TechM8

OK here's the deal im a newb to cars i know my basics but not enough FAQs

im planning to buy a car soon and im looking into these 3 cars mainly top 2
Honda Del sol
Mazda Miata 90-97
Honda Civic Eg


im trying to find me one for 2k and less. im running on a low budget i have 1.5k to spend on parts
such as Alarms, exhaust , intake , hids , sound system , suspension (shocks and springs)


i really need help here i can't decide on what car i mainly want because i dont know if ones more reliable then the other i plan to buy and keep one of these cars for a total of 2-5 years if possible.

im trying to find a clean title , under 120k with no mechanic problems Manuel transmission

am i on the right track? and if so would 1.5k be enough to spend on parts all listed on there? what would you honda-tech experts suggest?

let me know the most recommend car and parts up there

please serious answers only THANK YOU!!!

TechM8

suggestions...?

JasonYo

A miata would be a great car to get, super fun to drive and great on the track. But your gonna pay a bit more than 2k for one unless it's really beat.

for 1-2k you can probably find a decent eg hatch or del sol or something, and have some money left over to fix it up.

It depends on where you live around too, where I live it's hard to find a clean civic older than 98 or 99.

azandford

I make fun of dudes driving miatas.... thats a womens car! lol

you know you want a hatchie!

Vindicator9000

My vote's for Miata or EG.

If I ever got rid of my EK for another project car, it would probably be a Miata.

Jimster480

GL finding a Del Sol for 1-2k unless you live in an area with very cheap older Hondas. Here they go for 3k+ (with 3k being for ones with 200K Miles in w/e condition). But you should atleast look.
When I first wanted a car I wanted an older Miata, but they are w/e to me now. And they are over 2k for sure.
If you like EG's then get one of those!

hondamark35

someone else mentioned already that you won't have much luck finding a car like that in your price range. at least not a reliable one.

if you're set on a manual trans, reliability is about even between the three. it's up to you to decide which one fits your lifestyle/personal preference/goals. however as reliability and used cars in this price range goes... well it doesn't go . nothing will be guaranteed and you may end up needing the "upgrade parts" budget just to get it in good working order thus making it reliable. if you aren't prepared to do almost all of the work yourself you could be headed for a let down and an empty bank account.

my personal opinion, the EG would be the most practical to own and easiest to sell if and when the time comes.

JARROD

eg ftw

SeanK325

instead on spending $1,500 on parts and $2,000 on a car, why not just spend $3500 on a car that would be in MUCH better condition than anything you'll find for <$2000. I think you have your priorities mixed up. who wants a beater *** car with an exhaust and intake set-up?

hondamark35

i would estimate 60% of the import community... at least where i live. haha

i agree with your statement though, if more of that budget were put towards the initial purchase of the vehicle, it would be more likely to work out in the long run.

SeanK325

right? I mean no disrespect to anyone on a budget because lord knows I am, too. However, you just won't find what you probably deserve to get. spending less than 2K on a car will mean you most likely have to put in a lot more money to get it looking and working right.

Again, I'm just trying to help you out, but you are budgeting 1500 on an intake, HID's (c'mon seriously?), shocks and springs, and an exhaust. Your car will look ridiculous. spend the 3500 on a car and save money and do things right! you'll appreciate it in the long run. I'd rather drive a bone-stock civic than a busted one with HID's.

TechM8

ok heres the update guys . so turns out i got some guys that will hook me up wit hid kits and another that will hook me up with his older headers,intake,exhaust, springs , i would just need to buy springs ,alarm , sound system


in my area there are alot of civics , del sols ,and miatas , ive been finding alot of clean title ones for under 2k with a 120k mileage and under . with my 3.5k budget i dont think i want a newer car . i am a student this will be my first car going to college , i want some experience in my first car with not much problems. i would to put money into it. make it fun ya know guys? im pretty sure theres some of you out there who had the same thoughts at my age.

so in this 1.5k budget what kinda of alarm , shocks , and intake would be good or decent quality? any brands suggestions

again thank you so much to everyone who has posted on my page , all this info has helped me out alot

96DelSol

Sometimes you find good deals for cheap, I got a del sol for 500 with a crashed front end with a healthy Y8.

Jimster480

um. 1500$ is more than enough for a good exhaust setup, intake, HID's, and suspension.
TSUDO SP2 Muffler : $75, Custom Exhaust to go with it $200
KYB Suspension (Shocks & Springs, 32 way adjustable) : ~$300
HIDs $35-150 (depending on what you want).
Alarm $100-150 from ebay (Wire it yourself).
Kill Switch Plugs $10.
Short Ram/Cold Air $35-50 on ebay (dont waste money on a name brand "pipe").
Header - Varies. Ebay is ok SOMETIMES. Depends on what you want.
Pretty sure thats way less than $1500. If he knows how to use ebay he will get good quality stuff.

TechM8

i wish i could do the same , but i barely know about cars .. my knowledge reaches certain limits when it comes to cars . i barely know basics . i really hope to learn alot from honda tech. and theres been alot of good info here

TechM8

hids , headers , shocks covered , exhaust covered ! . now on to what brand alarm and etc. this might sound stupid.. but what do kill switch plugs do? and intakes generic ones work the same cold air? sorry if i ask alot of stupid questions

but thank you again

Jimster480

i have an ebay alarm on my car. It has a bunch of features and it works nicely. But you need to wire it yourself. I was tossed up between that and a clifford. But I used to know some guys who's friends used to steal cars, and they told me they had devices that just unlocked clifford alarms. Basically any alarm made by DEI was ****ed instantly with that ****. (thankfully all those guys are now in jail, fk thieves). So i got an alarm from ebay that isnt DEI.

TechM8

hmmm ic.. what kinda brand is the ebay alarm? or is it just say ebay. and how much do kill switches range up to?

D16SiHatch

you can make a kill switch yourself for literally a few dollars

http://www.hondaworkshop.com/misc/crx_kill_switch/

TechM8

so ive also been reading that clifford alarms are crap because theives have a system that can crack it?. i also read any alarms made by DEI are ****? is that true..?

D16SiHatch

quite the opposite. Directed makes some of the best alarm systems you can get.

TechM8

ooic THANK YOU

mooze

eg ftw -----craiglook.com

SeanK325

man, i guess 2000 will go a long way in your neighborhood. 1500 will get you a good set-up, yeah. my argument was that for 3500 you can find a car that is mechanically and cosmetically in much better condition. that way you don't have to spend extra money down the road to fix up the car to get it looking cherry.

stevej1

Good luck finding a car with under 120k for that amount of money. Id say go with the eg because they are good cars and it doesn't take much money to make them look good and perform good as well.