EK9 vs. EP3


Tim said:
EK9 is a "chav car" to 99% of the population, including the gf.

Fortunately there's a small percentage of us that know a bit about fast japanese hatches:p
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agreed
 
Mate, i've been in the exact same situation!!!

I personally chose to go for the EK9 simply because the drive was so much fun and the rawness of the car!!!

besides the only real drawback is the slightly lower torque output before vtec when compared with an EP3... i've had a good few encounters and they don't escape me, especially when hitting those bends!!!


I don't think you would lose much if you can source a decent used one for around the 6k mark!! mine cost me 8k as a fresh import back in '07!!

Good luck any way dude and keep us posted on how your search turns out!!!
 
Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Honda Civic - possibly dangerous?! I thought the Civic would have faired well in the tests. I had a bad crash in a fiesta which has made me safety conscious, sorry if it boring! I guess since I'll be in town 90% of the time I'd be fine in 99.9999999% of situations.

I'll be the first to admit that despite loving cars I'm quite a relaxed driver, I commute a lot and tend to stick to speed limits most the time. The appeal of the Type R is the decent MPG but the ability to thrash about when I want too, that and the exclusivity of having a good car which is desirable and something which I can be proud to take to meets and the like!

Now I've got the money I'm looking with this next purchase to try and take my enthusiasm for cars further and try get into driving - a few track days, powering through B roads etc.

Basically I'm a novice now, I've got a 100bhp four door saloon I've been using while at uni :D I'm wanting to move to a RWD car after next in either an E46 M3, Boxster or S2000 which would be yet more driver orientated. Do you think the EK or EP will be more suitable for this part of the learning curve?

I'm going to chuck in here that my girlfriend just got a new Fiesta Zetec S - only a 1.6 petrol but a fantastic wee town car. Between the two of us we will only need one car to take to work so I will have the option of using this for long journeys/if I didn't want to take a Civic. This I would put as support for the EK!
 
you are on a EK9 forum, so nartually EK9 gets the vote.

putting safety and economy aside.

I think the EP3 is very cheap atm and it comes to a point where you ask yourself if it is worth buying the EK9 for the EP3 money, where you will get a "superior" car.

Personally I think the EP3 is a good car, and it is a everyones car. whereas the EK9 is focused.

but to answer your question about suitability for learning curve, you will gain alot from EK9, it gives you so much feedback and you will soon to learn there so much more in the 9's potential!!
 
Economy doesn't really matter, I'll be doing less than 6k a year and I've got access to the fiesta too which is half decent on the juice. Safety is a slight concern as I'm paranoid :S

Ridiculous question: Would an EK be better suited as an introduction to a powerful car as I don't know how difficult the transition from my current low power FWD to big power RWD will be!

EDIT: The EK9 for EP3 money is the big question really.
 
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The ek9 would be faster than a ukdm ep3 would you consider a sir ek4 or a vti?
 
ok Im going to put in my 2 cent to the thread

I have test driven a mild modded JDM EP3 before with MUGEN I/H/E
Launch feels average [Standard Clutch]
Driving around Town is a great Cruiser on factory suspension a very smooth ride.
with the Mods cabin noise is not too loud still be able to hear the music and carry out a conversation with the GF
at high speed corning on track feels like you are going to fly out of your seat I dont like the lack of support on my ass.
handling around the track feels good but unsure how far I can take it.
I had the same problem with my hand meeting the cup holder on my road test. Im not liking the design of the gear stick up in the air, I do see the practical side of it being close to the steering wheel.
other then that I would consider buying an EP3 myself is practical can fit 4 people in the car No Problem nice to drive less of a boy racer look but the fact is a bit too big to be a hatch and dont really feel like it has the Type R blood. but is a good balance between a A-B car with a bit of Track use.

I wont go into my EK9 long story short it is getting closer and closer to being a race car. I still use it as my daily, I sacrifice comfort for the excitement.
 
kellsled said:
The ek9 would be faster than a ukdm ep3
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It's not. EK9 might shave a second or two off an EP3 around a track but it's not "faster". There's nothing in it in the real world, only when shown a track will the EK9 shine.
 
EP3 is indeed a good car, depending on your job & places you may have to go, the EP3 blends in more, the EK9 attracts more attention & the higher possibility of vandalism imo.

However if you are looking to the learning curve the EK9 is the better car, on the road it is good, but as mentioned on track is where it shines, I outhandle many expensive & bigger power cars, as Tmus states, predictive handling and great feedback, you feel totally connected.
 
I'm not sure if the EP3 gets any respect!

Realistically I'll only be tracking sometimes though, not sure if that would be enough to warrant the EK over the EP.
 
Go for the EP3 if you need practicality, it is a well balanced car for every day use and the odd track day. The EK9 is more dedicated to the track.
 
I have a 2001 DC2R, 1997 EK9 and 2003 DC5R.

According to your needs and the option of an AUDI TT in mind, it sounds like you'll be happier with the EP3 especially long term wise. Why?

