just got a 98 civic

well, i just got a 98 civic dx....and it has been my dream since i could even think about having a license to get a civic, get a job, and spend all my money on it....but i have a lot of questions, and no idea where to go to ask...so if anyone can help it would be awesome...just answer any questions you know:
1. i realized that a dx has less horsepower than a ex...and i want to know if theres anything else thats different performance-wise between the two?...if so is it still possible for me to get performance upgrades such as a turbocharger kit.
2. where would i even go to talk to people about parts or anythign for my car?...i live in bakersfield california, and its not too hot of a place for import stuff...would a place like auto zone or napa even be a place to start?
3. im still in highschool, and so i could only have a low paying part time job...so my thoughts were to slowly buy performance parts (headers, intake, etc)...and i eventually wanted a turbo...but i started to realize that a turbocharger kit has headers and intake and everything...so would it be better to just not get anything and save up for a turbocharger kit...or is there an effective way to slowly buy the parts for my car?

--thats it for now...thanks a lot to anyone who can help

heres an answer blunt and to the point.
1) you pretty much have the same car that i have. and nearly the same situation. if you really want to upgrade this car, you need to plan out your mods carefully, since you have a low budget, every dollar counts. basically what you will be looking at is entry level parts. your need to focus on practicallity.
2) costwise youre not goin to be able to do anything major to the car. the engine you have is not exactly a high performer. usually what people do is swap it out for a better honda engine, like a GSR or other VTEC motor.
3) i would suggest minor upgrades just to make the car a little more fun.
wheels
ehxaust
intake
spark plugs, wires,
maybe some headlights
some small body stuff like carbon hood,
window tint
shave emblems
lowering springs/shocks
nice audio system

you should wait until you get a better car to start doing huge mods to it. im not saying a civic isnt a good car to work on, it defintetly is, but to get extreme results requires money..

Well welcome to the honda scene. Promise us all one thing right now, you will fight against rice. Civics are great little cars and there is much you can do to your DX.

Don't worry about your car being a DX, it is still very possible to build your little grocery getter into a quick car. I myself have an LX which is pretty much the same motor as the DX. If you are planning on going turbo in the near future then you shouldn't worry about a header. Go ahead and get an intake. You can get a cheap one off ebay and it'll give you the look, the sound, and add a hp for ya. It's just $30-40 that you will be wasting instead of the $200-300 for the header.

You're in the same position that a lot of people are in, live in a town that has shit to do with car customizing. And that's why many of us are here, the internet. You can find anything and everything you want on here and also find out what's best for your car before you even buy it. The internet is amazing, has more information than your library does, and even better.... it has everything that you wanna know about cars. So take some time and do some searching on various car sites and you will get a general idea of what people like to see in cars, and you'll learn a lot on modifying yours.

AF (automotiveforums) is a great place and has a lot of great members. Search around on this site, there's a lot to learn from here. Another great site that you could check out is www.honda-tech.com. That site is serious about performance, so don't go there asking noob questions. Take a look around that site and check out the appearance section, you'll see a lot of great looking rides.

hmm yeah i understand what youre saying...but really, i dont want a better car...haha, like i will really be putting all my money into my car from now until i need to support my family...haha....so its all about saving up...i just need to know what i would want or need to do...so what youre saying is htat it isnt even worth it to get a turbocharger for my engine?...and that it would be a better deal to just make a swap with a vtec or other engine?

Well welcome to the honda scene. Promise us all one thing right now, you will fight against rice. Civics are great little cars and there is much you can do to your DX.

Don't worry about your car being a DX, it is still very possible to build your little grocery getter into a quick car. I myself have an LX which is pretty much the same motor as the DX. If you are planning on going turbo in the near future then you shouldn't worry about a header. Go ahead and get an intake. You can get a cheap one off ebay and it'll give you the look, the sound, and add a hp for ya. It's just $30-40 that you will be wasting instead of the $200-300 for the header.

You're in the same position that a lot of people are in, live in a town that has shit to do with car customizing. And that's why many of us are here, the internet. You can find anything and everything you want on here and also find out what's best for your car before you even buy it. The internet is amazing, has more information than your library does, and even better.... it has everything that you wanna know about cars. So take some time and do some searching on various car sites and you will get a general idea of what people like to see in cars, and you'll learn a lot on modifying yours.

AF (automotiveforums) is a great place and has a lot of great members. Search around on this site, there's a lot to learn from here. Another great site that you could check out is www.honda-tech.com. That site is serious about performance, so don't go there asking noob questions. Take a look around that site and check out the appearance section, you'll see a lot of great looking rides.


well that makes me feel a little better about the fact that i got a dx...and about the rice rocket...thats exactly what i dont wanna be...so consider the promise made..haha, thanks a lot for the info

so what youre saying is htat it isnt even worth it to get a turbocharger for my engine?...and that it would be a better deal to just make a swap with a vtec or other engine?
I know this wasn't directed to me but I'm gonna put in my advice. I say keep your stock motor and turbo it instead of swapping. I put almost $4,000 into swapping a GSR motor with intake, header, and exhaust and would still get my ass kicked by my friend that had a civic hatch with stock motor and a turbo set up.

