FS: 2003 Vivid Blue Civic SI Hatchback - Northern Virginia
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 307
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From: Fairfax, VA, US
FS: 2003 Vivid Blue Civic SI Hatchback - Northern Virginia
Quick Summary:
-Stock 2003 Honda Civic SI
-93,349 miles (56,XXX on Engine) *Mileage as of this post
-Asking $9,000 OBO *** PRICE DROP – BELOW BLUE BOOK! ***
Please pardon the long read, but every car has a story...
A little background...
I am the second owner of this wonderful hatchback. It was bought from a fellow EPHatch member (Steve, aka Skooba) on February 8th, 2006 with approx 62,XXX miles on the odometer. It was in absolutely great condition and was driven approx 20,500 miles per year by the previous owner and an average of 17,700 miles per year by myself. Now I know this seems like a lot, but the previous owner drove the car to and from Florida quite frequently. Most of my daily driving has been to-from work, which is an 8mile commute each way. The majority of the mileage that I’ve added to the car has been many fun and adventurous road trips to/from MD, PA, and NJ on the weekends. This was my first car that I purchased all by myself, and I was ecstatic!
Also, please note that I am not by any means a street racer, track racer, or dorifto champion. Most of my enjoyment of this car comes from simply driving it around to and from my destinations and jetting around town. The only time this car has ever been anywhere close to “abused” was when I was getting tuned, and then at Maryland International Raceway for the EPHatch MD BBQ 2007.
Early Enhancements
When I first received the car, it was in the beginning stages of modification still. It had been lowered on progress springs with a rear SPC Camber kit, an AEM v2 intake, a Magnaflow exhaust, Alpine head unit, and to top it all off, a Viper 790xv Alarm and Remote Start System.
These mods were nice, but you can never leave the car alone, now can you? I absolutely love music and can’t live without it, much less drive without it. So the first change I made was to add a system. I wasn’t “baller” by any means, so a simple 600 watt MTX Thunder AMP and 12” MTX Sub was placed in the hatch. With some of the money left over, I went and had 20% tint professionally installed all the way around by Fresh Designs in College Park, MD.
After about 5-6 months or so, I was driving up to PA with a friend and got pulled over on the interstate for reckless driving. The cop was so nice, he decided to include an illegal tint and an illegal exhaust ticket. Off comes the Magnaflow exhaust and I was then forced to pay another $80 to have the tint raised on the front windows to 50%. The charges were dropped and I was even able to argue my way out of the reckless driving charge, thanks largely to my lawyer.
Another month or so went by and I decided that I wanted more power! As you may well know, you’ve got two main options: N/A or BOOST! I started looking around and found that a friend was selling his turbo kit. I decided to pick it up, but first things first, I should start preparing my car with what I could! So I picked up a used Comptech exhaust in almost mint condition for a steal and also looked into some ESMMs. After those were on, I found out the turbo kit was sold. No biggie, I saved some money and I was free to research my options further.
Down the road sometime I met a friend locally who was trying to return his car to a more stock look and ended up swapping his Fiber Images CF hood and Mugen CF wing with me. I was never really big into the visual aspect of things, but these mods definitely made my car a lot sexier looking.
To Swap or Not to Swap???
Having been told about swap options by my friends, I began looking into it a bit more, which would be right for me… k20a, k20a2, k24, etc… The choice soon became clear when I found a killer deal on this k24a2 with incredibly low mileage. Having convinced myself that this is what I wanted to do, I quickly put down a deposit and scheduled a pickup date.
After picking up the engine almost a month later, I was running through my head all of the necessarily co-requisite parts that my friends were telling me I should get. The most important were brakes, clutch, and K-Pro. The orders were placed and within a month, I had a Competition Clutch Stage4 6Puck clutch, ACT ProLite 8lb Flywheel, DBA Slotted front rotors, Powerslot Slotted rear rotors, Hawk HPS pads for all four corners, and a K-Pro upgraded ECU all laying around in my room just waiting to be installed! It was time to take a trip up to Philly and visit Jay (Mystery1) and Eric (esmith13) and have one hell of a great weekend. After a grueling Sunday in the shop, and a few minor issues, the mad doctors got the k24a2 swapped in and running strong. Time to head back to VA!
