Hello all, I will start off my saying I am not that skilled with mechanic work. I can change my oil and do basic maitenance, and I know how to follow directions. I have somewhat of an affinity for hands-on things, I would say I am mechanically inclined. I want to learn about cars, and I want to get a nice one of my own to spend my spare money and time with. I am ready to begin my Honda addiction. I have driven my 88 Civic wagon since I got my drivers license two years ago. I have a clean record, no accidents, never even pulled over. I would like to pick up a car for cheap and get myself involved in the local auto-cross scene, because it looks like so much fun and I would like to learn how to drive better. I am pretty fixed on getting a Honda CRX second-gen from 1991, and hopefully an SI. I am going through some financially tight times in the near future, as I am transitioning from one living place to another. I am over 18 by a few weeks so I am legally an adult and can now tackle my dream of building a racecar. Like I said, I am too broke right at the moment, but hopefully in the next couple of months I'll be able to work hard enough and get some extra money.

Now that the above is out of the way, I'll say that everything below here is hypothetical...

I would like this to be a long-running project car, and I hope to spend lots of time with it. I speculate I could get one for a few grand, nothing over 3000usd. What do the members of this board recommend after reading what I just posted? Look for a really cheap dead car (1000usd) and do an engine swap to something more customizable than stock? Or should I try and get a decent condition stock CRX and slowly upgrade parts as I get money?

I figure if I find a dead car for 1000usd, and I can get an engine here: http://www.hmotorsonline.com/shop/sc...amp;item=30001
or here:
http://osakajdmmotors.com/introhonda.htm

and then I could figure out how to put it in (via some community college courses and lots of time on the internet reading...) I could have an excellent platform to start working off of. I want it to be a fast sleeper, very fast. Please recommend what I should do, in the opinions of the experts. Thanks much guys

 

and to you i say: good luck to you!

 

sounds good, but its gonna be real fun finding a 91 crx si

 

A CRX is a great car to learn ALL of that. You can get a running one for 1000-1500, a dead one for half that.

 

If youre looking to do the labor yourself, go turbo D series. Buy a dead hatch if you cant find a CRX. Get a D16Z6 and build the internals. Boost the **** out of it. Those motors are great for boost, and cheap to build if you can do the labor yourself.

 

Invest in your education, whether it's college or a trade school. Drive a scooter in the meantime if you have to. 4 yrs from now you can be broke and living in a car that barely runs with no real prospects for improving that situation...or broke with a cheap apartment, adegree, and a new job that might lead to a nice car and your own garage at home.

 

I understand the value of education. I got my GED (high-school equivalency) at age 16 during junior year. I would be going to college right now if I were still in school. I have taken classes at the community college but I have learned that I can figure things out the quickest and remember them the best if I have to teach myself. I have taught myself a lot about computers, car audio, electronics, and now I want to add cars to the list. I will be taking more classes at the community college in the comings months -- though mainly language. If I am not learning enough about cars at my own pace, I may pick up some auto-body/shop/mechanic's classes as well.

But believe me when I say that I learn best on my own. That's why I got out of high-school... The amount I have learned since then is immense, way more than if I had been in school this whole time. I'm not lying either.

What would be the priorities on upgrades, like what comes before what? Assuming I forget the engine swap idea, and I have a stock 91' CRX HF (I changed my mind to the HF, because it is lighter) and I want to make it better. Start with suspension and brakes? Then get a turbo? Thanks...

 

the HF motor sucks, if you want that chassis, you NEED to swap to a better engine.

 

Alrighty.. I found this on another forum, and it's good information as far as I can tell. I would like to acquire the car, then perform the mods in this order. The quote came from http://crx.honda-perf.org/forums/vie...8b28fd13885c1d

From what I see above, I realize that a b16a swap wouldn't really get me anywhere, because I don't yet have the skill to handle the car. Any tips? My next step is finding a car, and parts to put it in... Thanks for everything up to this point...

 

welp CRX's are very very nice and cheap and fast, but it will be hard to find one thats in decent shape with a decent motor for cheap.

my advice to you is to get a eg hatch (which i am currently buying within the next 2 weeks) with a d16z6 in it and boost iot, there's already a greatly detailed build of this in the project section by sov.

the eg will be easier to find, cheap, easier to work on, and also they look the best imo ^_^

good luck to you

oh and btw as far as order of parts go. if you buy a car that runs and works good, with a good motor in it.

1. car
2. any needed parts for the car (anything thats broken or needs work) just go through the car thoroughly
3. wheels
4 suspension
5. any body work needed, paintjob
6. the parts needed for the turbo (pistons, rods, injectors, etc)
7. turbo/exhaust
8. etc etc you get the idea

and the reason in why i put the looks before the turbo is because ur not just doing I/H/E...turbos can take a while to save up for and install, so you want your car to be decent while you slowly save for the turbo. but many will argue to do all motor first but i dont like to drive around looking ****ty for a long period of time.