Honda E Guinea Pig

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Minky92
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:01 pm

Post by Minky92 »

Hello all. UK-based fan of the E here, only just found this forum- I've been following this car for a long time now, and ever since falling in love with the prototype I've been desperate to own one.
I finally ordered mine a couple of weeks ago - a white Advance, 16" wheels - and it's slated to arrive at Honda's Stockport dealership at the start of September. Cannot wait!

When it comes to this car I think I may be a bit of an outlier- this is actually the first vehicle I've ever owned. What's more is I'm still a learner, and I plan on taking my test in it. Should end up being a pretty interesting test case for the E... Good or bad, I guess we'll see. Will post more once it arrives :) thanks for having me!

Wee Peem
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Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2020 4:54 pm
Location: Callander, Scotland

Post by Wee Peem »

WelcomeMinky92! I think we may all be Guinea pigs here, for Honda that is. Best of luck with test and with car whenever they happen.
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Left4Cookies
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:49 am

Post by Left4Cookies »

Welcome!

As you'll notice in this thread viewtopic.php?f=9&t=75 I'm in a similar boat as you with this being my first car as well! I've had a license for a while though..
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RAL7004
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Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:39 pm
Location: Germany

Post by RAL7004 »

Wow – that's great.
I find it very interesting that the vehicle is interesting for people who are buying their first car. That's what manufacturers actually dream of: a car so attractive that even first-time buyers buy a new car.
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Left4Cookies
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Post by Left4Cookies »

RAL7004 wrote: Tue Jul 21, 2020 9:20 am Wow – that's great.
I find it very interesting that the vehicle is interesting for people who are buying their first car. That's what manufacturers actually dream of: a car so attractive that even first-time buyers buy a new car.
For me personally I've been a car enthusiast for my whole adult life, though I'm barely 30 so it's never been really viable to have a set of dream wheels, especially when living in Denmark where newish cars are rather expensive. The whole rise of Tesla and the new generation of EVs steered me towards EVs in general and then this thing was announced back at a time when I was ending my education, so I've kept a close eye on it ever since. I've driven Teslas semi-regularly and I think I've tried all the E's competitors currently on the market and nothing brings a smile on my face as this one does. But I guess the fact that I live in an area where I very rarely need to drive far and infrastructure is pretty good already makes the decision easier too.
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keithr
Posts: 448
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:30 pm
Location: Dorset, UK

Post by keithr »

Minky92 wrote: Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:10 pm - this is actually the first vehicle I've ever owned. What's more is I'm still a learner, and I plan on taking my test in it.
Good grief, do young people today realise how fortunate they are? My first car, which I took my test in, aged 21, was a Sunbeam Imp Sport, which was covered in dents and rust. Luckliy it was a bronze/rust colour so the rust didn't show up too much. It cost me £200 and I had to repair the cylinder head on the kitchen table (grinding in new valves, and use new shims that my dad had someone at work make for me). The car would overheat if I cruised along at more than 50 mph (so I would have to turn the heater on to cool it down - not pleasant in the summer - there was no air-conditioning back then, and no electic windows, no such thing as a sat nav, etc.)!

I didn't know any young person who could afford to own a new car. I had to go to work on the subsidised works bus (23 miles each way, about 1.5 hours at a time, in a noisy, rattling windows, too hot or too cold, bumpy, uncomfortable single decker bus), I couldn't afford the petrol to drive to work!

I heard that some people even had to live in a shoe box in the middle of the motorway (according to Monty Python's Flying Cricus).

Ah, a Sunbeam Imp Sport. Now that was a fun to drive small car (people who think the Honda e is a small car just have no idea what small means!).
Malcs
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Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:05 am

Post by Malcs »

...but we were happy 😃
Jaws
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Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2020 7:57 pm

Post by Jaws »

keithr wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:55 am
Minky92 wrote: Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:10 pm - this is actually the first vehicle I've ever owned. What's more is I'm still a learner, and I plan on taking my test in it.
Ah, a Sunbeam Imp Sport.
A Sunbeam Imp Sport? Luxury!

I had a 1963 Mini van which you could start with a penknife instead of a key, cost me £90 in 1975.

Learnt to drive in it in South London.

It got stolen one night in Brixton, unbelievably the thief brought it back a couple of hours later, must have felt sorry for me. Sold it back to the bloke I bought it off two years later for £80.

Them were the days!
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Minky92
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Post by Minky92 »

keithr wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:55 am I didn't know any young person who could afford to own a new car.
Oh just for context I'm 28 haha, not quite as young as when you were learning to drive but yeah, I can appreciate how fortunate I am! I certainly wouldn't have the first clue about repairs or taking the thing apart, sounds bloody terrifying... Though with that said the Imp Sport does look lovely, despite the lack of creature comforts! It's hard to even conceive of a world without satnav or aircon now... Technology!
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keithr
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Location: Dorset, UK

Post by keithr »

Minky92 wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:58 pm Oh just for context I'm 28 haha, not quite as young as when you were learning to drive but yeah, I can appreciate how fortunate I am!
I bought my first new car when I was 25, which I was only able to do because I got married a year earlier, so with our combined salaries we could just afford a new car (on hire purchase).
I certainly wouldn't have the first clue about repairs or taking the thing apart, sounds bloody terrifying...
I was lucky because my older brother worked as a car mechanic, so he did most of the work and showed me how to grind in the new valves.
the Imp Sport does look lovely,
It felt like driving a little go-kart. It was unusual to have a rear-engined rear-wheel drive car back then. Filling up with petrol was amusing, as you would have to open up the bonnet to get access to the fuel filler (the petrol tank was placed just in front of the bulkhead - no health and safety worries back then!).

For many years, back in the 1980's and even 1990's, the height of luxury was a tilt and slide sunroof. Nowadays I wouldn't consider buying a car without air-conditioning. I had enough of driving along with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cloth and wiping the windscreen and side windows to try and remove the condensation and give yourself a fighting chance of being able to see where you were going. Cars are so much better now!
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