streetwaves

Hey guys here's the deal. I have a BMW e30 3-series coupe that I plan on keeping for a long time. I want to keep this thing pristine, and since I have a daily commute of about 70-80 miles, I'm looking for a cheap, reliable Japanese car that is still fairly fun to drive. By cheap I mean hopefully $3000 or less with a manual tranny.

Ideal match would be a coupe with a manual. I want something stock or close to it. I have a hard time leaving my cars alone, so some minor tasteful mods would probably happen later. But really my problem is not knowing what cars I can find good, clean examples of in my price range in So Cal. I like the 5th gen civics, but also thought an Integra or something could be cool. It just has to e a reliable and cheaply maintained Japanese car. If anyone has any ideas and can tell me what to look for and what to expect for $3k in So Cal it would be appreciated! CL searches come back with hundreds of cars in my price range but without knowing what good cars go for I don't know if I'm looking at great deals or "too good to be true."

lowlife9

good luck finding a completely stock un-molested civic most people who mod there cars put everything back to stock before they sell it because people want stock un molested cars which isn't good when the engine has been boosted and beat to hell.

streetwaves

I know, I'm hoping I can find one that has been adult-owned. What are my alternatives? The 5th gen Civics are supposed to be available relatively cheap and should be reliable. Are there better options for me than a Civic?

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

i would suggest you at LEAST get a 6th gen or 7th gen.

in the manual trim, both cars are VERY VERY VERY reliable and efficient. they both get GREAT gas milage and have a huge aftermarket support (dont kid yourself, youre gonna mod it...weather a little or a lot)

streetwaves

Why 6+ over 5th? Reliability? Practicality? I thought the 5th would be easier to find under $3000.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

engines are better on the 6th gens and 7th gens (as far as power to fuel efficiency goes).

you can find a 6th gen for 2-3k easily.

and all this is taking into consideration of a manual transmission...the autos are garbage...most are.

streetwaves

Thanks for the heads up. What about plain old reliability? I'd assume that all three (5-7th) would be very reliable as long as a good example was found?

I will admit to liking the 5th gen more from a smaller car/styling perspective but obviously practicality is the main concern for a DD.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

there is nothing worng with the 5th gen... but the 6ths/7ths gens have stiffer chassis (we're talking stock form).
(i am a little bias with the 6th and 7th, so take my advise as "opinion" if you will)


the 6th gen in my opinion is the best civic ever made.

the suspension on that is pretty awesome (think wishbone suspension... instead of the MacPherson based 7thgen and higher)

Stock 99

<<<... cough, cough

my car rarely sees anything north of 3000 rpm.

I've had my 6th gen for almost 2 years now. I bought it with 165 000kms and it's at 190 000kms now. Nothing but oil changes so far and no signs of it needing any repair. I average 39-42 mpg for the past 4 months anyway. It goes down to around 36-37 mpg in the winter. '96-'00 had double wishbone suspensions which is sweet. My all time favorite Civic these days is the 5th gen '92-'93 hatchback. There's some good one's still out there. A nice one for sale not too far from where I live and it's going for $2500 and probably $2200 if I waved some cash around.

I don't know the biggest issue I would have with a 5th-6th gen vs a 7th + would be safety. The older one's aren't safe.

lowlife9

cough ....cough are you selling your car ?

Stock 99

No, (well everything has a price) just pointing out that there are stock unmolested 6th gens out there. I'm actually aware of quite a # of stock 6th gens around where I live.

94civicd16z6

5th gen bashers... lol. but yes, very hard to find a non modded civic these days with an owner that took care of it. i made a 12 hour round trip to buy my car; it was owned by n older guy who had money and always had maintenance done regularly at honda. oh ya, i also want to note my car is very reliable, as any honda i have ever owned has been, and gas mileage is pretty good too. i would say a safe bet would be a 5th 6th or 7th gen civic, or a toyota.