Dillema...Which car?

[AkiraDrift]

I currently own a 97 Civic hatch...I admit I love this car, But I really want a S14 now.

I had plans on having my Civic as my project car for AutoXing, but if I decide to get an S14 All of my money would go into that.

I was thinking I could keep my Civic as my daily and my 240 for autoXing...etc...I dunno though, I saw some of the Civics at an AutoX I went to this weekend that were faster than the 240's.

I think there is a lot more potential in the 240 and I know I won't get flammed everywhere I go just for having a civic.
I think the 240 would also be more fun to drive as well!

I am just wondering how much you enjoy your 240's. Is it a fun car to drive?Pro's and Con's???
Do you think I should get rid of the Civic all together and get the 240!?

I know almost everyone on this forum hates Hondas....neh..
Can ya guys help me out?
Civic or the 240?

[christopher]

I love my S13!

very fun to drive even in stock form.

Pro's

Fun to drive
Easier to drift (if thats your thing)
Less common
More tuning potential
6 and 8 cylinder motors are possible swaps as well as the SR you're probably thinking about.

Con's

You are on the bandwagon
Parts are more expensive than Honda parts
Less knowlegable help around, but that is changing
People will want to steal it.
Everyone who sees it will want to know if you have an SR in it. That question gets annoying.


The answer most will give you is that its a great car, but look at where you are.
Good Luck. Honda's do NOT suck. They are great cars, prone to owners with horrible taste.

[aznpoopy]

who says we all hate hondas? itR, s2k, nsx is honda.

personally i like both cars. the 2000 civic i test drove was surprisingly spirited (if not particularly fast). i found it a pretty fun car to drive. the interior was nice and comfortable and it didn't have unidentified rattles and shakes like my 240. it probably doesnt have the mechanical gremlins that plague 240s either. on the other hand the 240sx is rwd near 50/50. thats the main advantage it has over the civic imo. however, don't get me wrong... civics can be fast and driven well; for better or worse there is larger aftermarket support for them.

just saying 'potential' doesn't mean anything. if u have infinite money every car has infinite potential... barring practicality there's no limit to modding. in your case, the main issue is what kind of driver you want to be... FF or FR. both can be driven with skill, but money/time limits you to one. sounds like you really like your civic. think about it for a bit. don't do/buy anything just cuz its cool at the moment.

[mrmephistopheles]

stay with your honda.

[twitchy]

My dad drives a Civic Si and I have my 93 240.

Both have about 110 thousand miles on them although mines 4 years older and heres what i can tell you- the Honda definitely aged better- it isnt in as good overall shape but the ride is still firm and smooth, no real rattling squeaking etc from it. Fun little car.

"Honda's do NOT suck. They are great cars, prone to owners with horrible taste."
THAT is very well said- its funny how bad I stereotype.. My dad at 47 years old has an intake and exhaust on his civic.

MY car rides like a schoolbus, rattles and shakes everything in the colder months (thats fine i have a nice stereo) and the shocks are being changed. Parts are comparable in price to the honda and the 240 is easy to work on too (try DIY waterpump on a civic)
To drive one or another theres no contest. If you can get over the harsh ride, the 240 would absolutely spank the Si in the twisties- the suspension is way tighter and more grippy, no FWD understeer when powering out of a corner.. You sit lower and it just feels like way more of a sportscar. More powerful too.

Based purely on feel and poise its the 240

As for making a track car....i think the 240 would handle better and is more suited for putting power down exiting a corner than a honda civic. BUT assuming your proposed track car would wear out parts faster.... Thats the likely tradeoff. Im old fashioned though but i wouldnt waste too much money of a FWD car for the track.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Shoot...for grip driving...I had a guy who i saw rippin up the thunderhill track a couple of wks back. Same yr car you got, green civic hatch passing rx-7s and wrxs on the corners. Talked to the guy later and asked him what mods he got. Suspension *type-R suspension* and intake. What he told me after made my jaw drop. Its a A DX automatic!!!

[brokenben]

stay with your honda.
haha.. end message.

[Ghettokracker71]

I love my S13!

very fun to drive even in stock form.

Pro's

Fun to drive
Easier to drift (if thats your thing)
Less common
More tuning potential
6 and 8 cylinder motors are possible swaps as well as the SR you're probably thinking about.

Con's

You are on the bandwagon
Parts are more expensive than Honda parts
Less knowlegable help around, but that is changing
People will want to steal it.
Everyone who sees it will want to know if you have an SR in it. That question gets annoying.


