Newbie - some buyer advice

[Davidpingu]

Hi all I’m seriously considering buying one of these and just put my 2020 Civic Type R up for sale yesterday.
Apart from all the usual stuff like trawling reviews do you have any advice?
My biggest annoyance right now is seeing one and test driving it. I made the mistake of asking the local dealership if they could match carwow offers and any effort to obtain a demonstrator quickly went cold. Every dealer for themselves! I’m based in South Wales and have yet to see one of these on the road which is part of the appeal but also means it’s difficult to have a look at one!
Are there still wait times on new cars too?
Thanks

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[Dan]

Hi,
someone on a Facebook group ordered a yellow with a June estimate a couple weeks ago.
Don't think there is much new stock at the moment sitting around, try ringing a few more dealers, you might need to search a bit further for something that's not hugely massed produced.
With that in mind, I think they will only discount on new orders. Any that have stock will be firm due to the availability. Although on the flip side they don't sell like hotcakes, only specific buyers.

My local dealership was the same when I first looked but mainly because of my age, First person lied and said I couldn't be insured on it being too young and then when I put carwow quotes though they popped up as one of them and I asked again. Someone finally let me test drive it however they still thought I was some sort of joy rider.
Recently It felt good turning up to get my recall update done in the Supra that I bought from elsewhere who wanted my business, They were quite disappointed when they saw me.
However can't fault the service team and reception they offer. Miles ahead of my BMW service centre.

Really enjoying the car, Nothing much to complain about. Ticks all boxes with what they give you in the spec and options. Build quality is identical to a BMW I had previously and is built in the same factory as the Z4 in Austria. Road presence is massive and unique. Obviously can't be pushed to full potential the moment during winter. The new M240i might be something to also consider if using daily or fun all year round. However it sounds like you like the Japanese brands with your old car, So take your pick.

I have also just picked up a new Yaris as second car and struggled to find any with stock let alone get any sort of discount. Only ones with discount were factory orders for March/April Estimate. Came in within a few weeks, think it was a cancelled order.

 

[Davidpingu]

Thanks for the reply Dan. I’ve mentioned to a dealer I spoke with today I’d buy a cancelled order if one comes in so they’ve taken my details and said they’d phone around the dealer network. Hopefully something may come up but if not I’ll get the £1k deposit together over the next few weeks and just sit tight.
Do you have any complaints about the car?
The main thing I’ve noticed reviews say is that visibly it poor and they keep referring to a “letter box windscreen”. Is it that bad in your opinion? I’ve never owned a sports car, I’ve always had hatches and coupes but I wonder if a lot of it is just the way a sports car is and people forget that with driving so many mpvs!
Ive also read about the new models having a much more locked down ECU which makes any possibility of tuning difficult but that these cars have a 10 year warranty in Europe so most don’t want to tune anyway?

 

[Phil3]

Regarding the windscreen issues… the first few drives, or maybe even the first week say, you’ll think you’re sitting on the road almost, laying right back and the car will feel huge etc… it doesn’t take long to get used to it though! As you say, it’s just what you’re used to driving before it, the same with any new car, put a few miles on the clock and that then becomes the norm ??

 

[MK_Surrey]

I ordered yellow 2 months ago and I'm currently on an ETA of 20th May. Was initially quoted late Feb but May to me is a great time to take delivery.

I actually got a pretty decent deal as it was my second test drive months apart at the same dealer. Called up at 9am and said I'd like to buy a Supra and had signed the paperwork by 11am.

With 0% interest and a 10 year warranty, I'm more than happy to wait for the car to get it in Spring.

 

[Dan]

I actually really like the letterbox slim style windscreen. It really makes the car feel sporty and as Phil mentioned it feels like you are really low to the ground. It does take a slight adjustment but no more than a week or so for me.
Visibility wise I don't have any issues, Rear is still half decent. For a car in this class you can't really expect the best of views.
The only blind spot I find is reversing out onto the road from my drive, Looking behind to each side is definitely a slight issue with the massive rear section/ lack of rear windows however the rear view camera really helps with this.(Even though you probably shouldn't always use it for this use)
Certain junctions looking over your shoulder are much easier in this type of car than other cars I find.

I done a 350 mile each way trip to Cornwall over the summer. A fantastic car for cruising in. Very smooth, averaged around 40MPG on the whole trip down and no discomforts apart from the bathroom break.
Car is kitted with so many options that BMW usually charge an arm and a leg for. Especially safety stuff like blind spot on the mirrors, adaptive cruise control, memory electric seats, matrix lights and so on.

If I could complain about anything, I think the exhaust was a bit underwhelming. I had the backbox modified at PCW mods. He done a really great job and now has a lot more character. Not sure if you can really blame that on Toyota due to the EU Regs as the US spec one sounds much better.
Also can be really annoying not having a boot release button on the rear, Although I don't really carry much anyway.

Not much else to say other than the steering is so much different and nicer than any other car I have owned, Feels very direct and sharp. Gearbox is super responsive I feel and can really be enjoyed in manual gearing.

 

[Davidpingu]

Funny you should mention the exhaust as that was my thinking, whether it would be a bit muted. Coming from the civic I’m used to a quiet exhaust but I think this 3.0 straight 6 has more of a nice engine note to enjoy.
What is it that mutes the EU car more than the US spec? Is the cat more restrictive or is it somewhere else in the system?

 

[Dan]

Funny you should mention the exhaust as that was my thinking, whether it would be a bit muted. Coming from the civic I’m used to a quiet exhaust but I think this 3.0 straight 6 has more of a nice engine note to enjoy.
What is it that mutes the EU car more than the US spec? Is the cat more restrictive or is it somewhere else in the system?

