non ep Well maintained and loved Honda Integra Type R DC2 96 JDM in Championship White

[ady2k5]

For Sale - Honda Integra Type R DC2 96 JDM in Championship White

Very well maintained and much loved Honda Integra Type R DC2 JDM on a P Plate (1996). I have included a lot of information which has taken me quite a while to write so it could be a bit of a read, apologies in advance. However anyone looking for a well maintained Honda ITR will definitely appreciate the detail contained within the advert.

Mileage – 79,500 miles (rare low mileage), I have only covered 11,000 miles in my 2 year ownership.

Colour – Championship White

Mot – 9 months and expires on 25th March 2013

Tax – 3 months and expires on 30th September 2012

Electric Windows

Electric Mirrors

Central Locking

Air Con – Only used 4 times during my ownership and works fine.

Comes with original Honda Integra Type R mats and still in very good condition.

Original spare wheel and tool kit located in spare wheel compartment.

Reason for selling

After 2 years of successful motoring, solid reliability and the best overall car I have ever owned, the Honda ITR is up for sale very reluctantly. My workplace department is relocating from the north of the city to city centre. As a result of this there is no company parking available and alternatively I will have to use public transport. I can park about 1.25 miles away from the workplace for free and walk in, but there is no way I’ll leave my car out of my sight on an unknown street for around 9 hours per day. I wouldn’t have put it up for sale if it hadn’t been due to relocating and with the job market as it is at present there isn’t much going for applying to an organisation that provides employee car parking.

All my previous cars have been Japanese imports and the Honda ITR is by far the best I have ever had and extremely happy with it. They are definitely rare as I’ve ever only seen another 4 in the last 2 years and 3 of them have been UK models.

Why I purchased this Honda Integra Type R?

Having owned a couple of Japanese cars before (both imports) I decided to continue with the trend as I’ve always had a liking for Japanese cars especially Honda’s. I considered a number of factors when looking for my next car and took into certain criteria when looking for my net car. This included factors such as something that is fairly rare, can deliver around 30mpg, is not an insurance group 20 car and looks and sounds good. I came up with a list of several possible cars and then decided that I really wanted to buy a Honda Integra Type R DC2 JDM as I preferred the rectangular lights compared to the UKDM circular lights plus I’ve had a Honda Civic VTI JDM (EG model) before which I really enjoyed overall. I also carried out research prior to the purchase by becoming a member of the ITR-DC2 owners club back in 2008 and read through many threads in order to gain some additional knowledge Integra Type R’s.

I spent approximately 4-5 months looking for the right car. This meant carrying out detailed searches including looking at the ITR-DC2 website, other Honda owners car website, Autotrader, Pistonheads and Ebay on a daily basis. I spent many hours searching for the right car in total and after reading through hundreds of adverts over the months I viewed a total of 6 JDM ITR’s in total.

Having viewed the first 5 ITR’s and carried out detailed inspections and test drives including many emails between myself and the sellers I found that there was something just not right with the cars and decided not to proceed with a purchase. I then noticed this Honda ITR on the ITR-DC2 website and it was also advertised on the MCR-VTEC website and Pistonheads. The overall impression of the car sounded very good which included having good extensive service history including Japanese service history and traceable history via the MCR-VTEC website which the owner had documented along the way since the day he purchased it. Once again I spent a long time reading through every thread and post that the owner had made on the car including many pm messages between myself and the seller in order to make sure I had every bit of information I needed. Everything sounded very positive about the car and I decided to take a trip down to the seller’s house in order to view the car.

Upon seeing the car at first glance I was very impressed as it looked very clean. I then carried out a more in-depth inspection by checking and testing out everything on the car whilst it was parked up. I also went through all the paperwork which including all maintenance and service documentation with all work and servicing being carried out at Japanese specialists Eight Speed (Unit Eight). I also rang up Stevie from Eight Speed who is the owner and we had a good conversation about the car and he mentioned that he knew the car well and that it was a very good example and maintained to a high standard by the current owner. We then went out for a test drive and the seller carried this out thoroughly by taking the car onto the motorway and also through some bendy roads in order illustrate the excellent handling on the car including VTEC engaging correctly. The overall inspection took around 3 to 4 hours and on this note I was very satisfied with the car and decided to leave a deposit. I then returned a couple of days later to pay off the rest of the amount and drove off as a happy new owner of the car.

