3/S vs Honda Civic???

[Trogdor]

Hey, i have a delema for yall. i currently own a 99 honda civic ex 2dr, with full ground effects (custom chosen by me) a full cat-back, a cold air intake, with k&n, and bypass valve. (also had to put me a system in there! always a must) and the place where i get my work done on my car is promising me that if i let him turbo my car it will run 12's guaranteed! but it will cost me 4 G's! not to mention the countless other things that i need to do to complete her (exp.: clutch, new tires, better suspension,...) plus i need to take care of some damages that were done to my ground effects (nothing major but a pain in the ass none the less) now what im considering is selling the civic and picking up a 3000GT VR4. (ive always loved those cars!!!) the place i get my work done is telling me that its a bad idea.( course that could be cuz he's a honda/acura specialist and doesnt want to lose buisness of a good honda) other people are telling me that if i go VR4 i can easily get her runnin daily 11's or 12's, and be a much better car. so i hear both ways. bassically my goal is to have a tight ride that can be my daily drive car, yet still (when called upon to do so) run me a good low 12 or 11. any help will be greatly apreciated !!! infact all input into this matter will be greatly apreciated! thanx

[YogsVR4]

The VR4 is a totally different kind of beast then your Civic. You basically moving from a cheap economy car to an expensive touring coup. The 3KGT is going to be more expensive to repair and insure.

With that said, I wouldn’t hesitate to make the switch. Getting into the 12s can be done with simple mods (open air filter, gutted cats, open exhaust and boost controller) that don’t take a lot of money or effort. People have gotten there for less then $500. Getting to the 11s on the other hand will require a bit more money for upgraded injectors and larger turbos. On looks alone I’d go with the VR4 (that’s why I have two of them) If you can afford the more expensive overhead then your Civic, then you’ll be styling down the road and stand out from the crowd.

Stop in at www.3si.org and have a look around for more specific information.

[Trogdor]

so yogs, these upgraded injectors and larger turbo's u speak of, by more cash are u talkin in the range of $4 -5k?? becasue for just a turbo on my civic (required to get her to run a 12) it will be at least $4k and if i want to do a enine swap later on, say like to a DOHC engine such as the B-series, its gonna run up to at least $5k! so together im lookin at almost 10k just to get her to run nice 12s and thats not including all the other "neccisarry" mods, such as mentioned before... and in the category of different beasts, ive driven a base model 3kgt, and im pretty acustomed with a 02 trans-am (im hopeing to be able to ace my bro's TA next time we race) so how diff. would the AWS AWD VR4 be from those two? thanks again for anything and everything

[YogsVR4]

Larger injectors and fuel pump would be a couple hundred. The turbos can run up to the 1.5K range depending on what model you go for. You'd still be way under the 4K range.

There is no comparison between a base model 3KGT and a VR4. Completely different feels to the car. With the VR4s AWD you have one of the best off the line cars in the world. It will destroy the base model and pull a few car lengths on a TA (stock to stock). By the end of the 1/4 mile the TA will be running neck and neck depending on the driver.

Handling is going to be different between the TA and the VR4 as well. The AWS doesn't really take much time to get used to and some people don't even feel it at all. Since it doesn't kick 30mph or so, you tend to forget about it. The difference is the balance of the cars. While professionals can run the cars to their limits, most of us will never do that. I know I'm biased, but the VR4 is a much smoother ride and more forgiving in corners then my buddies 01 WS6.

Do you have a car in mind already? If its a dealership, take that bad boy out for a test drive and open her up. Once you've driven one, you'll know right away if the feel of the car is for you.

[Trogdor]

awsome! well unfortunately i havent found a particualr VR4 yet that i would be willing to buy (save for ones that are like 2000 miles away, and i would have to ship here) however i have found a Stealth RT TT that i wouldnt mind taking, and i would love for a chance to see what she can do!! i know ive heard of stealths being a tad bit faster than the VR4's sometimes, however seeing as they are pretty much the exact same car i would have a hard time believing that, save for mabey a 100 or so lb.s in weight diff. and mabey a better driver... , but anyways, at this point from what hearing i think im realy leaning towards a 3/S, over my lil civic... and again thanx for all input/info!