Help me decide?
 

Hi. So i'm thinking of two possible purchases.

1. Honda Civic College EG3 D13B2 Hatchback.
This car has nothing in it. No air bags, no air conditioning, no central locking, no power mirrors, no power steering, no power windows, no steering wheel adjustment, no sunroof, no tachometer. The engine is carbed. The car is very basic. Light at 925kg. Quite aerodynamic as you know EG civic are.

2. Honda Civic DXi EJ2 D15B7 Coupe.
This car also has no creature comforts but the engine has fuel injection. It weighs a little more and aerodynamics are not as good. But I like the looks.

I like simple, basic cars like these. The D13B2 has it's torque at the lower revs which I like, while the D15B7 has higher torque overall but it's max torque is higher in the rev range. Also I like the bigger rod/stroke ratio of the D13b2. I might buy the coupe but swap in a D13B2. I would like to put carbs on whatever engine I end up having. Which one should I choose?

Coupe/hatch.

Which will make your life better?

I'd vote hatch. Haven't had a car with a regular trunk since 2003.

The reconfigurability of hatch is definitely a plus.

You could always buy the hatch and then put fuel injection on it, I personally don't know how to do it but I know it can be done!

I also vote hatch. I have an EJ6 with a D16, and the Civic coupes aren't great for carrying much cargo or more than one person. I'll agree that Civic coupes carry their styling well, but hatchback versatility is a massive plus. If I'd had much choice in the matter, I'd have gone hatch, though beggars can't be choosers.

As for the carb vs. EFI, unless you have an OBDII system on it (and EG/EJ Civics didn't, at least not here in the US), EFI becomes a royal pain and less easily able to display live data a la Scangauge and such. If you plan to swap engines, etc. in the future, then that part of it is fairly null and void.

Thanks for the input everyone. I guess I could elaborate.

I have this concept of a car in my mind I wanna build. The should be light, aerodynamic, nimble. A momentum car. It may have no torque but no weight either so that's ok. I want the engine to be bulletproof so I'd like long rods and low lift cam for less friction. The engine should also feel responsive.

I believe the hatches are lighter than the coupes, at least they were for the later models like mine.

As for the engine setup, I'll let someone who actually knows Honda engines respond.

Please do.

So what does any of that have to do with a Honda Civic?

Both.

Mix and match till you get a blend of both that you are happy with ;)

Why a Civic? I suppose I just like them. And they come pretty close to what I want anyway.