The following are pictures of the car at the time when I went around to inspect it:-

Previous Owner

I have always purchased a car that has been owned by an enthusiast as there is a lot more assurance that the car has been well maintained and looked after to a high standard. The previous owner and the first and only other owner of the car is a well-known member and enthusiast on the MCR-VTEC owners club. Some of the members may have heard of him on here and he goes by the name of Jason or his username on the MCR-VTEC which is Boftus.

He purchased the car as a fresh import and it came from Japan with the following sensible modifications over standard:-

• Kakimoto cat back exhaust

• M’s Gruppe M air filter

• Rs-R lowering springs

He is a Honda enthusiast, mature owner in his 30’s and has constantly posted threads and posts on the MCR-VTEC website about the car. This is a big positive as it gives any future owner that extra element of vehicle maintenance assurance and I have spent hours reading through all of it. The car has had many positive comments on the website from other enthusiasts and has been maintained to a very high standard. I will provide more details of the maintenance and sensible modifications made to the car in the service history section. The previous owners only used the car to get to work and back and took it to several car MCR-VTEC car meets which were in his local area, so any other members that have seen the car can provide assurance on it being a very good example, as I stated that the car has received many positive comments on the MCR-VTEC website. Apart from that it wasn’t taken on any long journeys and spent most of the time outside the owner’s house. This Honda ITR has been very well maintained regardless of cost and always kept in great condition.

The following sensible modifications were done to the car by the previous owner with all work being carried out by Japanese car specialists Eight Speed (Unit Eight). Modifications were carried out to improve the performance and handling of the car over standard:-

• Engine - Spoons Engine Damper

• Engine - Magnacore Leads

• Exhaust - J’s Racing Decat

• Handling - Bilstein Shocks and Springs

• Handling - Buddy Club Cambers arms (front and rear)

• Brakes – Cusco MS Stopper

• Brakes – Goodridge Braided Hoses

My Ownership

Over the last 5 or 6 years I have become a huge fan of Japanese cars especially Honda’s and Toyota’s. I have previously owned a Honda Civic VTI JDM (EG shape) and Toyota Starlet Glanza V Turbo JDM which I searched long and hard for. Both cars just like this Honda ITR were maintained to a very high standard by myself and I was a member of the relevant owners clubs for both cars. The cars also sold quickly to other owners club members for prices I was happy with as other members on the respective owners club knew that I maintain my cars to a very high standard. The Honda Civic VTI sold even before I had the chance to write the advert and Toyota Starlet Glanza V Turbo sold within 3 days and I could have sold that 4 or 5 times over in the first week of advertising. I even received messages from the new owners to say how happy they are with the cars and that they are running very well and are probably still running well to this day.

I am a mature enthusiast owner in my 30’s with a clean driving license. I have never received any points on my license nor had any accidents in my 12 year car ownership so be assured that I am no boy racer and drive the car with a lot of care and respect. Looking for a well maintained car in very good condition is also a priority of mine regardless of how long it takes to find, which is in my nature as I have been working as a Quality Assurance and Enhancement Officer for the last 6 years.

I have owned this car since July 2010 and have been extremely pleased with it for the whole duration of ownership and it has been my pride and joy. It has never let me down and always starts on the first turn of the key even when it has been stood still for a week or two in the winter. I have done very little mileage in the car over the last 2 years and this has been a total of approximately 11,000 miles working out at around 5,500 miles per year. The dials and speedometer on the car were professionally converted so that it reads in mph as soon as it was imported into the UK. The reason for the low mileage covered by myself is that the car has only been used to get to work and back, to the petrol station and for servicing and MOT purposes. The car has never been taken to the supermarket for shopping as I’ve seen the way some people park their cars and the disrespect shown for other when opening doors. I would rather walk to the supermarket and back with bags in hand rather than take my Honda ITR.

