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White Civic Type-RHey Honda, I want a white one! Want a White Honda Civic Type R? Not if your in the UK. I have just had the most bizarre conversation with my local Honda dealers over the Civic Type-R. Having spent some time looking at the Civic Type-R, I went a took one for a test drive and was mightily impressed with this little pocket rocket. I´d read reports of the performance and handling but its not until you drive the car you realize that the hype is well deserved. But that´s not what I am writing about. Anybody who knows me well will know that I have this thing about white cars. I don´t know why but I just think that a well polished, tidy white car just looks the best regardless of age or model. My last five cars have all been white and in my motoring life I have only had three cars that haven´t been white and I´ve had 14 cars! So I am seriously thinking about the Civic Type-R and the salesman has got me on the end of his fishing line and is slowly reeling me towards a sale. My hand is already opening my wallet inside my pocket and I can feel my credit car inching towards the salesman. But, wait…. “What colours is it available in?” asks I. “Black, red and silver” replies salesman “I want a white one?” Me. “No, on the Type-R that colour is unavailable in this country” Salesman “What! But I want a white one” Me. “We don´t do it in white.” Salesman “Yes you do I´ve seen them whilst in Japan in white” Me.
“But there made here in the UK” Me. By now I´ve already put my credit card back in my wallet, taken my hand from my pocket and the salesman can sense that he might be telling his wife of the one that got away tonight, over dinner. “Look, I´ll check" says Mr Salesman And off he tootles and 5 minutes later. “Sorry, we only do them in black, red and silver” Salesman I leave dejected and return home. On returning home the first thing I do is look on the Japanese car web sites, principally http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/civic-r/ Guess whats on the front page a white Civic Type-R, so they are available. There is even a white car shown on the UK web site, take a look if you don´t believe me or is it silver. You decide http://www.honda.co.uk/new_cars/images/gallery/Sport_10408_3_gal05.jpg edit: the image has now been removed What was even more interesting was the price - £13,675 @ 185 yen to the pound! (http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/civic-r/pricerange/) that´s with all the extras, Air con, Sat Nav, etc! Compare that with £16,280 with bugger all extras for the UK spec motor. Now your probably thinking, “Well that´s the Japanese price in Japan” Yeah but I´ll bet that you can get the car shipped back here and pay duty and tax and get the car registered for less than the UK spec price or near as damn it. So, if I still fancy one, then when I go to Japan in the next few months I WILL be looking for one but after this little lesson in UK motor sales futility, whatever happened to the customer is always right! "WHAT IF!" “I want a White one!” I might have to consider something else. I hear the Nissan 350z will soon be available but I bet its not going to be the GBP(£) equivalent of $27,000 dollars as it is in the USA Only time will tell. Since writing this I have more than a dozen emails from people in the UK all of whom are looking for a White Civic Type-R. I have even been offered a deposit if I can get them in Japan. So there is a market there for somebody. But not from Honda UK, Cos they only sell silver, red and black. Dur!
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