The name's King, and I joined this forum for a particular reason.

The thing is, I've been contemplating buying a Honda Civic, somewhere between the years of 2001-2005? Great gas mileage, and on top of that they're reliable (at least from what I hear).

Currently I have a 2000 Grand Prix GTP (Supercharged) and while I love the power it has (compared to the civic), it's given me hell. The engine went out on me (Spun a bearing/rod knock) back in August, and I wasn't able to fix it till the first week of November. I get the car back in November, and not even two weeks pass before the second engine does the same exact thing. Luckily though, this time, the engine was warrantied so I didn't pay a dime. But I don't want to stick with it, and most likely i'll be selling the car.

Now the thing is I've been reading, the only way to get some decent power out of the Civics is through either a K Swap or a Turbo kit for the most part. I won't be able to afford those two, nor will I be willing to do either of those two until later in the future. I do love how they looks when they're lowered and have some aesthetic work done to them, so I still might end up buying one. If that's the case, what are some common problems I should know about these cars? Will they cost me an arm and leg?

And if I don't end up buying a civic, is there anything Acura/Honda you guys can recommend with not too serious of common problems, and has SOME power, or can obtain some power without the need of a Turbo or swap? Something with lower mileage perhaps around the 8k range. What can I expect to find? I don't drive Manual, and is it possible to have something with some decent power AND good gas mileage?

I appreciate your help.

 

I'll start by telling you that your grand prix will continue to spin bearings, those motors werent meant to be raced. I used to swap them into fieros and they would last about 2 months then blow up one right after the other. And as for finding power in a civic, b series will give you a fun ride. Im assuming you are talking about the GTP grand prix correct?An older style civic with a correctly done b18c or well modded b16 will still be fairly quick. There are quite a few motor options out there not just K series. 200 hp in a civic isnt hard to obtain with B series, and easy to obtain if you do H. If you do things right and in a car that light its a fun ride. And as for common problems, not really to many if you do things right. And as for costing an arm and a leg, lol, no. They are fairly cheap to work on since parts are everywhere and most of the time interchangeable withing motor series. Just do a little looking around on here, check out some build threads and see numbers, hp and qt. And welcome to Honda Tech :D

 

I don't really "race" the Grand Prix to be technical, but I do enjoy something with some power. I've never taken it to a drag strip before, or street raced, but I do like speeding when I get the chance and there aren't any cars nearby. And yes, its the GTP Grand Prix. I would love to grab something a B series but that means I'd have to settle for an older car, and I'd rather not do that. Not only that, but to find older cars in really good condition here in Michigan is like finding a needle in a haystack.

I definitely want to try and lowering the car, because it's something I've always wanted to do, its just that the Michigan roads scared me, but I realized I can drop a little without worrying about the roads.

Putting an intake, headers, exhaust, and tuning is something I am willing to do (provided it doesnt get TOO expensive) but beyond that I'd rather not go any farther until I have more money to spend and experiment with lol.

It would be awesome if I can get lucky and find a clean car with a swap though, or better yet, an older car with a B or H type engine, we'll see what happens. I won't start looking seriously into buying another car until I am done with the college semester in May, so I am using the time now to check out the options I got and learn a little.

Is there like an F.A.Q section for cars here? Like the best brand of spark plugs to use, best wires, and so on?

I am new to cars in general, I never really started reading about cars until I bought the Grand Prix, which was only about 10 months ago, so I am not too mechanically inclined, and Honda is a completely new platform to me so yeah lol.

And thanks for the welcome

 

There isnt really a FAQ. But a lot of your question can be answered by just searching for them. And if your not looking to buy till may then i would take this time to start learning. If you buy a car that is already swapped ask A LOT of questions. There are a lot of hondas out there that have been swapped by teenagers or just people in general who didnt know what they were doing or just didnt care enough to do it right. Things to avoid would be wiring harness that have been cut and hacked, poor wire routing and so on and so fourth. There is nothing worse then trying to fix what someone else has already messed up. The cleaner everything is the better. I never like to buy a swapped car that someone else bought swapped either, as there might be underlying problems that they themselves are unaware of especially if they are mechanically inclined. Just be patient and find what something you want and are comfortable with buying. This is all from experience from buying, owning, and building over 20 civics (on budget ). The biggest thing to remember when buying performance parts is, you get what you pay for. If you have any questions feel free to pm me with them. I run a honda auto review blog and i love talking about them and would be willing to help you find what you are looking for. Or you can just post them in the appropriate section and get lots of opinions. And just do some research, and like I said, build threads are always a good place to start learning how things are generally done. Good Luck.

 

So I am much better off buying a completely stock car, I think that's the safest thing to do. I'll do some more reading around, and I'll definitely look into the build threads. Thanks a lot for your help, and for the quick replies.

I'll definitely shoot you a PM if I have any questions.

 

No problem. Its what i do lol

 

What you want is a one owner Integra, preferably a little old lady, completely stock, the last thing you want is someone else's swapped out Civic.

If you have the time to look, you can take the time to find the right car.

As mentioned 200HP is pretty easy with a B series and a 200HP car that is 800LB lighter then your 240HP car will be a lot more fun to drive. 94