chadington228

well with me it started when i was a kid my mom and dad both had hondas , my dad had a hatchbacks and my mom had a coupes they use to have lots of honda and acuras that was all i seen. so now im 17 and my big brother buys me my first civic although it was automatic but now i got a 93 del sol and this is my first project car

RevrsOne

I got into hondas because my dad owns a shop and owned a datsun 280z and from there i got into cars then my neighbor had a EM1 with CF hood gold rims, and was slammed, so that made me want honda

naaatalieann

Hello everybody im new to this forum, ive had my ek coupe for a few years now, I wasnt really interested in the honda scene until recently when my boyfriend started doing little tasteful things on my car here and there. Thanks to him I now have to save up for a b20V build

VTI-EK4

Where i live (Belgium) there arent many honda's like in America..
Cause everybody wants a diesel over here, Anyway for me it started with coming home from school at the time and always seeing a slammed delsol.. I liked it so much that i went for a closer look. Then i saw true life: im a streetracer. and I was hooked From that point i new i just got to have a honda.. After my drivers licence i got myself a golf 2 1.6.. Nothing but trouble with that piece of sh*t.. Then with my low funds bought a civic ej9 (1.4)
And loved it, i drove so smoot and felt like a new car, complete opossit with the golf i had. I started working on the ej9 and loved it, but sadly i got an accident whit it, Bought a new ej9 for daily use , and after a loung search in Belgium i found a civic ek4 with allot of type r mods to it.. Still have it, en enjoy it in the weekend etc.. Honda's are just different then other brand of cars.. Not better or so, they all have there quality's but when i get into my honda , its just a great feeling . The sound and the fun you only get when driving a honda

DarkaDarka00

I got into honda shortly after my Senior year of high school. I got a 1992 Honda civic Hatch back, just a D15b automatic, fun little car. I loved it, I had grown up my whole life with american muscle. I wanted something new, something i could learn about. Well one fateful rainy day an suv slammed on there brakes in front of me, well my sweet summer tires didnt stick to well to the water, and my car was totaled.

Two months later i can across a 1992 Honda civic hatch again, with megan racing coilovers and a Vtec D15b in it, which is a blast. Thats it, nothing special just a typical story.

Spcmiller

My best friend traded his 95 f150 for a 95 eg coupe with a ls/Vtec boosted and when he got it home his with bitched cause she hated the car. So I traded him my beat to hell and back escort zx2 for it and have had the car since.

groundhog52279

i own a '93 civic, and finally came to terms with the fact that i have bought another car (accord) and have to give up my civic for $3000. I got the 36-40 mpg for hwy driving, and about 32 mpg for local. i'm abstemious with cleanliness, so my civic STILL looks pristine! how crazy is that? SO sososososososo sad to say goodbye to "true blue." i'm hoping the next owner will take as good care of it as i have. it'd be great if i could still see "true blue" driving around here on long island.

jbpnoman

I don't think that word means what you think it means.

acefighter028

Not a long story for me. In my younger years i grew up around muscle cars. My father even swapped a 302 into a Mitsubishi Starion. But what got me in the Honda game was all the magazines. Honda Tuning, Super Street, Import Tuner. Seeing all the cool cars featured in there when i was young had a strong influence on me.

When i was old enough to get my first car i bought a 1992 Honda Accord coupe with visions in my head of H22 swaps, crazy expensive wheels and magazine features. I quickly realized it wasnt going to happen overnight on a part time job at an ice cream store while in school. wasnt the best car but it got me started.

Started with this:


ended here when i finally sold her:


I then got a truck. kinda lapsed lol

Then i got a 1997 Honda Accord coupe with an H22a swap and M2b4 tranny. T-belt slipped.

Then i got what i currently drive. a 1999 Honda Civic Si


alot more in the works for the future.