Interior newer
Engine better
Big gains when modding a K20 compared to B-series.

EK9 is more of a young boy racers car. So what if the EK9 handles better out of factory when it doesnt really matter since we all modify our cars. A bit of suspension tuning, tyre selection, tyre pressure and chassis braces will totally transform your ride to how you want it to drive on the track.

Out of the factory, JDM EP3 laps tsukuba faster than the EK9, also has a stiffer chassis.

K20 also has much more torque that gives you a totally different daily driving experience to a B-series(especially B16B). EK9 needs a lot of modifying in the power department and ppl go into all sorts of fuss like gear ratios, stroking, engine swap etc. With the K20, you have the best. And dont get me started on quality build... its a whole new generation when you look at the window seals, panels, clips, interior, chassis etc. Cant compare.

Oh, did I mention the 6-speed gearbox that comes with short ratios and 4.7FD out of factory? Means no need to worry about your gears, they are perfect.

However, you must get a JDM EP3 since it comes with stiffer suspension, lower, pmore power and the most important LSD.

I'm 27 and this ofcourse is my opinion.
 
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jugbugz said:
I have a 2001 DC2R, 1997 EK9 and 2003 DC5R.
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I envy you mate, I'd love a DC5 at some point!

I'm going to post here a reply I made to a lad on a different forum who has an EK when we were discussing EP3 vs. EK9. I think it summarises quite well the dilema:

If I was doing big mileage or a lot of driving I'd go EP. If I had more money I'd consider the anniversary with the red seats (but I don't). The EP is the sensible choice but I'm not sure a standard pre-facelift is what I really want? But my bird has one of those new shape Fiesta Zetec S's which is a fantastic little town car and has a million gadgets and since we only take one car each day to work (she works a few doors down from me) I'd be able to use this whenever I wanted and between the two cars we would only be covering 6,000-7,000 miles a year!

The EK is meant to have excellent feel, be excellent for learning how to drive properly/on track and always gets the nod from fellow enthusiasts, everyone loves an EK9 laugh.gif I've been looking forward to finishing uni and getting a decent car since before I even started uni, the EK9 may offer me more of a sense of driving occasion and the individuality I'd like. And the interior is lovely as standard, driving position is excellent, slammed on wheels they look lovely.

EK and EP both cost the same to buy and insure for me. Running costs pretty similar too.

Negative points of the EK - paying newer car money for a smaller engined old car, I have a feeling this one may go away once I've had a drive in an EK9 though. Not convinced the depreciation on them is as bullet proof as some say.
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The only reason the EK is in the running is because I fancy a sense of 'cool' when I use my car instead of the mrs' Fiesta. An EP3 may lead to us having two soft daily motors which have a huge overlap. Fiesta also could be used if meeting clients etc.

Unfortunately a JDM EP3 is not an option - it costs the same to buy and the same to insure as an entry level S2000 and if my budget was that high, I'd go for the S personally. Thankyou for your input though, I very much appreciated it mate.

EDIT: the bold bits are the bits I thought were important.
 
To be fair if you are going to be carrying clients in the car & are generally a "relaxed" driver, im not sure an EK9 would suit you....

It is a very focussed hot hatch....but not overly torquey, so fast progress requires lots of revs & noise. The exact opposite to a TT

The UK EP3 is not a bad car by any stretch. it lacks the hard edge of the EK9 or DC2 Integra but for an occasional track blast it would be fine...The k series motor will provide a more comfortable experience off VTEC too, as well as plenty of poke when required

As said, in the real world the EP3 is fine. Less exclusivity & Kudos as its really a type-R for the masses, but quite possibly a more sensible choice FOR YOU if the EK9 blonkers are removed
 
CrouchingWayne said:
Unfortunately a JDM EP3 is not an option - it costs the same to buy and the same to insure as an entry level S2000 and if my budget was that high, I'd go for the S personally. Thankyou for your input though, I very much appreciated it mate.
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No problems, yes EK9 looks great slammed and a cool boys car and thats why you should get both lol

I dont really know how insurance works in the UK but is it a big deal paying a few hundred more per year? Thats all it is here in au.

The JDM EP3 will not disapoint you for sure... I just hope you dont regret later on after 6 months if you dont get the best for yourself :) its something I learnt...
 
i haven't read every post in this thread, however, i've had both cars within the past few months, and i can explain my experiences with both.

I had a 350bhp (uk) Nissan 200sx S14A, which was brilliant, but after two years i wanted something that could handle well and behave on track, and wouldnt try to kill me in the wet.