Why stop there?
Good question right? After driving around with the k24 for a bit, I fell in love with the torque, but I knew something was amiss. The stock intake manifold, header, and cat were seriously restricting the flow that the k24a2 yearned for.
Next up on the list was a brand spanking new RBC Intake Manifold, Karcept’s TB Adapter and a MaxBore throttle body. Oh and don’t forget a DC Race Header too! Well, that’s quite a lot of modifications for the short few months leading up to the Annual MD BBQ! It was time to get it all tuned!
One week prior to the 2007 EPHatch MD BBQ, I had an appointment with James Evans at JE Import Performance in Baltimore, MD. He managed to squeeze out safely a modest 208whp and 171wtq. I was very pleased with the results and would soon find out how well I could now put this power to the ground.
I had never drag raced before, nor really even launched the car, so the first time I pulled up the tree, I was shaking from my fingers all the way to my toes. My first run I managed to pull 15.3! My body was pumping with adrenaline that I just had to go again. But at the start of my 2nd run, the car decided to go limp mode on me and I ran a lousy 22second quarter mile! We popped the hood and found a crack in my valve cover that had created an oil pressure leak. We patched this up with a little silicon; let it sit for an hour; and I went back out to try to better my time! Of the 6 runs that I managed to do, my best was a 14.7. I’m sure that a more experienced driver could have pulled a much better time, but with my engine leaking oil, it was time to call it a day.
A week goes by and I’m heading up to PA once again to visit my pal Jay. This time we spend one hell of a long time cutting off the stock struts (thanks road salt!) and installing Skunk2 Pro S Coilovers.
About a month later, I was still having oil pressure issues and the car was going limp mode on me at the most inopportune times. On top of that, two of the studs on my driver side hub snapped off on a recent trip back from NJ. Unable to drive really anywhere, I had the car towed to the local shop and paid an arm and a leg to have everything fixed: 2 oil leaks, replaced studs with Skunk2 Extended studs, and replaced a cracked windshield (thanks to some jerk off truck on I-95 S).
At this point, everything that had happened to the car had been so overwhelming and new to me. The power was fun, but the comforts that you give up were not. I was ready to get back to the comfortable ride that I had when I originally purchased the car. So about a month ago, I took another hike up to NJ and traded the k24a2 for my friend Bruce’s Stage1 cam’d k20a3. The swap goes smoothly and I drive home the next day.
Well now, without the k24 pushing all that hot air out so quick, the DCRH and Comptech exhaust get a million times louder (exaggeration of course, but they were still noticeably louder). I couldn’t be driving around my area with that sort of noise coming from the car. So I swap out those components for the stock header, cat, and exhaust system. A week later, I even trade off the AEM v2 intake for the stock air box again! And just this past weekend, I removed the Skunk2 Stage1 camshafts from the car, so engine-wise, I am completely stock again.
A change of heart...
After almost two years of Ep3 ownership (and CC Debt build-up), I decided it was time to part ways with my beautiful little blue hatchback. Sell the car and pay off as much debt as I could, then move on to a newer car, which I will be keeping completely stock (I hope!)
Enhancement Summary
Engine & Drivetrain:
* Stock k20a3 – Approx 56,XXX miles
Wheels and Tires:
* Rays Gram lights 57C in White, 17x7.5 Front and Rear
* BF Goodrich gForce KDW Tires (approx 50% tread left), 215/40-17 Front and Rear
* Skunk2 Extended Studs
* Skunk2 Tuner Lugs (4 spares will be included)
Suspension:
* Skunk2 Pro S Coilovers
* DBA Slotted rotors w/ Hawk HPS Pads – Front
* Powerslot Slotted rotors w/ Hawk HPS Pads - Rear
Imperfections
I'd be a fool to try and convince someone that a 2003 car, used as a daily driver, would be in 100% mint condition. A few cosmetic , mechanical, and electrical issues exist and are listed below.