I currently work for a Honda dealer and love my job. So my whole teenage years have been nothing but Honda. Thats pretty much my story.

cfield189

This thread gave me the warm fuzzies. I'm 22 and JUST picked up my 2nd civic. The first one was my first car and I got it when I was 18. Alas... it was an automatic but the car looked goooood (all stock) and was UNBELIEVABLY reliable. I was just on the brink of trying to get into cars but an idiot pulled out in front of me without even stopping at an intersection and boom... totalled. RIP, she died at the 246000 mile point. I then decided it was time to pick up something with a 5 speed, and had always LOVED the mid to late 90's models eclipses. Before you freak out... yes I liked them BEFORE the fast and the furious... However, I knew NOTHING of cars, and still yet know VERY little. The Eclipse died a painful death as it's unquenchable thirst of oil got the better of it and blew a hole in the block. SURPISE! DSM Well I had no cash, was currently living in Michigan at the time and had to move back to Illinois to regain some stability. My dad bought me a 1000 dollar run down Ford Escort. I LOVED it's tiny body stature ONLY because it reminded me of the civic. I HAD to have a sporty car with more potential, but yet incredibly reliable at the same time AND cheap. There was but one answer... and the craigslist hunt began. Day in and day out I scoured that site for the best deal I could find on a non COMPLETELY destroyed civic. Then the day came, I found it and was only a day off and taking the trip to go get it away. Well, as you would guess, it sold. I was pretty bummed but found another that looked oddly similar about a week later. It was a long shot, but I was going for it. I got it, and after discussing where the owner had it, it was the SAME one! Was it fate? Sheer luck? The world may never know but it's mine now. A 1995 Civic EX coupe 5 speed, the search was over. I literally put plates on it today as the Escort broke down yesterday. I don't think I could have picked a better DD/Learner car and am extremely satisfied with my purchase. After some work and a little de-ricing she has a lot of potential. So that's how I got into it, and this is where my story begins. Wish me luck guys and gals, I will need it, but this is going to be one heck of a ride! (literally and figuratively)

habanerored06si

So you suffered at the hands of a DSM too huh?

Well my first ride was a 1995 Eagle Talon TSi AWD. I didn't even recognize the car off of Fast n Furious till after I bought it. But that wasn't the reason. I loved the fact it was Turbo! AND! AWD!!. It was fun as hell!

Then I smoked the turbo due to improprer driving. Then it came with a **** load of problems. Electrical, Suspension, Turbo and what made everything worse is being ****ed over by every mechanic. Side note: I hate ALL ****ing mechanics. I would not stop driving if they cross the roads. Dead serious.

/End Rant.

I was given a Chrysler Sebring (2001 Auto Black Leather) and was great because I made out with alot of chicks in my dads car. Was a reliable and great driving car, but I eventually lost my mind driving an auto. I would totally recommend this car to anyone. Everything on this vehicle was all ORIGINAL after 10 years of ownership within the family. Including the OEM battery! Car was a life saver. I still have access to it (sold to uncle) and plan on taking car of it.

With my experiences I made it a rule to purchase something reliable. I was considering an RSX Type S, as well as a Civic Si. During the final stages of decision making, I chose the Civic because I felt the interior on the RSX was too-dated. Was alittle worried about the 10 hp advantage from the RSX-s, although I've smoked enough stock ones already leaving me more than happy enough with my FG2.

Now!, I also have a Del Sol (well had 2, but gave S Model Away). Overall the car is great and I'm sure was Amazing when new. It's got its issues right now (Forgot to lock targa top - targa top flew 30 ft in air on HWY - purchased new one and now I got leaks. Also, has a gas fumes coming in the cabin at odd times), however I purchased it has a project/hobby so I have no expectations for $1400.