I swapped the nissan with a UKDM '03 EP3 CTR, as i had the offer and thought i'd give it a try. I was VERY impressed with the car. It was very comfortable on the road, brilliant road manners, went very well and was still very drivable. After 3 days of owning it, i took it on an airfield track day, and the car impressed me even more. It had a few goodies on it (Gruppe-M Intake, DC Sports exhaust, that was it), and even though it was on very cheap budget tyres, it was absolutely f****** fantastic. The balance of the car, the poise, the engine response, it was all bloody brilliant. It made sense to me what VTEC was for, as prior to that, i was very much a turbo fanboy.
I was able to thrash the car to within an inch of it's life (well, as much as my talents allowed - so the car probably had lots left to give :p), and it was an absolute dream to drive on track. I was able to balance the car on the throttle, mixing oversteer with understeer with only using the throttle. In my opinion, it felt near perfect, other than a slight amount of roll which was obviously going to be present due to the comfort it gave when on the road, which was an acceptable trade-off.
In this nearly stock EP3, i was able to put down quicker times on the sprint course than a handful of DC2 ITR's, a DC5, an accord type-r, a few evos/imprezas etc. I was absolutely chuffed with it.

I already had the car up for sale as i wasn't planning on keeping it for long (wanted the money back for a house), but after only a few days i had an offer of an EK9 from a bloke up north. After sorting a deal with cash my way, i was the owner of a '97 EK9 in CW.

Now, the EK9 is completely different to the EP3, in that, if you are going to be taking clients etc about and going to business meetings (as i regularly do), then it's probably not suitable. I have a vw bora as my daily driver, so didnt care about this, hence swapping for the EK9.
The ek9 is much noisier (having little to no sound deadening), much more brash and harsh, the engine is less refined than the k20 (obviously), and everything is obviously FAR more orientated to hardcore road or track use. This was to be expected, and understandable as i dont need it every day.
After getting alot of problems on the ek9 sorted i took it again to the same airfield for another trackday, which was last weekend (almost exactly a month after doing the same thing with the EP3). The ek9 was again, absolutely brilliant, and probably better than the EP3, but not for the most obvious reasons. The ek9 was much more stable when cornering, as it's alot stiffer than the EP3, and as mentioned, power feels about the same, although the K20 does feel like it has more torque from lower down, plus the changeover is completely different.
I can safely say that i had more fun in the EP3 on the same track. this is due to the fun i had balancing the car on the throttle, being able to get the back end out with lift off oversteer, then getting straight back on the throttle to bring it into the corner where i wanted, it was almost like bloody ballet, but far more fun.
The ek9 didnt have any of this, as it wasn't needed. It got on with the job, and went round the corner, thus it was probably slightly faster than the EP3, but i can genuinely say i had more fun in the ep3, which at the end of the day, is what it's all about.

If i was in your position, i'd go for the EP3. The ek9 will be slightly quicker on track, but if you only do, say, one track day in a year, there's no question in my mind. the ep3 will do everything you want it to for daily driving activities, it'll also go very well and keep up with alot of supposedly quicker cars, it's spacious inside, feels new, is built very well, is reliable, and that gearbox is a work of art. You'll also be able to take clients and go to meetings in it without problems.
The ek9 will always be a compromise, with the very aggressive seats etc, and the fact it WILL be rattly and noisier. It's more focused, more raw, thats to be expected, there's no getting away from that.

Those people that say the EK9 is better in all areas have NOT driven both cars in the same manner, and i wouldnt be offering my opinion if i hadn't had the experience myself, within the past month or two, which is very handy for you to take into account.

I am keeping my ek9, but only because im gonna be doing shed loads of track days this year, and as such the ek9 will be a better car for that - i didn't want to jeapardise such a nice pretty new car like the ep3, as it was far too nice a car (on the road and on track) to ruin by smashing it about only on track days. As it does both very well, i felt it better to let it go to someone who didnt want something that you had to drive like you were on track every time you got into it. The ep3 would cruise just as well as it would broadside around a corner after barelling in far too quick - it's a VERY forgiving chassis (i.e it made me look much better a driver than i was, only because of how beautiful a chassis it was).

Just my 2cents - all those that are just repeating what they've heard can be quiet, unless you've driven both to death then you can't really comment.
 
Well that is worth taking into consideration. Thanks for that mate.

I'm not sure if I'll be expected to ferry clients around in my car, if so I'd probably have to take the Mrs. car regardless :D

How do you rate the interiors of the two cars?
 
the ep3 is modern, very nice, well put together, VERY spacious, cubby holes absolutely everywhere. feels like a lovely new car ofcourse.

the ek9 feels like an old civic, quite cramped, a hell of a lot smaller inside than the ep3. it's alot older after all, so ofcourse it's going to feel so different. im sure you've been in new cars, like new corolla's, new focus etc, well the ep3 feels like a proper new car, the ek does not. it feels like any other early-mid 90's japanese hatchback, except with the lack of sound deadening etc you hear alot more groans and creaks and squeaks etc, and all the engine noises are obviously louder.

dont try to compare them mate, you cant. they're entirely different cars, built for entirely different purposes. go drive both and you'll understand.
 
jugbugz!..."EK9 is more of a young boy racers car"...from your earlier post, not sure how to take that one, I am nearly 38! :D
 
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