Over the last few months across a couple boards and on Facebook groups I've noticed people seeking only 89 Civic Si hatches and specifically requesting NO 90-91 models. Any idea why?

 

my guess is that they were only available for 1 year, the interior looks better, moldings with pinstripe line, lighter, pillar mounted seat belts, and a little more scarce than 90-91 civic si's, personally i like the 90-91 si better because of the smoothed moldings and thicker b pillar

 

They share more similarity's with JDM and EDM SiR's as well.

 

autocrossers want the civic Si because it fits in ST class and does well. 89 is preferred because its lighter than 90-91.

Si was not available in 88.

 

89's are somewhat over-hyped when it comes to autox. Sure, they can be made lighter, but a legal 89 Si also has to run several more gallons of fuel to keep from starving on the turns.

Point being, you can get a 90/91 Si very close to the weight of a legal 89 Si. 20lbs isn't going to make a significant difference as driver weight will differ more than that and skill will be the ultimate master anyway.

I honestly don't like the 89 Si interior as I think the 91 looks a ton better. The rest is just personal preference. Way more important than year is finding a clean one.