Civic Pics - http://www.cardomain.com/ride/385896...ic-si-coupe-2d

Del Sol Pics - http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a33...cpZZ2QQtppZZ20

cfield189

Yeah... Mechanics don't take too well to DSM's. My clutch replacement ran $500 because the part was so expensive as he told me the clutch and flywheel are built together. (not sure if this statement is true as stated before I AM an idiot...) but really... they are giant pieces of crap. Having to tweak the timing before 50k miles to avoid warping the valves? REALLY!? at 50k a car is still new in my book and that kind of attention that young is simply ridiculous. IMO they tried making the car too advanced too early in it's time and while they looked good, and drove well in good condition, they just could not be counted on. It's a shame really. Although it's a part of my story of getting attached to Honda so I won't complain.

decalgal

can somebody help me stop the car alarm? PLEASE! 2000 honda prelude

habanerored06si

Yea pretty much. I'm also glad I'm on Honda

Cool Story bro,

Disconnect battery

JuicedUpRice

VanDorin91

Everyone who was anyone in highschool had a fresh honda. I thought it was dumb at the time and built a lowered 400hp f150. I loved the damn thing until it finally gave out. By that time I was away from import world and jock ****** of highschool and decided to dip my toes in the water. I now own my DAP Hatch and love the hell out of it. I am hopelessly addicted to JDM, and loving every moment of it.

96ej8coupeSiR

My story is actually kind of odd. I use to be really big into 1st Gen dsm's. I had 4 before I bought my 96 civic. And although they were really fast and cheap to build I couldn't deal with having constant reliability issues and I needed a reliable DD. At the time I hated Honda's because everyone in my town had one, they were riced out and just looked like pure lumps of crap. Then this guy named Chris started working for the Auto Dealership I was employed at. When he started on his first day he pulled up in a stanced, red EM1 on borbets. Wheels were tucked, carbon hood and fog bezels, red recaro's...the list goes on. But the point is the car was flawless. I seriously fell in love with that car and had to have one.

So a few weeks later we got a white 96 ex 5spd in, and I jumped all over it. I can honestly say I am a changed man. I <3 My Honda. lol

Btrim1990

Just bought a 2000 civic Si and feel in love with the car any and all suggestions are welcome

Bashismashi

Well I was on the lookout to purchasing my first car that I could call my own, and I came across several different vehicles that I almost bought, and at the time I was looking for anything decent to use to get from A to B. I almost purchased a 96 ranger, 98 corolla, and a 98 accord (which was not in the best shape). I held out a week before I made any final decisions, and thought I would look at one more car, and I saw my civic on CL which looked to be in great shape just had a few things I would need to fix up. So I bought it and loved it ever since, it is still all stock and just looking to do a few tasteful additions, nothing to affect it drastically.

East_McDuck

Name's Dana. I'm 26 and live in the small city of Kenton, Ohio.

My love for Hondas stems back to childhood as well, but not like you might think. I didn't truly get into Hondas till I was maybe 22 or so, when I became nostalgic for the 88-91 Civics.

My dad had a red '88 hatchback... I'm guessing a base model. Vinyl seats, clock and radio block off plates, no trim piece over the shifter and e-brake, no badge or wiper on the hatch, black tail light garnish, etc. I hated that damn car. It was miserable in the summer with those vinyl seats and no a/c. During heavy rains, it would leak and a puddle would rush back and forth at your feet. My dad has never been one to maintain his vehicles. After 3 winters of driving on the salty roads, it had fallen victim to considerable rust.

One night, sometime in early '91, my siblings and I were called downstairs to see "the new car," of which we had not been previously informed. We were poor as hell then, so a new car was a big deal. It turned out to be a charcoal '91 Civic LX sedan, brand new off the lot. 5 speed manual with power locks, steering and windows, cruise control, a/c and a cassette deck which would automatically switch to the other side of the tape! It was probably the only time in my life I have ever or will ever see one of those sedans that nice. Everything brand spanking new. I remember noting how the front end looked similar to "dad's red car."

