Ok so I just sold my b18c1 99 civic coupe a few weeks ago and now that summer is half over I only have a month to find a new car. I've been considering buying a beater and saving my money for a 05 RSX type S but the more I think about it I would rather just have a car that I can depend on getting me 80 miles to and from school daily without problems. Now I like the EP alot. I like the fact it is a hatch and has room also like the power it has stock and for around 13,000 I can get ahold of a 02-03 with decent miles. So I ask you EP3 owners what are you pro and cons of this car I know its not a rocket ship and won't compare to my old hybrid but it looks like a fun little car

 

Since you already know that it's not blazing fast, you won't be disappointed with an EP.

Cons? Stock power (compared to what Honda could've sent to the US, anyway), stock tires, um...

Pros? Still good power, shifter, seats (front and rear), hatch, overall handling, style (IMO; a clean egg is always better than overdone), and still a good platform for making another "hybrid".

 

I love EP's personaly. The only thing that I don't like is the HP! I think they should have made it a little more peppy! other than that I think the car is awesome, you can't go wrong with a hatch! and if you ever want extra power swap a Type S head on it and call it a day! Get one

 

It's ok, it could have used a K20Z or K20A1/2

 

it is one of the best long-distance daily drivers i have owned. lower insurance, terrific interior, excellent reliability.

a type s would be nice, but buying premium for a daily drive like the one you have woud be a pain.

 

Thanks everyone Im really leaning trwds this car now. I really appreciate all the help

 

ive driven an ep3, and decided to go with a type S. It really is lacking in power, but other than that its a great lil car. I went with the type s for the extra HP

 

I love the type S but right now in my life I think that I'd be better off with the EP plus I'll get all the little things I would want Power everything and the nice seats/steering wheel and sun roof. Just seems like an overall nice car.

 

Just slap a Type S head package on it and get them extra ponies! I love the seats in the EP!

 

For the money you save from buying an Ep you could swap a K20a2 in it and be faster than the type s and still have the a3 motor to sell. The functionality of the hatch is unbeatable.

Also to put the performance in comparison: It is a high 15 second car, which is pretty much what the 99-00 SI was. People rag on the EP because it doesnt have the traditional Vtec that everyone knows. The power band is more linear than the prior SI. You dont get the "Yo DaWg VteCh JusT KiCkeD iN!!" feeling.

You'll be happy with the EP3 as a great daily driver with a fairly sporty feeling to it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18c1Nick &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just seems like an overall nice car. </TD></TR></TABLE>
It really is. Up through 2005, it was the nicest, torquiest Civic available. One mainstream car magazine did a comparison between the EP and the Golf GTI, SVT Focus, and SE-R, and the only things they didn't like about the EP came down to the tires/wheels and 6800-rpm redline. They loved everything else about the car.

You'll almost certainly be tempted to mod the EP, too, and you'll be coming into the EP scene right as their owners are figuring out what's really best for the car.

 

great car hands down

 

the ep3 is a nice car. i would have gotten one had it come in auto...thats why i got a base rsx.

 

why automatic? yuck,but anyway cant beat the ep3, check otu http://www.ephatch.com and youll see what i mean, i have mine and i love it, not to fast stock, but even intake/exhaust/header/kpro and ull be right next to the type s for a lot less

 

wait so you can slap on a k20a2 head with no other problems? i heard you will need kpro, or was that for using k20a2 cams

 

just go buy a FG2.... done deal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MC_L33HAX0R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just go buy a FG2.... done deal.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wow......I love the 06 users (most of them) FG is probably about $8k more. Any reasons why he should spend that ind of money on that?

 

downside: people think its a fucus.

i drive mine 100mi/day w/hfp suspension. doesnt beat me up. doesn't bounce down the freeway. shifter position is great. fuel economy is about 28-33 hwy depending on how you drive. on a full tank, you can safely get at least 300miles. insurance is low! definitely a car that you can tune to handle well.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xtreme26 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wait so you can slap on a k20a2 head with no other problems? i heard you will need kpro, or was that for using k20a2 cams</TD></TR></TABLE>
Swapping on the A2 head won't see much gain; the head works best with the high 8000-rpm redline, but the A3 block needs to be built for it. Plus, the compression on the A3 is on the low side, more than a full point lower than a stock A2 (which actually helps make the A3 engine boost-friendly).

And, you can't put A2 cams onto the EP's A3 motor's head, at least not without some trickery (look for a thread from one of the Inline Pro guys). It's easier to drop in the whole K20A2 engine -- and besides, it'll then be powered by the same motor as the European Type-R EP3.

Or you can do the JDM K20A, or TSX K24A2 (my pick for the moment), or make a Frankenstein from any of the other K-series engines from the Accord, Element, etc....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BarracksSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">And, you can't put A2 cams onto the EP's A3 motor's head, at least not without some trickery (look for a thread from one of the Inline Pro guys). It's easier to drop in the whole K20A2 engine -- and besides, it'll then be powered by the same motor as the European Type-R EP3. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Also the price difference (at least up here in canada) for an equal EP3 and a DC5-S is almost enough to pay for an A2 swap. I got my 2003 EP3 for about $5K canadian less then an equal RSX-S.

I think the EP3 would be prefect for ur situation. As stated since u know its not a rocket ship stock i think u will be happy with it.