Turbo is definately cheaper and generally faster for the money. Go all out on your civic, this is your dream like you stated above, so go for it. Don't let people tell you to get a better go, fix your civic up, make it how you want it. :)

oh im definately going all out..haha, and i appreciate your comments a lot. I really will be doing everything i can to this car, it will just be a matter of time (by time i mean how fast i can save up)

I know your car is a 98, and most of these are 99-00 coupes, but you can get some ideas...
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNjU1MDkzNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr?i=wNzE3MzY5NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D
http://home.comcast.net/~jaminonyoface/DSC02539.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~jaminonyoface/DSC02568.jpg
http://www.optikdesign.net/Photoshoots_2/9_25_04_Si/v2/02.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v330/jdmrac3r/Picture027.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid123/p891e741597bd74b7cfd4a202e9e34f74/f820ae01.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid123/p14d3b9b33d28ed3fcc39b75cda0f9f1c/f820aaac.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid123/pad09d2f30d249421ae7a2aa0e0ecf8fa/f820ab8f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid123/p140fd4894860cdeee52f0d0d74f95c1f/f820a7b6.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage2.wtdr/i=wMjc2NjIyNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzg1NDYwNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNDAxOTcxNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.hella-low.com/h-t/civics.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/i=wMzkzOTY2NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D
http://images5.fotki.com/v68/photos/5/58546/420017/khang035-vi.jpg
http://www.importspeedmagazine.com/albums/HIN-Orlando-5-15-04-Cars/IMG_2053.jpg
http://66.34.161.46/r-toyz/mainsite/siteupdates/sema04nj/sema04%20005.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/CivicDXR2/tower.jpg
http://208.21.163.22/04jun29mon3.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMTY0OTAxNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNTA5ODA2NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.sigma-auto.org/Hondaday/images/79_jpg.jpg

i liked the last two...hmm, well while youre here...i have some more noob questions i was hoping you could answer....what things would you have to do for adding a body kit to your car?...do you have to pay for the kit, and then pay for the paint for your car?...and my car is white, which i would want to paint maybe like a nice silver....would it be best to get the body kit, and then paint it right after?...another topic that i had a question on...is that how would i go about putting a dual muffler system on my car....im sure its not called that...but i want the pipes coming out of both sides of the back of my car....is this called catback?...thanks for the help

I just added a few more pictures, sorry that none of them have body kits....


You will have to pay for the body kit and then have it painted to match your car. If you're planning on painting your car I think you should buy the kit, and then when you have your car painted have the shop install the kit and then paint everything at once. Dual exhaust, it's pretty much pointless on a 4 cyl. honda and would basically just be for looks but you can have an exhaust shop split your pipe and have it run out both sides of your bumper. A cat-back exhaust is the exhaust from the catalytic converter (which is about in the middle of your car) back. And axle-back is from the rear axle back, usually just a short piece of pipe and the muffler.

is a body kit just added onto your car?...or do they have to cut into your body?...im confused on how it is put on....because some body kits look like its impossible to just be added on to the car

is a body kit just added onto your car?...or do they have to cut into your body?...im confused on how it is put on....because some body kits look like its impossible to just be added on to the car
When you install a body kit you have to take off your front bumper, side skirts, and back bumper and replace them with the body kit (body kit consists of a new front bumper, back bumper, and side skirts). However you can get a lip kit which bolts onto your stock bumpers. Like this picture here, the black part along the bottom of the bumper is a lip, just bolts onto your stock bumper.
http://www.sigma-auto.org/Hondaday/images/79_jpg.jpg

ooh, ok that makes sense...thanks

im back with another question....ive been looking at rims...and was wondering what size should i go for my civic?...i read in some forums that bigger will make it slower...is that true?, how much slower?....also i fell in love with these rims that are 800 bucks for all four and some tires....is that a lot?, because it seems like a lot to me...but i dont know...that could be the general price of rims..thanks again...heres the rims i liked:
http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse.com/Store_Detail.cfm?ID=112212&InfoID=2505&ShowLarge=True

Well the thing is that generally larger wheels are heavier and harder to turn resulting in less power. I would personally go with 16s on a civic, but 17s aren't too bad. $800 for wheels are tires isn't too bad of a price, but if you look around you can find those wheels or ones just like them with tires for a little cheaper. Shop around, check out many different sites and you'll find a site that's having a special. I see a lot of places doing monthly specials of $500-600 for wheels/tires/free shipping.