Well, I know from viewing these forums and reading other sources that the H22a is not Boost friendly, and in order to make it reliable with a boosted setup, would require lots of work and extra money...

For one, the cylinder walls are made of Fiber-Reinforced Metal (FRM) The reason this was introduced is that the FRM walls produce less friction and therefore can last longer and offer better performance. You would need to have these replaced with more traditional sleeves, in order to use forged pistons, which is what you want or else you can't run much boost or you ruin the motor... Someone else please elaborate... it's not nearly as easy to boost an H22 as it is to boost a B-series...

And I won't rip on ya for the auto tranny, but you know what I would say having an SH myself!

So, considering you would need a better tranny just to drive with a turbo, and the conversion can cost alot anyway, I don't see any other option for you other than the Type-S conversion.

Now, the guy told you that cause he either cannot do the internal work himself, or he's trying to make a killing by charging you $$$ to put in a type-s motor... Oh and you need the ECU also for the Type-s conversion...

The type-S will not add nearly as much power as a turbo, but you must understand that with a turbo your car will need to be "babied" and this is not good for a DD... I'm not saying it can't be done, by no means, but with a beginner it can become overwhelming...

Put it this way, I've weighed the same proposition as you have, but considering my experience with my boosted EG, I would have to say a Type-S conversion is the best option, given reliability and daily driving... Not to mention gas costs (turbo will EAT gas)...

If you really want turbo, sell your car and buy 2 used civics... One can be a DD and the other your turbo monster... LOL