I recently totalled my 98' Integra during a heavy rainstorm and am now trying to decide on the best car to replace her (sucks because I really liked that car and had it set up the way I liked).
Anyway, I think I have narrowed my choices to either the 09' Si sedan or 09' LX-S sedan w/ manual trans. I am trying to decide if the latest Si is worth the extra cash, since is has poorer gas mileage with premium required, and higher insurance. I'm ok with paying the extra if it's worth it but want to know from Si & LX drivers what you think.

Thanks,
John

 

If youre ok with paying the extra then whats there to decide?!

SI > LX-S

 

I want to know if you think it is actually worth around $4k more.

 

How do you like to drive?

 

It really is up to you. If you plan to modify the car at all, then the extra monies put into the Si will be beneficial if you went with the lx. You would be wasting your cash trying to attain the same performance of an Si when you had the chance to just buy one ready to go out of the box. I say you should consider what you intend to do with the car in the long run, not just what you're feeling right now.

 

i test drove the si, liked it, didnt fall in love though. also drove a 5 speed, not sure what trim and really didnt like it.

 

Why not build another 90's era Honda? Its cheaper to insure, more mod friendly and overall MUCH cheaper than an 09 will be with financing factored in......did I mention more mod friendly?

The new rides are nice but unless your picking up a cream puff certified pre owned your just paying too much

I am kinda partial to the EKs myself but since you have already owned a DC chassis an EK with all the goodies wouldnt hurt you....

If I could I would sell my Z and grab an AP1 or AP2 to play around with....for daily driving the Z is nicer with more usable torque but I miss vtec and the ability to rev to the moon with a nice set of cams/valvetrain....

You can pick up an AP1 for like 9-12K in good condition and that would be a much better way to spend your money IMO...but do what you think is right for you....a stock Si 4 door for 20K+ with financing fees on top....

 

try 14k to 16k for a ap1

 

Safety is one reason.

Newer cars are a thousand times safer than older cars. And ultimately, safety is the supreme goal of any automobile purchase, whether one realizes it or not.

 

Thats why people buy gutted crx's to cruise on the streets?..Fairly bold statement of you to make. I agree newer cars are WAY safer. But to say that safety is subconsciously what all people are looking for is wrong. That is purely opinion. Some people are just hapy with the basics. Maybe he just wants to go fast?

 

Would you consider a built 2002 SI built by Skunk 2 with 245 whp, for $17,500? California

Would you consider a stock 2001 Silver GSR, for $6,300? Pennsylviana

http://www.skunk2.com/Skunk2GarageMain.pdf

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/di...urnPage=Search

You will have either of these cars for a long time and save a bundle.

 

That SI is a rip. I paid that much for my 2008 SI new. New car would be safer, you get a warranty, and I think if you buy the lx you will regret it down the road. Buy what you like who cares about the extra coin roll long as you aren't taking food off the table for your family.

 

theres only one way to decide. test drive. When i test drove the Si i completely fell in love, and i cant imagine driving a stock lx or ex or whatever.

But thats just me because i need a sporty car 'cause thats what i like. So you need to decide if you want a fun little sports car(if you wanna call it that) or a good economy car to get you around. All in all if you wanted my opinion, go si, in my eyes their WELL worth the money

 

I found the option to buy a modified K24 car or a stock GSR.

I have an Integra and a 08 SI.
For the price of my 08 SI, the SI is a disappointment.



My SI is safer than the Integra, but a Dump Truck is safer than any new car.

How much safety are you expecting?

 

^ No don't get me wrong the Integra is a nice car and worth the money. I was just saying that SI hatch is WAY TO MUCH. You can snag nicely mod'd ones all day for under 13k.

 

I have an 08 Si. Personally I love it and I'm glad of the purchase. Yes newer cars have more safety features but they have some systems (like TMPS) that sometimes annoy me and are they because of the avg driver who neglect to keep tabs on simple things (like tire pressure).

The gear ratio feels pretty close to me (for the first three gears) so sometimes (if its a DD) you may feel lazy and curse having to switch gears so quickly but I like the control.

 

Obviously Si owners do or they wouldn't have made the purchase. I just hope you aren't buying the LX with the hopes of turning it into DD project car. HORRIBLE choice if you are. If you want to mod a new Civic and it isn't an Si I would pick up a used DX even then that is a horrible decision.

In reality only you can make the decision if it's worth it or not. Something you may NOT have considered is the insurance premium difference. The Integra carries a much higher premium on average due to it's high theft rate.

The TPMS on the vehicle is for safety only and is NOT intended to replace the owner manually checking tires. In fact the TPMS indicator in these vehicle are designed to only come on when PSI drops below 25. If it were truly a replacment for the owner then it would have a digital read out on the dash like the Nissan 350Z

 

Well I just bought a 09 si 4d for my car and really like the car. But for 20k I could of been in a mazdaspeed3 or like someone else said, a nice 92-00. Like everyone is saying its up to u. Do you want a new ride with the big payment and warrenty or do u want something to **** around with and make stupid fast.
I personally will probably never have a car payment again but my girl wants something decent with all the amenities. So the question is: Are you a man? or a bitch? lol

oh yeah the electronic throttle on the si sucks big time and its really not that fast, like low 15s high 14s....pretty slow

 

I am trying to decide if I the performance of the Si justifies the higher purchase price (along with higher cost for insurance & gas). I have test driven both but it is really tough to get a good feel on a test drive.
For 20k i love the engine & transmission but would personally like a stripped down version (say 150# lighter, no sunroof and lightweight rims). I hate the new dash on all Civics(but it seems to be here to stay), don't want a sunroof and think an Si should be lighter than all the other Civics offered...like in the early SIs. I have looked around at the 2005 Si but they are going for around 12k for a nice one around here...and who knows what the previous owner did to "improve" the car so I decided to go new for $16-19,500.

 

What are people expecting from a $20K, naturally aspirated, 200hp, inline-4 that weighs almost 3,000lbs? It's a Civic for crying out loud and I don't remember the car suffocating bra wearing girls with its massive speed and torque. If people actually bought the new SI (or rather any Civic) for speed then those people made huge mistake.

 

si all day long...unless u plan on doing nothing to the car down the road

 

it seems to me like you shouldnt even get a civic period.

cost in gas difference between 87 and 93 are 20-30cents, thats about 2 or 3 dollars more to fill up the si than a r18. its nothing. the si gets good gas mileage, i get ~35 on the hwy and close to 30 round town.

if u hate the dash, then why even get one?

2000 dx coupe was 1091kg and the si was 1185kg. YOUR WRONG. the lightest civics of any model were the cx or dx, thats cuz they had nothing to em, no power and anything. doesnt matter if it were an eg or ek. SI's werent the lightest.

 

Maybe you are right about not getting a Civic, I really miss my Integra and am not very impressed with the current Honda Civic in many areas.
My apologies for being incorrect about previous Si models..i don't eat, sleep, live Honda. I have owned only Honda & Acura cars since 1995 and been very happy with their reliability and performance but don't have all the models memorized. As one "in the know" do you know when the next re-design is supposed to happen on the SI...isn't it due soon?

 

its been going every 5 years recently so '11 or '12 but ya never know with the economy

 

I think you should get an s2000, here are some in Philly that look decent

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1231452426.html

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1226381257.html