If I had $5500, it would buy me a nice blown-engine series 4 Turbo II. RX-7, that is. With the leftover cash, I would buy a JDM series 5 Turbo II motor, have it rebuilt and street ported, then adapt it to the S4 body. Any leftover cash would go to a Haltech E6K and bolt-ons. Why? Because the RX-7 is a purist sports car, perfect weight balance, low center of gravity, front-midship engine layout, rear wheel drive, and of course a ROTARY ENGINE! Woo, go Rotary! Plus, if you think an exhaust system makes good extra power on a Honda, try it on a Mazda rotary car and it's gains will shame a piston engine... but that's just how the rotary works.

Anyway, you should be able to easily make an EG/B16 for $5500 and have cash left over for bolt-on goodies. Hondas are fun to play with and don't constantly beg you for gas money. That's why I still have my civic, it's just plain fun, even sitting on jackstands at the end of the driveway.