looking to buy an EK civic hatch: tips?

[atenza]

Hi guys,
i've been driving my mazda 6 for about five years now, its got genuine kenstyle kit, rims etc etc but i've lost my grad. finance job, and i want to get a smaller, more efficient fun car.

always been a honda guy at heart, but a bit lost on the models.

question 1
i'm looking at a '99 cxi. from what i have read, it has no tacho, no vtec, and no power windows. is it easy to get oem tacho, and power windows fitted? should i consider other models (EK4 too expensive for its age DC2R also expensive)

question 2
i found a clean example with 130,000k on the clock with rego and rwc. is $6000 too much to pay? what else should i be looking at (potential problems?)

question 3
would a CXi suffice? i'm worried i will be missing the creature comforts of my mazda 6. i really would like power windows and a tach at the very least ( i still cant drive manual properly), and no i wont be stripping it out to make it a track car.

any suggestions or recommendations you have would be really helpful! many thanks.

[kcokla]

question 1 :
id suggest you just go gli, they have all those options that you are missing, and to answer your q. its not that expensive to get power windows and oem tacho, but ull be doing a little shopping and sometimes patience!

question 2: sounds about right, if your fussy just check all the panels are straight and such, common problems with a ek i wouldnt know.

question 3:
have you thought about an accord? or an eg? sounds like your car is simply for driving/crusing, id suggest look into a ek/eg as it sounds like your budget is around that area too. and since ur after features.
gli >cxi

[Frankie]

man get a gli better brakes and more features in the car like power windows even sunroof, i got a cxi i wish i went for the GLI or EK4 only if i knew lol

[EK1.6LCIV]

gli ftw

and dc2r's and ek4s are dear for a reason, it's a sellers market as a good one with low miles is near hard to come by

[Riviera]

it all depends on what you want out of your EK...

motor upgrade in mind or sticking with the SOHC???

grey interior EK1 or black interior EK4???



rear drums or rear disc brakes???

what colours the interior on yours ryan?

[Frankie]

it all depends on what you want out of your EK...

motor upgrade in mind or sticking with the SOHC???

grey interior EK1 or black interior EK4???

no sunroof EK1 or sunroof EK4???

rear drums or rear disc brakes???

what colours the interior on yours ryan?

ay man u can get a GLI with a sunroof

[CTR_EK9]

If you have enough money do a EK9 conversion

[antO]

Hi,
Welcome to the forum~

well yea im sorta in the same position as you, in terms of finding the right car.
The problem was thate notice is that you can get a 97-99CXI for around 5-5.5k sitting on 100,000-140,00km, your like wow. i question myself why would i get a later model eg gli when u can get a newer model ek cxi for a better deal in terms of price, km's etc...

I've decided to stick to the badge gli or greater even though it could be cheaper or more expensive; because it already comes with all powers options and tacho and if lucky oem sunroof !

btw, theres a vti sellin on carsales right now, black check it out if its within ur budget

kcokla pretty has much summed it up for you

note, eg gli produces 77kws on paper. ek gli produces 88kws on paper. ek cxi produces 88kws on paper (redbook.com)

[Riviera]

ay man u can get a GLI with a sunroof

okie dokie edited lol

[EK1.6LCIV]

it all depends on what you want out of your EK...

motor upgrade in mind or sticking with the SOHC???

grey interior EK1 or black interior EK4???



rear drums or rear disc brakes???

what colours the interior on yours ryan?

grey colour tone in my coupe (goes well with the armrest )

[neo_phase]

Hi guys,


question 1
i'm looking at a '99 cxi. from what i have read, it has no tacho, no vtec, and no power windows. is it easy to get oem tacho, and power windows fitted? should i consider other models (EK4 too expensive for its age DC2R also expensive)

question 2
i found a clean example with 130,000k on the clock with rego and rwc. is $6000 too much to pay? what else should i be looking at (potential problems?)

question 3
would a CXi suffice? i'm worried i will be missing the creature comforts of my mazda 6. i really would like power windows and a tach at the very least ( i still cant drive manual properly), and no i wont be stripping it out to make it a track car.

any suggestions or recommendations you have would be really helpful! many thanks.

Mate I bought my CXi about 18-months ago and I only realised after making the purchase (I was in a hurry!) that the GLi would have been a much better option for the slightly more exp price tag.

In relation to your questions:

Question 1: You are right. It doesn't come with any of the 'power' option which the GLi does. I installed an OEM tacho on mine just last week and it wasn't difficult at all. I suppose if you enjoy working on the small little things on your car the CXi gives you that opportunity (I'm looking on the bright side here!)

Question 2: I bought my 2000 CXi with 95,000 on the odometer for $7,500 and 9-months rego on it. It was in a really good condition and I've never had any issues with the mechanical side of things since I had it.

Question 3: I do miss the small little things that make a car comfortable (I used to drive an 1990 Accord and it's got better options!) and if you used to drive a Mazda 6 then you should expect quite a step down from what you used to have.

I suppose it really does depend on your budget. If you can't afford that little extra for a GLi, could you sacrifice some mileage (as in get a cheaper GLi with more mileage) instead?

While the CXi or the GLi aren't exactly performance car by nature I've been more than satisfied with my purchase, albeit the lack of better rear brakes and power options. However as I said, it also gave me that opportunity to work on the small little things that would make my drive more enjoyable, which is great.

[flipfire]

OEM sunroof on gli's are rare.

1) New cluster with taco will cost you under $100. Power window conversion $200ish + installation. Exhaust tip $50ish. Doing a CXi to GLi conversion is not worth the trouble imo

2) Id pay around 5-8k for a cxi/gli depending on its condition and what it comes with. Just do thorough check and spot the obvious.

3) CXi is tolerable, it wont have the same comforts as your M6 though. You might as well go straight for a GLi. The price between the two are relatively marginal, just gotta be patient and look around.