Spike,
The distributor cap and rotor are what I'm referring to. These should be replaced at each tune up...I do that about every 30k miles or so. Last time I checked, I think the rotor was about 10$ and the cap was about 30 or so...that was for a 1996 Civic.
Hmm, for the battery, I have an Optima Red Top in my Land Rover, but the CRX has a Die Hard Weather Handler as does the wife's Civic. My 1991 Civic beater has a Deka. If you do often run accessories on the battery, yes, an Optima would be a good choice. I got mine online from the BatteryMart, much better prices than available locally. But shop around and see what you find.
Bogatyr