The answer most will give you is that its a great car, but look at where you are.
Good Luck. Honda's do NOT suck. They are great cars, prone to owners with horrible taste.
Agreed.....and agreed ! I was going to comment about a FR car in snow and ice....but you live in texas,so never mind ! lol! I have almost stock looking 1991 240sx thats been very well maintained,and everywhere I go I always get complements,and have people staring at it....I love it....I even have ghetto ass 5 spoke wheels on it(came with the car....not on there for long! I just got it....gimma break) and people still tell me how gorguess it is,and if its fast,and how they want one...etc etc etc.....240sx has alot more "image" to it then a honda civic....when you say modded civic most people think "damn ricer" and think about the bandwagon......i think a 240 is alot less of a bandwagon RIGHT NOW,but is becoming more of one .....I'll stop blabbering ! lol ! :blah:

Bottom line: The 240sx kicks alot more ass stock vs. stock civic,and has alot more potential for alot(I do mean alot!) more money....and its alot "cooler" b/c its more rare then the average civic....

[Var]

As for making a track car....i think the 240 would handle better and is more suited for putting power down exiting a corner than a honda civic. BUT assuming your proposed track car would wear out parts faster.... Thats the likely tradeoff. Im old fashioned though but i wouldnt waste too much money of a FWD car for the track.

but off the track, say in the twisties with a lot of hairpins, a built civic hatch would spank a built 240 with the right drivers in both cars. on the track, FR owns. and besides, most ppl that get 240's want to drift em.

[twitchy]

a few other points:

1) No one ever goes "woah nice car" when you drive a civic hatch
2) People want to look at your 240, and know about it and ask questions since theyre rare.
3) Spinning your front tires is not cool
4) in 30 years the 240 will be rare and expensive for those of us with ones well maintained. We will be the "classic cars" of tomorrow...not honda civics....

geez do i sound biased?

[Ghettokracker71]

^^--his post made me think of something else.....Don't buy a 240 just to make it a race car(autoX,touge,drift,drag or whatever) they are too awsome of street cars to waste into something like that......but civics on the other hand....

[Bbandit]

but off the track, say in the twisties with a lot of hairpins, a built civic hatch would spank a built 240 with the right drivers in both cars. on the track, FR owns. and besides, most ppl that get 240's want to drift em.

i guess you havent watched the touge battle video (s14 vs ITR) eh?
FWD tends to understeer and understeer means less exit speed... i used to autoX an integra for a year, 3 years ago.

[Var]

i guess you havent watched the touge battle video (s14 vs ITR) eh?
FWD tends to understeer and understeer means less exit speed... i used to autoX an integra for a year, 3 years ago.

i have watched it. but civic hatch and itr are a little different

not to mention the s14 has butloads of power and that touge course was hardly hairpins at all. a lot of straight areas. on that course FR had the advantage.

[NervGS]

Theres great potential in both cars.

Funny, I'd take a DC2 or EK9 Type R over a Silvia/180-SX/SR-whatever car anyday... They are practically race-bred FF cars with amazing power/handling output from the factory. Stock, I thought my S14 was a pig, it takes lots of time and $$$ to set it up well, and even though I thought it was a pig, it was fun to drive and screw around with it.

Depends on what you're comfortable with.

-glenn

[Var]

werd. no doubt i'd still stick with my understeering s13 that understeers more than a FF..hehe

[aznpoopy]

cmon guys. 240sx is rare/cool/elite is the *wrong* reason to love 240s and hate on civics. :(

also i think any of the truly old board members will tell you that now is the height of 240sx bandwagon-ing. also, i don't believe the 240sx will be any kind of collectors car in the future. hearing ppl say that is like listening to itR owners blab on about being a part of 'honda history.' yay itR and 240sx are cool... but nobody will care in 30 years. i mean how many ppl care about the itR now? IMO for 90s imports the only real classic that will live on is the efini fd3s... not even the 300zx really...

so yah... our cars are rare. there are only 2 other s14s in my particular area. i get tailed, flashed, revved on all the time by 'hooked up' cars... but :gives: ... just drive ur car cuz u like it.

back on topic... akira pick FF or FR. that's all there is to it. just forget about status/coolness/popularity or anything else that interferes with u & driving.

[darithS]

Work on your civic, they handle better in the corners. You won't have to drift in AutoX. o.O

[No Motiv]

ITR-----DROOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLllll

A civic is fine for autoX....and you get flamed if you got the skills....but if you really want a 240 i say get a S13...S13=cheap....lots of mods avail...are still awesome stock...haha JDM Tyte...the possiblities are endless....

[twitchy]

whats an itR?

[Ghettokracker71]

whats an itR?
Integra Type R I think

[holisticbeatz]

The S14 sucks.. stay with your Honda Civic..

[twitchy]

The S14 sucks.. stay with your Honda Civic..


tell me your being sarcastic?

[Ghettokracker71]

The S14 sucks.. stay with your Honda Civic..
the S13 doesn't suck though :hsdance:

[aznpoopy]

Integra Type R I think

yah thats it. sorri if i wuz not clear.

