Im going to buy an ep3 after I get my taxes back. I don't want to spend more that $9.5k for the car. What do I need to be looking for? I want a car as factory as possible, I know a good place to start is going to be a carfax, but what are some comon problems I need to keep an eye out for?

 

creaking steering rack is a common problem in ep3s

 

The owner may or may not let you do this, but I HIGHLY suggest you running the car hard for a good few minutes. My steering rack creak doesnt make a sound until i push the car, As ive heard others are the same. Get it checked by a mechanic, and ask for any receipts for work done. Thats about it. If its bone stock, you can get a nice 02-03 for around $8000 if you get lucky. You may have to drive to another state, but hey itd save you a few grand.

 

What about the transmission? I heard that there were issues with the dc5s grinding gears? any issues with the ep3?

Ya I'm not worried about traveling I live about an hour from Dallas or Shreveport Port, Louisiana about 5 hours from Austin and Houston and about 7 hours from Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge / or New Orleans (luckily I have family there.)

I hope $8000 is all I will have to spend, Im going to take my time and look now. I already have plans for the car as soon as I get the keys.

I'm thinking Black paint with bronze mugen MF-10s... hmm i wish. I probably throw on some 17" bronze or black TE-37s, and i have my eye on the Tein SuperStreet damper too. What do you guys think about the Honda performance lip kit they released in the states? I like it, its not overbearing but keeps the the car look like a hatchback an odyssey.

 

Um... I know the steering racks creak but is that really a problem? I mean how will that really affect anything other than being annoying. Mine used to then stopped and every once in a while it does.

I'd just look for normal wear and tear, make sure it shifts smooth, do a compression test, etc. Most mechanics or shops will do like 100ish run through on people looking to buy a car. Saves you some trouble to have it looked at.

 

honda's are notorious for having the 3rd gear grinds however i do not have any grinds in my dc5. i also own an ep3 and have no grinds what so ever. you can check them out when you drive tham, most of the time it is just synsros which are easily replacable for a couple hundred dollars!! if you by from a stealership, they may fix it for you, depends if they sell it as is or if they are just trying to rip someone off. you should be able to find one with decent milage for $8k. hpf lip kit is nice and good if you dont want to spend a bout load on the ctr conversion and some mf10's would be bad ***, i would prefer tham over the te37's for sure, they are coming back witha limited release for $2900/set from king motorsports!!! tein ss or flex will be good, i have heard the basic is pretty sh!tty. but i wouldnt just go with tem, i would look at BC if your looking to spend around $1-1.5k for suspension.

 

im gonna go look at an EP3 this thursday, their selling it for 9.5k, does that seem fair, the dude that had it last i gues put some tiens on it, or maybe just the springs. which i hope he didnt cuz then id have to replace with factory ones so the shocks dont crap out. but are they worth having, hows the handeling, and where oh where can i get a type R are they only in the UK cuz i cant find **** here in the states.

 

My first d series grinded only when I was shifted around 6-7k rpm, but my gsr doesn't grind at all.

I havn't looked into the ctr kit, but I'm not buying a ctr so why try to make it look like one, ya dig? Plus the hpf kit can be had for around a thousand give or take.
King motorsports only has 50 sets so I don't think I'll be getting any of mf10s... so the te37s will suffice. I'm liking the buddy club n1s and tein superstreets, I'm leaning toward the teins because of the EDFC and I'm definitely not going to skimp on suspension. My first civic I focused on the body, then my ej6 hatch I have been working the engine but once I get an ep3 its going to have a sick suspension, then about 10lbs of boost.

You didn't really give alot of information to let us judge wether or not $9500 is fair for and ep3. year? condition? wrecks? mileage? What makes you guess he put aftermarket springs on it? If he did install new springs and did not change anything else suspension wise get ready to replace every bushing and joint in the suspension on top of new shocks. I just finished with that ordeal with my car. the guy I bought it from dropped it on green neuspeed springs, so I had to change install upper adjustable control arms, a rear camber kit, my steering rack, lower ball joints, lower control arms and shocks.

No you can't get a type r in the states. pretty much everyone but the U.S. got the type r.