During my ownership the car has been driven with a lot of respect and care. The car hardly gets driven over 40mph and doesn’t exceed over 3kpm as I’ve always naturally driven cars I’ve owned in that style. There are speed cameras on the roads I travel on as well as a couple of police stations I got past. However to make sure that the car still pulls strongly and that VTEC engages as and when it should and pulls well through the gears, once every week or so I take the car on an alternative slightly longer route home. This includes a dual carriage with a national speed limit where I let VTEC engage with the performance and noise always bringing a smile to my face.

The other main thing is that car has only ever been driven outside peak hours and never during rush hours which minimises wear to the clutch, gearbox, handbrakes, brakes etc. I leave for work at around 6:45am in the morning and it takes me around 30 minutes to get to work and drive back at around 6:30pm. It’s a long day but I tend to the go the gym on a longer lunch break and finish late instead. Timed correctly and I tend to have a very easy journey with little traffic and even timing the traffic lights correctly means going through them without having to come to any standstill. It is also worth noting that I tend to take my work holidays in and around the winter period and therefore the car doesn’t suffer driving through any of the wintry weather conditions and is parked up in the garage. I have also used my brother’s car at times during winter when he doesn’t need it to take to work and back.

The car is always warmed up and cooled down properly, this could take anything from 5 to 10 minutes and I get some funny looks sitting in the car with the engine running but then I do have a lot more care for my car than others. With regards to parking the car it has been garaged for approximately 75% of the time I’ve had it, the other 25% accounts for the time I’ve let my house out and I’ve been living at my parents where the car is parked in front of the house under the street light and I constantly keep an eye on it. With regards to parking at work and with me getting there early I always get a choice of where to park, and I always park up in the single parking bay located next to some fencing. This is for personal assurance purposes as I know no one else can park next to me and therefore the chance of receiving any dents or dints from other car doors is eliminated. I also keep an eye on the car during the day as it is visible from my office window plus the car park (which is accessible by permit only) is constantly monitored by security on patrol and CCTV.

I have received many compliments about the car from a range of different people ranging from kids to those in their 60’s and 70’s. Only recently I had a BMW M3 owner come up to me in the petrol station to compliment me on how good the car looks and sounds as he used to have one himself. It’s always nice to get such positives especially when you get complimented on more than how good the car looks. Work colleagues are often to talking to me about my car and how I keep it looking so clean and I am happy to share my car cleaning advice. The other thing which is a plus is that there is an employee at my workplace that used to work for the Honda main dealers as a mechanic. He has given the car a good once over and mentioned that it is one of the good examples as he has come across a few whilst working at Honda and they are not as in good overall condition as mine. He often comes around for a chat when I park up and provide him with an update on the car and he always comments that I maintain it to a high standard. The garage where I have my car serviced and maintained always comments on how well the car is looking and maintained including how good it is looking underneath. The MOT inspector recently showed his colleagues how good an example the car is including the underneath where it is clean and tidy.

I often get the thumbs up from other Japanese car owners as I drive past them and have had conversations with them. I’ve had quite a few people taking pictures of the car and chatting to me on how good it looks and wanting to know more about it. The other thing which surprised me as that I’ve seen people smelling the exterior of the car (males and females) mainly the panels and commenting that it smells very nice. This is due to the Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax I use on the car as it smells sweet and is similar to Krispy Kreme donuts.

Exterior Condition

The exterior of the car is in overall excellent condition for a 16 year old car and it has always been looked after very well and to a high standard. As I’ve mentioned before the first thing that people notice about the car is how good it looks resulting in many positive comments. The championship white paint on all the panels is in excellent condition with no fading and there is no creaminess element to any of the panels. The paintwork has been maintained due to cleaning the car on a very regular basis using top quality cleaning products which I will talk about later in the cleaning and maintenance section. The paint is also nice and smooth when you feel over it with your finger. There is no rust on the car including the arches as I’ve always kept the bodywork dirt and grime free. There are no bumper scrapes what so ever on the car which includes all the bumper corners, underneath the bumpers and the front splitter. The underneath is also nice and tidy as I’ve always had it well inspected when it has been in for its MOT and servicing and all looks good and solid. There are no chips or cracks in any of the glass. The P1 Buddy Club Racing alloys are in very good condition and the tyres have plenty of thread left on them.

