LCR n00b - Please shed some light

[Soulless]

Hey guys,
I have a total of 5k to spend,
The cars I'm looking at are a Civic Type R or a Leon Cupra R.

I've had a CTR in the past & I know they're practically bomb proof.

Can you guys vouch the same for the LCR?
I'm kind of skeptical about them as a freind has a 20V T Golf GTi and he's forever buying sensors and things for it - and thats not really what Im looking for in a car. (definitely not saying his is the best example of a 1.8 20V T though!!!)

I do approximately 30 miles a week for work - but it's really just in stop start traffic. - Will the Leon be okay for this? Overheating? Excessive clutch wear etc?

& I use the car for a bit of fun at the weekend really & maybe 2-3 Light track sessions a year.


I don't have a lot of disposable income nowadays thanks to buying a property with the Missus. So I could do without having to buy hoses / sensors etc every month for the car.

If I was to go with a LCR - I was looking for one with a decent map and perhaps an exhaust.

Thanks guys.

Karl

 

[SalSheikh]

tbh the Leon is a Golf but better looking. Jap motors do tend to be built better so I would go for Jap for reliability. I'm sure others on here will disagree but this is my opinion.

 

[Torred1771]

Mk1 Leon Tdi FR for the win i say...

 

[RS6]

get an integra type r tbh cheap enough these days

but the LCR is good car and should hold up well so up to you

 

[Soulless]

DC5's are unfortunately out of the price range!

the LCR does look like an awesome car for the money...

do any of you find you replace stuff on your car constantly?

 

[DOLBY]

If you go for the LCR which i have had now almost from new, you wont go far wrong. Very very good cars these are, and with the right modifications can be a real weapon. Why buy something that you need to rag the life out of (civic) when you can get a good Revo map with brilliant torque which will make the car effortless to drive?

You can get 260/270 bhp from any generic stage 1 map and upto 300 bhp for a good custom stage 2 map. Alot of people have told me over the years that (on the golf 4 platform) the LCR was in many ways the better car. Better looks, reliability, handling etc etc. Which would explain your friends woes.

The Leon is great on short journeys, although the mpg will defo suffer. Alot of people use 99 ron petrol in their cars but it can be run on 95 ron, but expect less power and not as smooth power delivery. Overheating can happen but its quite rare. An uprate temp sensor cures this as i have one. The clutch is very light for a performance car, but of course if you running high torque (Revo map) expect a tad shorter lifespan. Im running a custom code 1 map and im on 38k miles with no clutch slip at all.

Coilpacks are known to fail and all 4 should be replaced at the same time. Me again im on original ones also. Sometimes the MAFs tend to be a weak point but are easy to replace.

Only downside to the 20valve engine is the lack of tone that a 16 valve gives. It is a very smooth engine and not course. If you want noise an open cone and blueflame exhaust are tried and tested, but these have still been reported to be a little too quiet still.....unless you decat it!

Classy, aggressive looks that hasnt dated (i dont think) plus good brembo brakes as standard.....oh and 'exclusivity' even after 8 years. Go for the LCR.

 

[Soulless]

Can someone also shed some light into how much a cat is for these?
on eBay sports cats are like £550!?

Just the car Im thinking of looking at has a full exhaust system (downpipe and back) so is running a decat..

 

[JaWalks]

If it's weekend fun you want and a few track days like you say, then I would definitely opt for the CTR. The LCR is more of a motorway cruiser. I've owned both and my experience is that the LCR is the better car for me on my commutes and day to day stuff (climate control, 5 doors, more power at low revs) but the power delivery is boring compared to vtec and the handling is noticably worse. The CTR definitely felt more sporty and was more fun to drive hard. Just test drive a LCR and make up your own mind

 

[JamJay]

EK9/EP3/FN2?

You say that cash is tight so I would imagine that modifications are out of the question for you? If that's the case then I'd choose the CTR, it's about as fast in a straight line as a standard LCR and handles a lot better. However, with suspension mods, remap, exhaust, FMIC etc etc then it will out perform the CTR in every way imaginable. You could brace up the CTR and make it handle better yet but without big turbo or supercharger conversions, it will never match the pace of a tuned Cupra R, the only downside is that the Leon has no LSD, one can be fitted for a price of course like a few people have done but I think the CTR has an LSD (unless that was JDM only?).

Summary

To tune - LCR
Standard vs Standard - CTR

As for reliability, a car is only as good as it has been treated. Sensors may go, they may not but that's just motoring for you and besides, they aren't all that expensive to replace and most are DIY fit.

 

[Soulless]

I was looking at LCR's with just maps and exhaust systems otherwise stock, as I dont really have mega bucks to throw at either car.

I will barely be touching either car once I've bought one.

I'm looking at EP3's, at first I considered EK9, but it's a much older car and usually with higher mileage. So my head tells me its better to go for an EP3 in my circumstances.

You are right it's JDM only that comes stock with LSD.

 

[JamJay]

The LCR isn't a bad handling car by all means, very capable but it depends what you want really, both are good every day cars (LCR more practical) with similar MPG. A remapped LCR will put a smile on your face every time the boost comes in but the VTEC will have you smiling with its sound. If I were you I'd take some test drives.

 

[Deleted member 12466]

I just sold a EP3 Type R to get a LCR 225. I've had the EP3 and FN2 type R's and they are very fun when driven hard. Problem is as time went on i realise on every day roads you simply cannot use Vtec all the time.....but when you do hit it, the whole car feels alive. The handling is brilliant.....but the interior and the pure rawness is too much for me. I've had the civic for a couple years and as I'm getting old i need the convience of the 5 doors and a car thats easier to drive...if you know what I mean lol.

But if you're looking at performance comparison topgear shows that the CTR did it in 1:32.8 and the LCR did it in 1:32.9. So with a simple remap i can imagine it will beat the CTR.

Tuning a CTR cost lots of money for very little BHP. An exhaust, induction kit, Kpro/K100 manifold.....these will cost you thousands and probably only get around 30bhp more.

I think you just need to drive both cars and go for the one you think is right for you.

 

[bildo]

I think you just need to drive both cars and go for the one you think is right for you.

I agree with that, it's all well people telling you stuff, but at the end of the day they're very different cars and you need to see which one suits your driving style best I think.

 

[Tomas]

30 miles a week in stop start traffic? Buy a bicycle and an LCR for the weekends lol

 

[oldman]

30 miles a week in stop start traffic? Buy a bicycle and an LCR for the weekends lol

seconded