Rep Power: 0

Ok I currently drive a 92 ford ranger. I am looking to buy an 05 civic this december jan. or feb.

Couple of questions....

I am looking at the Value Package and HX.
The HX has Vtec and some minor other cool things (power locks etc.) but is NOT available in black (or at least from all I can tell on the websites I have looked at).

1.) VTEC or no VTEC (details on why please, yes I am a newbie lol)
2.) HX available in black at all? or is it a ploy so you'll pick a diffrent model

I am looking for affordable of couse but want as much power as possible. I know I am not expecting it to be a WRX or anyting but I will be modifing it some.

I noticed that most run 17's stock? What sort of mods would I be looking at to get to the 14ish area.

Costs/Questions/Comments Ideas welcome.

Great forum by the way, I've been reading everything for the last couple of days and I'm hooked.

Thanks
- aj

 
Rep Power: 292

go for the EX. You should be able to get a very good deal on a 05 model since the 06 ones will be in soon.

 
Rep Power: 0

Is there any possibly way to get it in black? Is vtec gunna make that much diffrence?

 
Rep Power: 277

you can definetly get the EX in black. the vtec in our engines isnt such a noticable difference, but im sure it makes some. The EX is the top model in the US right below the Si. There is a totally new civic coming out for 06, so the 05's should be quite a bit cheaper, you may want to wait a few weeks/months til the 06 comes out, and then pick up the 05 for less.

 
Rep Power: 0

the vtec is nice and standard on the EX. Also with the D17 engine (the engine of our cars) you make minimal to no gains with each bolt on. Ex.... intake = 1-3hp exhaust= 1-3. basically anything besides an engine swap/turbo will not get u over 145hp so u will not b able to get this car into the 14's w/o a turbo and or a K series engine (K20 is in the civic Si and K20a2 which is in the RSX-S). and both of those will cost u about 5-6k

 
Rep Power: 0

guess I should have clairified.

Is there no way to get an HX in black? I can't really afford to go all out for the EX thats another 4-5k or so, doesn't really seam worth it to me...i dunno

 
Rep Power: 0

i wish i went witht he EX
totally worth it
rims
painted mirror
abs
6 speakers
moon roof
vtec
better gas milage

just leave it alone, nothing needed to be upgraded.

 
Rep Power: 292

I'm not sure why you're so up on the black. Black cars are so much more work to keep clean.

 
Rep Power: 277

But no paint color shines like black when its clean.

 
Rep Power: 0

I just like the look of black, i think they are alot easier to keep cleen than white lol

so on another side note...

an engine swap is a little out of my leauge but about a turn I notice turbo kits sells an 01-up kit has anyone put it on an 05

and is it worth the money?

 
Rep Power: 0

not to sound crazy but if chex out a corolla, i test drove one with my gf due to shes buying one and omfg i wish i had that insted of my civic. it accelerates faster and costs less and the ride feal was nicer ect ect.

only reason i would tell you to look at the corolla also is due to it seems like your on a budget and you should not limet your options. dont get me wrong i like the civic but i should have shoped around.

 
Rep Power: 0

I understand and I apreciate the info. I'll be doing my research of course. # of things are factoring into my decision.
1) Price
2) Color of car (believe it or not)
3) HP/Performance aspect
are really my biggest decision factors right now

I am also looking at the chevy cavalier coupe...

 
Rep Power: 320

Okay a couple of things:

The HX is a rare car, you probably won't find one by that time. They don't make many of them and there is a high demand for them since they can get into the 50MPG range with out having to go hybrid. This is an economy car, do to the ultra tall gearing, do not expect to go fast in this car, civics don't have the torque to push that kind of gearing, so it is probably the slowest of the civics IMO.

If you want a quick car, by a DX, they are stripped, but that makes them lighter. Believe it or not a DX is almost as fast as the EX. Even though the EX has more power, it carries far more weight. The VP is good to, but if don't use your AC like me, it's just a waste of money.

If you want speed, do NOT buy an auto. You CAN make the autos go pretty good, but it will cost you more. The 5 speed civic generally run in the 16's, so there you are already a little closer, not to mention you save $800.

