I've noticed that the HX and the VX civics on craigslist have been reaching the $6000 range and it's making me think. The whole point of me buying one of these cars is so that I save money on fuel, well this is only possible when they're $3000 and $4000, but not $6000. I considered an insight but that costs at least $10,000 which would make recovering the value fairly difficult. So I was wondering, for a person who isn't quite so mechanically inclined but eager to learn, would it make sense for me to get a cheapo civic that fits my needs on craigslist and then convert it into an HX/VX equivalent?

The things I know the DX, EX, LX civics don't have is, lean burn, Vtec-E, Rear diffuser, aluminum rims (though some switch them out), different transmissions, and different harnesses.

Is there anything else that the HX/VX have that a DX, LX, EX doesn't have in terms of fuel saving? I've never worked on a honda before nor have I done any extensive work on a car before.

 

what makes the hx and vx engines get such good gas mileage is that (i think) only one of the intake valves is operational with normal driving. then vtec-e comes in opening the 2nd intake valves.

the vx is 98hp with around 40-45 mpg
the hx is 115hp with around 35-40 mpg

 

Vx is is 92hp and the Fed VXs get better mileage by about 6mpg since apparently the california VXs don't do lean-burn.