There are few minor bad bits to note but they are very minor and understandable for a 16 year old car. These are as follows:-

• There is a very small dent on the front passenger side wing, however this should pull out fine.

• There is a bit of paint blistering on a small section on the spoiler, however the paint is still intact and is not coming off. From what I’ve heard and seen this is a common issue on Honda ITR spoilers.

• There are a few very minor stone chips that I have very carefully touched up using touch up paint.

Interior Condition

The overall interior of the car is also in excellent condition and has also been well maintained using high quality cleaning products. An important thing to mention here is that I am the only one over my ownership that has sat in and driven the car apart from when it has been in for its MOT. The driver’s seat is the only seat that has been used and I always get into the car carefully as to not rub down on any of the Recaro bolsters. Nobody has sat in the passenger’s side seat or rear seats since my ownership and I think this also goes for the previous owner as seemed to be the only independent person to use the car. As a result of this Recaro’s are still in very good condition without any tears, rips or cigarette burns on them. The outer bolsters on the driver seat are not very spongy with little wear on them but this is common on most driver’s side Recaro’s in other Honda ITR’s. The boot is nice and clean and I have always kept items I need in the car to a minimum as to not weigh down the car unnecessarily and it makes the book look a lot tidier. The carpet in both the main cabin of the car and boot is as new without any tears or wear on it.

The dashboard, doorcards as well as the steering wheel and gear gaitor are in very good condition without any marks, cracks or tears. The roof lining is nice and clean without any marks. Everything on the interior is there as it should be including everything on the dashboard and door cards as well as the original Honda Integra Type R mats which are in very good condition.

With regards to the stereo, when I purchased the car it came with the Alpine MDA-W933J which had been fitted when the car was imported into the UK. I decided to take this out due to not having a front removal plate for security reasons. I have replaced it with a single din Kenwood stereo that has USB input and I have most of my tracks on the USB stick so it’s a lot more convenient for me. The other din area has been filled in using a single din pocket and it all looks fine. However I still have the Alpine MDA-W933J stereo which can be fitted back into the car fairly easily. This is a higher spec unit with built in DSP with many options. It would cost around the best of part of £300 - £400 to replace this unit with a similar spec unit. The aerial works fine with none of the sticking machine gun sounds It goes all the way up and down smoothly as it should unlike the majority of those on other Honda ITR’s

Below are a couple of links to the Alpine MDA-W933J stereo. The Youtube link provides a video on what the stereo looks like when activated including the type of options available on it. The second link provides a user guide for the stereo, which you should be able to translate into English using an online Japanese to English website translator.

http://www.alpine.co...alpine/owners/o ... 77j_om.pdf

Engine

It has been a joy to have experienced a car with such an engine as it has been very reliable and has never let me down. As mentioned earlier the car always starts up at the first turn of the key and has never let me down and it is always warmed up and cooled down without fail. The car pulls very strongly throughout the whole rev range and Vtec engages as and when it should and sounds amazing. Importantly is how well the engine has been maintained by both myself and the previous owner using good quality parts and engine oil as well as having regular oil changes which I will write more about in the service history section. The engine has always impressed me from when I first had it test driven until today and pulls stronger compared to the other Honda ITR’s that I inspected and test drove. I have always driven the car with a lot of mechanical sympathy and have always treated it with a lot of respect. I have never taken it onto a track and has not been thrashed or abused.

