I just bought my '05 on Feb. 10th and I'd like to know how many of these "rare" cars are going to be made and brought into the US market.

While I'm asking dumb questions...how do you know what engine is in the car and is there any other version than the EP3?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jamescardenas07 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">50 thousand? i dunno.. they make 100 thousand civic coupes</TD></TR></TABLE>

For a car that people keep talking about being "rare" that's a lot of cars out there. Thanks for your guess.

 

1500

 

.<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Halo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1500 </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't want to sound like an a$$ but where did you happen to find that? I'd love to know as much about this as possible.

 

Screamin’05Si, I don't know how many '05s will be made, but the numbers are rare (compared to others), and I too just picked up my '05 Tafetta White on 2/17/05 and luving it! Congrats on yours!

 

I dont have a number either, but I had to waite like 3 weeks to get mine in December. The sales manager at the Honda dealer here is a friend of mine and he said there are not very many 05's being produced for the US. He said the car has never sold very well and with the big change coming he said they he would sell less than 10 this model year, compared with 500-700 sedans and coupes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jamescardenas07 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">50 thousand? i dunno.. they make 100 thousand civic coupes</TD></TR></TABLE>

In 2001, Honda projected sales of 12,000/year for the EP3...but they certainly didn't make anywhere near that, and they started cutting back production in the 2003 model year, and it carried forward.

I'm sorry, I really don't have the answer, but I know the 50K is way off the mark.

 

Thanks you guys! At least I have a much better idea of the "rareness" of the car. I just sold my '91 CRX Si and even though there are still tons of them out there I felt they are a rare breed of car. The CRX takes a certian kind of person to want and to have them. Guess that's why I had mine for 14 years.

Congrats SennaPerfected on your choice! I have the exact same car on 2/10/05! I got mine with 9 miles on it. I cought myself and got pice with 10 miles on the OD

 

no offense people but i have no idea why someone would buy an EP3 with the new lineup coming out........200hp civic in the sights would be me wait.....imho

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 01-1293 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">no offense people but i have no idea why someone would buy an EP3 with the new lineup coming out........200hp civic in the sights would be me wait.....imho</TD></TR></TABLE>

The EP3 is just a weird little thing...you either like it or you don't.

The new Civic is attractive, but you won't get cut many breaks on the price, and it still has the same McPherson suspension as the EP3.

You could probably buy a deeply discounted EP3 and get 200HP into it for a couple grand less than the new Civic Si would cost you, and you'd still have a car with an inherently better polar moment of inertia than the new Civic.

 

Ironically I bought my '05 the day they announced the new '06.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 01-1293 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">no offense people but i have no idea why someone would buy an EP3 with the new lineup coming out........200hp civic in the sights would be me wait.....imho</TD></TR></TABLE>

No offense taken... People buy things (cars in this case) for difference reasons. The same goes for color choices. I do like everything about the '05 Civic Si and that is one of the reasons I bought it - I would not have done so if I didn't. Another reason, I absolutely luv where the shifter is mounted and no other car offers/will offer that. Also, I already have a higher horsepower car and the current 160HP i-VTEC motor is just right for my needs.

Just because another design and higher horsepower Civic Si is in line to replace the current one (and years from now the new one will be replaced with another, and so on...), I, along with another recent proud owner Screamin'05Si are just as content with this one.

One last way to view this... I have an '05 Si. Once the new '06 comes out, I at least have two options:

1) I'll check it out and if really like the new '06, I'll give the '05 to my little bro.

2) If I don't like the '06, I will hate myself for not getting a new '05 when I had the chance to do so. But I don't have to worry about that.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The EP3 is just a weird little thing...you either like it or you don't.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm one of the proud few who likes it and have gotten several compliments in the two short weeks I've owned this car. The irony is that these very compliments came from people who thought they didn't like the car.

 

Other than a slight issue with the car not going into reverse properly every time I'm loving my car. It seems like a monster compared to the '91 CRX Si I just got rid of.

Just for nostalgic reasons I'd like to state that the CRX Si had a stated weight limit of 400 lbs. That seems so little now with my '05 Si being 850 lbs.

There is still something to be said about the comfort of having the last year of a cars generation...all the years before it got to have all of the worst issues and we got to get the car as it should have and was intended to be.

~steps off soap box...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Screamin’05Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Other than a slight issue with the car not going into reverse properly every time I'm loving my car.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Everything is still new (doesn't it smell great? ) and needs a proper break-in period. Go easy for the first 600 miles - no high rev up-shifting, down-shifting, heel and toe, or double clutching. Also, no hard braking. Break the car in properly and everything will function smoothly. Aren't you glad to be the first and only owner so the car gets broken in properly?

