DumbasSi

Throw a few corners and some braking at those 80's lumps and see how well they do. Modding a car whether a Civic or not is more then just straight line speed for some people.

imported_dr.drew1987

mines a 90's lump

dedicated_uno

Putting money in a car is not a waste of money. is only a waste when you sell it. Plus whos money is it ? yours or his/hers?

People can do it cause they can. Since you can't then you are there just hating.

I don't like the guys who went and spend all this money to impress dick over the internet or at a car meets. since all they wanted was to impress another GUY. <-- thats gay.

Then they expect to get the full amount on their USED car when sold. Theirs people who mod their car and part it out. now thats smart. honda or not you will always SPEND money on it. People don't tell you how to dress up and where to shop. so why tell people whut to do with their car.

imported_SilverSleeper

If your doing this for investment ourposes or trying to impress chicks then modifying a Honda is not the right way to go.

However for most of the people who are here, its hobby or its the specific car they are passionate about. Once a car means something more than a means to and end, I don't think its anyone's place to judge how much they spend on it whether it be a Civic or a Porsche. As one of my friends always says "there's no price on passion" and as long as it keeps you happy I don't see why you couldn't spend a ton of money on a Civic.

imported_climax

How is it really a "waste of money" anyway?
I mean if I want to put 10 grand into a civic to mod it to my taste then its not a waste of money to me..


there are other factors that come into account, such as insurance, avalability of parts to mod, and the price of those parts to.. and reliablity of the cars..

not that I really mod my car anyway.. just saying some possible reasons..

imported_2join performance

I modify my Acura/Honda because I find it fun. If i had a Nissan, Toyota, Porsche etc, I would still be modding it. Why? Because i find it FUN.

I got an Acura because it was in my budget, I like how it looks, and they are easy to work on. A bit of money, some elbow grease, and ingenuity, and my car can perform, and look as good as a BMW or Porsche. At least in my opinion. And that is what should ultimatly count.

Do I regret spending my money on my car? Not for one second. And I dont plan to be stopping any time soon.

imported_Team Rukus

putting money into a car that doesnt need it is a waste no matter how you put it. even if you do it because you love it or not. simply because the car doesnt require it. there is a reason they come the way they do from factory. anything to add or make better is considered optional which means more money being put into it.

also parting out the car doesnt make a person smart because nt everyone cares about how much money they get back nor have time to part everything out and sell everything and return the car back to stock. i dumped 14 grand into my accord i had previously and i probably got 1/4 of that back, didnt bother me because i dont have the time to part out nor would i want too.

and parting out doesnt give back all your money anyways unless you find parts dirt cheap that they can be sold back for the same price.

Oldspower

I take it then you've never driven one daily then. Because I'm heavy footed and the gears I was previously running were highway gears, city milage wasnt great, but not bad either, highway the 80s 8cyl, with a 4bbl carb is better than my 1.5 4cyl stock Honda. Either way, you're right it's matter of opinion. There's nothing wrong with pre89 GM cars, but after that, they went downhill. So if you wanna flame me for driving a older American car go ahead, I still will like it more than my Honda. If they didnt rust out in every single spot ever, I'd probably like it more. And I'd love to see all these modded civics selling for 20k.

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

Like B said, this is YOUR opinion. And since this thread seems to be about peoples opinions i'm gunna state mine.
I don't get why someone would want to mod some 20 year old hunk of american trash, that gets 10 miles to the gallon out of their big V8 pos. Its funny, it takes 400whp out of a big old car like that for it to actually move, and be decently quick. A honda, just takes a turbo or 5 grand in mods and it will still get 30 miles to the gallon. I know PLENTY of hondas that will eat V8s like yours for breakfast (i've built a bunch of them myself and have seen firsthand them destroying corvettes....a real v8, stangs, slomaros and old muscle cars) for prolly around the same amount of money you've got into your Oldsmopos.
You don't need 400whp in a honda to make it fast, but you do in a 3500lbs boat.
I'd rather have a fast civic than a BMW/Audi, at this stage of my life thats what i'm into. Sure, its still JUST a civic, but i mean, my cars not missing any of the nice features found in the expensive cars, its got power windows, power door locks, sunroof, nice sounding stereo (from the factory) and it still moves like stink.
Bottom line, to each their own.

Brett

I like modding my civic for the go kart like handling rather then the speed. I could care less how fast my car goes in a straight line. My concerns is how fast i can get around a hairpin or "S" corner. I agree with Zeeman about modding 20year old american cars. You need a **** load of power to get them to move, but you are still stuck with a poorly built car, with a ugly and crappy interior that handles like a mac truck. As for why not buy a BMW or Audi if a paid $15000 or so for one of those i would want to spend an equal amount to make it the way i wanted it. But what ever makes you happy, we can't all like the same things...

Double_B

Ok, first off, my first car was a V8, a 79 Buick Regal, so yes, I have driven many V8's probably before your time, if I am right about your age. If not, I apologize, but I probably had my licence before you were born. Having said that, this is not to flame on you, but to point out that all of us have our passions and not all is about the Civic, and some it is all about the Civic. Being at the age that I am at, I can appreciate what you have said as I can also appreciate what has been one of the biggest explosions in the auto industry being the sport compact scene. Don't get this wrong, this is the same type deal as it was back in the day with V8 muscle, just a different type of car. There is no comparison to the V8 power, but you cannot compare the two. But this is a different scene and is a mass multi milllion dollar industry. I don't care what people drive, what sports people like or music, but to put down something because you don't like it imo is an unfair thing to do. Everyone has their own taste and enjoy their hobby. I can respect it all and enjoy what I see. What is impressive to me is how many of them have taken a 4 banger and made it into something special and fast.


Again, this is all conversation, and if we really want to talk about spending crazy money, bottom line, we should all be investing our money into either stock or some kind of mutual fund, instead to taking that extra cash and putting it into our Civics or our 80's muscle car.

In the end its all wasted money on a depreciating item.


My two cent in again, I think I am up to six cents!

imported_Fr0z3N

There's lots of reasons for people to mod civics... first off as you said they're a dime a dozen and they're not rare.... people (teenagers or young adults) aren't going to save up tons of money just to sit and wait for the right rare 240 or mr2 to come along because by the time they can afford it or find one they could have had a decently modded civic. Hell, I'd rather have a 2nd gen eclipse gsx turbo right now but there's a car that's expensive and hard to find, so now I own an accord, turbo civic si, grand am and possibly getting a golf soon, and this is all under the amount that an eclipse would cost me....

imported_dr.drew1987

^i love turbo eclipse

Nova_Dust

There are things you deem as a waste of time, where others find interesting and worth effort to devote into. You may find art or visiting art museum boring, but that doesn't make "art", a boring subject.

I admit it, I have spent money on the car more than I have ever expected. The car has come a long way, and there will be more money dumped into it.

If my ultimate goal is to learn about car techs, enhance my driving skills, and enjoy the auto racing sport, then I suppose it is smart to start with something cheap, easy to maintain, parts readily available and flooded with world wide informations at your finger tip. If I can't conqur a Civic, what makes myself believe that I can conqur an more expensive car? Both financially and technically speaking.

When you sit in a gutted race car, a Civic is no different from a S2K, or a M3, a M5, or a DBR9. You are surrounded by cold metal rollcage, tucked in by a bucket seat and strapped down with a 6 point harness. The only thing you care is your lap time, how to pass the car in front of you, and how to stay ahead. The word "Civic" doesn't mean anything anymore.

I am not the type of person that can just hand the vehicle to a dealer and let strangers touch and work on the car, not after I started working on my own car. It arouse my interest in cars and my dream finally came true - to own a car, and do things to it.

There is a reason why Civics have their own race league. You start with a smaller, simplier vehicle and if you are good enough to race and work on a BMW, then you are more than welcome to move into that league.

Drag racing is boring to me, regardless whether it is done in a muscle car, a turbo Civic, a funny car, or a mini van. But I don't diss the sport, and I don't question why people do it. Why not? As long as you find joy in what you do, it is pointless to question the motif behind it. Of course, if you find joy in killing people, then perhaps we should question why.

If a car can only perform in straight line, I will find myself losing interests very, very fast - regardless what it is.

cibs

everyone has different preferences...why is spending 30k on a bmw a better decision than spending 30k on a civic? a car is a car, it's a hunk of metal...

why buy a 500 leather jacket instead of buying a 150 leather jacket?

it's all about what you value and where you want to spend your money...

cibs

to be honest with you, it's interesting how people see cars as 'civics' or 'domestics' or whatever...

when at the end of the day the question should be 'why do people blow crazy amounts on a hunk of metal that gets them from point a to point b?' especially when a hunk of metal that's way cheaper would still do the same job

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

well whatever floats your boat.
I don't see how the wife can spend so damn much on shoes/clothes/purses and she can't see how i spend so much on my car (or used to spend so much on my car). I don't see how smokers can spend so much on cigarettes. I know how much you'll spend, b/c i smoked for like 8 years.
Any money i have into my car i didn't mind spending, actually i enjoyed it quite a bit. And its worth it, strictly in the enjoyment i get out of my car. I know i'll never get even half of what i have invested back if/when i sell it, but who cares....not I.
If i liked camaros, i'd prolly have a camaro, if i liked fords i'd have a ford. I like hondas, along with every other person on this site, hell it is a civic forum.

imported_xplizitremix

ok not to flame you... actually yea i am but if you spent 30k on your car you should be pretty quick, even with all the exterior and interior mods, 30k is alot of money... gonna call bs on the 30k part but i understand where you going with your comment.

cibs

exactly my point.

for some it's a car, (maybe an import or a domestic,) for some it's ciggs and booze, for some it's clothes, for others its saving in their bank and watching the #'s grow...


everyone derives their own pleasure from money... just in different ways

marker

I kind of prefer watching mine accumulate in the bank rather than watching it burn or melt into the cars.

It's funding my very early retirement so I'll still be young enough to really enjoy it to the max.