Yeah you really can't beat the smooth 6 Cylinder sound from the engine for cars in this price bracket.
I haven't heard the civic in person however on YouTube clips I can imagine it being very quiet so I'm sure this would be more than good enough stock for you.

I think the CAT is definitely different. I don't really know much into all the differences.
Not sure if we have secondary cats over here on top also.
The systems looks similar but internally they are quite different.
Essentially yeah its a lot more restrictive over here and we theoretically have less HP too.

However you do have options to make it louder, Exhaust system and sports CAT.
I feel that just the backbox mod is good enough for me, Of course I would love it louder still, however I don't feel like annoying of my neighbours every time I move the Car haha!

 

[Davidpingu]

Well I’ve just put my deposit down on one this morning. ETA is currently May/June time!

 

[Sunstorm]

The visibility isn't that bad I thought, that's with me coming from hatchbacks. Maybe if people are used to higher riding SUVs it's a big difference? As for being low down, I much prefer it to sitting higher up, it's actually a really nice place to be and as stated above, is quite comfortable on longer cruises.

For the exhaust, in the UK (and EU) we have the GPF as well as the usual catalytic converter
I've left the cat and GPF on mine as I want to avoid issues when it comes to the MOT tests starting next year, but to make it sound better, I've got the milltek exhaust:
https://www.millteksport.com/produc...aust-system-ec-approval-soon-ssxty102-uk.html

It's still valved so stays quiet in comfort but then switching to sport mode it's much louder with more obvious pops/bangs. I had the FK8 civic previously (stock exhaust) and there was no contest compared to the B58 in the supra.

 

[JP_]

On visibility: I actually find it really good, doesn't feel cramped at all which was something I was worried about being very tall. Thanks bubble roof!

I do find it a bit awkward to know where the sides are, it feels quite wide and as you're low down and can't see kerbs over the long bonnet as easily as in a taller car, that can be a little worrying when you're passing traffic going the other way on narrow stretches. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually as I learn the proportions better though.

You won't regret getting one, it's a brilliant drive, and I've been surprised with how liveable it is as a daily in terms of boot space.

 

[Davidpingu]

Good to read there’s a few ex CTR owners here too as I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing. Going to the Supra feels like I’m sacrificing some practicality but then it’s only me in it 95% of the time so I thought what the hell.
What about the driver feedback? Is it as good as the CTR in the corners? Does it feel as planted?

I bought my wife a 2 year old Merc GLC AMG line back in October and honestly ever since the CTR has felt a little underwhelming inside. I can’t fault the way it drives but I’m just looking for something a little more premium feeling inside now.
My only slight concern now is I’ve still not even seen one in real life never mind driven one!

 

[Jammon]

Thanks for the reply Dan. I’ve mentioned to a dealer I spoke with today I’d buy a cancelled order if one comes in so they’ve taken my details and said they’d phone around the dealer network. Hopefully something may come up but if not I’ll get the £1k deposit together over the next few weeks and just sit tight.
Do you have any complaints about the car?
The main thing I’ve noticed reviews say is that visibly it poor and they keep referring to a “letter box windscreen”. Is it that bad in your opinion? I’ve never owned a sports car, I’ve always had hatches and coupes but I wonder if a lot of it is just the way a sports car is and people forget that with driving so many mpvs!
Ive also read about the new models having a much more locked down ECU which makes any possibility of tuning difficult but that these cars have a 10 year warranty in Europe so most don’t want to tune anyway?

A ten year warranty? What is the price for the car in Europe?

 

[Sunstorm]

Good to read there’s a few ex CTR owners here too as I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing. Going to the Supra feels like I’m sacrificing some practicality but then it’s only me in it 95% of the time so I thought what the hell.
What about the driver feedback? Is it as good as the CTR in the corners? Does it feel as planted?

I bought my wife a 2 year old Merc GLC AMG line back in October and honestly ever since the CTR has felt a little underwhelming inside. I can’t fault the way it drives but I’m just looking for something a little more premium feeling inside now.
My only slight concern now is I’ve still not even seen one in real life never mind driven one!

I had my FK8 alongside the Supra for some time and to be honest the Civic was the better handling car to me, especially after I swapped the OEM wheels/tyres on it. IMO nothing I've driven has handled as good as it.

Swapping straight into the Supra after the Civic, it felt a bit softer in the corners. I did get some strut braces which to my limited senses have made a bit of a difference.

The Supra looks really good in real life, I've had a few people comment that the photos don't do it justice. The interior is much smarter than the Civic as well. I know some will complain about it all being BMW, but that means it is as nice inside as any other BMW.

 

[Nitroturtle]

I had my FK8 alongside the Supra for some time and to be honest the Civic was the better handling car to me, especially after I swapped the OEM wheels/tyres on it. IMO nothing I've driven has handled as good as it.

Swapping straight into the Supra after the Civic, it felt a bit softer in the corners. I did get some strut braces which to my limited senses have made a bit of a difference.

The Supra looks really good in real life, I've had a few people comment that the photos don't do it justice. The interior is much smarter than the Civic as well. I know some will complain about it all being BMW, but that means it is as nice inside as any other BMW.

I'm also coming from an FK8 and while I haven't driven a Supra yet, I've ridden in one. I'll be happy if the Supra is even close to the handling of the FK8, and honestly it doesn't surprise me to hear that you say the FK8 handles better. The Civic really is an incredible car and even after owning it nearly 3 years I'm still impressed and amazed at it's capabilities. I'll probably regret selling it someday, but I just can't justify keeping it just to have it sit.

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