Buying a car for college?

[RedNight351]

My daily driver back home is a 1970 Mustang 351 Cleveland with some toys under the hood. I can to the realization that car is not practical to have here. (Gas Mileage or lack thereof, need trunk room and would like to be able to have people sit in the back seat with at least some comfort)\

So I was thinking of buying a 99 Civic Si ( the one i found has no mods and only 67,000 miles.?

Anyone have any thoughts??

[Mike]

Get a hatch with a swap. Faster, better gas mileage, more/better storage capacity.

[Kaan]

ditto with the hatch crap swap... and cheaper most likely! i'm even in the market for a swapped hatch for a daily driver!

[Sijray21]

So I was thinking of buying a 99 Civic Si ( the one i found has no mods and only 67,000 miles.?

Anyone have any thoughts??

I think it's a great car, but it's up to you if you want to pay for it. I think they're over priced...and i have one. I think if you didn't want to do the hatch/swap, i'd look into integra's with your price range. If you're looking for a coupe or sedan body style i think an eg body style civic with a B-Series swap are great cars, plus less on the insurance if you just tell them the body of car you have :wink:

[Mike]

Yep the insurance thing is nice too. If anyone wants any numbers on a swapped hatch (weight, gas mileage, insurance, whatever) let me know. IMO they really are the perfect car for college, that's why I bought one

[Ryan T]

Pssh, that mustang is plenty practical.

[RedNight351]

well 9 miles per gallon kinda hurts when you go to get gas and drop 93 octane in..

im not really a hatch fan... what is other comparable cars to the si?

[Ryan T]

well 9 miles per gallon kinda hurts when you go to get gas and drop 93 octane in..

im not really a hatch fan... what is other comparable cars to the si?

integra.

[Sijray21]

well 9 miles per gallon kinda hurts when you go to get gas and drop 93 octane in..

im not really a hatch fan... what is other comparable cars to the si?

Nissan Sentra SE-R's are pretty nice, esp the older models, pretty good power and lighter weight too. Prelude's are nice, not as practical with interior space, but the engine and MPG are nice. Other comparisons that are decent are eclipe's, jetta/gti's, and older model impreza's. How much are you looking into spending?

[RedNight351]

9,000 - 10,000

I dont know ... i cant really find anything i like better than the si right now.

Dont get me wrong i really like the si but before i drop 9 thousand on it i want to explore other options.

Thanks for all your ideas

[.RJ]

For $9K i wouldnt buy the Si. I drove one and just didnt like it... the seats are terrible, motor has no torque.

E36 325is... Great street cars, reliable.

[Feersty]

See if one of your Grandparents has an old Buick, can't find anything cheaper than that. :wink:

[ViPER1313]

Lets take a look from a non-import prospective. What about a late 90s Z28? They are reliable, if not the most fuel efficient cars, and their performance is adequate :lol: . If you want a sleeper, buy a 92-95 Taurus SHO w/ a manual. Instead of a 160hp Civic, which every person who has $5 in sticker money tries to copy, you could have a 220hp car which your friends wouldn't have to cringe in pain to get into. Seriously, you can pick up a nice SHO for about $3500, and with the remaining $7500 you could fix the car to like-new status, or mod it to beat out a Corvette Z06 :twisted: , like here . A used Contour SVT also might fit the price bracket. There are so many better choices than a Civic hatch......

[Mike]

Someone hasn't been in/seen a cleanly swapped and equipped hatch before...

Lets do some numbers here:
Decent shell, $2k
GS-R Motor, $3k
Other miscellaneous goodies, $1.5k

You're now paying insurance on a 75hp Civic, you're running mid 13s, you get 40mpg, you handle like a go-kart, you have a fairly new engine w/ Honda reliability, and you have truck-like cargo space.

Sure it isn't RWD, and sure it is "just a Civic" but is the price you pay for being "different" really worth it?

[.RJ]

E30 Bimmer... $4K for car in great shape, add $1.5K in chip/intake/exhaust/suspension/diff...

[BLINGMW]

bimmerbimmerbimmer! 8)

[ViPER1313]

Someone hasn't been in/seen a cleanly swapped and equipped hatch before...

No, I have....I've been in a very nice CRX w/ a 200+ hp Integra swap. I know they are fast - the car spun its tires through 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Even so, the swap ran him way more than 3g, it was always in the shop, and it held 2 people and a set of 12in subs - period. I have also been in a 94 Prelude VTEC, and while it was fast it wasnÔÇÖt anything extraordinary. It had such go-cart handling that it understeered off the road and hit a guardrail. If you want max bang for your small import buck why not pick up an older ÔÇÿ90/ÔÇÖ91 Eagle Talon TSI AWD or an Eclipse? The turbos can easily be bumped from 7 to about 11psi, and you can pick them up in great condition for under 2g. My friend got his 91 Talon TSI AWD in great condition (runs nicely except it burns a little oil, paint is slightly messed up, needed about $1000 in small repairs to pass MD inspection) for only $500. Even after 150,000 miles the original clutch is still in great condition. A BMW would also be a nice choice, although I would like to get an old 80ÔÇÖs12cyl 750IL.... I guess I just like large powerful cars 8) . Whatever, I've made my case - it's not my car after all. Good luck.

[Mike]

e30 certainly isn't a bad idea.

[Mike]

The CRX - a 2-seater, not a civic hatch.
The Prelude - a "heavy" car, not a civic hatch.

A civic hatch nicely fits 4 passengers, and also meets every number/comment I stated above.

Of course your friend's BUILT motor cost more than 3k and wasn't reliable, I wasn't assuming this guy wants to build a motor for his daily driver, kinda defeats the purpose eh?

While large high horsepower cars are fun to drive I just don't think they make the best daily drivers (shitty mpg, usually shitty ergonomics, and usually shitty passenger space).

[Team]

I came across the same decision almost a year ago and went with the 03 EP3... and to be honest I regret buying it now although its a great little car. Hopefully will be selling it in the next year for bigger and better projects