I'd be more than happy to clarify any or all of them upon request.
* The driver side motor mount needs 1 new bolt.
* The transmission bell housing needs 1 new bolt.
* Need to replace the stock header, the current one has a crack and is creating an exhaust leak. Will replace this weekend.
* The passenger rear ABS sensor needs to be replaced, the part is $41 at the dealership.
* The car vibrates slightly thanks to the ESMM’s, only really noticeable with the AC on. This is a common occurrence.
* The passenger rear rim has about an inch of paint chipped away at the bottom of each spoke. Nothing too noticeable; can be repainted for $60 at the local detailing shop.
* The driver side hood pin recently came loose from the frame; I hand-tightened it for now. I believe I just need to add washers to help secure the bolt over the hole.
* The remote for the Viper alarm is very screwy and a couple months ago, I spent about 10 minutes locked outside of my car trying to unlock my car. The unlock button just wouldn’t seem to work. Prior to that event, the unlock button was already starting to get iffy; it would take a few presses to finally unlock. After that fiasco, I now leave the alarm keys are home and use the spare set of keys with the stock alarm/remote locking system.
* The driver side door lock does not lock when you press the button on the remote, however you can lock it by hand and outside the car via the key.
* The driver side floor mat has a hole in it, where you would traditionally rest your foot. This was there when I purchased the car and I just haven’t bothered buying new floor mats.
I believe there is a small ding or two, I will confirm and update this tomorrow before I leave for work. If there is, I’m pretty sure they are not hardly noticeable at all.
The AC still blows cold (saved me this summer, that’s for sure!), and the heat works very well!
Thats it! I'll gladly entertain all questions!!
~ Greg
Modified by MidNit at 4:30 AM 10/24/2007
-Stock 2003 Honda Civic SI
-93,349 miles (56,XXX on Engine) *Mileage as of this post
-Asking $9,000 OBO *** PRICE DROP – BELOW BLUE BOOK! ***
Please pardon the long read, but every car has a story...
A little background...
I am the second owner of this wonderful hatchback. It was bought from a fellow EPHatch member (Steve, aka Skooba) on February 8th, 2006 with approx 62,XXX miles on the odometer. It was in absolutely great condition and was driven approx 20,500 miles per year by the previous owner and an average of 17,700 miles per year by myself. Now I know this seems like a lot, but the previous owner drove the car to and from Florida quite frequently. Most of my daily driving has been to-from work, which is an 8mile commute each way. The majority of the mileage that I’ve added to the car has been many fun and adventurous road trips to/from MD, PA, and NJ on the weekends. This was my first car that I purchased all by myself, and I was ecstatic!
Also, please note that I am not by any means a street racer, track racer, or dorifto champion. Most of my enjoyment of this car comes from simply driving it around to and from my destinations and jetting around town. The only time this car has ever been anywhere close to “abused” was when I was getting tuned, and then at Maryland International Raceway for the EPHatch MD BBQ 2007.
Early Enhancements
When I first received the car, it was in the beginning stages of modification still. It had been lowered on progress springs with a rear SPC Camber kit, an AEM v2 intake, a Magnaflow exhaust, Alpine head unit, and to top it all off, a Viper 790xv Alarm and Remote Start System.
These mods were nice, but you can never leave the car alone, now can you? I absolutely love music and can’t live without it, much less drive without it. So the first change I made was to add a system. I wasn’t “baller” by any means, so a simple 600 watt MTX Thunder AMP and 12” MTX Sub was placed in the hatch. With some of the money left over, I went and had 20% tint professionally installed all the way around by Fresh Designs in College Park, MD.
