Ever turned down buying a car, only to see its value skyrocket years later? Of course you have. We all have. I’ve been kicking myself ever since calling off the search for a DC2 Honda Integra Type R about ten years ago, having saved up enough cash from my part-time job at a tech store during my second year at uni. They were a little over £5,000 at the time, but I simply wasn’t brave enough to splurge nearly all of my pocket money on a car that I probably couldn’t afford to keep in good nick, so I chickened out.
It wouldn’t take long for values to creep towards £10k, then £15k and, in the last couple of years, we’ve seen the emergence of the £20k DC2. Blast. Of course, if you don’t mind one that’s been lightly modified, or one that’s ticked over the 100,000-mile mark (which is barely run-in for a Honda), then you can find examples towards the lower end of the scale. But for an original, rust-free example, then prepare to part ways with considerably more cash.
Factor in ultra-low mileage, paintwork that looks as immaculate as can be for a 25-year-old Honda, and Recaro seats that haven’t been worn down to the padding (as is so often the case with a old Type Rs) and you’re looking at brand-new Civic Type R money. That’s right, this 1999 example is up for sale at £44,995, which, to put it delicately, is a fair whack more than any other ‘Tegra currently for sale on PH.
You hardly need me to tell you why the DC2 Type R is so revered. It’s considered one of the greatest front-wheel drive cars of all time, after all, blending a lightweight (just 1,125kg) chassis with a 1.8-litre VTEC engine that’d scream up to 8,700rpm on UK cars. Honda blessed us Brits with 500 examples to call our very own, and although they weren’t quite as punchy as the JDM-spec cars (197hp vs 187hp on our cars), at least we didn’t have to go through the rigmarole of importing one to see what all the fuss was about - as we’d have to do with the follow-up DC5.
Naturally, most DC2s that come up for sales these days have racked up a decent mile tally (I would have done the same had I not wimped out of buying one all those years ago), so it takes someone with superhuman levels of willpower to resist the urge to rag it about in less than ideal conditions. To be fair, this example hasn’t exactly been stashed away in a corner its entire life. The dash reads 12,318 miles, which has been evenly accumulated over the last 25 years as detailed by a comprehensive service record. Makes you wonder whether it’s ever been exposed to a salty, wintery road before.
Whether it’ll be snapped up quickly at a fiver shy of £45k is anyone’s guess, but a quick Google search for Integra Type R sales records revealed that at least two examples in the US have sold for six figures, so there’s clearly an appetite out there for a near-factory fresh example. And hey, at least you can still pick a higher mileage example for a lot, lot less., which means you’re sort of spoilt for choice: spend a bit more for one of the finest DC2s in the country, or save a few quid and grab one that won’t make you flinch at the sight of rain. I know which one I want.
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