hey there matt ...

first of all civic or integra? the VTi that you mentioned only comes in sedan form .. and has a SOHC engine with no more power than the GLi engine but a few more nm of torque. I think if u want performance .. u should steer clear of the SOHC variants in the honda range .. as the true performance of honda is from a DOHC vtec engine.

Having said that . a few engines have that the B16A and the B18C ..
The b16a comes in a few honda vehicles .. crx,the first integras, and civic .. but in the case for this engine u should be looking for a B16A2.. which is the latest and greatest in the evolution of this engine .. which comes in the later civic VTiR hatchbacks and coupes.. im not too sure about pricing .. but i think that the coupe will be selling for a little more than 20Gs .. which is not worth IMO
hatch looks sexier =p

i think ... stepping over from a 92 model 180sx.. 1.8L - 2L turbo ( not sure if u got the ca18 or a sr20) ... the most power that u can get for your money .. is in the form of a B18C ( barr the k20a dc5 type R, k24a, c30b blah blah blah ) which is definitely out of your price range..

the difference between an itr and a vtir ?
apart from the styling differences
- front + rear lip
- different front bar
- higher spoiler
- shaved door protectors
- the addition of type R decals

the engine differences between an itr and a vtir ..

the b18c7 (type R) red valve cover variant of the b18c ..
- factory balanced and blueprinted engine from honda.. raised rev limit of 200rpm .. from 8200 - 8400
- hand polished intake
- twin coil valve springs for higher lift
- lightweight intake valves.
- whole lot of engine strengthening ( ie high strength conrods)
- higher comp ratio than vtir .
- a factory cai setup ..
- higher flow exhaust..

more on the topic ..
u can sort of note that the itr was made to be more efficient at high revs.. not just make more power .. it was designed to be tracked .. and hence u can see that a lot of vtirs can keep up with type Rs on the straights ..
but on the track.. the ITR's handling + overall packages is hard to beat..

- its got bars all over the place.. making the car much more rigid ..
- bigger brakes - 5 stud conversion ..
- Aluminum oil cooler
- LSD

there are also some "luxuries" that each car has that the other car does not have..
vtir - cd player ..
- sunroof
- sound deadening + or - depending on your view..

type R - recaros
- light weight enkeis
- the sound of a b18c7 revving to 8.4k
- carbon fibre door inserts and interior trimming.

so depending on what u want .. if u want to drag / the occasional run on the corners..get the vtir .. cheaper option..

or u like to hang in the corners a lot more .. get the type R .. its very cheap for what u r getting.. even fitting an aftermarket lsd to the vtir .. will probably cost as much as an ITR

hope this helps .. =P

eric