As for the VTEC thing, only 2 models have it, the EX and HX (and the Si, but that's not what you want). As I said before, the HX is slugish because of the gearing and the EX is more money. If you really want to have a work out, you can put the EX motor into the VP/DX and have a quicker car.

If have anyother question, please ask!

 
Rep Power: 308

you could probably get a great deal on an 05 si if you wait till January or February, then you get a better platform with more power

 
Rep Power: 0

thanks for the advice. On honda site they list
Value Package
HX
LX
LX special edition
EX
EX special edition

is the Value Package - DX?

also one question I had before turbo:
Has anyone turboed a DX 05? And is it worth it?

 
Rep Power: 324

I think the VP is going to be right up your alley. its lighter than the ex and only missing a few tid bits. You should be able to get it in any color you want. Like everyone said, wait until the new 06 model comes out and pick up the 05 super cheap. NA you will not hit 14's No one has. For 14's you will nee n20 or turbo. With some practice you might be able to break into hi 15s with boltons and no cat. Usually a decent driver can get a stock 5 spd 7th gen into hi-mid 16's.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for the tip on the SI but im not keen on a hatchback.

I want a 2door coupe for sure.

 
Rep Power: 0

saw your sig. What kinda mods are you running?

 
Rep Power: 308

Gotcha.

 
Rep Power: 320

VP is a DX with AC and Cd player (at least that's how it was in '03).

Not sure if anyone has put a turbo on a DX/VP/LX (VP/DX and LX all have the same engine). Personally I wouldn't the internal are suppose to be weaker. If you are patient, you pick a VTEC motor from a EX for around $400-$500, prep it, then drop it in to your lower model (lighter) civic and make a quick car that can be easily put a turbo on if you desire. We actually have vendors on this site that sell turbo kits, if you talk to them they might be able to say it has been done.

 
Rep Power: 0

I'd say get an EX 5-spd coupe. You dont have to pay $18k for it, many people have talked down to $15k.

 
Rep Power: 320

^^^ yeah, but the VP can be talked down to 11k and maybe even 10k by that time

 
Rep Power: 0

Id like to get the VP but damn I want to do preformance stuff.

What about engine swaps, where would I look to buy an engine to swap... (just curious)

 
Rep Power: 320

Well you have a few routes for this. You could easily have the EX VTEC motor put in for well under $1k, probably around $500 if you do it your self. This will give you 127 hp, a better tranny (gearing wise) and a platform to go turbo from. You can go all out and get a K series motor for 3.5k to 6k that gives 160 to 200 hp respectively.

I personally would swap the EX motor with a turbo. You can pick up a turbo for around 3-4k. I would say going this route you can have 175-200 hp for around 4k if you're willing to do some work.

You could always go N2O too, it's around 500-600 and you can put it on the stock engine. I'm not sure, but I would bet for 600 you could be in the mid 15's And if you blow your engine, well they are really cheap to find. Besides having a mid 15's car that can get 35-40 MPG is pretty good in my book

 
Rep Power: 324

check my profile

 
Rep Power: 320

By the way the K20A2 (the RSX-s engine) is capable of tons of power, check the guys at clubRSX.com, 300 hp is nothing. Or you can go with the cheaper K20A3 and turbo it when you get the money and have tons of power. But that is all costly.

 
Rep Power: 0

I am liking the sound of a VP rought with a possible engine swap. Is there a place where I can check out engines for sale online?

 
Rep Power: 320

Well it depends what engines you are looking for. If you want a EX VTEC motor, here and Ebay are good places to look. Local junkyards are also a good source.

If you want to look into the K series motors, there is an entire forum on it. agian Ebay, clubRSX.com members might even have some. I really can tell you exact place because I haven't done this. Your best bet is talk to some poeple who have K20's and see what it cost them and how much they worked on it. If you need some name, just PM me, I know of a couple that have the swaps.

 
Rep Power: 322

just wait for the 06 civic and get the hx version of that. You get a free 140hp upgrade for relatively the same price as the current hx.

 
Rep Power: 0

true I may but what about performace/body parts, engine swaps, I don't really want wait for the aftermaket to catch back up to the new model...

but it is an idea...when are they due out?