 

oh my bad i didnt even think about providing details im to exited to think right.. um its an 03si blue about 97k miles on it, dont know if its been in any wrecks or not, the body looks reall good aside from some dirt. looks to be in good condition from the pictures ive seen but pics can be diseaving... or how ever you speal that... im guessing he put springs on it cuz it dosnt have much of anything ellse, no intake no wheels nothing to suggest the car has been built up a lot.. and if i do have to replace all that then oh well i guess either im looking for another ep3 or im looking for a different car. fingeres crossed on the ep3 though

 

another question ... at what RPM does VTEC kick in on the SI

 

that price seems a bit high for an 03 with 97k on the clock!! Get a carfax before you buy!!

http://www.nadaguides.com/usedcars.a...da=-1&mi=97000

http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/Pric...uizConditions=

kbb lists it for 9200 for excellent condition and i doubt the one you are looking at is in excellent condition especially if it is already on lowring springs!!

you shouldn't pay more than $8.5-8.6k for that car!!

 

hfp is what i would go with if i modded my ep3, advsd i would go with the N1's to be honest but its your money. yeah i know they only have 50 sets but you may be abel to pick up a set of used older ones for cheaper when they come out, the are releasing more next year too, different size thou! te37's are just everywhere and i would want something more original, to each his own!!

ej6 pics?? in the other forum?

 

Just to add something to the 3rd gear grind... I changed my tranny oil and it went away!

But as for just being able to change just the synchro you wont be able to because you need to change the hole gear as it comes only as a combo... that is what my friend told me who works at a Honda dealer... cause i was going to do it but for now i will just change my tranny oil every so often...

 

Why do you like the N1's more? True te37s are everywhere, but they look good. If i can get ahold of some mf10s at a reasonable price thats what I will do. Nothings original in the Honda game anymore. What are the widest tires recommended with a 17" wheel?

Pic, it has an oem style carbon fiber hood and the bumper is straight now.

 

nice ej, dont really like the wheels thou ;-) i just like BC products and i am not a tein sackrider, never had them so i cant say they are bad. i know i hate how nothing is original anymore. widest on an ep3 i would go 7.5 but idk if you have to roll the fender or not, some 17" wheels require the fender roll on the ep3

 

Thanks ya im not huge on my wheel situation but I got them for like $50 from a junk yard and about 6 hours of labor, some sandpaper and a couple cans of black and clear coat later I have some wheels that look better than steelies. Now thats originality. :0

 

LOL, 50 bux you cant beat that!

 

well that ep3 i was gonna get is gone, i didnt get pre aproved for the loan so i cant get it, ima look for an RSX or maybe a mustange really hoping for that hatch though. oh well

 

PLEASE! Don't buy a MUSTAKE!

Stick with the Honda crowd

I mean if you like having a resale value.

I recently almost traded in my EP for a 2000. The salesman was like "what kind of car do you drive" and I said a Civic Si and he was like... "good, cause if it was american you wouldn't get **** for it"

I laughed. I probably will never own an american car. If they are even still around in 10 years. Haha. Oh wait... They will be, under the names Toyota and Honda.

Japanese FTW!

 

Damn thats a bitch I thought everyone was pre approved. Our economy is really going to ****.

 

yeah... i dont know **** about buying cars this would have been my first attempt at buying one and learning to haggel but oh well, i lost a car but gained an opertunity, im looking for an RSX type S now ive found a few in good condition about under 10 grand so im sure gonna check up on those as soon as the turkey days over.

 

do it...its a great car

 

No... The banks and dealers are desperate but they are also very cautious.

All of the credit unions just got into a HUGE amount of trouble with the government because they were in loan happy mode and loaned to anyone and everyone and then a lot of people started not paying because the banks didn't realize they were morons and didn't have the steady income. So now they want to make sure they are only loaning to reliable people.

I took out my first loan last year (at 18) and with my Dad co signing banked a 6% interest. I just looked into trading in my EP3 for an S2000 and although I could still get the loan the banks were kind of giving me the run around whereas last year is was easy as pie.

Kept the EP though!

 

don't mean to a revival of all this...but.. how do can that be fixed... what causes this creaking sound? thank you.

 

don't mean to a revival of all this...but.. how do can that be fixed... what causes this creaking sound? thank you.