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))

Unfortunately not. The main purpose of the ULEZ seems to be to get rid of older diesels. No diesels made before 2014 are compliant. Only certain types made between 2014 and 2017 are. Everything after 2017 should be. I don't do enough mileage to really need a diesel. Especially last year and this year with lockdown where I only do about 8 miles a day to work and back.

I would think that some form of restrictions will be coming for everywhere in the next decade. If not for that problem I would be tempted to buy this 1993 Accord. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Accord-2-0-i-SE/283801597920?hash=item4213e4b7e0:g:FBsAAOSw3LxdH4EA

Thanks for the replies. The Type R would be beyond what I am willing to spend. As there is no way to tell what will happen with these restrictions in the future, it puts me off wanting to spend too much money on anything. The only thing certain is that the restrictions will get worse.

Does anyone here have any thoughts on the 2001/2002 Accord? I have seen a few of these for sale in my search for a London emissions compliant MB Civic. There seem to be a few more of these still around as they seem to have been sold for a year or so later than the MB Civics. They can be found with 51 and 02 plates, whereas the very last MB civics sold have Y plates.

Am I right that the D Series SOHC engines fitted to the MB Civics are designed in the following way? As far as I can tell, the valve cover needs to be removed in order to remove the top timing belt cover? I have changed a timing belt in the past on a SOHC D Series engine. I had changed the valve cover gasket before. I noticed at the time that the valve cover had to be removed in order to remove the plastic timing belt cover. While the valve cover was off, I removed the plastic cover and ground off the lip that fits into the slot on the valve cover. That way, when the belt was due, I was able to remove the plastic cover without needing to break the valve cover seal. It also allows the timing belt to be easily checked for condition without needing to remove the valve cover. I have seen aftermarket clear plastic timing belt covers pictured on the internet before. While that seemed like a good idea, I would think that it would soon get dirty on the inside. I also wonder how long they would last before the clear plastic turned cloudy. As an aside, what is the secret to getting a lasting seal on the valve cover gasket? I used a new gasket with sealant only at the corner points of the camshaft bearing cap at both ends. This was recommended by a Haynes manual. The seal lasted a couple of years but eventually started leaking oil from the corners of the end cam caps. Thanks for any information.

Thanks for the reply. They were asking £1295 a few weeks back. I am tempted to wait it out and see if it drops any more. I would probably be willing to pay up to £500 if it had a current MOT as the Y Plate MBs seem to be difficult to come by. Do the OEM body kit and rare fog lamps increase its value at all?

A multimeter will not show the true condition of the battery. It is said that 4 years is the lifespan of a battery before it starts to lose effectiveness. Most garages and car spares shops should have a battery testing machine which will give a reading of the battery condition.

Thanks for the replies. I know that these engines have a good reputation for reliability. The MOT history looks good. It has only ever had fails and advisories on consumable parts. There is no apparent history of failure due to rust. The car covered 28,000 miles in a year between its 2018 and 2019 MOTs. The engine bay also looks very tidy (see photo). I would do away with the nasty red and gold bits as soon as possible if I did buy it. The current asking price is £995 which is a lot with an expired MOT. Also, in my last post, the word "form" was supposed to be forum but I can't edit it now.

Thanks for the reply. I have an original sales brochure which shows the body kit fitted, but the only clear photo is looking straight on from the side of the car. This made it difficult to tell compared to the photos in the post. Are the wind deflectors also original? That particular car is for sale in Birmingham at the moment and meets my requirement of being on a Y plate. However it has 182,000 miles on the clock and an expired MOT. Has it ever been seen on this form before? In my opinion the red and gold adds nothing to it. I think it would look far better without. If it is vinyl wrap and not paint, hopefully it could be removed. Am I right that the smoked rear light clusters would be technically illegal to have fitted when on public roads?

Does the body kit fitted in these photos appear to be genuine or aftermarket? This is not my car, just photos seen online.