Hey, thinking about buying this civic and wanted to know what you all thought. My first honda but I'm decently mechanically inclined. Just looking for opinions if it is a good idea or not or what have you. Any help is appreciated, thanks. Here is the link, seems pretty clean. http://www.hondamarketplace.com/show....php?t=2890998

 

looks clean my first honda was a stock civic : ( lol i would do it

 

Do it you will be really happy with the gsr power! thats what i have in my civic

 

wow thats a deal for 3500?!?! already has a GSR in it?! wow...

 

Make sure you take someone to look over the car good...Something is a little fishy in the price considering what it has done to it. Usually, I find that good deals are just too good to be true.

 

I wouldn't touch such a highly modified car. Nothing quiet like inheriting someone else's problems!

Plus as mentioned some people think the price makes it too good to be true (which means it probably is!). It honestly probably has a lot to do with the high mileage on the chassis and the salvage title though. A salvage title and high mileage makes a car easier to total btw.

I have a '98 Civic EX coupe with a B18C1 as well and going through the swap and all the work was the best part. Saying, "Oh, I bought it this way," would make me feel horrible. I would have cheated myself out of all those experiences.

The closer to stock the car is, the less confusing any problems will be. Plus you might even be able to find a clean title car with possibly lower mileage.

 

^^very true. i built my car from COMPLETELY stock. came a long way (almost 3 years) and i paid for it by bagging groceries and saving lunch money lol. my first car.

ANYWAY since u are "decently mechanically inclined", get a stock car and build it from there. then u can be proud of the changes your car makes over time. look for a clear title too.

 

Eight years in March for me.

 

i do all my own swaps. the RIGHT way. no cutting corners or anything. and my 2 ef hatches still have all their factory parts! interior, switches, random trim pieces..just a working different engine. i too would feel really crappy going to a meet or something and saying..oh i bought it this way. lame

 

If you just want a "cool car" as your first Honda, go for it. If you want to learn and you want to grow with your car and evoke passion, buy a completely or close to completely stock 90-91 civic hatchback, Si if you can find one. Spend $2500~ on that, put the other $1000 into suspension, and spend some serious time reading and learning and when you feel you're ready and confident in your choices of what to do next, then buy a motor and swap it.

I bought my first Honda 6 years ago, stock motor, didn't know a damn thing. Spun a rod bearing in the single cam in the first 3 months, swapped in a b16a by myself, wired it and learned by doing and reading. The best advice I can give you is read. Read read read.


That is of course, if you want to learn and don't just want a "cool car".


And if $3500 is all you have to spend on a car, do NOT buy that one. It screams problems, which you will probably not be able to fix since you just spent your life savings buying those problems.

 

I would want him to BAR/REF/SMOG it so all you have to do is buy it and drive it. Will save you time and maybe money. Unless he gives you a better deal say around $3k flat or better, say the car runs fine w/o cel, you make an appt. at the ref. station and you go from there. Also, he mentioned that it needs a new cat. So you have to factor that in. On obd2 cars, I would look into used cat. from the recycling center. It is a lot cheaper. For example, I think my friend bought a used OEM cat from HAP, here in Sacramento, for $150 for a 96-00 Civic Si/Ex and it came with a good o2 sensor as well. Car looks decent even though it has over 300k miles and with a salvage theft title. I would buy it only with these two scenarios. Its' a good first-pick-up car. I wouldn't pay $3.5k if it's not smog legally**.

 

Thanks for everything. I agree with what you guys say, and I haven't heard of a single car story with the word "salvage" in it that has ended good. I think I'm just going to look for a stock or close stock to EX (newer with ps and ac) and see what I can do with it. Just haven't seen a one with a clean title around here haha. Thanks for the advice. Plus I'm 18 so I have plenty of time to learn and tinker.

 

If you want this generation you're going to want a '96-'00. '01-'05 models don't really have much aftermarket support, nor are there many engine swaps available for them out there.

 

go with a 96-00 civic, doesnt matter what body style whatever you like the best. look around for a good condition stock one. a lot of hondas with stuff done to them can be a huge headache when you discover hidden problems down the road.. and there is a ton of options with a stock one, you could do turbo d series, or swap it for any motor youd like pretty much.. or you could look around for a 99-00 si but those are not easy to find stock anymore. good luck.