Is upgrading to a 2000 Civic Si the best choice?

[Nickeleye]

First off, I'm new to the forum.
Seond, currently own a 2000 Civic DX that I've made a few minor modifications to including:
Addition of an AEM cold air intake
Replacement of stock headers with DC Sports headers (2pc)
Thermal R&D Stealth catback
16" Enkei 5 spoke wheels w/ Yokohama tires
Short shifter
Dash panel replacement with EX model Dash panel to so I could actually have a tach

I was considering upgrading to either a 2005 Civic Si or a 2005 Acura RSX (the type S would be nice, but don't really have the cash). I test drove the 2005 Si today and it was nice, but I can't help but still like some of the features of my 2000 Civic... even if it is only a DX. I've had my eyes on the 2000 Si models for the last couple of years, but never really pursued anything.

Now that there seem to be a lot of 2000 Si's around my area for sale at good prices I'm considering just selling my DX and upgrading to the Si, which would only cost me a few grand more. That seems to make a lot more sense than spending 15k on the 2005 Si or RSX. If I'm not mistaken the 2000 Si still has a lot of power and some nice features that my DX doesn't have.

So I'm wondering if all of you Honda guru's can tell me if I'm thinking along the right track or if you'd pursue another route. Money is definitely key here. I really like the idea of the 2000 Si because I wouldn't have to be making $250 payments for the next 5 years! Would anybody recommend another type of car instead? I was looking at used Preludes and even some of the newer Integra's, but there don't seem to be as many of them around.

Thanks in advance!

 

[x007den]

1999-2000 si is always a good choice.

btw, welcome to cc and if that is the ventura i think it is visit the socal forum

 

[anfrey]

first of all, welcome to clubcivic. i'm glad you could join us

what exactly is it that draws you to the Si? is it the dohc b16a2 engine? is it the moonroof and creature comforts? the factory suspension? the wheels? ... because most of those things can simply be upgraded with your current vehicle to match and even exceed a stock EM1 (chassis code for the 99-00 civic si)... well, except for the moonroof, that is quite expensive and would compromise the structural integrity of your roof... but everything else can be swapped...

however, it all depends on your goals for the car. btw, the DX is by far the lightest of all 99-00 coupés, weighing in at 2359 lbs, while the Si weighs 2612 lbs... a whopping 253 lbs more.

 

[Shiznit]

my 99-00 si can beat a stock 7th gen si. all i have is a cf hood and S-R intake. i personally honda failed with the 7th gen si. its too much weight for a hatch. and ill tell you right now that i love my car to f**king death! best damn decision ive ever made. that being said, i dont think you can go wrong with a 99-00 si

 

[01S2K]

I personally love my EM1.

In my book one of the best civic's ever made. I looked at getting a 7th Gen but they suck and are two expensive.

The EM1 is cheaper and better car in my opinion.

 

[soswank]

good post anfrey. welcome to the club. i would get the 2000 si, because it looks WAY better than the "bug". on technical terms, anfrey has spoken.

 

[HP Civic 2]

s**t looks like a egg yo.

 

[iamcivic]

The 7th gen type R is very nice, but expensive. I would listen to anfrey on this, you might come out cheaper in the long run with a fast car.

 

[LatinEM2]

Yup upgrade to an EM1...and not the EP3...

 

[civicsi94]

welcome to the CC site money. I personally don't favor the 7th gen. too $$$$$$ and ain't all that good looking IMO.

 

[Rand0m]

yeah, just get the 99-00 SI....youll like it

welcome to the club

 

[ReggieSD]

just wait for the 2006 civic si or type r or type s if we get it here in the u.s. of a.

 

[racerx661]

i love my em1....no likey the new si....honda screwed up....go with the em1.....b16 internals and mods are alot cheaper than k20 parts......dont do a swap.....considering for a few grand more you can just get the car complete

 

[Nickeleye]

Thanks for all of the replies so far. I wasn't expecting to see so many answers so fast!

Yes, I'm located in Ventura, CA (so. cal.).

That was interesting about the Si being heavier than my DX and that swapping things into the car would be a good option. I like that idea too... especially since the car would be lighter with that amount of HP. I do like the idea of having more creature comforts in the Si as compared to my DX... even the sunroof/moonroof. Sure I could buy an engine and some of the other additions and install them myself, but there comes a point where the time and effort involved is worth something too. Not to mention I'd love to get my hands on a blue Si because that's got to be my favorite color out of all the available colors (I even thought of painting my DX that color at one time, but didn't because of money reasons). So because of the paint color, creature comforts and sheer convenience of just buying an Si from somebody, I think that's maybe the way to go.

Speaking of chassis weight - You mention that the Si weighs 2612 lbs. That's still more than 200 lbs. lighter than the current '05 Si, which is a plus in itself. How much extra HP would you really gain if the car weighed another 200 lbs. less? Maybe 10-15 (I really have no clue how to figure that out)?

 

[Declectic]

buyin my SI was the worst decsion ever.. i'm f**king broke 24/7... but i love the damn car!!!!

anywho... anf said it best... you can swap 99% of the s**t in the Si into your DX... the ony thing is your VIN and Moonroof aren't swapable.. if your up to the work.. and have the time and money.. i'd do that..

if you dont have the time.. but only have the money to make all the upgrades at once, best to just get the Si... it's already put together . .

good luck with your decsion

 

[Tiso]

weight really doesn't matter unless you are planning on making this car a speed demon(drag or something else) as well. Just depends on what you want to do to the car. you can't go wrong with the EM1 though. Welcome to CC.

 

[Nickeleye]

Upgrading the DX is also a bit of a problem because I don't have lots of time to dedicate to the car as far as making all of those changes goes. Those are a lot of changes that would likely require some downtime for the car (especially engine replacement) and since the DX is my ONLY means of transportation I really can't afford to not be without a car even for a couple of days.

 

[x007den]

good choice. save yourself the trouble and just buy an si and sell your dx.

 

[$lick Rick]

screw em1's
screw em3's
gogo dc2's

 

[EM1_ProJect]

screw em1's
screw em3's
gogo dc2's

...scuseee me?