General Civic Talk - NEED CIVIC MODDING ADVICE..and im a total NOOB at this..2008 civic EX auto trans. thx

ok like the title says...i am completely new to modding cars and etc..i recently bought a 2008 civic ex and id like to get it hook'd up BUT i was just curious if there is even a point in hooking up a auto trans civic? jus looking for some useful advice. if its not too much trouble can you guys please list reasons for keeping it ..and can i get it changed to a manual? if so how much would that cost?

i know i asked some stupid questions but like i said i am completely new i usually jus drive the damn cars. dont know anything about them. thanks in advanced

it's not worth it. i used to think it was, but i ended up buying a manual, swapping all my upgrades to it, and then selling the auto. eventually you will wish you hadn't bought it and put time into it.

i say sell the '08 auto and go get a manual. if you can afford it, i'd go get the Si, if you are into performance. It's definitely worth the extra couple thousand over an EX to get an Si.

if all you want is appearance and audio modifications, then keep the auto. but if you want any performance upgrades, get a stick.

i mean there is nothing wrong with modding an auto, however a stick would be a better place. Yes you can change it to a manual, but that costs a lot of money and isn't worth it on a brand new car. You should trade it in for a manual if you really want it.

And you car is brand spanking new, so thinking about modifications shouldn't be until like at least 3-4 years from now

Yes and no.

While you can mod an auto and enjoy the car, it's much more rewarding modding a stick. In my personal (and not exactly humble) opinion, I had one of the cleanest and sickest civics (and indisputably the lowest lol) in the area I live in... mine was an auto.

Actually, it being an auto was the only reason I sold my civic (well, that and the nickel and diming me into poverty thing lol)

im kinda for both.....
my modified civic is a automatic, and my beaters are manuals ;)

but i did wish that my black civic was a manual in fact i even bought my 96civic just for the whole setup to swap in it BUT after geting the car and seeing the wreck wasnt bad i decided to fix it and keep it a manual and rock it....

MAYBE after i fix the paint maybe ill think about swaping my goodies into it BUT not to sure yet. guess its one of those things..

first off;

can you drive a stick ;)
do you drink and drive ;)
do you have a bad back or foot problems?

a automatic is definatly a easy car to drive! just depends if you want to just GET IN AND GO. no clutch work, constant clutch/gas in traffic, stop and go makes it even worse!
at times i wish i had a automatic... AND at times i wish i had a manual...
either way both drive and get me to where i want to go and both get good gas milage for the cost!

just depends which you prefer to drive every day. otherwise keep your 08auto and buy a older manual civic ;)

^
lol well if drinking and driving is a concern for him when buying a stick, at that point he should just drive his civic and himself off a cliff.

LOL ya it was a joke.... but i do have a friend at work that was pissed when she got her moms manual BMW because it was to hard to shift when she had been doing alittle drinking.LOL and ya i laughed at her as well!!!!! she knows better but she still does it!

so im guessing keep the 08 and get an older civic to hook up?

im kinda for both.....
my modified civic is a automatic, and my beaters are manuals ;)

but i did wish that my black civic was a manual in fact i even bought my 96civic just for the whole setup to swap in it BUT after geting the car and seeing the wreck wasnt bad i decided to fix it and keep it a manual and rock it....

MAYBE after i fix the paint maybe ill think about swaping my goodies into it BUT not to sure yet. guess its one of those things..

first off;

can you drive a stick ;)
do you drink and drive ;)
do you have a bad back or foot problems?

a automatic is definatly a easy car to drive! just depends if you want to just GET IN AND GO. no clutch work, constant clutch/gas in traffic, stop and go makes it even worse!
at times i wish i had a automatic... AND at times i wish i had a manual...
either way both drive and get me to where i want to go and both get good gas milage for the cost!

just depends which you prefer to drive every day. otherwise keep your 08auto and buy a older manual civic ;)


what yr civic u recommend? and can i get some price checks? thanks guys

what yr civic u recommend? and can i get some price checks? thanks guys

92-95 civic
easiest to modify and tune (already OBD1), tons of aftermarket support, low price because of age.
you should be able to find a pretty good one for $2500-3500

make sure that you get the EX or Si if you get 92-95, same goes for 96-00
its got VTEC, shorter geared tranny, and power options. :D
if you're gonna swap the motor don't worry about the model unless you care about power options.

Modding an auto is kinda pointless. Unless it's purely appearance mods. And it's not worth switching it over to a manual when you can just buy a manual.

Modding an auto is kinda pointless. Unless it's purely appearance mods. And it's not worth switching it over to a manual when you can just buy a manual.

thats what i figured also but like i said earlier im not motor head and u have to use easy English terms with me lol...so basically look for a 92-95 civic EX/Si or a 96-00 EX/Si??....might i ask whats the diff between them? are they the same gen civic or no? the 92-95 civics should be priced around 2.5k for what # of miles?