[cowbomb]

i used to have a fwd but now i gots my 240sx. i think its more fun. too bad aftermarket prices are going up but it doesnt really affect me =P in the end both cars are great just aslong you take the time to do it right!

[sykikchimp]

civic hatch, and 240 are pretty equal handling wise when staying streetable. In the raciest possible setups, the 240 would eventually have the advantage due to it's FR setup, but only after a lot of work. The weight difference b/w the two makes it hard for the 240sx to keep up when only slightly modded.

I own a 240sx b/c it's fun to drive, and it was cheap. Farily lightweight, great balance, and rear wheel drive is where it's at. I've driven my share of fwd cars, and just got completely tired of dealing with the quirky handling, torque steer, and cramped engine bays.

Honestly the 240 was a compromise purchase for me. I really wanted one of the big 3 RWD imports of the early 90's.. RX-7, 300zx, Supra.. couldn't afford any of them.. what else was there that was compact, RWD and cheap? MR-2, Miata, and 240sx. Early 90's MR-2's were still fairly expensive, and Miata's were girly cars.

what's that leave you with? good old Nissan.. catering to the "everyman" with a nice cheap sporty import with tons of potential, and an awesome fun factor.

[Advan]

Wouldn't mind owning the MR-2. I just want the 240, because I'm tired of seeing the constant Integras, hatches etc...in orlando. I really don't wanna join the common Honda fam. There's nothing different you can actually do to them. Once you think that you're doing something different to your Honda, next thing you know, 8 or more other people have the same. That's the reason why I want the 240. Barely anyone here has them, and there's only been 1 240 that had a kit on it that I've seen. The rare breeds of Orlando.

[WilloW]

I had a Civic before the S14, it was a fun car. I had a B16 with ITR tokicos, Skunkworks sleeve/coils, all the bars and it handled great. I never had the chance to take it to the track to fully experienced its handling potential. The S14 right now only has RS*R down springs, front strut tower bar, stock tires and it feels like it handle better than the Civic. I missed the Civic but I would rather stay with the S14.

[Muzzy]

man MR2s are pimP!! i really wanted one. that little suker is a rocket turbo or NA!!

..too bad im too tall :cry: i would have an MR2 if i were shorter

[sykikchimp]

..too bad im too tall :cry: i would have an MR2 if i were shorter

That was my other reason for not buying either the MR-2 or Miata.. I'm 6'4"

[stealthj]

stay with your honda.
:werd:
minumum 10 character replys?

[AkiraDrift]

Wow! Not the kind of replies I was expecting at all! (I was expecting to get flammed) So Thank you!

Thanks for giving reasons and some good thought into your replies...Much appreciation!
Anyways, I guess my overall descision is wether or not I want to be a FF driver or a FR driver.

I have been raised around Hondas! Growing up with my grandpa who owns a Honda/Acura shop and almost every relative owned a honda. So its hard for me to make up my mind about this descision to get a car of a different make.
I LOVE the 240 though, I have for about 2 years now.

I really wanna try driving a FR...Honda doesn't make an affordable FR...URGH!

My Civic currently has JDM Fenders/Hood/and front/rear bumpers....I am into the whole JDM thing. I/H/E and Tein Springs...I was thinking of leaving it at that!

I LOVE DRIFTING!!!

Thanks again guys!
More posts to come!

[HyperTek]

You already got pretty far on your civic, might as well go all the way with it.

240sx = no value right now. haha. Parts are scarse, you cant run to pep boys and get decent looking wheels that will flush mount to the fenders. hah

[hurleyboi514]

[QUOTE=AkiraDrift].My Civic currently has JDM Fenders/Hood/and front/rear bumpers....I am into the whole JDM thing. I/H/E and Tein Springs...I was thinking of leaving it at that!
[QUOTE]

dont leave it at that, finish that suspension... tein springs? blah... get some Koni's, GC control overs, some chassis bars, and rear sway bar. that thing will tear up an autox course. fastest car at the last autox this weekend was an EG with full interior, he just was a good driver with a decent set up. basic mods....

[Rennen]

I say keep the civic, you already have some mods into it, and you are most likely comfortable driving it. GO TO AUTOX, no matter what is done to your car, get out there and race. Improving yourself as a driver will be beneficial no matter what car you are in.

The fastest driver I know drives a civc, and he is so fast that he just started driving a friend's WRX in the STX class at ProSolo, and beat the friend in his own car, taking 4th at ProSolo!

-Matt

[Matt_240]

i say just test drive a 240. if you like it better than your civic, then buy the 240. for autox i dont think it really makes a difference whether you get a 240 or a civic. i got spanked at the last scca event by an accord... remember, dont get a car cause it'll make you drive better, get a car and learn to drive better.

[sykikchimp]

... remember, dont get a car cause it'll make you drive better, get a car and learn to drive better.

excellent advice! :w00t: