1997 Auto Accord vs 2000 5-spd Civic

[PaleMelanesian]

It's not unusual for these to be a little "fiddly" to get into reverse. However, if he mentioned it among all the other things he's done to the car, it may be a real problem.

That sounds like a lot of rice and a lot of work to undo. Not sure I'd go there.

[RandomFact314]

Got an offer for 2 CRXs but they were both so riced out soy sauce was seeping from the exhausts

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

One big reason it has a lower rating is the gear ratios run it at higher rpm. Around town that's no big deal but on the highway... OY!

A transmission swap with a DX? The Civic is the car for your new purposes. You will hypermile your way to much higher numbers than the official ratings. Plus, these cars are very hard to get right now.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

2. How many miles did he drive it, I wouldn't be supprised if he totaly thrashed the engine.

Yup. I'd bet he modded to race and then lost a lot of races thrashing the transmission! Bouncy coils? Won't that screw up the struts faster? If you check it out more and have the skills (and you seem to have them) then maybe still take it. New coils will be hundreds. New struts would be hundreds too.

[Arragonis]

I voted Civic but thats because the only car I have ever spun is an Accord so I will not buy another...

[ericthemidget]

in most cases, civic vs accord is a no-brainer. civic, of course... but in this case, with this particular civic, i'd choose the accord. i think you're just scratching the surface with all the problems this car has. over time, you would have plenty of unpleasant surprises. and even if there's nothing else wrong with it, there's too much boy racer s*#t to undo.

as for the valve cover, the ex had a sohc engine, with the narrower valve cover and uncovered spark plug wires. the honda dohc engines back then, such as the b16a2 in the civic si, had the squarish valve cover with the central plastic piece covering the spark plug wires.

another thing to look for is the engine code stamped on the block. you’ll find this on the front of the engine block, on the passenger side. the engine code for the ex was d16y8.

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

A transmission swap with a DX? The Civic is the car for your new purposes. You will hypermile your way to much higher numbers than the official ratings. Plus, these cars are very hard to get right now.

Good idea.

DX will be good.
HX is even better.
5th-gen CX/VX is better still.

I haven't gone there because my daily driving never takes me above 55 mph speed limit. (which I never even get to )