The car uses no oil what so ever and I have never had to top the oil up. I also ensure that the engine is always nice and dry and leak free. I check the surface area where the car is parked on a regular basis both at work and home and it has always been dry and there are no leaks what so ever from any part of the car. For extra assurance purposes I also carry out my own leak tests, by putting together white pieces of paper or cardboard, securing it to the floor and driving the car over it. The paper or cardboard is then inspected the following day and it has always been clear. It is also worth mentioning that there are no black spots on the rear bumper which can occur as a result of the car over fueling and/or running rich. This is quite common as I when I inspected the other cars there was evidence of this plus it has been mentioned quite a bit on this owner’s club site. There is no smoke from the exhaust even when Vtec is engaged.

I have always ran the car on Tesco Super Unleaded or Momentum 99 as they call it now and the engine has always ran nice and smoothly. Some drivers tend to use normal unleaded fuel to run their JDM Sports cars which results in a lack of power as well as possible failure/damage to the engine and/or its components. I am also impressed with the mpg that I have been getting whilst only driving the car to work and back and this has been in the range of 33 to 35mpg. Expect the car to deliver around 42-45mpg on the motorway. A rolling road test was carried out by the previous owner at TDI-North and it recorded a very healthy 201.3bhp and 143.3lb/ft of torque, which also provides assurance that the engine is running strongly. The print out taken is as follows:-

Gearbox and Clutch

The gearbox box feels tight and there are no crunches at all when engaging into any of the gears and it pulls very well in every gear like it should. I have always treated it with a lot of respect by engaging nice and smoothly when selecting gears. The clutch is as new as I had it a brand new Exedy OEM Honda Clutch kit fitted with new gearbox oil in February 2011. It has covered approximately 8,000 miles without any problems and has not had been used so much due to using the car at quiet periods as already mentioned. The clutch always engages properly and there is no slippage in any gear throughout the whole rev range. I have never launched the car and have always set off slowly and smoothly.

Other Components

All other items on the car are functioning property and I monitor these every so often in order to make sure that there are no problems. The doors, boot and bonnet shut and close as they should, the release mechanism for opening the boot, bonnet and petrol flap are fine, all the lights are in fine working order and all electrics in the car are in very good working order including everything on the dash and speedo. Both Recaro seats go back and forward smoothly on the rails and the electric windows and mirrors operate without any problems and stickiness unlike some where the windows go up and down but almost stick in certain places.

Service History

The major factor I look for when buying a car is that it must have very good service history, this Honda ITR fulfils that very well as it has excellent service history. This will be appreciated by future owners and also provides assurance that the car has been maintained very well throughout its life.

The service history provided with this car is categorised as follows:

• Japanese service history

• Previous owner service history

• Traceable service history on the MCR-VTEC website

• Professional character reference to back up the car

• Current owner service history

Japanese service history

The car came with various detailed Japanese service documentation when it was imported to the UK. This includes:-

• Honda ITR Maintenance Note

This original document contains details regarding the servicing and maintenance ensuring everything is working and the car is serviced regularly. It is a well detailed document with pictures to illustrate what has been tested and serviced throughout ownership in Japan. The Japanese are a lot stricter with their testing and maintenance of cars so this Honda ITR has definitely been maintained to a high standard. The document shows that servicing and checks have been made at 1020km, 4848km, 22114km, 41158km, 50500km and 64614km all with stamps.

• Honda ITR Manuals/Handbook

There are 2 original manuals/handbooks that also come with the car when it was new from Honda. These are both detailed documents and provide the owner with an insight into how the various components on the car operate, safety issues, how to clean the car, dimensions of various components etc.

• Honda ITR Factory Workshop Data CD

An electronic copy of the manual is also included and provides an online manual for the car but this time in English. This is once again very detailed and consists of approximately 200 pages in total and is similar to a Haynes Manual for a Honda ITR.

Previous owner service history

A lot of the maintenance and servicing has been carried out by Japanese specialists Eight Speed (Unit Eight) and at the time they mainly specialised in Honda Integra’s and Mitsubishi Evo’s. All maintenance and servicing is backed up by invoices from Eight Speed and thousands of pounds have been spent maintaining the refreshing the car throughout his ownership. The condition has probably improved since it was first imported.