92-95 is the 5th gen
96-00 is the 6th gen
there is not a 96-98 Si, and the 99-00 Si is gonna be at least $6k so idk if that may be out of the question for you. The 99-00 Si comes with a B16A2 (158hp, DOHC) motor though, which is better than any other USDM civic made before 2001.
92-95 EX and Si have the same motor D16Z6 (125hp, SOHC), and the 92-95 Si is only available as a hatchback.
a 96-00 EX has an updated version of the D16Z6 engine, with only 2 more hp. It is virtually the same engine minus a few slight details.
96-00 is OBD2 (the type of computer) and is untunable. to tune an OBD2 computer you have to convert to OBD1. you could use a piggyback unit such as greddy e-manage but it's not a true tune like a chipped ECU. ebay chips for ECUs are fake, don't get one.
92-95 civic are the only OBD1 civics, and OBD1 is the only tunable ECU version

92-95 EX/Si civic is probably your best bet. it is the best bang for the buck and is the best 92-00 civic for modifying, besides the 99-00 Si.

hatches are lighter than any other body style, and 5th gens are lighter than 6th gens.
hatches do not come in the EX model. coupes do not come in the Si model (besides the 99-00 Si).
This means the only 92-95 coupe with the better engine is the EX, and the only 92-95 hatchback with the better engine is the Si.
this is why i would recommend either a 92-95 Civic Hatchback Si, or a 92-95 Civic Coupe EX.
The 92-95 Civic coupe EX will be easier to find, but i'd take whichever you can get your hands on, providing it is in good enough condition to meet your requirements.

92-95 is the 5th gen
96-00 is the 6th gen
there is not a 96-98 Si, and the 99-00 Si is gonna be at least $6k so idk if that may be out of the question for you. The 99-00 Si comes with a B16A2 (158hp, DOHC) motor though, which is better than any other USDM civic made before 2001.
92-95 EX and Si have the same motor D16Z6 (125hp, SOHC), and the 92-95 Si is only available as a hatchback.
a 96-00 EX has an updated version of the D16Z6 engine, with only 2 more hp. It is virtually the same engine minus a few slight details.
96-00 is OBD2 (the type of computer) and is untunable. to tune an OBD2 engine you have to convert to OBD1.
92-95 civic are the only OBD1 civics, and OBD1 is the only tunable ECU version

92-95 EX/Si civic is probably your best bet. it is the best bang for the buck and is the best 92-00 civic for modifying, besides the 99-00 Si.

hatches are lighter than any other body style, and 5th gens are lighter than 6th gens.
hatches do not come in the EX model. coupes do not come in the Si model (besides the 99-00 Si).
This means the only 92-95 coupe with the better engine is the EX, and the only 92-95 hatchback with the better engine is the Si.
this is why i would recommend either a 92-95 Civic Hatchback Si, or a 92-95 Civic Coupe EX.
The 92-95 Civic coupe EX will be easier to find, but i'd take whichever you can get your hands on, providing it is in good enough condition to meet your requirements.

thanks alot for taking time to type that

no problem

dang man did some research...i haven't found any 92-95 civic Si's for 2.5k/3.5k..and most of them that are cheap have mileage through the roof...also are there any 92-95 civic EX sedans?? or only coupes..and stupid questions but the civic si hatches are 4 door or 2? >_> yea im a total noob..u all been there try to contain your laughter to a minimum please. =)

there are ex sedans. they're a little heavier (only a little) but no biggie. idk if you care about looks i'd rather have a hatch or coupe.
what mileage have you been seeing?
Si hatches are 2 doors... well 3 door if you count the hatch.

there are ex sedans. they're a little heavier (only a little) but no biggie. idk if you care about looks i'd rather have a hatch or coupe.
what mileage have you been seeing?
Si hatches are 2 doors... well 3 door if you count the hatch.

are you online on AIM?? i add'd u but i havent seen u on...i been seeing around 170k-230k miles nd w/e.. i think spoilers on hatches look wierd/funny

i was on aim earlier, but i got off when my gf went to bed. i'm about to go to bed
i'll be on tomorrow most likely. you'll see me on AIM eventually. lol

you could take the spoiler off the hatch. i don't really like the duck bills either.
170k might be okay, depending on the condition of the motor. i bought my del sol with 158,000 miles, and i hope on it lasting until 300k. It was in pretty good shape, minus the drive belts and a few little gaskets (VTEC solenoid, distributor o-ring, valve-cover gasket). I took care of all those things and it's running really good. It has a little bit of oil on the bottom of the oil pan, but i think it's just dripping down from one of the spots where oil accumulated after the other leaks. I cleaned it with degreaser but i think there's some nooks and crannies i couldn't find. I don't think it's leaking oil anymore, now that i replaced those gaskets, or burning it either. the dipstick has read exactly the same since my last oil change (1000 miles ago so far).

if you inspect the motor pretty good and it turns out good, 170k would probably be fine. If you don't need the car right away i'd just wait until the right car comes around. let the car come to you. lol. you just gotta seize the opportunity when you find the car you've been wanting.

yea man since I just got this 08 civic I think ill wait around save up a bit more and get a 95 si or 99/00 si when I have enough...also I don't need it at this moments..I don't have 2 spots to keep the car lol