Getting my first Honda Civic, so many choices, but no Idea what to look for.

Hi Guys,

Just needing some advice/help from the wise people of this forum.

I currently drive an 94 Camry Vienta V6, it has been a nice car to drive and own, but its time for me to upgrade or to get another car which is a little more exciting or fun to drive.

The main reason why I am looking at the Civic is that it is a nice little economical car to drive, and one of my friend own a Civic Hatch VTIR and it has been relatively good.

But one of the main reason for getting rid of the Camry is that it is pretty big on petrol.

Although I have 15k budget to spend, I would much prefer to stay around the 10-11k mark, as it will leave me with some cash incase anything does go wrong.


I would prefer to buy a 1997-2000 Model Civic, and hopefully with under 100000km on the clock.

I am aware that there is different engine type, such as VTI, GLI, CXI and etc.

But the two main one I am looking at is the VTI and GLI, please correct me if I am wrong, but the VTI has VTECH is that correct? if so is there a big difference between owning a VTI Civic and a GLI Civic? Because from what I can tell is that both of them has 88kw if I were to go with the Sedan.

Ah my next part of the question is, which one should I get, I love the look of the Coupe, but it only has 4 seat, the Sedan on the other hand is a 5 seater, however, I don't think the back seat can sit 3 people comfortable anyway, but the main advantage of having the Sedan is that it is not annoying when people want to get into the back.

Right now I am currently leaning towards the Coupe, as the VTI model is a little more powerful than the Sedan, and it also look a little nice, also I am looking for an Automatic model.

The main purpose of this car, is to get me to uni and work and to go out and about with my mates.

Also is there any known or common faults with these cars?

I have went to see a few of these Civic the last few days, but they have fairly KM"s on the clock already.

Do you guys recommend buying them privately or go to a dealer?


Sorry about the long post.:o


Thanks in advance.


Cheers

for 10k save yourself a bit more and get a VTIR guarantees you VTEC with a b16a engine for the EK range + other goodies like disc brakes all electrics sunroof etc. also guaranteed to hold reasonable value. ul easily push 100kw at the wheels with the right setup with one of these bad boys. and go the hatch!!

the coupe has 5 seats (there is a seatbelt for the middle)

try
http://www.honda.com.au/wps/wcm/conn...c/1996+-+2000/

there are brochures there to download too

for your price range you should be able to get a nice little civic in good condition. I personally would also go for the coupe VTI-R, but i am not sure if they are available as an auto. Can you be flexible with the transmission and opt for a manual. The engines on these cars will last forever as long as you perform a service on a regular interval. However IMO resale value on these "high end" civics is very good.

if your looking for cars around 100,000kms, make sure the timing belt is changed either before you buy it, or not long after, as honda recomends you change it at 100,000k's. if not, it could snap and cost you $$$

the vti had vtec, but its vtec-e which focuses on economy rather then performance. my friend has a vti sedan, and says its nothing special. however if you got the vti-r it will have the b16a engine (rather then the d16) which will give you quite a bit of performance.

the gli does not have vtec, but has all the conveniances, like power stuff, and aircon. its an alright engine, the d16y4 in my cxi is a bloody good engine. and in the gli, it will last you ages and ages (but its like that with most honda engines anyway)

did the EK4 come as an auto?

He's after an auto guys.

for your price range u could get a fairly nice car but since you are after an auto performance shouldnt be a top priority for u, its nice to have that extra power on the highways but stretching out for a good engine on an auto is probably not a good idea,

for your specs i think u should it be best for you to look for a 98-00 CXI/GLI both wouldnt be a problem but if your really after the coupe then probably a 97-99 VTI, GLI would have the same nice opts like a VTI(power etc) but if your after a handy car and still want to have the extra cash for light mods/repairs after i think you should really think of getting a CXI/GLI instead of the VTI

Why dont you just get a Vti-R Prelude for that much?

You can get them in auto...

Woah guys, you guys are awesome.

Thanks for the prompt reply, wasn't able to check back here till I got home from work, was too busy at work today to surf the net! *first time ever*


Unfortunately I will have to get it as auto, as I can't drive manual, I will be getting my cousin to teach me manual over the new few weeks after I get my full license, as I am pretty much flat out for the last few weeks.

I honestly prefer getting the Sedan or Coupe over the hatch, it is just a little more roomy for the people at the back, and I can fit more stuff into the back, as we often do BBQ and etc.

I have also been looking at the Prelude's but for some reason I much prefer the Civic.

preludes are small at the back... but then they are more sporty / luxury.

the civic coupe vti auto are pretty cheap these days ... jst dont pay more than 10 k for one.

if your considering a sedan & coupe i think its best if you go with a coupe,
the VTI coupes come with a VTEC engine which are more powerful then a normal sedan

in the end u should most likely get a VTI Coupe since you will look alot more sporty in a 2door and have a vtec engine then in a sedan were u look like a dad picking up hes kids lol

well, if your being taught manual, and getting your blacks, you wont be dissapointed, and it might be worth it waiting out to get a manual imo. but thats my opinion. i think driving a manual is much more fun.

you'd be surprised how much you can fit in a hatch. i managed to get a 4x10 bass speaker box, amp, the bass itself, trumpet, (all in cases) and 4 people in my hatch :P or 2 gazebos and 4 people :P
but then again, it is easier with the 4 doors to fit people in

but whatever you do, the civics are good cars and you wont be dissapointed. they have a well earned reputation.