Details of all the maintenance and servicing (with details) whilst the previous owner had car is as follows:-

• November 2007 – Fitted spoon throttle(engine damper) and sensors by Eight Speed. The engine damper results in an improvement over standard when changing gears at RPM.

• March 2008 – Fitted new timing belt, new water pump, new tensioner, new engine mounts, new steering rack seal, new cv joint boots. new rear arm bushes plus a full service was carried out. New Honda rear discs, new Project M Pads and new Braided installed, new ignition leads and refurbed discs on the front all done by Eight Speed.

• April 2008 – Fitted new Goodridge new brake hoses, new Project Mui front and rear brake pads, fresh AP Racing Brake fluid, new front engine mount, new rear gearbox mount, new steering rack seals, new inner drive shaft boots, new rear trailing arm bushes, new dizzy cap and Magnecor Performance HT lead kit, new distributor cap and rotor arm. J’s racing decat has also been fitted to fit nicely in line with the Kakimoto cat back exhaust and M’s Gruppe M air filter.

This invoice alone came to a total cost of £1026.57

• November 2008 – Gearbox oil change done using Honda MTF3 gearbox oil, Silkolene Pro 10w50 engine oil used along with Hamp oil filter carried out by Eight Speed. Oil was very clear when inspected with no debris.

• March 2009 – Oil and filter service carried out by Eight Speed. Silkolene Pro 10w50 engine oil used along with Hamp oil filter.

• June 2009 – Genuine Honda rear brake rotor fitted by Eight Speed.

• July 2009 – Fitted second hand Bilstein shockers and springs with poly bushed top mounts which makes provides sharper handling over standard suspension. Also 2 new Toyo T1R's on front and fitted new Genuine Honda front discs and pads all done by Eight Speed.

• March 2010 - Oil and filter service carried out by Eight Speed. Silkolene Pro 10w50 engine oil used along with Hamp oil filter. New Greddy spark plugs (Iridium) also fitted by Eight Speed.

• February 2010 – Fitted set of 4 new 16" Buddyclub P1 Racing SF wheels using new Muteki Wheel nuts with four new Falken 215 45 16" tyres by Eight Speed. The alloy alone retails for £139 each and is a classic Japanese style alloy with its concave spokes and high quality finish plus they look a better than the standard white alloys.

• June 2010 – Fitted Buddyclub front and rear adjustable camber arms fitted and set to fast road spec by Eight Speed. Mark who is an experienced mechanic at Eight Speed and works with Buddyclub on their timeattack car for handling and geometry, has also set up this Honda ITR for handling and geometry perfection when the Buddyclub adjustable camber arms front and rear were fitted. The Buddyclub camber kit has made a hell of a difference to the handling over standard and the car goes round roundabouts like it’s on rails.

Traceable service history on the MCR-VTEC website

As mentioned earlier, the previous owner and the first and only other owner of this car is a well-known member and enthusiast on the MCR-VTEC owners club. Some of the members may have heard of him on here and he goes by the name of Jason or his username on the MCR-VTEC which is Boftus. He has uploaded posts and threads onto the website for all the work carried out on the car and there were over 1,000 posts and threads in total. I spent a lot of time reading through all of these and they provided me with assurance that the car is a very good example and still is to this day. Other members on the website can also vouch for how well the car has been maintained and looks as the previous owner used to also take the car along to local Honda meets.

Professional reference to back up the car

Stevie who is the owner of Eight Speed knows the car well. Prior to purchasing the car I expanded my area of research into the car and gave him a ring. We had a good 30 minute conversation about the car and its maintenance record and he mentioned that he knew the car well and that it was a very good example. Stevie mentioned that the previous owner has maintained the car to a high standard regardless of cost and did his best to keep it running very well and in great condition and that is how I have maintained it since. Most buyers would want assurance that the car has been well looked after and this one has. A great car that is designed to be enjoyed for many years. Contact details for Eight Speed can be found at http://www.eightspeed.co.uk

Current owner service history

I have maintained the car to a high standard and have always used good quality products. All maintenance, servicing and parts purchased are backed up with invoices and is as follows:-

• 7th August 2010 on 68,625 miles – Engine Oil, Oil Filter and Antifreeze.

