hello everyone, i'm a n00b when it comes to everything about cars...i own a 92 nissan sentra se and that thing gives me no "go" at all ... so i was lookin around and decided i really wanted a civic because of availability/number of mods, reliability, etc...the definates i know about my future civic are 2 doors, 5 speed, eventually black...ok on to the questions

mileage...i don't know anything about cars, (how they should look under the hood, noises, etc.) so i'd stick with nothing over 100K but what about 95K/90K, etc., i mean close but no cigar if you know what i mean....

year: i like the "look" of the civic from about 93 and i'd stick with nothing newer than 99 cuz of price...is there any year i should be particular about? btw...how much should i expect to pay (stock)?

color:i want it black but that really narrows my options down...so should i stick with that color or get whatever and worry about a paintjob later (maybe starting out with a dark color = cheaper??)? if so, how much am i looking to spend?

tranny: is 5 speed really as easy as they say to learn...just the stories i've heard about hills make me cringe....

also i was thinkin i could maybe do some work myself (labor charges are ridiculous) but where would i start...should i just let the pro's handle it?

oh yea...what is swapping?

 

another thing...what's all this talk about rice LoL