that fast. It's not the sheer speed; rather, it's the way it makes speed. It always feels composed. Great throttle response, great clutch takeup, great everything.

Cons...

—Tiny gas tank combined with my seemingly constant 24.9 mpg means I'm constantly having to fill up with expensive 91 Premium.

—Intermittent buzzing in the dash and seat belt areas. It comes and goes. Certain roads make it go crazy. Other times, we'll go entire days in blissful silence. This remains the lone issue that keeps this car from being a perfect performer to me, at least within its design goals.

—Speaking of which, I wish it had another thousand or even another two thousand RPM. It's a turbo, though, not naturally aspirated, so I know that a 9K redline is unrealistic at this price point. Still, even an addtional five hundred RPM would be greatly welcome. I run into redline far too easily.

—Still wish it had heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and lumbar control. Knowing that the 2025 Civic Si now has heated seats, man, that's annoying.

—The running costs of this thing are fairly daunting. No, we're not talking Porsche costs here, but for a Civic? Damn. Tires are a fortune, and they don't last even half as long as those on "normal" cars. I hear that the rear brakes also don't last much beyond ten thousand miles.

And that's where I arrive at the question posed in this thread. Between the high insurance/running costs and my reluctance to put major miles on my resale-value beauty, I find myself questioning whether this could really be a long-term, single car solution for someone who isn't made of money. I want to take my usual roadies, but I keep talking myself out of doing so because I don't want to eat those running costs while also devaluing the car. I didn't have these worries with my two ND2s, but with this one, yep, I'm actually a bit fearful of driving it too much.

I'm wondering whether I can flip the mental switch. At some point, I have to be wiling to move beyond the constant worrying, accept the high running costs, and start using it as I have always used all my other cars and motorcycles. So far, this Type R is the lone exception for me. It's my only car or bike that I've been unwilling to take on multi-day, long-distance roadies, and that simply can't stand.

I'm very anal with the maintenance, and I don't track her. Even if it's no longer necessary with modern turbos, I always let the car warm up and cool down for a solid minute before driving off or shutting down the motor. Beyond the usual direct injection/carbon buildup issue, is there any evidence to indicate that this powertrain won't easily manage ten years/150,000 miles if treated right? Has anyone here put those kind of miles on an FK8?

Sponsored

 

[nawfoo]

The car is not a unicorn. Just enjoy it.

 

[tezzasaurusrex]

Running costs? What running costs are you referring to?
These are literally some of the lowest maintenance vehicles on the market today.
You need to worry less, its not good for your health.

 

[svvitch]

Buy longer lasting 500tw tires. Enjoy the mid range torque of the turbo. Rear pads can be had for $120. Drive it. It's wonderful.

 

[VLJ]

Running costs? What running costs are you referring to?
These are literally some of the lowest maintenance vehicles on the market today.

Tires installed are somewhere close to $1,800, and instead of lasting the usual 60,000 miles this set will last, oh, 20,000, if we're lucky? Compared to a normal car, or even an ND2, that's a huge recurring expense.

The brakes on my old hybrid Camry basically never need replacing, and even the Miata's brakes weren't likely to need swapping for many years. The Type R brakes are a lot more expensive, and last nowhere near as long. I have read a number of accounts of people needing to swap their brakes at anywhere from 9,000-12,000 miles, despite not doing a lot of track work.

Average mileage on Premium fuel is working out to be 24 mpg for me, vs a constant 35 mpg on my ND2 (which would easily surpass 40 mpg on the freeway), and well over 50 mpg on cheaper 87 Regular fuel with the Camry.

Insurance for the Type R is pricier than for most other cars.

The tires and fuel mileage are the big ones, but taking everything into account, yes, the Type R's running costs are well above average. I suppose if things like Porsches and Corvettes are the yardstick then the Type R is relatively cheap to run, but compared to the Miata or most any normal car it's quite spendy.

It is what it is. I have to decide whether to flip the switch mentally and follow the advice of others here who say, "Just drive the thing. It's not a unicorn. Enjoy it." I suppose the question that's holding me back from doing that is whether this powertrain is long-term reliable enough to allow me to think of it as a ten-year/150,000K car that I can confidently treat like any other Honda, Toyota, or Mazda.

It's a Type R. All that grip and acceleration necessarily comes at a cost. I know I have to pay to play. I'm fine with that, in general terms. I just want to know that those higher running costs are all I need to account for, as opposed to the car inherently being too highly strung and fragile to serve as a long-term, higher-mileage daily. That's why I'm asking whether any FK8 owners have managed to put some decent mileage on that K20C motor.