• 1st February 2011 on 71,702 miles – Brand new Exedy OEM Clutch Kit and Gearbox oil.

• 26th March 2011 on 72,285 miles – Engine Oil and Oil Filter.

• 24th September 2011 on 75,120 miles - Engine Oil and Oil Filter.

• 27th February 2012 on 77,723 miles - Engine Oil, Oil Filter and new rear Brake Pads.

As you can see from the above the car has had oil and oil filter changes on more than a regular basis ensuring that the engine is always running nice and smoothly. The clutch has also been changed and a brand new clutch kit was purchased from Tegiwa Imports who are a well-known car parts dealer on various Japanese car owner website forums. It is common for the clutch to go and be replaced at between 70,000 and 72,000 miles. From carrying out research on the ITR-DC2 website this is when they have been replaced by other Honda ITR owners.

Also included are the following:-

• Original Honda ITR key and 2 spare keys

• Toad A1606 Cat 1 Alarm and Immobiliser certificate and 2 fobs

• Past MOT certificates

• Number Plate Authorisation Certificate

• Honda ITR feature print out from Evo Magazine.

I have kept all documentation together in a Championship White folder all within various sections looking all neat and tidy.

Cleaning and Maintenance

I have always maintained this car just like any other car I’ve had to a high standard with regards to keeping it clean on the inside and outside. Any enthusiast would always want to keep their car looking nice and clean just like and it is for reasons like this why I have received many compliments as to how good my car looks. I’ve been told I am quite obsessive with regards to how much time I spend on cleaning and maintaining my car. As a minimum I wash the car at least once a week without fail and I do enjoy such an activity and would consider as a hobby of mine. As mentioned the car is washed and dried to a high standard at least once a week without fail and the process takes at least 1 hour. If I am not satisfied with the cleanliness of the car then I will rewash and dry it again, although I tend to do a good job the first time around and I do have high standards. The car will either get washed at home or even at work once I finish as I have the facilities available, although I do tend to get some looks by people walking past at work but that’s how I maintain my car. The car is also inspected several times on a daily basis such as during work breaks and I am straight out with the necessary products if I do see any visible dirt such bird droppings.

With regards to the quality of products I use to clean the car, I have always used good quality and paint friendly products. The products I use are either of the Autoglym or Meguiars brand as I have always found these products to do good job and keep the car looking nice and clean on the inside and out. I have given both brands my fair share of money over the years and get regular sales literature from them with a full directory of products they have available. I am that dedicated that the drawers on one side of my work desk contain car cleaning products and then I have the rest of my collection for when I clean my car at home. A good cleaning session including wash, polish, wax, vacuum, interior panel cleaning and engine bay clean could take me around 6 to 7 hours to do and I have done this quite regularly but the results are always worth it. Below are examples of the products I use to perform various cleaning duties on the car.

Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo and Conditioner or Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner are used on the exterior of the car. I have always these products to do a good job with the confidence to remove dirt and leave a nice shine to the car once dried. The car is always washed using either microfibre sponges, microfibre mitts and lambswool mitt as these products are very friendly with regards to not damaging or scratching the paintwork hence why it is still in very good condition. The car is dried using microfibre drying clothes and I have purchased around a dozen of them in total for use on various parts of the car. They are always washed and dried naturally after each use.

With regards to polishing and waxing the car I have always found Autoglym Super Resin Polish to do a very good job. I polish and wax the car on a monthly basis and the most I have done it is twice in a space of 4 days. When it comes to waxing the car I use Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax or Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba Plus Premium Wax, I find both products to do a very good job and leave the bodywork looking very nice and smooth. If I do find any reluctant dirt marks on the car then Autoglym Intensive Tar remover is used in order to get rid of these and has so far done a god job with removing such marks. Autoglym Fast Glass is used to keep the glass on the car looking all nice, sparkly and smear free on the inside and out. The alloys on the car are kept looking in very good condition by using Autoglym Clean Wheels.

