Hello all -

Well I couldn't take it anymore. I thought I could live with the S on a daily basis, but it was just too much to see all those miles roll on (10,000 in 9 months). I still think you could drive it every day IF you wanted to, but I decided to get a second car, a nice new '02 Civic Si. I thought about all those nasty NJ Noreasters, and decided to not subject the S to that anymore. Because this is the first time in my life where I have a car as a pure "toy", I have some questions. Is there a recommended amount of miles that you "should" drive your car every week or? If so, what is your reasoning. Belive me, I'm not planning on letting it sit, but I could see in the winter it may get to be a while between rides.. Are there any recommendations for the S if it is your second car? Thanks in advance.

 

Cool have any pictures of your Si?

 

I would not consider a $18,000 car a beater! The civic Si is quite nice. I have always been found of Honda hatchbacks.
I thought about getting a nice beater to drive around, but quickly realized that I did not get the S2k and make payments every month for the car to be sitting in the garage.
Anyway, if you can afford it, a 02 Si is nice addition to your garage.

 

Very cool. You know it will be 58 degrees all winter now

I like the new Si quite a bit but I really want to keep the del Sol and 14 wheels in the stable right now is enough (fianc

 

Nice beater......HEy how ya like that funky shifter on the si.....What color.......I've actually seen alot of si's on the honda lots recently......wondering if they are not moving to well. Just take the s2000 out every couple of days.....do'nt let it sit for more than a week ...two max.....I live about ten miles from ya.......a beater for the winter has been on my mind...i was thinking of a late 80's si hatch or an rabbit gti...
brother in law is selling his beater Jeep cherokee.....might have to jump on this for 800 bucks......I am jealous of your very nice beater....if ya can call it a beater!

 

I too wondered about the funky shifter, but after sitting in one in the showroom, I adapted to the feel in about 6 seconds. The only thing I wonder about is not being able to confortably rest your arm on the shifter while you drive. I know this is the reason they build them that way...so that you keep both hands on the wheel when not shifting...but I would like to know how you feel about it on a long drive.

As far as them not moving...I had originally heard to expect sticker, no more, no less. I saw one in a showroom...the guy mentioned they are not moving at all. He said he could get me in the one on the showroom floor for $18,300 and it had a couple options...I think mats and fog lights. I was surprised. He mentioned they are not popular with the (forgive the term) ricer crowd, as there are not many aftermarket parts available yet. He said the last-gen Civic Si was popular, as the B16a had been around for a while and there were a ton of aftermarket parts available.

...nevertheless....if the del Sol was to go, I would buy one hands down.

 

The SI has really grown on me *a lot*! Mine is silver, and let me tell you, it the "Maric Carpet Ride". I used to have a '93 EX, but the build quality on this one is head and sholders above the '93. The shifter is very very precise, the throttle response is amazing - I mean those 160 ponies are really on tap everywhere it seems. I've driven my friends VR6, and I swear this SI has better throttle response, espcially around 4-5K. The engine spins out very very nicely! The shifter is great - it is a bit unusual, but for me is was like putting on a pair of old shoes! I haven't really pushed the car too hard yet, but I can't wait to do that. In the hadling department, the ride is fairly stiff (I like that!), the car handles very well in general. I would say "sporty" is a good way to describe it. Very precise. There is some roll, but it's definitely better then some of the Accords I've driven. It's not a S2000 (duh, obviously), but I'd take this car over an accord any day. The body is made out of high tensile steel, which is supposed to make it very ridgid and quiet. I can testify that this really works. The road noise is very minimal - yet you can still hear a little exhaust.
The looks of it so far have drawn positive reviews. I play in a jazz band, and I need that extra cargo room, so for me this is a very perfect little car. Don't ask what I did when I only had the S...
I also had the optional Carbon Fiber dash installed (I'll try to take some pics this weekend), and this is a very nice option. The silver dash is interesting, but with the Carbon Fiber over it, is better IMO.
I'm sorry, I guess I am not very objective about this!

 

Congrats! That's one nice "beater." If I had the money to buy a "beater," I'd probably hop on the waiting list for a Mini Cooper S.

Now I'm guessing there's some sort of break-in procedure for the Si, possibly similar to that of the S2000, but how does the i-VTEC feel in comparison to the original VTEC? I've been dying to drive an i-VTEC powered car (Si, RSX-S). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that the i-VTEC is not as "pronounced" as VTEC. Also, that rally-style shifter looks so cool.

 

Forgot to mention: I was at the parts department of my local Honda dealership earlier picking up an oil filter and some washers. On the way out, I stepped into the showroom and looked at a silver '02 Si for a minute or so. A salesman comes up to me and says "You have a nice car there, looking to trade it in for this Si?" I couldn't help but laugh. Not that the Si is a bad car, but it's funny that he actually asked that question. I just said "The Si is a nice car, but I think I'll keep mine, thanks."

 

I didn't mean to imply that I would get rid of the S - two very different cars! The S is fantastic, best car I've ever been able to drive/afford, the Civic is for getting around, going to the City, etc., and as such it really excells! As far as VTEC goes, I don't have enough miles to be able to really zing it yet.. My initial impression is that you are right, there is no *kick*, it just pulls everywhere. Again, the shifter works great, very very nice. Yes, my dealer said also that they were not moving very well - I got a reasonable deal on it. I think that once some people see it and drive it, they might like it, I can heartily recommend this car, it's a hoot.
One thing I forgot to mention earlier, and this is maybe a negative comment, the car rides kinda high. It's a subcompact, but it is really *high* off the ground, this feels kinda strange. Pulled up next to a SAAB yesterday, I was definitely sitting higher! Now this suits me just fine, but some folks might not like that since the perception is a bit un-sports-car-like.