After about 5-6 months or so, I was driving up to PA with a friend and got pulled over on the interstate for reckless driving. The cop was so nice, he decided to include an illegal tint and an illegal exhaust ticket. Off comes the Magnaflow exhaust and I was then forced to pay another $80 to have the tint raised on the front windows to 50%. The charges were dropped and I was even able to argue my way out of the reckless driving charge, thanks largely to my lawyer.
Another month or so went by and I decided that I wanted more power! As you may well know, you’ve got two main options: N/A or BOOST! I started looking around and found that a friend was selling his turbo kit. I decided to pick it up, but first things first, I should start preparing my car with what I could! So I picked up a used Comptech exhaust in almost mint condition for a steal and also looked into some ESMMs. After those were on, I found out the turbo kit was sold. No biggie, I saved some money and I was free to research my options further.
Down the road sometime I met a friend locally who was trying to return his car to a more stock look and ended up swapping his Fiber Images CF hood and Mugen CF wing with me. I was never really big into the visual aspect of things, but these mods definitely made my car a lot sexier looking.
To Swap or Not to Swap???
Having been told about swap options by my friends, I began looking into it a bit more, which would be right for me… k20a, k20a2, k24, etc… The choice soon became clear when I found a killer deal on this k24a2 with incredibly low mileage. Having convinced myself that this is what I wanted to do, I quickly put down a deposit and scheduled a pickup date.
After picking up the engine almost a month later, I was running through my head all of the necessarily co-requisite parts that my friends were telling me I should get. The most important were brakes, clutch, and K-Pro. The orders were placed and within a month, I had a Competition Clutch Stage4 6Puck clutch, ACT ProLite 8lb Flywheel, DBA Slotted front rotors, Powerslot Slotted rear rotors, Hawk HPS pads for all four corners, and a K-Pro upgraded ECU all laying around in my room just waiting to be installed! It was time to take a trip up to Philly and visit Jay (Mystery1) and Eric (esmith13) and have one hell of a great weekend. After a grueling Sunday in the shop, and a few minor issues, the mad doctors got the k24a2 swapped in and running strong. Time to head back to VA!
Why stop there?
Good question right? After driving around with the k24 for a bit, I fell in love with the torque, but I knew something was amiss. The stock intake manifold, header, and cat were seriously restricting the flow that the k24a2 yearned for.
Next up on the list was a brand spanking new RBC Intake Manifold, Karcept’s TB Adapter and a MaxBore throttle body. Oh and don’t forget a DC Race Header too! Well, that’s quite a lot of modifications for the short few months leading up to the Annual MD BBQ! It was time to get it all tuned!
One week prior to the 2007 EPHatch MD BBQ, I had an appointment with James Evans at JE Import Performance in Baltimore, MD. He managed to squeeze out safely a modest 208whp and 171wtq. I was very pleased with the results and would soon find out how well I could now put this power to the ground.
I had never drag raced before, nor really even launched the car, so the first time I pulled up the tree, I was shaking from my fingers all the way to my toes. My first run I managed to pull 15.3! My body was pumping with adrenaline that I just had to go again. But at the start of my 2nd run, the car decided to go limp mode on me and I ran a lousy 22second quarter mile! We popped the hood and found a crack in my valve cover that had created an oil pressure leak. We patched this up with a little silicon; let it sit for an hour; and I went back out to try to better my time! Of the 6 runs that I managed to do, my best was a 14.7. I’m sure that a more experienced driver could have pulled a much better time, but with my engine leaking oil, it was time to call it a day.
A week goes by and I’m heading up to PA once again to visit my pal Jay. This time we spend one hell of a long time cutting off the stock struts (thanks road salt!) and installing Skunk2 Pro S Coilovers.
About a month later, I was still having oil pressure issues and the car was going limp mode on me at the most inopportune times. On top of that, two of the studs on my driver side hub snapped off on a recent trip back from NJ. Unable to drive really anywhere, I had the car towed to the local shop and paid an arm and a leg to have everything fixed: 2 oil leaks, replaced studs with Skunk2 Extended studs, and replaced a cracked windshield (thanks to some jerk off truck on I-95 S).