 

The way some of you talk about the EP3 helps confirm my suspicion that it's going to turn into some kind of cult classic when the run is done.

 

Itsa good commuter car and it had a chance to be a great car. But honda dropped the ball and opted for a k20a3 instead of the proper choice which would have been the k20a2 or Z1 or whatever.

As for production numbers i cant imagine Honda making more than 30k for US consumption over the last four years.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SennaPerfected &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Everything is still new (doesn't it smell great? ) and needs a proper break-in period. Go easy for the first 600 miles - no high rev up-shifting, down-shifting, heel and toe, or double clutching. Also, no hard braking. Break the car in properly and everything will function smoothly. Aren't you glad to be the first and only owner so the car gets broken in properly?</TD></TR></TABLE>


I actually took it easy for the first 1k...my God it sucked! I saw old ladies in mini vans passing me. I know it will be well worth it. I'm loving it more every day. I just bought some badging for it. Just to be a dork I even bought a badge to change the key to look different. I'll let you know how it looks when I get them in.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Screamin’05Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


I actually took it easy for the first 1k...my God it sucked! I saw old ladies in mini vans passing me. I know it will be well worth it. I'm loving it more every day. I just bought some badging for it. Just to be a dork I even bought a badge to change the key to look different. I'll let you know how it looks when I get them in.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You're on the right track and great you did that (went easy for the first 1K). Even though I was informed that going easy for the first 600 miles are crucial on engine and brakes, I'm going to continue to do so for both (and with the original factory oil) for 5K miles. LOL on the old ladies passing you! I didn't want to admit, but they passed me as well!

 

Honda only sold about 1200 in Canada for the '04 model year so we don't even get the EP3 for '05...

 

I never realized just how few of these cars were actually sold here, I knew they werent ever popular at the Honda dealer I sold at, but i thought that was because this is Lexington, KY and there arent very many folks into sport compact cars. I guess Honda did miss the mark on this one. You know the more powerful engine would have been nice, but I dont feel the car is grossly underpowered, I would have really liked a better tuned suspension and better tires. I HATE those tall skinny oem tires. It seems like these two things could have made the car a much better handler and dug into Honda's pocket book very much.

 

[QUOTE=George Knighton]The way some of you talk about the EP3 helps confirm my suspicion that it's going to turn into some kind of cult classic when the run is done.[QUOTE]

I think I agree with you.

Re the earlier post asking how many '05s were, or are going to be, imported this year, I have a vague notion reading somewhere -- perhaps here or Vtec.net -- that HMC had decided to cut the number of '05s imported to "approximately a third" of the originally planned ('02) number. That would be 5000 cars, which sounds about right.

As for the desirability of the car, that's too subjective to belabor here. I bought one of the early '02, and mine's been as good a Honda as any of the others I've owned. In fact, I'm trying to "steal" a new one now before they are all gone.

Prices seem to be hovering around $18k OTD now in the mid-Atlantic region. That represents about $2500 in incentives from HMC. I'd like to beat that by at least another $500 (i.e., low $17k OTD). Should you learn of a dealer trying to "move the metal," pls let me know.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mechanic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">In fact, I'm trying to "steal" a new one now before they are all gone. Should you learn of a dealer trying to "move the metal," pls let me know.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Looks like you may be in luck... Not sure how far you are from Williamsburg, VA, but contact Williamsburg Auto Group (757) 564-9700, ext. 1138 and ask for CC (pronounced SEE SEE). They currently have one Black, one White, and both come with side airbags. Good luck...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

The EP3 is just a weird little thing...you either like it or you don't.

The new Civic is attractive, but you won't get cut many breaks on the price, and it still has the same McPherson suspension as the EP3.

You could probably buy a deeply discounted EP3 and get 200HP into it for a couple grand less than the new Civic Si would cost you, and you'd still have a car with an inherently better polar moment of inertia than the new Civic. </TD></TR></TABLE>


When i traded in my ep3 honda wanted to give me 7800 on an 02 in 04 with 25k on the odometer

so when the new si comes out people should be getting 100 dollars for it

Luckily i went to another dealer and got 11k

 

first of all, congratulations on your new car. You'll love it. I've had mine (04) for almost a year and I don't regret a bit not getting a RSX type-S. I dont know about other areas, but I live in MD close to DC area and I dont see many EPs around here. I see more RSX type-S and even S2000 than my EP. I feel very special everytime as many of you proud EP owners may feel. So I have to agree, according to my situation this is a "rare" car. The only thing I'm disappointed about the car is the engine, it's a great engine for commuters but I want someting fast so I have no choice but to get a DC5 R swap which is very expesive project.