The interior of the car including the boot is vacuumed on a weekly basis even though there is little to vac using a Dyson vacuum cleaner. I find this does the best job due to the attachments available as well as getting into the tighter areas. The red Recaro seats have been kept in very good condition using Autoglym Interior Shampoo and the dashboard and doorcards are kept clean with anti-static guard using Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care.

With regards to the engine bay I have kept looking nice and clean using Meguiars Engine Clean and then using various microfibre clothes in order to wipe away any dirt. I tend to find using the microfibre mitts are good for getting into the tighter areas. The engine bay has always been kept clean because road grim and general crap that gets under the bonnet can contribute to a shorter lifespan of some of the components. It also makes it more pleasant to service/work on and look at.

With regards to other maintenance duties, I always check the oil on a weekly basis including all other fluid levels and I have never had to top any of these up. Tyres pressures are also checked on a weekly basis and they are maintaining their pressure well with no punctures of any type and plenty of thread on them.

Security

The car has had a Toad A1606 Cat 1 Alarm and Immobiliser fitted professionally the previous owner and is a very good effective security device for the car. . Cat 1 security is required by most insurance companies for Japanese imports and also makes a difference to the insurance quote. This comes with 2 fobs and also the insurance certificate. The security device has never given me any problems and has been 100% reliable.

Delivery and test drive

The buyer/new owner would need to pick up the car from Leeds. I am happy to take out anyone for a test drive that is genuinely interesting in buying the car as I have done with my previous cars. If you have insurance that covers modified and imported vehicles on a fully comprehensive basis, then you may drive the car.

Location

The car is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and is easily accessible from the Motorway and A routes.

Contact details

If anyone is interested or would like to ask any further questions then please feel welcome to do so. Please send me a pm and I'll reply as soon as I can as I log onto this website on a daily basis. I can provide my mobile number by pm if requested if you would like to have a chat.

Price and final note

Given that the car has been well maintained on the inside and out, has had a load of new parts fitted and is a low mileage example, the price I am asking for is £4200.

No part exchanges please as I don’t require another car. Similar examples would go for at least this price or even more and I feel confident that it will hold its value. I have only advertised the car on the ITR-DC2 and this website at the moment as I would want it go to someone that will look after it just like its myself and the previous owner have looked after it. I am in no hurry to sell the and if it doesn’t sell I will hold onto it as finding a similar example for the price I am selling it is not something you can do quickly. Do not waste your time looking at Honda ITR DC2’s that have been thrashed and neglected. This car has been a real pleasure to own. No timewasters or stupid offers please. The car is also fairly insurance friendly as i am paying the same for this on a fully comp basis as i was on a completely standard Toyota Starlet Glanza V turbo.

Pictures

The following pictures were taken very recently prior to this advertisement going live, if you would like any further pictures of any particular on the car please let me know.

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[Matt1878]

Ladies and gentlemen, this^ is how you sell a car!!

Lovely car, immaculate... GLWS!

[micky boy]

That is one of the best for sale write ups i ever seen!!! as it sould be

Good luck mate hope she go's to a good home

Edited July 9, 2012 by micky boy

[jakeep82]

was just about to saythats how to do a write up on a car too sell it !!

[ady2k5]

Thanks for all the nice comments regarding the write up

I always put the effort into writing a good advert and gettting all the information across as its only fair that somebody's hard earned money will most likely purchase the car plus assurance for the new buyer

[dan_91]

that my friend, is the perfect example of how to sell a car, that is mint!! good luck with the sale, hope it goes to someone who will look after it as much as you will

[Amjad]

Best classified ever? lol

[dazzariley69]

awsome advert, that would more than reassure me in buying a car. lovely looking example mate so clean!

[ady2k5]

Car now sold to a very happy and satisfied buyer

The car had a lot of interest and first viewer purchased it for very near the full asking price.

I am going to miss it though.

[Jamie1st]

I want this car.

[ady2k5]

I want this car.

Sorry mate, sold it a couple of hours ago, good luck with finding one as similar good examples are out there, its just a case of finding them.