Cackknack

Against most of your advice...I will be ordering a 2004 Civic LX in two months...ill let you guys know what I have planned on ordering as far as details go in just a sec...keep in mind that I can still change or cancel this order...nothing is permanent...the total cost of the car is going to be around 14-15 K...so ill have another 5-6 K for mods and customizing....

2004 Honda Civic LX
5-Speed Manual Transimission 1.7L 4-cylinder
Standard wheel covers
Single CD Changer
Magnesium Metal Exterior (Dark Grey)
Dark Grey Interior (Which I eventually plan to re-upholster as leather)
Power locks and mirrors
Wheel locks
Keyless entry
(Was thinking about adding the spoiler but figured I can get one installed on my own and save a couple hundred bucks)

Thats for the most part what I'm getting. It's really basic.
Here's the part where I need your guys' help. Like I said before its main purpose is gas mileage, passenger space, and most importantly.....performance.
Let me know what would be a good idea to do...like what kind of mods should I do with this car. (Sorry for making this so broad, but i have never customed a car before and don't know a whole lot about it). Keep in mind that my budget is under 6K...thank you all for you're help....oh and if you wouldnt mind...tell me what the mod is...what it does....and how much.....lol thanks again for your help

Civic Hx-T

Get what you want to get man.. forget the advice.. or most of it.

Here's a bit from me... you better be ready to pioneer something with that motor because I don't think alot of people even bother with it. Either that or rip it out and ship it to GA ( Just the longblock. ) to 30080 for 300 bucks and i'll pioneer it for you.

jcarothers

how hard/expensive would it be to swap a k20 into a 7th gen?

The HamsterBall

If you are going to want to "CUSTOM" a car.. a brand new civic may be a waste of money..

it depends on specifically what you want to do with whatever car you acquire. i can tell u right now.. that a 2004 LX won't be very performance oriented..

unless if you decide to put a mild turbo set up on there.. and other things (which takes away gas mileage and a bit of reliability)..

think about what exactly you are looking for in a car.. instead of thinking so broadly.

anyways.. do what you want, it's your decision not ours.

btw .. (i think a 2004 civic is a pretty nice car. power everything, decent cargo space and interior space, reliable of course.. nice for gettin here and there. i like them. btw.. i'm into a more useful/functional car rite now than a typical EH2 with a b18c or something... )

good luck

Vero

if you want real performance, say good bye to high gas milage

Sequoyah

I would drop the stereo from the equation and just go aftermarket...sub-par equipment at inflated prices. If there is pinstriping on the car I would tell them to take it off, if you are going for a cleaner look that is. When I bought my 95' Si coupe (new) I told the dealership to take it off because I wasn't going to pay $125 dollars for it. I used to work at a dealership and they (and probably every other dealership) pay people to come around and pinstripe the cars for $25 each. It is a huge money maker for them and a rip-off to their customers. The car for some reason didn't have floor mats in it and I explained to them that I was getting an "Si", one of the "top" models and it should come with floor mats...they pulled some out of another car Just do your homework before you go in their or you will come out with a sore ***. btw, they ended up charging me $25 for the pinstripe. What they paid the guys to do it (the same guys that came to mine). I didn't let them know that just in case they wanted to be dicks. I ended up driving home that night with my black hatch (what is the paint code for black with "gold flake" in it?) for $13,500...$500 over what an employee would have paid Hope this helps. Do your homework!

Bob_Digi

i wouldnt get it

Archidictus

Excellent choice, man. Now buy a K20A-R swap from ebay, some HAsport mounts and you'll have a wicked little ride .

dogfood

If you are going for performance dont get an lx, if its what you really want then forget what anyone says. If it was me I would get a used civic or integra. Even if you go with an 01 ex you will be better off than a four door lx.

Mar_DC2

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Archidictus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Excellent choice, man. Now buy a K20A-R swap from ebay, some HAsport mounts and you'll have a wicked little ride .</TD></TR></TABLE>

Mar_DC2

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dogfood &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you are going for performance dont get an lx, if its what you really want then forget what anyone says. If it was me I would get a used civic or integra. Even if you go with an 01 ex you will be better off than a four door lx.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i think 7th gen 4dr's kick ***, especially for what he wants it for. i was looking at a dark blue one the other day and thought to myself "if i had the money to buy that car and get a k-swap, i'd do it in a heart beat."

although i wouldn't order a brand new one, even though it is the dark grey color. i'd look for a used 2001-2002 and have a lot more $$$ for mods.

E-brake or Handbrake

I'm going with what everyone is saying. If you want performance, kiss your high gas mileage good bye. A used Civic would make more sense to mod than a brand new LX but like others would say, "if you have the cash then go buy it".

As for me, I'd choose the route of buying a used Civic or Integra and dropping in an R. Well hey, that's just me--but I'd bet at least 10 other members on here would agree with going this route for performance, reliability, & maybe comfort.

Do some research.

Ricey McRicerton

I get almost 40mpg and can run a high 13 second 1/4 mile. Don't rule out high gas mileage with a powerful car.