Faults:

Air Conditioning failed, large bill to repair.

Stereo stopped working for no reason.

General Comments:

Stylish car with a very responsive engine.

Not really built for long distances, seats start to get really uncomfortable after about 90 minutes driving.

Road noise is really bad on motorways and at higher speeds.

Good handling, and smooth gearbox.

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

For those not familiar with this model, it is a Japanese Import TypeS model, not the American Type S / Type SH model. It has a few performance improvements over the standard British VTI 183hp/200hp model. This version has 220 Hp, a stiffer suspension setup, an electronically controlled LSD, and a customised interior. In terms of performance on the road it is easily on par with the Honda / Acura Integra Type-R. The 0-60 time is in the low-sixes and it does the quarter mile in the high 14's. Performance is only half of it though because although the ride is stiff it is very comfortable to drive on the motorway. Also, the car has massive grip and very precise steering despite being FWD.

Overall, If you live in the UK / Australia where Japanese imports are fairly common this is worth seeking out in the classifieds, but it is very rare - I have never seen another one apart from mine. Highly recommended.

Faults:

Nothing - just other people who keep crashing into it, wasting my no claims bonus!

General Comments:

Engine is pretty fine, does make a great noise when revved hard, although I am told it's nothing compared to the 2.2 VTEC! Plenty of power, but the auto transmission saps this down so it gives not too much more than the average two-litre manual. Still beats these though...

Gearbox is okay, fairly sporty for an auto, sports mode letting you hold each gear higher (and burn more fuel!).

Handling is pretty awesome thanks to the electro-hydraulic 4 wheel steering system - first time hitting a roundabout hard, you get the feeling that you've just lost the back end, but then the rear wheels steer the opposite way, and to use the cliche, it goes round like it's on rails. That said, if you provoke it hard, it'll understeer, but thanks to that intelligent 4WS, it will never, EVER oversteer!

Interior is okay, nice blue lit up dash (which you either will or won't like...), comfy sports seats, and FAR less interior space than a car of this size has any right to offer. With the front seats in a comfy position for the average sized driver and passenger, they are touching the cloth-lined bench of a back seat, so don't even think about rear passengers for any long journey. However, this means that boot space is good for this type of car, which is one advantage.

For a FWD coupe, this does pretty much all you could want it to - has all the looks, but is (relatively) insurable too, and has a reasonable turn of speed and inspirational handling to boot, as well as the now legendary Honda reliability.

However, as a sports car, it's upsetting that some well conceived family hatchbacks (Golf GTi 2.0, Peugeot 306 XSi, Seat Leon 20V, even the Zetec engined Ford Focus) can out-do it in terms of speed AND handling through most everyday driving situations.