Background

I passed my driving test whilst in my final years of school, but I never got a car until I left university. Up till then, I was either in school or in university and there was no real need to have my own car. So the only times I got to drive was in my dad’s car.

My first requirement for a car was that it be resonably cheap and easy to maintain, and not require any major work on it. In the end I got a 1994 Fiesta 1.3LX. Considering it’s age, it was extremely low millage, so it was a good deal.

The original plan of mine was that I would keep this car until I was 25, and then get something sporty as over-25 year olds allegedly get cheaper insurance.

Saxo VTR

By Jan-Feb 2000 I was getting sick and tired of my car. The Fiesta was only getting 50 bhp from the engine. Of course, I really wanted another car, but couldn’t justify it on insurance grounds. Then in Feb 2000, there was an article on Top Gear (the TV programme as opposed to the magazine) by Vicki Butler-Henderson. Basically, it was about cheap, ‘warm’ hatches. The aim was to find a car that your average early 20′s chap could insure, yet have a reasonably quick or nippy car that was fun to drive. If I recall, there was a Fiat Punto, the Saxo VTR and another car.

In the end the Saxo was ruled the best car. I was now intrigued. Of course, at the end of the article it was mentioned that Citroen where also doing free one years insurance, and the following year I would only have to pay Group 7 insurance (the hot VTS Saxo was group 14).

That was the moment when I decided to get one. I went for a test drive and loved it. Good fun to drive, and the engine felt nice and nippy (well, 90bhp is getting on to twice that of my old car). On the first weekend of April 2000 I picked up my lovely new Posedion Blue Saxo VTR.

Honda Integra Type-R

Although I got a Saxo, I still lusted after the Integra Type-R having seen one for the first time in Jan 2000. The more research I did on them, especially during 2002, the more I wanted one really badly. In late 2002, the Saxo really started getting the reputation as a bit of a Max Power car. The Nova was once the car of choice of the Max ‘Muppet’ brigade. Basically, 17-22 year olds who put more effort into sticking silly spoilers etc onto their car. However, good Novas must be getting harder to find, and the Saxo is becoming a nice cheap car for them now. I had an awful feeling that insurance premiums were about to go up for Saxos :(

In January 2003, I started looking around for an Integra Type-R. In the end, I found a 99 model in Black. Although I originally thought the red one looked the best in photos, having seen examples of all three colours, I would say Black looks the best. The white car showed up dirt more than the other colours. The red showed up dirt the least, but the red decals (The Honda an Type-R badges) don’t show up well on a red background. The Black however, shows of the decals well, and is marginally easier to clean than the white ones. Colour was not the prime factor in my choice of car in the end, but I was fortunate to find a good example which happened to be in my favourite colour.

It certainly was a very enjoyable car to drive. Felt very racy, even if it was not the fastest of sports cars. But for its price it was very good. It was noisy on the motorway, but not as bad as some people make out. However, when the VTEC kicks in on quiet open twisty roads is when you start smiling a lot.

One of the best reactions to the car was from a work collegue who I took out in it. Having driven me to the place where I was picking up the car, when we got back to Bath, I took him out for a spin in it. I dropped the gears, and went along at 5500 rpm, explaining that the VTEC hadn’t kicked in yet. I commented that the car just sort of sorted like a noisier version of my old Saxo VTR. Then I floored, in comes VTEC, quick shift gear. More VTEC. Reaction from my passenger?? Hysterical laughter, brought on by shock, excitement, and probably a bit of fear. Seeing someone else react like that was enough to make me smile.

The Future

When I moved to Japan, I had to sell my Integra. So what did I do next?

In Japan, I had no car as the public transport was is so good. There was always the plans to get an Integra DC5 though.

The Future – Part 2

When I originally wrote this page, it was before March/April 2005… the time I became Peak Oil aware. My views on motoring have somewhat changed. I have to admit, there are still times I miss having a sporty type car, I’m still an adrenaline junkie at times. However, the realisation of the bigger picture (coupled together with this getting older thing ;) ) means that I feel less inclined to get a sports car. In fact, I see no need for anyone to do it.