Dailydriver92

I have been trolling around this forum for a few months now and I have decided to finally get a Civic.

I currently have a MkIV Volkswagen Jetta, please no flaming. So I decided to sell it in order to purchase my coupe.

Now my problem is this, which model and which year? My friend has a 99' Hatchback and it is a very nice car, but I prefer the look of the coupe better. Should I try and find a 99' or 00' Si, start off with a B16. I would not like to go lower than a 95' because I heard that under 95' bigger problem with rust and mechanical. So it is basically 95' and up. Is there any difference between the 95' or 96' or 97' or 98' or 99' coupe civics?

Any information on this matter would be appreciated. I would most likely put a Turbo on the coupe unless I get the 99' or 00' Si in that case I would keep it stock.

medina509

YEAH GET A 99

97ej6dx

haha no worrys quite a few people on her are on VW Vortex I personally wish for an R32 golf.
but (96-00) were the same body style. 95 was a transision year which some better options showed up and better rust prevesion but the 96-00 visually look the same. The differences are the rear bumber and the front end is slightly different.
the 96-98 front

99-00 civic front end

96-98 Rear

99-00 rear

D Griff

I'm partial to the 96-98 front end, but I'm biased. An Si would definitely be cool but I think they're a bit overpriced, but if you love them, I say get one of those.

97ej6dx

agreed you can get a 96-98 pretty cheap and drop a b series motor in it and most of the time still come out less than an SI .. Depends on the shape of the SI tho

Dailydriver92

This woman lives 1 hour 40 minutes away from me and she has a manual 99' Civic Si for 1700$ CAN. Beautiful car.

That is a steal!! but that is gonna drain the bank since I am not working currently. Did I mention that I was 17? lol.

Okay problem solved. Thanks. Gonna look for a 99' or 00' Coupe. If not 96-98.

THEdumbGURU

if you are looking to get an Si, it's going to be very difficult to find one that hasn't been abused depending on where you live (there is only 1 Si for sale within 100 miles of my house that i can find and it's over priced in my opinion). the 99-00 are the more popular models because people seem to like the front end and tail lights more. and if you don't get an Si, shoot to get an EX because they have better engine/ features than the others and a bolt on turbo kit is available for that trim level for like 3.5k

97ej6dx

well Id say test drive it and check the Kilometers if the KMs are to high you may find out why but if she serviced it well then it would be a good car to have. Some people just dont know what they have.

is it the Canadian SI or the Si-R
The Canadian SI = The american EX
The Canadian SI-R = The American SI (DOHC VTEC)

Dailydriver92

Yup, will do so.

Is it true that a body kit adds 100 HP? lol kidding. You have to see some of the **** we have here. BTW I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. If you walk through downtown on a friday night all you smell is rice, worse than a chinese restaurant.

I really do not want to start swapping engines cause I go to school full-time and my studies are long which results in me procrastinating with the car. It is a DD.

All it said was Honda Civic Si. I am pretty sure its the DOHC VTEC.

THEdumbGURU

body-kits actually add 200 HP. but seriously, if it is clean rust free and you like it, get it.

DrZFiNeSt

iTrader: (1)

If I were in your shoes I would try to obtain a 96-00 Ex because odds are most 99-00 Si's are overpriced,Have salvage tittles,have been modified,not to mention they are thief magnets.

97ej6dx

In Canada the SI is marked on the EX models and the SI-R is the EM1 you may check it.. if it has the DOHC decals on the side then its probably an EM1 if not then it probably is a ej8. is possible that its an american Spec Em1 then it would be marked as just SI in red letters ( the canandian EM1 was mared SI-R in red letters) but if its a canadian spec then the SI is the same as the EX model. it had the d16y8

THEdumbGURU

all hondas are thief magnets. but my buddy's bro had an obviously modified Si that to my knowledge has never been broken into/ stolen

edit:if it has "DOHC VTEC" stickers on the sides it is an EM1

97ej6dx

Depends on the area to i live in the middle of illinois where car theft is very very low and the cars that are stolen are stolen for joy riding or a getaway car which are later recoverd fully intact but Hondas arent on the list. My friend is a cop in the area and he said he has never heard of a stolen honda in the area but big citys are MUCH more prone to that Just 3 hours north is chicago and there are TONS of hondas getting stolen there

THEdumbGURU

amen to that

Dailydriver92

Damn this sucks, so the "Si" isn't really the Si that they have in the US. WoW fail on my part. Okay, fail moment. So technically I am looking now for any 96'-00' coupe.

