Hi everyone ! Having recently bought a house and now having to deal with mortgage payments, I have discovered that my swapped Si is using too much gas So, going against the trend to buy a 92-95, I am looking for something a little older; perhaps a 91 Si or even a wagon. Hopefully one of these will suffice enough to be my "new" daily driver, and allow my Si some much needed rest in the garage.

How does everyone feel about the Civic Wagon?? Should I stick with the FWD to make upgrading easier in the future?? I have looked through the classifieds and found an extensively modded one, so I know that the potential for a nice build-up is there......farther down the road. Any advantages for the wagon, other than being a little different, over the hatch?? Is there anything to look out for when shopping either of these cars?? Any and all opinions welcome.

Right now I am just looking for reliable, and comfortable (= A/C) transportation. The upgrades WILL come, just not right away.

Thanks,
Ken

 

Go for an Si if you can find one clean enough.

If not, get the wagon. Usually nobody wants them so you can find them in great shape with all the creature comforts for cheap.

I'd agree with you about staying FWD. Of course, you'll see a modified RT platform every now and then, but in the long run there's just more there to break and or repair/replace.

Nothing to look out for at all with either car. They're great....I've had every generation of the Civic and I can tell you that the 4th gen of any shape (wagon, hatch, sedan) makes for an awesome daily driver.

 

I agree with Johnathan.

Si is the ticket, they're sweet rides. Very swap and parts friendly.

When it come to civic wagons in general they are a good platform and somewhat unventured Honestly when I went shopping for mine I had the family in mind (go figure) . I enjoyed the convenience of using the 4 wheel drive during some ugly Chicago winters and having a multipurpose vehicle when it came to moving stuff like furniture, car parts, ect.

Maintenance-wise & swap-wise, the rt4wd is involving but not impossible (you have to be diligent), 2wd is more straightforward & swap friendly

The wagon is versatile and its different from the other 4th gens but since it is slightly different finding some parts can be a little difficult to find. Namely body parts. Research your parts recyclers well. Otherwise the drivetrain, most suspension components and interior parts are interchangable.

Its your preference, when you say heavily modded I'm assuming you're referring to Shaun K ' s car here on H-T. He has alot into it & I'm sure that thing is a blast.

plus annihilating unsuspecting knuckleheads in a wagon always seems to bring a smile to your face, ya know.

 

Thanks guys, I am really leaning towards the wagon. One question though, if I do wind up with a RT version, am I then limited to D-series motors and components due to the rear driveshaft?? And how much power can the RT system take before it grenades?? Of course these are questions for later down the road.

And yeah, it was Shaun K.'s wagon to which I was referring to earlier. Just awesome !!

 

the 4wd wagons can take 150whp before it goes.

 

the tranny cant hold much.if u wanna keep the 4wd ur goin to have to stick with d series but if u dont care is the same as a dx only it already has the mpfi which makes it easier to do a better swap like a b series swap. getting rid of the 4wd is easy just remove one of the shaft pieces becase the shaft is put together with like 2 or 3 smaller shafts.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by T3h-n00b &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the 4wd wagons can take 150whp before it goes.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I all wheel dynoed more than that on my 4wd auto, my **** never busted.
Turbowagonman setup his turbo years before I did & NEVER blew up his ride.
I think its idiots doin some 5k launches or people buyin high mile RT's without servicing the system
That would give the RT a bad name. There is no magical mystical awd or 4wd setup out there that will take that kind of abuse day in and day out.

Guy I bought my 14b and 16g from last year blew up his galant vr4 doin 5-6k launches BUSTED/ no SHATTERED IT, goes out buys a WRX does the same thing with it & grenades the center diff in less than 3 months well is it any wonder.

I have 3 4wd transmissions, d series in my car, b series on my garage floor and a H/F series in storage. There is no question which of these are stronger, but if you beat the **** outta it (I don't care if its built out of titanium) FORGET IT...

The problem that occurs is people neglect maintenace or are oblivious of the transfer case and the center diff. These are essential to the lively-hood of the 4wd system.

look 2wd is simpler no question but even the best 4wd/awd vehicles out there inevitably will fail in the driveline

 

well put