delslowgsr

Ok So my buddy bought an Si that was supposedly a Canadian car. The car has a U.S Vin number as a 1 which means this car was a States car. But the motor in the car is a 1.7l vtec and has a legit si badge on the back what is assumed to be placed by the factory.

Heres where it gets tricky the Title says Honda Civic U.S Si. but in 01 Honda didnt make an Si in the states. So is the car a Canadian car or is it a states car as the title says?

Edit: And the vins match the vin on the title so no way for the DMV to make a mistake here.

Regardless of the title he can still resale it later down the road but we were just curious as to the background of this car.

So the ? is why does my car have an Si on the title and an american vin?

Traum

As far as I know, the Canadian Si is supposed to be equivalent to the US EX trim. I am guessing that the "1" you refer to in the VIN is the starting digit, as in 1HGESxxxxx or 1HGEM2xxxxx. That leading "1" is only an indication of where the car is made, not what market the car is intended for. So it is entirely possible that your buddy's car is a Canadian Si built in one of Honda's US factories. Canadian Civics doesn't always have to come from their Allison plant in Ontario.

Is the car's speedo and odometer in km or miles? If the gauge cluster has been professionally swapped, it is supposed to have a sticker somewhere to show that the gauge cluster was changed and at what mileage.

-Lik

lazlong

Does it look like a 6th gen or 7th gen? What is the VIN: EM2, ES1, EP3? Is it a coupe or hatch? If it's a hatch then it's an '02 made in '01. Honda loves the half-year model.

The easiest thing to do, although not the cheapest, is to go to Honda and have them do VIN searches on the chassis and engine to see if they're matching VINs.

Belmont

In Canada there is no EX badge for the coupe. Only Si.

All EX coupes bound for Canada get an Si badge from the Honda factory.

A metric speedo also.

It Wasn't Me

The DOL had also done the same thing with my '02 coupe. The title said it was an Si, but the car is an EX. It's simply a clerical error. Have them print a new title. (free of charge)

delslowgsr

Well the cars speedo is in mph but if the car was sent to canada how would US si get on the title?? It should just say "si"?! As where would this sticker be on the car if the gauges were swapped to us spec?

delslowgsr

And you sir have never used a search button or google lol they did make an si in Canada in 01 just like dude said it is the equivelent of an ex in the states but we are curious as to why the car has all these mix matched parts to it to make it an si!

It Wasn't Me

Pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. I'm well aware of the fact that a Canadian Si is the equivalent of the American EX. Not to mention the fact that your opening post clearly states the following.

If it was a Canadian built car, the VIN would start with a 2, not a 1. How many owners has the vehicle had? Was it ever imported to Canada by one of the owners, then later returned to the U.S. and re-registered?

This was already explained to you.
My car was built and bought in the United States, however, when I bought the car used, the people at the DOL made the mistake of labeling it as an Si and not the EX that it is. They later changed it and printed out a new title.

And what parts did they switch out to "make it an Si?" An emblem on the trunk? Does the VIN sticker on the trunk start with a 1 or a 2? It's not hard to switch trunk lids, or to buy an Si badge from eBay and stick it on the car.

lazlong

^^ Wow, hardcore smack down. lol

It Wasn't Me is right and your friend got hosed. There were no 1.7L SI's.

Traum

My memory is a little hazy here, but I think the Canadian spec Si with a D17A2 was available as a 2-door coupe (ie. EM2). Later on, there was a "street edition" or "dragon edition" (or something like that) that was essentially the same EM2 with some minor tack-on upgrades. Then in the facelifted 04-05 cars, the D17A2-equipped Si was available in both coupe and sedan form.

For the whole time, the D17A2 was also available in Canada in the Acura 1.7EL.

Rick66

I'll clear some things for you guys since I'm located in Québec,Canada.

01-05 EX Coupe = 01-05 Si Coupe
04-05 EX Sedan = 04-05 Si Sedan
02-05 Si HBK = 02-04 SiR HBK
04-05 DX = 04-05 SE w/ A/C & door lock

There's also some minor differences like our LX Civic have colormatched mirrors and doesn't have the LX badge like you guys have.

We also have a special Reverb version of the Civic Coupe that is a canadian civic SE coupe with a few upgrades:




For 01-03 civics,we also have an LX-Sport wich is a Civic LX with 99-00 EM1 Si/SiR(CDN) wheels and sunroof.


And,we have the famous Canadian/Asian ONLY 04-05 sedan lip kit haha




I know you guys have the EX SE model with some special wheels,well we have them up here on the Acura EL.


I don't know why you guys saying there were no 1.7L Si?01-05 Canadian Civic Si had D17A2 along with the Acura 1.7EL.

lazlong

^^ OK, let me be clear. There are no USDM 1.7L SI.

Better?

sdaidoji

Heya, Lazlong!
Yeah, they tried to register my EX as an Si when i moved to Canada too...
Just another piece of the puzzle - my 02 EX have the miles on the top, i do believe the canadian have the KPH as main, though both MPH and KPH are present, just the position is swapped.

Targa250R

The first character if the VIN indicates the country of final assembly, not the intended market. A VIN starting with "1" only indicates that the car was assembled in a factory located in the United States; it could be shipped out for sale anywhere in the world. For example, all CRXen, Integras, and S2000s were built at Honda's factories in Japan, and as a result they all carry a VIN starting with "J," no matter where they were eventually sold. This does not mean that all CRX, Integra, and S2000 models are "JDM," but rather that they were just assembled in Japan.

Your car (or "your buddy's car" ) is a Canadian-market Civic Si, equivalent to a US-market Civic EX.