let me preface this with saying i know nothing about cars. as of now i am looking into buying a black 1996 HONDA CIVIC EX 5 Speed with 83000 miles. The car has: DC sport 421 Headers, RSR springs 2.25 inch drop and Hayame exhaust and VTEC motor. my question is...what does all of that mean? is it good/bad? it sounds like maybe the car could have been used for street racing but like i said.....i know nothing.

 

sounds bad, vtec motors are the worst. j/k

 

your an *******.

anyway,
if your unsure, the BEST thing to do is take it to a mechanic. most shops do a "pre purchase inspection" it usually covers the basics, like compression, bla bla bla bla bla bla.
just because it has aftermarket parts, dosent mean it was street raced. (even if it was, the ex motor isnt that weak, it will take a beating.) i had 103,000 miles on my motor and beat the crap out of it. still ran when i swapped for a better motor.


[Modified by KAMiN, 12:10 AM 6/3/2002]

 

The basics:

The header (or exhaust manifold) is where the exhaust comes out of the engine, and goes down to the catalytic converter. The DC Sports 4-2-1 header might give you a few more horsepower compared to the stock manifold.

The springs are fairly self-explanatory, but depending on how long those particular springs have been installed, there's a good chance you're going to need new shocks. Stock shocks weren't designed to handle that much of a drop.

The exhaust is (probably) a cat-back exhaust (new piping from the catalytic converter back into a new muffler). It's just going to be loud, and maybe give you a little more power.

And VTEC is Honda's trademark engine technology. In layman's terms, it allows an engine to breathe well at both high & low rpms, by having two separate camshaft profiles (the camshaft controls when valves open, and consequently, how well it breathes at different rpms).

With those modifications, chances are better than average that the car has been driven hard. But the only thing I'd be worried about would be the shocks. If those springs have been on for more than 10 or 15 thousand miles, they're probably shot.


[Modified by Daemione, 9:30 AM 6/3/2002]

 

thanks man

 

VTEC motor= 19 horsepower more than a non-vtec motor

DC 4-2-1 header= Brand name DC. 4 pipes coming out of your engine which connects into 2 pipes, then connects into one pipe. Exhaust travels through these pipes and goes out of your muffler. Pretty much more horsepower

RSR 2.5" springs= The car sits 2.5" lower than stock civics and RSR is the name of the company that made the springs.

Hayame exhaust=Shiny muffler that makes a farting sound, no horsepower, but it'll make you really cool amongst your friends.

EX= 1.6 Liter VTEC motor, 125 horsepower, power windows, door locks, cruise control, and a nifty moonroof that you will never ever close if you own the car. You'll leave the moonroof propped upwards to let everyone know that you have a sunroof in your car and it'll make you really cool. Go ahead and buy the car.

 

except if it's a d16y8 it's 127hp (just thought that you where so thurough i'd throw that in...)