Potential Buyer

[Zerostatic]

What's up everybody. I'm thinking about getting a new Civic SI. I have a couple of questions and worries, though. I numbered and listed them below to make them easy to answer.

1) It seems that Civic Si's are selling rather slowly in most places. Do you think this is going to affect the number of aftermarket parts being sold for them. One of my big criteria for my next car is that there are tons of options in the aftermarket. I want to be able to pick and choose parts from a variety of companies.

2) When I first saw the Civic Si, I didn't think it was that good looking. Now, I've warmed up to it a bit. I know there was a lot of negative talk about the cars looks. That is common though when cars first come out. Do you guys think that the import community will warm up to the Civic Si's looks after awhile. Also how do most females like your car.

3) How did you feel about the performance of your Civic Si's when you first drove them.

4) How responsive is the 2.0 I-4 in the Si's? How much is hp is reasonable to expect with i/h/e?

5) How does the build quality compare to past Hondas? I was originally looking at the SpecV's and the new Tiburons but after going to their forums and hearing about all the little defects I got turned off. I've only had Toyota's and Honda's and I'm not used to seeing all the little problems that they were talking about and I don't want to start now.

6) If you could start over right now, would you still buy your Si or would you go with a different car?

4)

[CleanBlackSi02]

1. All of them will get sold eventually...
2. Eventually...my girl loves my car.
3. All I could think was how smooth it was compared to my Prelude. I still miss the top end power though...
4. IHE has shown to give substantial gains. 15-20 WHP for sure.
5. Just as good if not better.
6. If I had 4k more I would have gotten a 1.8t GTI, 6k more and I would have gotten a WRX. In this price range it can't be beat IMO.
-Mike

Welcome to the site!

[IceD out N CALI]

1)SEMA show showed that there is an aftermarket which includes turbos, superchargers and different styles of body kits
2)yes import community will warm up to it(at least the part that counts)-there will always be people that dont care for any given car. As the older civics and integras die off in the next couple of years this will be part of the new wave of cars
3)nice power down low where 90% of the driving is. much better than average honda-dont need a heavy foot/or rev it to death like other hondas jus to get it to move.
4)Judging by the Dynos done by a few members and by quarter mile times i'd say the si is reasonably responsive to I/H/E
5)Good quality
6) I'd of waited till the prices came down like they have thats for sure. A different car? no not yet my next car is gonna be more luxurious as i'll be a tad older and want more refinement like climate control etc. thats why i'm leasing it for 3 yrs. time flies only 27 months left on the lease

[Zerostatic]

Guys thanks for your replies. I have one more question...

7. How does the Civic Si compare to the base RSX? Not taking cost into consideration would you rather have a base RSX w/ Leather or a Civic Si?

[PoRT]

i would definatly get the Si over the base RSX.. if im getting an RSX i would get the type S. hell i was even considering the RSX type S when i bought my EP, but i went with the EP. i just liked it more. i fell in love when i drove it, and i love it more even now. i havnt gotten 1 bad response from anyone in person, and on the internet i usually get.."i didnt like it at first, but now its growing on me" as the worst answer. i love my car. my G/F loves it too, but she allways adds in "i like your car a lot, but i LOVED your mustang" i guess she just liked the power of a 12 sec beast. wait till i get this baby down into the 12's.. she'll love this one just as much:D

[CleanBlackSi02]

Originally posted by Zerostatic
Guys thanks for your replies. I have one more question...

7. How does the Civic Si compare to the base RSX? Not taking cost into consideration would you rather have a base RSX w/ Leather or a Civic Si?
I'd rather have the Si, for the cargo space. It comes in handy all the time!

[IceD out N CALI]

tough choice, but i'd have to say the si again

[LordKoo]

I did compare the Si vs Spec V and 1.8T, but after driving Spec V and 1.8 T at least five times, I don't find any appealing from them. But after I drove the Si only one time, I brought it. I been driving Nissans all my life, and there is always something amiss about Honda. But this Si changes all that! For that kind of money, you get stuffs that Spec V nor 1.8T can match.

Just couple of minor problems here and there, but the more I drive this car, the more I love it even more so. The ride is definitely stiff like European style, but civilized. Unlike SpecV, you have to sell your kidney to ride that thing all day long...

Gals did not like the look at first, but once they have taken a ride in it. They love it... So, look can be very deceiving...

Nah... I will pick this car again over base RSX or RSX type S. BTW, I almost brought RSX Type S but when I saw so many RSX type S in the body shop for accident repair, I doubt I want any insurance hike. I paid roughly about $800 for a year of comprehensive insurance on this Si. Pretty darn cheap in my opinion.

It is all subjective...

[elroygun]

If you're going to pick up an Si...make sure you get a really low price for it...remind the dealers that this car isn't selling and they need to get the 2002's off the lot.

Also, if you want a 2003...keep checking www.edmunds.com for factory incentives to the dealer and the buyer from Honda. If you can get an incentive for the dealer, yourself, and get the car salesperson to not charge anything (especially holdback) on top of the car...that would be cool.

Really haggle over price on this car. You can probably even get it down to a couple of hundred bucks over a 4-door Honda Civic EX.

[IceD out N CALI]

yup you can always remind them of how they are not selling and all that stuff but be prepared to spend half a day if not more at the dealer. they'll try to wear you down till you give up. A couple of weeks ago they were advertised (2002 model) for 14,588, thats the lowest i've seen em. Lately havent seen those ads. I'm not sure but they might have sold them by now.

[Zerostatic]

Actually, I'm leading you guys on a bit. I'm leaving in a couple of weeks to do study abroad in Florence, Italy. I plan to buy a new car when I get back in May. I'm just trying to do my research early because I don't want to regret my decision. Right now, it looks like a Vivid Blue Pearl Si is at the top of my list. The following is my list in order of preference.

1) Vivid Blue Pearl Civic Si
2) Desert Silver Metallic base RSX
3) Aztec Red Nissan Sentra SpecV (if Nissan gets all the bugs out)
4) Bright Silver Metallic Dodge Neon Srt-4 (UGLY!! but the performance is so good that it almost makes up for it. I doubt there will be anymore, and they'll probably be marked up anyway)
5) Mini Cooper S (I like everything about this car except for it's styling which is just too cute)
6) Super Silver Hyunda Tiburon V6 (Great styling, V6, but the Hyundai name, and some quality issues are holding it back)

[IceD out N CALI]

keep us updated :)

[Zerostatic]

The more and more I look at this site the more and more I'm sure that I'm getting a Civic Si. I've also gone from thinking that the new Civic Si's are alright looking to thinking that with a couple of appearance mods they look bad ass. I also love the gains you guys are getting. This looks like the perfect car for me. Too bad I won't be purchasing for a couple of months.