Yeah they do not have the sticker on the side. So it has a y8.. I am going to call my friend tomorrow, when I buy the car I am going to swap either a B16 or B18.

DrZFiNeSt

iTrader: (1)

For you guys the equivalent to the American Si would be the Sir I believe

Deetz

OP, you are a Canadian like me, i'll state it again for you to help

US Si = Canadian SiR dohc B16A
US EX = Canadian Si sohc D16Y8

97ej6dx

Its all good You are in the area where you probably get alot of american spec cars so its hard to keep track. PLUS the majority of the Honda people on the forums are from american haha

JasonYo

Hey someone else from mtl!

I would personally go for a 99-00 si (usdm EX) and just get a jdm b16 to swap in eventually. There are quite a few shops around Montreal that sell full swaps.

A SiR or em1 will usually be overpriced like crazy, and hard to find.

It's also very hard to find a rust free civic thats older than 96 around here. And anything older than 99 usually has alot of rust that you can't see.

97ej6dx

Yeah here the 92-95 civics have rust but the 96 and up rarly do although if people dont take care of them IE wash and clean the grunge out of the areas they will rust. mine has no rust tho i made sure of that haha

NOFX

OP, start out by looking at these two threads. They might help you figure out for sure what you want.

1996-1998 / 1999-2000 Civic Body Differences

6G Civic Trim Differences

Matt93eg

These guys have already went over the 6th Gen stuff with you so all I am going to say is I wouldn't buy any Civic if you don't have enough money left over to install security. That is a stealth alarm install, etc. Unless you just live in an area with VERY VERY low theft rate and can keep an eye on your car most of the time. Even then I wouldn't be trying it. I like you when I was 19 had saved and bought my first civic..not knowing about the theft rate of Honda's at that time didn't install security only to have the car I worked my *** off to buy stolen and stripped a few months later.

Just bringing security to your attention. I have the whole shi-bang or however you say it on my car right now and I sleep at night. People always say if they want it they will get it. I don't buy that..the tow truck option is always there but if your careful where you park and use common sense(which I am amazed at how many people are born without it) you can eliminate that option for the most part also. And I will still NEVER say my car won't be stolen, but with my setup the conditions are going to have to be perfect for them to actually drive it off..and it just doesn't work that way. As suspendedhatch says and I quote "In the real world, the stars just don't line up that way".

Good luck with your purchase and enjoy it to the fullest, they are great cars regardless of what Chevy and Ford gearheads say about them.

v8killaz

i think the 99-00 front looks 10x better and more sportier than the older ones
i do like a clean 95 coupe but im partial to the 99-00 si(r)

you can find a clean si(r) in the states for 4k
just make sure to get a clean title no mods or else your in for a mess

i bought mine for 3500 here and its pretty miney all vins the same and intact


go search around i dont think theres a better civic than a 99-00 si(r) for you
because they have a some kick and great gas mileage, parts aree cheap too ha

RotaryPWR

wow 2 other people from Montreal!!

i would suggest to really do your research first. don't just think about trim looks and engine swaps, think about features too. i bought a 98 Si, and have spent time and money doing conversions (though still cheaper than the 8 to 10 000$ price tag on SiR's up here in Canada). I converted the rear brakes and front end and have yet to do an engine swap. I also blew my Y8 and didn't have enough for a B series, so wasted money on another Y8..

SiR's also have a slightly nicer interior IMO with the console and seats. Just make sure you know the differences between the DX, Si, and SiR and decide want you really want/need and decide whether you want and are capable of doing the work (pretty easy stuff so that shouldn't be a problem). Either way, excluding an engine swap, expect to pay anywhere from 400 to 2000$ if you want to upgrade a lower end trim with all the SiR goodies.

And when buying the car, make sure to check the underbody well. Quebec is known everywhere for having rust buckets because of all the salt used on our roads!! As for security, luckily theft isn't nearly as bad here as it is in the States, and I've been fine without any security system so far for 4 years..but it only takes once to screw me..up to you if you want to risk it..