Years later, after it had become run down and I was thinking about getting my first car, I became intrigued by the idea of getting the old Civic fixed up and drive-able again. It never happened. Just wasn't quite old enough yet, and dad ended up selling it to a salvage yard (which I happen to work for now) for like 50 bucks or something ridiculous like that. I still shake my head whenever I think about it. The car itself only had a little over 100,000 miles on it, he just didn't maintain it at all and it died young. My first car ended up being a '92 Toyota Paseo I bought from my brother with money from my minimum wage job at East Of Chicago Pizza. Min wage was 5.15/hr at the time. It was a decent little work car but I wanted something a little more peppy with a manual transmission.

One day, at random, I noticed a teal colored old Civic hatchback, which reminded me of my parents' Civics, sitting for sale near the road in the Kroger parking lot. It caught my attention enough that I turned around and went back to have a closer gander. I noticed, before I was out of the car that the suspension, wheels and exhaust were not of factory specifications... This. car. looked. nice... It was a '91 Si, Tahitian green pearl, immaculate in every sense of the word. Mileage was over 200,000, but everything on this car, inside and out, was in pristine condition. Not a spec of rust, barely a scratch, scuff or dent anywhere on the body, paint was glossy like it was new. Someone loved this old Civic. There was no price tag but I took down the phone number, which I never called. I had no credit and no savings. It disappeared from the parking lot and I would occasionally see someone driving it around town, taunting me...

A couple years later I started my second full time job delivering pizzas for a "gourmet" pizza restaurant called Michael-Angelo's. I made much better money there. Minimum wage was up to 7.25 or so by this point. My starting wage was 9.25 since I was already a seasoned driver, AND - knowing what I know now about the owner - because I was a male. With my tips I would sometimes make upwards of 20 bucks an hour on Fridays and Saturdays. I felt like I was living the high life after my previous job. I eventually noticed a cute girl I worked with was driving a blue Honda Prelude. After inquiring, I learned it was potentially for sale and that it was a '92 Prelude "S" with a 5 speed and the 2.2 single cam. My Paseo was still running strong, but the suspension had fallen into disrepair. I ended up checking out the Prelude and liking it, so I bought it for $1800. Looking back, it was actually quite the piece of crap, but I had fun with it at the time. I drove the **** out of that car, and I'm sure it received the same treatment from previous owners. It was a great car for delivering pizzas in a timely fashion, but I didn't love it like I loved my next car.

Six months or so after owning that Prelude, winter was starting to show its ugly face on the horizon. I was out on a delivery one night and happened across that old green '91 Si again, as randomly as before, parked alongside the curb. Sure enough, there was a for sale sign in the rear left window. I stopped immediately, parking illegally, leaving the pizza in the car, just to look at this sweet old Civic again. The current owner clearly did not love this car as the previous owner had, but it didn't look like he'd necessarily abused it. I bit my lip a little when I noticed some spots of rust on the quarter panel and paint flaking off the door mirrors... scuffs here and there, scratches, few small dents... overall still in really nice condition, though, for a Honda of that age in Ohio. I knocked on the door and said I HAD to test drive the car and offered him 50 bucks to take the for sale sign down. He accepted and we agreed to meet the following day.

We met the next afternoon and he handed me the key, and I handed him mine as collateral. It was the same as the keys I remember seeing my parents use when I was little. I sat down in the driver's seat and, though it looked a little bit different, it reminded me of the old LX we had and going on vacation, listening to Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits and "70's Greatest Rock Hits" on cassette. The interior was still nice, though the floor mats were gone now and it was cluttered with the owner's crap. No cracks or dents in the dash, door panels still nice. I depressed the clutch and turned the key, and it fired right up. It sounded so nice... not too loud, not too quiet, and it ran very smooth. I put it in first and slowly eased away from the curb, getting a feel for the clutch and throttle. There was no snow or ice on the ground yet. It felt - how should I put this? - eager... Much more so than the Prelude. I didn't expect a Civic to feel strong like this one did. I would later find out that the previous owner had tracked raced it and built the motor. I got to the stop sign at the end of the block and turned right onto the main route that runs perpendicular to the street I was on. I drove leisurely through town with a smile on my face and when I got out into the country, I turned off onto a windy side road and opened her up, taking the corners hard. This car was an absolute thrill to drive and handled like a go kart. The manual steering felt so natural and responsive and the engine felt very strong. Gearbox felt tight with no grinds, and the suspension felt nice as well. So the car was relatively well maintained for 2 years, but not loved.

