i have an ek now but ima give it to my bro since i want a newer car.. i plan on doing track days with the ep3 if i decide to get it. i just want some opinions if anyone has alot of trouble with them, are they good tracking cars and stuff like that.
i don't see alot of track ep3s they're all just hella flush so i thought i should make a track/daily ep3.. im trying to stay away from hella flush since i like to track my cars.
i know its mainly up to me but other peoples opinions always make it easier to decide lol

help me sleep at night ! :D

 

Get one. Love my EPizzle.

 

suspension wise you should start here(if you haven't already)

http://forums.clubep3.com/showthread.php?t=569763

 

yes get one. i love mine its got 187XXX miles on it and it still runs strong

 

I've had mine for 8 months or so and I love it. Get one.

 

It looks like a minivan and is the ugliest civic they have ever made. The motor is **** from the factory as well. Go with an rsx type s if you want a newer car.

 

If you like hatchbacks, you'll probably like the ep. In the past, I've heard of other people upgrading their EPs for better vehicles only to regret their decision later on. I think part of their appeal is the vehicle's inherent quirkiness. I've owned one for eight years and it hasn't failed me yet.

 

I test drove one along time ago. Was really a fun car to drive. I ended up getting a RSX Type-S but I have always said that EP3s are very awesome cars. Wish they would have just put that a2 in them.

 

EP3 is very hot man, get it. EP3 Type R

 

Im in the same boat as you sir. Im possibly selling my pride and joy EG hatch and may upgrade to a EP3. Good look with your decision.

 

The EP3 has the originality to it. You see tons of RSX everywhere. They're nice, I admit. But why be like everyone else? The EP3 is a great track car. Lots of suspension mods you can do or dont have to do really. And since it's sistered with the RSX, you can use many parts from the RSX.

Hope this helps, this is my EP3 before it's Mugen conversion.

 

The EP3's performance is dismal at best and it only revs to like 7500RPM or lower. The nice parts about the car are it's minivan style versatility and it's steering/suspension. The interior looks nice and has about a million cubby holes and cupholders. It's hard to call the car an "Si", though, to be honest.

Great car as a daily. Lots of good features and awesome looking interior. Also a good value since they're not as desirable as RSXes or Integras. I don't love the macpherson strut suspension...and the gearing is a bit awful. The engine makes good midrange, though...so it negates the gearing awfulness a little.

To be rad, the car needs real VTEC so....like a K20A or A2…or even a TSX K24 and an 06-11 si trans.

 

What everyone is saying, if you want an EP3, you'll like it, but you might want to do a motor swap. Me? I track my car sometimes, I dont necessarily need the extra power, I'm content. But it 'would be nice'.

 

ITT: People who have never owned an EP3 claiming how awful it is.

 

just wish my ep3 had an extra gear because at highway speeds my rpms are always so high.
also...better motor. i will never understand why the type r got a k20a/k20a2 and we got a k20a3

 

How high are your RPMs on the highway? 6th gear doesn't always work like that with Hondas. My S2000 is still at like 3200 RPM at 60 in 6th or 4200 RPM at 80 in 6th. I don't think EP3 gearing is short at all.

The Type R didn't get the K20A2. The RSX-S did.

I think the A3 was in the EP3 because they needed to establish a difference between the Integra (RSX) and the Civic. Just like they did historically. The 88 Civic Si got a 1.6L single slam. The 88 Integra had the 1.6L DOHC motor. The EM1 Si got a B16A2. The GSR got the B18C1. The Integra always got the better engine because they wanted to jusitfy the difference in price and "cache" between the two cars. So they always dumb down the civic.

It's always seemed to enthusiasts that the Civic should have gotten the better equipment as well. So the EP3 vs. RSX-S disparity is nothing new.

 

Aside from the 3rd grind issue, are there any gotchas that potential buyers should look for? Engine mounts issues, esp in the earlier, pre-face lift cars? Suspension issues? Airbag issues?

 

Usually about 4k rpms going 80mph. 70mph is about 3.5k rpms.

True story. Thanks a lot, Honda marketing.

The reason we didn't get the K20A engine and instead received the K20A2 motor is because of tuning/knock issues (90 octane fuel in US vs 100+ octane over seas) in addition to tighter emission standards for US cars. Or because Japan simply hates us.

There aren't any 3rd gear grind issues on the 5spd gear boxes, only the 6 speeds (k20a2 engines). This isn't an issue in the EP3. If people say it is an issue, it's because they can't drive properly.

The 02-03 models are prone to having cam galling issues, where the cams eventually starts to get pitted out from higher mileage and this causes driveability issues. Apparently Honda had some inferior castings and the 04-05 models don't seem to have this problem. Also the 02-03 models come in 4 lug instead of 5 lug and have no sideskirts. Different headlights and taillights as well. Everything else is the same.

 

We didn't get the K20A-R because we didn't get a type R. The US market wasn't ripe for that type of car.....for many reasons. In japan, any K20 from that time is a K20A. The plastic manifold engine included. Japan doesn't put numbers after the last letter. Example: the DC2 SIR-G blacktop and ITR redtop were both stamped B18C. K20A could be any variant of the K20. So...we got a "K20A"...just not the R model.

 

Thanks for the info, bud. That cam galling issue doesn't sound good at all, so I guess it is best to avoid the 02-03 cars then?

-Lik

 

Just get an Odyssey. Faster and has more interior space with the same body style.

 

ep3 is good for daily

 

This... You won't be racing much but as a daily, if you keep it to legal speeds on the highway, the car is great.