Okay, so on June 2009, as part of my graduation gift, I decided to get a new car and replace my old 1996 Subaru V3 WRX. I decided I wanted something more comfortable and less petrol guzzling! And going back to my brief driving history, I had good experiences with my first car which was a 1991 Honda Civic SiR-S so decided to proceed forward with a Honda. However, I didn't want a granny car and still wanted to have a 4 door car with a little bit of performance. And one model popped in my head, a Euro R! Always liked them as they seem to have this charisma about them. A nice 4 door, practical, sporty, and comfortable cruiser this was the logical choice that would suit my needs.
After months of searching, I came across a red 2000 Honda Accord Euro R (CL1 Chassis) for sale at a car dealer at Christchurch. It had 72,000km on the clock, everything stock standard and untouched. Looked awesome on the picture and at that time, was the lowest mileage Euro R in the market in New Zealand. So that was a no-brainer so I pulled the trigger and snapped it up. Though in retrospect, I realise it may have been a hasty decision as I didn't take a look at the car before snapping it up. But figuring it was being sold by a reputable dealer, I felt comfortable enough to proceed through the purchase anyway.
After a month of dealing and preparations, it finally arrived on September 21, 2009. Thankfully, the dealer came through and the Accord was in awesome condition inside and out. Smooth driving and very very comfortable even though the high clutch needed time getting used to. However, all in all, was stoked with the car. Some pictures of the car on the first day of purchase:
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| Rear View |
Everything that was there when she left the factory were still there, even the dual exhaust system which was a bit quiet for my liking as I loved the rumble of my old Subaru but that will get sorted sometime in the future before the 2013 Nationals.
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Front View
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I was very happy with the job the car dealer did in maintaining this car during their importation and ownership of the vehicle. Despite hard rain on the day they shipped it over (which they called just to apologise lol), it was still gleaming! So all in all, for the Euro R's exterior looks, it had potential, which I liked.
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| Interior Shot |
The Interior is what I loved the most. Owning my WRX for 3 years, I've been accustomed to minimalist interior which, anything in it was only for pure function and no luxuries were present. However, for the Euro R, it was a world apart. Not only did it have a more attractive interior, the figure-hugging Recaro's did not break my back! That was one huge problem solved as my back was always in pain whenever I drove the Subaru because of its stiffness and rigidity (Not to mention my brother couldn't fit in it lol). So I'm very happy in this department.
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| The Heart |
Next up, here is a picture of the heart of the car, the H22A DOHC VTEC engine with a rated 220 BHP. Though I suspect it being 10 years old, it will no doubt have power loss since. In addition, the car came with the additional braces and struts for added rigidity over normal SiR models. Clean as with the rest of the car, but could use a little more elbow grease and polish to shine her up! But overall, was very happy and it even had the intake resonator box still attached! So this is a great template to get started with. But first, a little visit to a specialist Honda mechanic was in store for the car to make sure she was running perfectly. Hope you enjoyed this intro blog and will be back writing some more when I get back from work tomorrow night. So till then, adios!
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