I'm brand new at this, but, no car, no engine, no nothing. I have little experience with fixing or working on cars. Need to keep things on the cheaper side but not bottom of the bucket. I've read that Civics are best for the beginner, so what year? what Model? what engine? trans? nos or turbo? In no hurry this is to be a project not an event. Any and all help appreciated

Best car to begin with in my opinion is a Civic. They have lots of aftermarket support and are really cheap to work on and they weigh practically nothing. Best is to get a 88-95 Civic EX or Si. They come with the best trannies from the factory too, good ratios. They're just really simple to work on in general, but not that fast in stock form.

What kind of engine set up or should the stock motor be upgraded. I'm just in the "formulate a plan" phase so any and all info and suggestions is helpful.

what is your monthly income?

No offense, But mymonthly income doesn't matter. This is going to be a 3-5 year project so income isnt really a issue. I mean I'm not going to be able to dump 15k in it, but 10 is not unreasonable. I'm not looking to be the fastest, just something respectable. And maybe something for those Mopars to think about.

if your not the fastest your not respectable

Well I guess I deserve that, but that doesnt necessarily help my cause. Like I said, I'm starting with nothing. I'm starting from scratch. is there a better beginner car than the civic? which engines work the best. Would it help to state that I'm from the Detroit area?? Just trying to soak up all info

ya like crx's...???

Like I said, I know next to nothing about cars. So lay on the info, web sites, news groups, whatever. What are the Pros and COns of the CRX?

well...like the 92-95 civic hatchbacks..their light and any motor will due.i mean you could put a zc engine or a ls-vtec....it all depends up to you. you can go as crazy as you want or as simple. so you basically tell us in general what kinda power u want to be making...how much u willing to spend etc...

Well, uh, what do you want to end up with? Would you prefer front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or all wheel drive? There are really so many ways to go, I mean, do you want an import (I assume so because you posted this in the import forum). As said above, Civics are great cars to learn on, pretty simple layout, lots of parts, a huge aftermarket and internet following, tons of options, often very reliable, and they can be made quick for little $. The hatchback and the CRX (2 door 2 seater hatchback) are light and common platforms to start from. There are a few guys on this forum who are quite knowledgable about civics and the modification thereof. D15powered and NickQ are the two that come to mind, but there are others. Look around at some of the recent threads regarding civics and start reading. Also, if you want to build up and import, check out these mags: sport compact car, turbo and high performance, modified, honda and acura (or something like that), super street, and import tuner, probably in about that order. Another cheap car that likes being modded is the Nissan Sentra SE-R (preferably the early 1990s models), which also has a huge aftermarket. If you are not afraid of jumping in head first, you can build a first gen mitsubishi eclipse (or chrysler equivalent) with fwd or awd and lots of power cheap. Just start searching the net, read as much as you can. I suggest taking your time and really figure out what you want to spend that much time and money on before purchasing a car of any sort. Good luck, Josh

I've helped build two 1st gen eclipse's and i love those cars. You can get a cool 100+hp from that engine by spending under a grand and doing some tweaking. The blocks stock can hold about 450hp too. The only down side is that it's a damn heavy car. A great article i found on choosing a car was in TPR magazine this month. It's a new magazine that just came out but went over the best tuner cars for under $10k. Though some may disagree, when you look over all ten cars listed, the best are Honda/Acuras. They are the most dependable, cheapest to work on, and have the most aftermarket support. Next came the eclipse's, but though the engines are bullet proof from the factory, the drivetrain is not. Most high horsepower street DSM's have problems with the clutch, tranny, and axles.
Any 2-door 88-95 civic will do, but preferably the 92-95 (EG) civic hatchback or the 88-91 CRX or 88-91 Civic Hatchback Si (EF). The hatchback models weigh the least along with the CRX. You can easily drop any B-series engine into the EF civics (88-91) and pretty much any engine in the 92-95 civic's. You should be able to easily find one of either model for under $5000 on a bad day. Most can be found below $3000.
Civic's are just a simple car. Everything is easy to get to and remove and it's straight forward. You could make a pretty nice car with a $10k budget. If you get a 88-91 civic, remember to pick up the Si trim level, cuz they are already wired for MPFI and will make swapping a B-series in easier. All 92+ civics are MPFI, the only thing you have to wire would be a knock sensor, O2 sensor, and VTEC.

See thats the problem. I dont really know what I want. I've driven a Neon manual for year years. No mods. I found it rather zippy, nothing special. I for work I drive a big v8 and I like the power. I like the idea of having turbo. Here is a stupid question. Is it feasible to supercharge a 4 banger? Or is it to much money to deal with? The vehicle I would like would have to be a stick. otherwise are you really driving it or just hanging on? I like civics but seem a little played out even out here in Detroit. are there other "cheap" alternatives. As for rwd or fwd, its a toss up. And I understand the physics behind the differences. Awd appears expensive and possibly huge tranny problems. fuel mileage nor emissions are issues. I want to probably swap engines, I'll be moding it, lightly. Like I said this project is a marathon not a sprint. You mentioned eclipse, I always loved the look but seem pricey, do you have a breack down of the costs??

I got one for ya, buy a 1986 Plymouth Voyager and talk to Phatmatt here on the board - his runs in the 12's with a mopar turbo v6 and nitrous. ;-) Initial expenditure is low, and you've got a helper in your neck of the woods - matt is from detroit also.

jason

He probably races over on French and Lynch, if I wanted Mopar I'd be in the Domestic Forum

Edited by IDUNNOJACK (Mon Jul 26, 04   2:29 PM)