At this point, everything that had happened to the car had been so overwhelming and new to me. The power was fun, but the comforts that you give up were not. I was ready to get back to the comfortable ride that I had when I originally purchased the car. So about a month ago, I took another hike up to NJ and traded the k24a2 for my friend Bruce’s Stage1 cam’d k20a3. The swap goes smoothly and I drive home the next day.
Well now, without the k24 pushing all that hot air out so quick, the DCRH and Comptech exhaust get a million times louder (exaggeration of course, but they were still noticeably louder). I couldn’t be driving around my area with that sort of noise coming from the car. So I swap out those components for the stock header, cat, and exhaust system. A week later, I even trade off the AEM v2 intake for the stock air box again! And just this past weekend, I removed the Skunk2 Stage1 camshafts from the car, so engine-wise, I am completely stock again.
A change of heart...
After almost two years of Ep3 ownership (and CC Debt build-up), I decided it was time to part ways with my beautiful little blue hatchback. Sell the car and pay off as much debt as I could, then move on to a newer car, which I will be keeping completely stock (I hope!)
Enhancement Summary
Engine & Drivetrain:
* Stock k20a3 – Approx 56,XXX miles
Wheels and Tires:
* Rays Gram lights 57C in White, 17x7.5 Front and Rear
* BF Goodrich gForce KDW Tires (approx 50% tread left), 215/40-17 Front and Rear
* Skunk2 Extended Studs
* Skunk2 Tuner Lugs (4 spares will be included)
Suspension:
* Skunk2 Pro S Coilovers
* DBA Slotted rotors w/ Hawk HPS Pads – Front
* Powerslot Slotted rotors w/ Hawk HPS Pads - Rear
Imperfections
I'd be a fool to try and convince someone that a 2003 car, used as a daily driver, would be in 100% mint condition. A few cosmetic , mechanical, and electrical issues exist and are listed below.
I'd be more than happy to clarify any or all of them upon request.
* The driver side motor mount needs 1 new bolt.
* The transmission bell housing needs 1 new bolt.
* Need to replace the stock header, the current one has a crack and is creating an exhaust leak. Will replace this weekend.
* The passenger rear ABS sensor needs to be replaced, the part is $41 at the dealership.
* The car vibrates slightly thanks to the ESMM’s, only really noticeable with the AC on. This is a common occurrence.
* The passenger rear rim has about an inch of paint chipped away at the bottom of each spoke. Nothing too noticeable; can be repainted for $60 at the local detailing shop.
* The driver side hood pin recently came loose from the frame; I hand-tightened it for now. I believe I just need to add washers to help secure the bolt over the hole.
* The remote for the Viper alarm is very screwy and a couple months ago, I spent about 10 minutes locked outside of my car trying to unlock my car. The unlock button just wouldn’t seem to work. Prior to that event, the unlock button was already starting to get iffy; it would take a few presses to finally unlock. After that fiasco, I now leave the alarm keys are home and use the spare set of keys with the stock alarm/remote locking system.
* The driver side door lock does not lock when you press the button on the remote, however you can lock it by hand and outside the car via the key.
* The driver side floor mat has a hole in it, where you would traditionally rest your foot. This was there when I purchased the car and I just haven’t bothered buying new floor mats.
I believe there is a small ding or two, I will confirm and update this tomorrow before I leave for work. If there is, I’m pretty sure they are not hardly noticeable at all.
The AC still blows cold (saved me this summer, that’s for sure!), and the heat works very well!
Thats it! I'll gladly entertain all questions!!
~ Greg
Modified by MidNit at 4:30 AM 10/24/2007
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From: Fairfax, VA, US
Re: (dcteg)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dcteg »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hm u willin to meet me in richmond so i can check out the car?</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you're seriously interested then yes.
If you're seriously interested then yes.
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