 

[AZCWTypeR]

Except for tire installation, I do my own maintenance. I the past 25 years and nearly 700k miles, I've had no unplanned maintenance with Honda's. I don't expect the CTR to be any different.
I'm averaging over 30 mpg, so better than my Acura TL 6MT and on par with my FR-S (both premium fuel). Though I do wish the fuel tank was a bit larger.
My TL had Brembo's and I swapped the pads myself for cheap (<$30) vs. the dealer quoting $750 (car was in for a power steering hose recall, otherwise I avoid dealerships).
I got insurance quotes on an Si, CTR, and 5.0 Mustang and the CTR was in the middle, only a bit more than the 10 year old FR-S.
For the price differences I'm more than happy with the CTR vs. lesser car (Hyundai N, flaming Corolla GR, etc) and it will hold its value over time.

 

[optronix]

For an enthusiast car, it doesn't get any more reasonable or "hardy" than a Honda Civic. Also- any talk of "devaluing"... it's a Honda Civic. It's not a limited run Porsche or Ferrari investment piece.

Drive that shit.

Yes, the tires are pretty outrageous, but it is what it is.

 

[atucker80]

I vote for selling it and going back to the miata. We'll all miss you.

 

[VLJ]

For the price differences I'm more than happy with the CTR vs. lesser car (Hyundai N, flaming Corolla GR, etc) and it will hold its value over time.

Yes, I sold Honda for many years. Cars or motorcycles, Honda has long been my favorite brand, as well as the brand I trust the most. However, with their transition to direct injection and turbos I am aware that these are no longer the Civics, Accords, and CR-Vs of old that would routinely do 250K miles without breaking a sweat. This Type R motor makes a shit-ton more power than any of my previous three Civics, all of which proved absolutely bombproof. I don't believe that any "commodity vehicle" turbo motor will last as long as an NA equivalent, and this particular powerplant is decidedly unlike any of those reliable old Hondas.

Maybe it shouldn't, but it gives me pause. I'm hoping Honda still prioritized longevity with this special motor, and not just short-term performance.

 

[Brittania]

My 2nd car just got totalled by a 16 yr old and rather than buy another, I'm going all in on the Type R. I can't really think of any other car for the price I'd rather drive every day for the next 10-15 years. By that time I'm planning on being rich so I'm not going to care about resale value.

 

[J_D]

The running costs you are complaining about are costs for a performance car. The tires are expensive because the car is designed to run laps. It's got almost twice the power and torque of a ND2 miata. You can get a set of blank discs that aren't two pieces for cheap, alongside generic brake pads.

In terms of Type R specific maintenance, it's the exact same as a regular Civic until the bespoke parts wear, like the dampers.

Downsize to a set of Civic Si-sized wheels with 235/40/18 all-seasons if its a problem.....

 

[TchnoZ33]

Shoot, I have 17,000 miles…do I need to change brake pads? Lol.

Also…if you are worried about MPG that much and cost of gas…maybe the type R isn’t the car for you long term? I had the civic sport touring and that only needed regular gas and could go 31 mpg easy, so I get it. But now I have 150 extra horses to play with. If you have the car but are too worried to drive it or spend on the gas, than i don’t know if you are ever going to be able to enjoy it for what it is.

I would like to add, I have had 0 dollars spent on Maintenace till this point; I’m covered by Honda till 24,000 on Maintenace. I do have to pick out new tires soon though. But it sounds like you aren’t really taking it easy on the tires from reading your post…can’t have it both ways where you get to have fun but don’t wanna replace things that run out faster when you are driving spirited.

Lastly, for insurance. Hopefully your driver record is clean. If it is, shop around. I only pay about 110 a month for full coverage on the car, but I did have some places trying to get me to pay 350 or so.

 

[VLJ]

TchnoZ23, I'm pretty damn old and have a spotless driving record, but, unfortunately for insurance purposes, I live in California. For those who are not aware, auto insurance companies have either pulled out of California entirely, or they're continually raising their rates at an obscene clip. I've shopped my insurance like a madman. The pickings here have become mighty slim.

Compared to so many here who regularly track or autocross their cars, I take it relatively easy on my FL5's brakes and tires. Compaed to most street-only drivers, however, I suppose I probably am rather difficult on the consumables. I spend a lot of time at or near redline, ripping around in the NoCal canyons. Places like Mosquito Ridge, Monitor Pass, Skaggs Springs Rd, etc., are a driver's paradise.

We may get raped for insurance here, but at least we have some phenomenal driving roads as recompense.

 

[TchnoZ33]

I’m jealous! I tried to have a little run and got a reckless driving ticket had to get a lawyer to get it taken care of. Stupid Midwest roads.

 

[juguuu]

Just swap the pads to a ceramic compound if you just daily and you won't have to wait for the brakes to go out for at least another 20k they're so easy to swap out. Just worry about the rotors from that warning pin and It's good to have sets for any occasion. This car was designed so it can be maintained like a regular civic one weekend and can be driven hard on canyons or tracks on another, you don't have to be nice to it, just the paint. This car eats tires and brakes, no different from any other sports car.

Sponsored