Hmm yeah I also see where your coming from, I would like atleast 1 manual car in my life, so may be I might get a manual civic, however, I would imagine driving in stop and start traffic can be a pain in the butt.

Normally I will be driving the car to uni and work, driving from Liverpool to Miranda everyday and being stuck in traffic would be annoying I assume?

Guess I will be looking into the VTI-R's now as well, also what is the average going price for a good condition VTI-R?

Expect to pay 10 to 15 for a Ek4 pending on it's condition!

Just to let you know, I drive from Greystanes to Petersham everyday along parra road in peak hours (7/8ish and 5/6ish on the way home) and a manual isn't too bad, you get used to it!

few nice vti coupe autos forsale on ebay dealers atm for under $10k

vti coupe (ej8) auto sounds like the best car for you IMO, but you will have alot more fun driving a hatch vti-r (ek4) or coupe vti-r (em1). But these cars only come in manual and will have a price range of 10-15k.

Don't let the constant stopping and starting put you off. Driving manual will become second nature so it's barely much of a hassle :)

all vtir models except the prelude are manual. (there are some rare b16 autos but only from Japan, which you could do a conversion on)
The prelude is pretty thirsty also, i'd say close to your camry.

I'd recommend a EU Civic 2001-2004. I personally like the hatch, which looks like a 5 door EP3. My GF has one and its a great economical car & VTI from factory. Economy is like 7-8ltr per 100km & its really roomy. Better than the Eks (and i own one!)

Best thing take some for a test drive and then look at economy with the ones you like

I would think www.carsales.com is a good place to start sourcing for options.. have a go and speak to the owners look around and see which you feel more comfortable with. its better to feel it in person. my 2 cent.

id rather grab a vti r civic integra or prelude.

but out of those 3 only the prelude comes in auto.

i rkn learn manual first. properly.
then grab yourself a manual car.
itll be more satisfying than an auto.

and i IMO there are less chances you get into an accident with a manual car since you ahve to concentrate at all times with gearing braking accelerating and clutching.
i have had 3 small accidents (nudges) at work all with autos and none on manuals and none in my car.


=]

good to see you converted to honda =]
fuel is a b!tch aint it?
if only the euro diesels came out here.
with anti accident systems. watch fifth gear. pretty cool =]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by redefine

if your looking for cars around 100,000kms, make sure the timing belt is changed either before you buy it, or not long after, as honda recomends you change it at 100,000k's. if not, it could snap and cost you $$$

the vti had vtec, but its vtec-e which focuses on economy rather then performance. my friend has a vti sedan, and says its nothing special. however if you got the vti-r it will have the b16a engine (rather then the d16) which will give you quite a bit of performance.

the gli does not have vtec, but has all the conveniances, like power stuff, and aircon. its an alright engine, the d16y4 in my cxi is a bloody good engine. and in the gli, it will last you ages and ages (but its like that with most honda engines anyway)

---

NO.

Vei is the one that has vtec -e.

Vti - Has vtec - 96kw.

yea VTI is SOHC VTEC as for the VTI-R has DOHC VTEC

gio: are you sure we're talking about the same model. i was talking about the sedan, which the op was looking at, i guess i should have made that clearer. the models in this thread ( http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72623 ) show the sedan/coupe as having different power, therefore different engines.

i'm sure the sedan vti has the d16y5 motor, i thought that was vtec-e, but i could be wrong

Yeah man. I'm just saying you mean Vei not vti.

Vei is for economy (the one you are talking about) vti has more power.

Just seems like you're saying all vti's are vtec-e...

The sedan came with both vei and vti :)

Civic Vei Sedan
Body style 4-door sedan
On-sale dates Jun 1993 - Sep 1995
Engine 1,493cc SOHC 16 valve, 4-cyl EFI
Power / torque 66kW / 129Nm
Transmission 5-speed manual
Notes Economy VTEC engine




Civic VTi Sedan
Body style 4-door sedan
On-sale dates Oct 1993 - Sep 1995
Engine 1,590cc SOHC 16 valve, 4-cyl MPFI
Power / torque 96kW / 145Nm
Transmission 5-speed manual / 4-speed automatic (optional)

cool :thumbsup:

Hi Guys,

Just reporting back, haven't visit this thread for a while.

Well just got my full licence a few weeks back, and just started learning manual.

Just currently driving my Camry, and currently looking at different Civic's.

Went to look at a few Preludes, but didn't really like them. I have also look at cars from other manufacturer such as Mazda 323 SP20, Toyota Corolla and the Mitsubishi Lancer VRX, but can't really make up my mind yet.