YRegMB

This 1978 Civic is on ebay at the moment for £3000 buy it now. At that age it will be tax, MOT and ULEZ exempt. The reg is RJY 893T shown in another photo. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364126335003

This appeared on ebay recently. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394417810525 It has a W prefix plate, but according to the MOT check site was registered 26th January 2001. The listing doesn't mention it being a personal plate. As far as I can tell, it should be on an X prefix plate if it was first registered on that date. https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/results?registration=w215xae

This 1981 4 door is on ebay at the moment. This one has the added bonus of being Tax, MOT and ULEZ exempt. No connection to the seller, I just thought it worth sharing. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234592163877

I would be interested to know what the emissions level numbers were for a 2000 1.4l engine MB. As I don't actually own one, I wonder if Honda UK would be willing to provide that information if I was to contact them.

I only just saw this thread as I haven't been on here much lately as so few seem to come up for sale these days. It would be interesting if there was a way around it. A pre March 2001 1.4 MB Would also be preferable as the yearly tax on it is £175 compared to £265 for one registered after March 2001. What puts me off doing it is that they could go and change the rules again at any time. I chose the compliant common 2006 petrol car I have now as something that I won't miss if I have to change it again. I know that for non Euro 4 motorcycles and scooters there is a place that can do an actual emissions test. If the bike passes, it can be registered with TFL that it meets the emissions standards. As far as I know, this is not available for cars.

Thanks for the replies. Looking every few days since early 2019, I have only seen a handful of Y Reg hatchbacks or Aerodecks ever advertised. By coincidence I passed a small independent used car seller just outside London today. This is the type of place with around 10-15 cars stored outside with a small workshop at one side of the yard. Being a Sunday it was closed. I noticed that there was a blue R Reg hatchback in there visible through the fence. From looking up the Reg it has apparently done only 15,000 miles from new. They didn't have any kind of price displayed on it and the place doesn't appear to have any internet presence.

I had a look at MBs on Auto Trader earlier today as I often do. There are currently only three advertised on there for sale in the entire UK. That was using the search criteria "Honda Civic, Years 1995 to 2000". With how many were around a few years ago, this suggests they are rapidly disappearing. I don't think I see as many on the road around London now as I did even 2 or 3 years ago.

Unfortunately I can't really justify taking another car on at the moment. It's a good thing it's 300 miles away or I'd still be tempted to go and have a look at it. I thought I would post it in case anyone else on here was interested.

This one appeared on ebay in the last couple of days and seems to have already attracted a lot of interest. Red seems to be an uncommon colour. None ever seem to come up for sale anywhere near London. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194680794008

I went with a MK2 Ford Focus in the end. There are still thousands of those listed for sale at reasonable prices. Both new and used parts are still very cheap and easy to find. The number of MBs of any age for sale seems to have fallen quite a bit even in the last year.

I noticed this advert recently. It is not my car and I have absolutely no connection with the seller. It apparently needs a new exhaust system as the cat was stolen and they cut through the pipes. It also has an expired MOT. In my opinion that would be worth having and repairing for £350. It's no good to me as it is too old for the London ULEZ. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109297922634

Unfortunately I never did manage to find an MB. I had to replace my older car with something other than an MB as the head gasket failed. It wasn't worth repairing as it didn't comply with the emissions rules, and wasn't worth more than scrap price. I still look to see if any suitable MBs come up for sale locally. I may still buy one as a second car if the opportunity came up.

Thanks for the reply. I know that 10.6 seconds 0-60 is not actually any kind of high performance number. My current car is an early 1990s 1.6l 4 Cyl. The given 0-60 time is 9.6 seconds for that particular model. It's a fairly plain type, but still seems to accelerate better than similar engine size newer cars I have driven. I knew someone that had a 2000 Nissan Almera 1.5l. That had a published 0-60 time of 13.4 seconds and always felt really slow compared to my car. As for the brakes, I have read that some newer cars have to be plugged into a diagnostic machine to change the pads. This apparently has to be done to put the ABS unit into a maintenance mode before the pistons can be pushed back without risk of damaging valves in the unit. I have no idea how true that really is. Are the rear calipers on the Aerodeck the self-adjusting handbrake type which require a wind-back tool? I have dealt with these before on another vehicle and the handbrake cable had to be undone underneath in order to release the tension to wind back the pistons.

Thanks for the replies. I am interested in this particular one as it is the first 1.6 VTEC I have seen on a Y plate. Most of the others have been 1.4 hatchbacks. The numbers the original brochure gives for the performance of the 1.4 are underwhelming at a 0-60 time of 13.3 seconds compared to 10.6 for the 1.6 VTEC. This car is being sold as spares or repair by a garage/MOT centre. If it was closer I would go and have a look at it and ask how much they would charge for the necessary work to get it through an MOT. For the emissions I would first try a new air filter, set of spark plugs and the valve clearances. The state of the exhaust would be the next part to look at, then the cat and 02 sensors. Brakes and tyres don't seem like much of a problem assuming it is only the discs and pads. How easy is it to change these on a model with ABS? I have read before that pushing the caliper pistons in can damage ABS units on some cars. I have changed discs and pads before on an older car with no ABS so have an idea what that job involves. Are the manual gearboxes the same on both the 1.6 Hatchbacks and aerodecks? if they are, the easiest solution may be to swap it for another used box. If the car was legally driveable, that could be looked into later. Hopefully it is just the clutch bearing.

A 1.6 VTEC Aerodeck that is suitable for my purposes as it meets the London emissions rules has come up for sale. Unfortunately It is almost 150 miles away with no MOT. That makes going to look at it a problem with lockdown and the risk of being fined. Whenever these cars come up for sale they are never anywhere near London. The mileage is 139,000. Seller claims the manual gearbox is noisy. Asking price is £300. It failed an MOT earlier this month on the list of problems below. Looking through its history it has never failed on any structural rust which is a good sign. These defects seem like they could be sorted fairly easily. Does this seem like it could be a worthwhile project? Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects): Offside Front Tyre has ply or cords exposed (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) Nearside Front Tyre has ply or cords exposed (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) Repair immediately (major defects): Offside Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii)) Service brake excessively fluctuating both front (1.2.1 (e)) Exhaust hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b)) Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b)) Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c)) Exhaust carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b)) Repair as soon as possible (minor defects): Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i)) Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories): Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i)) Fuel filler hoses heavily corroded Nearside Front Service brake binding but not excessively (1.2.1 (f)) Offside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement trailing (5.3.4 (a) (i)) Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened front (1.1.14 (a) (ii))