HumanMechanic

Hello all,

Been lurking for several years here and there, finally decided to start asking questions. Up until recently I had a Red '99 Civic EX Manual with stock spoiler and other small engine and suspension modifications. I did 90% of the work on this car myself but left the more difficult stuff to the professionals simply because I didn't have the tools, equipment, or knowledge. So what did I do? I made the mistake of letting my girlfriend drive the car while I was out of town (she didn't have a car at the time) and what happened....yup she totaled it!! Driving up a hill while reaching in the passenger seat to grab something and smacked into a VW that had slowed down to turn into their drive way at the top of the hill. Bummer (pics to come) because it was in good shape 133k miles 2nd owner and a lot of recent money and work.....O well insurance gave me a fair price and gf walked away just fine.

So now comes the reason for the post....what should I get to replace my good ole civic? I have plenty of time to research, decide, and buy my new car and I thought I would get the opinion of honda enthusiast and experts. Car will be a daily driver and needs to be reliable and last a long time... having a honda engine should take care of that!! The '99 civic was just not even close to fast enough for me although I can't complain about the gas milage. I'm somewhat familiar with honda engines and would like this to be something I can do work on myself over the life of the car including after market improvements. So here is what I am interested in--->

1) 1st Generation TSX 6spd with 6 month goal of 300whp. Like the idea of SC over TC since I'm not looking to race and I like the boost profile as well as not liking the blow off valve sound or lag of TC.

2) 7th Generation Civic EX 5spd with 6 month goal of 250-300whp. Either looking at keeping it as is and upgrading or doing a K series swap with possible supercharger. I don't know what the best option K series motor would be (k24a2? K20a3?) or if the SC would fit...any opinions?

3) 99-00 Civic 5spd and go one of two ways with it... try and find a good EX or Si and upgrade it and see if I can make her really burn without having to put 10k into it. Or do a swap... again not sure what the best swap would be (b16b? K or even possible F series?)

I like all these because one they are Honda's and two because of their body style, look, and feel. Not to mention the after market support. So I will not be racing this car or doing heavy cosmetic exterior changes. Love the clean look that comes with adding some nice looking wheels and ever so slightly lowering the car. All aspects of engine modification and ride handling are fair game the more DIY the better.

So now comes the catch.....Budget is under 10K for car and possible motor swap hoping to be around 8-9k but have some wiggle room and plenty of time to shop around. I have a dealer friend looking for a TSX for me so for those of you who are going to tell me that finding a decent TSX under 10k isn't realistic please keep that in mind. Immediate modification budget is car budget - purchase price + 1-2K plus money down the line.

Let me know what you guys think....best bang for the buck, best operating cost, easiest to get done, best swap options.....