I returned to the owner's house and paid him $2000 cash on the spot without even trying to haggle. We met two days after to transfer the title. I registered it and insured it, and it was mine. It was almost as if fate had intended me to have this car. This was the car that confirmed my loyalty to Honda. A friend of mine eventually introduced me to the modding scene and I fell in love with the JDM look and started sourcing out parts. I've established quite the collection actually, most of which are not on the car.

I need to go to bed so I'll try to wrap this up with one more paragraph.

In between my job at Michael-Angelo's and now, I had a falling out with my boss over ethics and walked, submitting to a much lower paying job at Domino's doing the same job. I burned through my savings and eventually couldn't afford to keep up with all my bills. I went through a very low, depressing chapter in my life where I contemplated suicide numerous times and adopted some destructive habits and a negative outlook on life. The Prelude ended up throwing a rod and I junked it for quick money to pay my rent, thus my beloved hatchback became my daily driver and delivering pizzas tore up the suspension bad and has left me with some noticeable dents and more rust. Plus it got broken into a couple of times and I had to replace the driver's side window, lost my stereo, etc. Same thief both times, too, as it turned out... He's in prison now. Somewhere in there I had swapped my front end parts with their JDM counterparts and messed up the hood when the rigged hood latch failed. Now I'm just sitting on a bunch of parts. Started working at a local salvage yard a year ago, making good money, and have since come mostly out of my funk and am stable again. I more or less dove into my current job blindly, without having much of a clue what I was doing when it came to cataloging car parts. I've learned a lot in the past year and am happy to have the knowledge. This site has provided me with a lot of troubleshooting help as well. Recently bought a 2000 Si which broke down once already and I was able to fix, thanks to people on this site and a couple of friends here at home. Now preparing to start restoration of the '91. I love driving the EM1, btw. First B-series I've driven and it feels right. It's nice and peppy and when Vtec engages and the rpms and speed continue to climb beyond what I'm used to, it's quite exhilarating. Sounds nice, too.

Well that's all folks. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it.

(The silver Prelude in front was my dad's)


(Taken day after I bought the hatch.)


(Taken shortly before it became my delivery car. Notice the spots of rust and the dent below the back windshield.)


(Like my tacky stereo wiring hanging out? No wonder it got broken into. Didn't find a cd player bracket till a year or so after this picture was taken. You can kind of see the fist shaped dent in the dash from me...)


(New ride)

habanerored06si

Good story.

Got to be honest I continued to read when I saw "Hi name is Dana" and got alittle disinterested when you mentioned you we're a dude.

Sorry about hearing you're trials and tribulations, but I'm sure there will be plenty of better days ahead.

East_McDuck

Haha, sorry to disappoint you, man. I actually wondered how many people would mistake me for a female. Curse my feminine name.

cfield189

Dude... That SI is GORGEOUS!. Great find man.

nirvanacarl

short and to the point for mine. picked up a 98 acura cl 2.3 manual from a kid that was going to send it to scrap. runs, new clutch, hankook tires, and easy miles on it and he was going to junk it. needs a gauge cluster, mirror and put in a window motor regulator. little nickel and dime stuff other than that but picked it up for $400. couldnt believe it. love it so far. rides nice

tnt4him

I volunteered to help my neighbor fix his 98 civic. We go it running but have a knock sensor issue. Hope to get it resolved here on this site. After the head install the knock sensor stopped working. I replaced it and it still did not work. torqued it snug, not too tight at all. Car has no power since the timing will not advance. Post #2