Don't know how much the Nissan Spec V is but that was a nice car. Lots of low end torque and a LSD. Scared the crap out of the saleperson when I test drove it

 

the nissan spec v is definately a nice car but i think its overrated. w/ all the horespower, torque, lsd, and 6 speed it is not that fast. the car might have power but its not very fast in the 1/4 mile. just like the si, my friends drove my 02 si and said that my car has alot of power but it doesnt go no where b/c its too heavy. that is one of the 02 si's downfall. that and a 6800 redline.

 

the civic si has a great interior.
i know that a ser vpsec is faster...ive seen them bone stock run side by side with rsx type-s before...more than once.

the dealer near me offered me anew si for $17000. he said they ahvent been selling well and they could put me in one for that if i was to take it then...basically they were desperate to get rid of them....

 

Ha Ha! I was in the middle of typing the same reply myself. Then I realized that there is the base model, but don't even consider that!

 

Yeah, new Si's haven't been selling well at all, not that Honda's been doing anything about it. One thing I noticed...seems like from the latest Sport Compact Car issue (where the Si took last out of 8 pocket rockets under 20k! LAST!) made a good point. Where did Honda take all the money? I mean, the list of upgrades is extensive on the Mazdaspeed Protege, SVT Focus, and Sentra SE-R. Heck, even the V6 Tiburon got a list of goodies. And the best value, Neon SR-T4. I stronly suspect that most of these other manufacturers are selling their cars below cost and will lose money on these cars. Honda, I'm, guessing, was hinging on making money off its strong brand name and following. Wrong bet to take.

I think the most essential thing wrong with the Si (beyond its weaker engine, which actually isn't that bad its just that the si is a big heavy) is the tires. Has anyone replaced their stock tires with new racing ones and seen a big improvement? I think that was the major gripe for the Si.

Also, since a new Civic wont come til 06 or 07 (5 or 6 yrs. model cycle), do you think its possible that an upgraded Si with 17's, performance tires, and possible a sligh bump in HP.torque could come out? I've seen some speculation in other forusm.

 

if you want the good interior and like the hatchback style, go for the GTI 1.8. it needs handling work though. if you want 170 hp, go for the protege, however, the internals and transmission aren't built for 250 hp so it handles and looks well but the engine prolly needs some work. the se-r is a great value (you can get it for a fair amount under MSRP, which you probably won't be able to do w/ the protege or srt or svt) but it has an unsophisticated rear suspension (beam!) and needs some engine work (entire new exhaust system, remove balance shafts) if you can handle the look (not me) the srt is 1K$ away from making as much power as a 350Z and the suspension is pretty good and the brakes rule.

these are probably all better buys than the Si (crappy tires, 15s, underpowered, ugly, soft suspension). be like me and wait for Honda to replace it w/ the SiR (so sweet looking). just hope they remember the LSD

allan

 

I totally think the Si interior is far more superior than the GTi. The GTi may have "cool" indiglo like guages...but the seats are hard and uncomfortable. The Si seats are way more supportive, and the interior is unmatched.

 

nah, i like the Si interior better to, but the GTI is more upclass was all i meant....

debating personal preference on the internet is silly

 

yes, it was personal preference.


But after doing a lot of research and actual time in both cars, I still think the Si beats it in both.

 

GTI's interior is nice looking, but when you after awhile its just the same as almost any other car. I mean, the plastic in it is cheap (maybe not as bad as the SE-R...) and the build quality in the ones I've been in is only so-so.