Convince me to keep my 9th gen

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dirtybird222

Well-Known Member
268
181
'
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Sedan
So I'm almost sold on getting a new WRX. The biggest turn off though is the interior. It's too much like my wife's Forester and not very sporty. The performance though...my goodness. Handles so well and the powerband is so smooth. There is nothing wrong with the Si per say, I'm just looking for something with a bit more power for a DD and to have fun with.

My other option is to keep the Si and use the money I would be using for a down payment on the WRX to buy a dedicated track car.

Other cars I'm cross shopping the WRX to are the F80 M3, the STI, used CTS-V, e90/92 M3, Mustang GT, and Camaro SS 1LE. The 2 doors on on the bottom of the list because of child #2 being on the way.
 
Face it, you are a big HP junky...... IMHO....You'll spend less time & money just going to the highest level you can manage, instead of taking small steps up.............OWN-IT........ :D
 
If there is nothing wrong with the si why not keep it? I guess I don't understand why people spend more money/downpayments/length of loan, etc... on a car they "want". Keep the si, pay it off, and live happily ever after. :)
 
Most people I see, who come back to a Civic from a higher HP car, say they experienced: RWD vs. FWD, bad mileage, reliability issues, excess costs to maintain, constant headaches, etc.

Trust me I know. Owning a performance vehicle is a very expensive proposition.

Unless you're realistic about being able to live with all of the issues, you should probably at least wait a while until you're sure.
 
In the end, you're the one that makes the decision. If you need someone to encourage you to keep your Si, you sound like you've already made up your mind, so if we convince you to keep the car and you decide you're unhappy, we'd be responsible, right?
 
KennyGS said:
Most people I see, who come back to a Civic from a higher HP car, say they experienced: RWD vs. FWD
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Other than the lack of experience with RWD cars, there really shouldn't be any problem with going between the two. If he got a WRX, he'd have a RWD car that also had FWD thrown in for free. Different driving techniques and cornering dynamics for RWD and FWD, but they're both cars and they both obey those immutable laws of physics. :)
 
kgf3076 said:
Other than the lack of experience with RWD cars, there really shouldn't be any problem with going between the two. If he got a WRX, he'd have a RWD car that also had FWD thrown in for free. Different driving techniques and cornering dynamics for RWD and FWD, but they're both cars and they both obey those immutable laws of physics. :)
Click to expand...
But most have larger/wider high performance tires, brakes, rotors, pads, ...and so on that cost considerably more than SI parts to replace & maintain. Heck, look at how many quarts of oil ken's vette takes, or the cost on his tires.
 
Had a WRX limited and then an STI. Now I have my SI. The SI is awesome, because you STILL get upper 20s for gas mileage during sporty driving. The wrx averages low to mid 20s with boring driving and the STI is upper teens with boring driving. Boost kills has millage QUICK. I loved my STI's power, but I didn't want to drive it, because the premium gas went so fast. We are over $4 a gallon. The power is fun, but it won't be enough. Soon, you will be on iwsti and clubwrx reading all the cool upgrades you can do. Now you have a larger payment, and you are still dropping hundreds of dollars in upgrades. The interiors are super cheap, because all of the money goes into that awesome engine. I had a $34K car that had so many little internal rattles. Don't get me wrong... I loved that car, but I love the smaller payment, and better mileage of my 2013 SI. My FR downpipe, HFP suspension, and 24mm sway make her feel like a little go cart that wants to be driven. The wrx, though fun, was forced to drive in boost anytime it went over 3k rpm. So basically, kiss your gas mileage gone if you want to drive faster than 70mph on the interstate. :( As mentioned above, it is ultimately your decision. The extra HP on the wrx is rarely used do to highway laws. I say keep, and upgrade your Si. Good luck! :)
 
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Keep the Si. Cmon, do it.
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"Other cars I'm cross shopping the WRX to are the F80 M3, the STI, used CTS-V, e90/92 M3, Mustang GT, and Camaro SS 1LE."

Have you driven each of the cars mentioned above?
If not that's what I'd do first, sometimes reality doesn't come close to how I might have built something up in my mind, but maybe that's just me?


I have driven an Si and both the 5.0 Mustang GT (with track pack) and the Camaro SS (not the 1LE though), both of the pony cars are what, one and a half times more expensive than an Si?
Do I think either one is one and a half times more fun than an Si? Hell to the no.

About the other cars on your list I couldn't say since I haven't driven them, but I bet your Si is going to be tough to beat when considering the complete package, i.e. gas mileage, fun to drive, reliability, roominess, etc.
 
kgf3076 said:
Other than the lack of experience with RWD cars, there really shouldn't be any problem with going between the two. If he got a WRX, he'd have a RWD car that also had FWD thrown in for free. Different driving techniques and cornering dynamics for RWD and FWD, but they're both cars and they both obey those immutable laws of physics. :)
Click to expand...

Driving in snow may become problematic with RWD.
 
@dirtybird222 :
Have you made any changes to the Si yet? There's a lot of potential in a few hundred dollars of mods vs. whole new car. Are you looking for that press you back in the seat feeling or better handling? What do you feel is missing from the Si?

If it just doesn't have that zip that you want, S/C for $3k-ish plus some supporting mods?

Also, I think this guy lives in Florida based on his HPDE videos he posted. I think he's hitting Sebring next month? I don't think he's got much snow concerns.

Oh, and if you're shopping an F80 I think you've probably got the coin to keep the civic and buy an older car to turn into a track machine if that's what you crave.
 
Thanks for the input.

I'm no longer in the Metro DC area (for now). Looks like I'm going to be staying back in Florida for the unforeseeable future so snow is no longer a concern! (yippie). My mind isn't made up, I'm just looking for some outside opinions, food for though. I've had RWD, I've had AWD, I've had FWD. I've had fast supercharged, I've had turbocharged, and big cammed NA cars. I enjoy all of them. Each has their own traits that make them fun, I'm not one to be biased by any brand, country of orgin, or driveline configuration. I've had 3 Trans Am, a 06 S/C Mustang GT, 95 Civic with turbo and meth injection (ran 12.1s), an 8th gen Si, 2012 Si, 2012 WRX, an 09 Fit, and had a 2012 Mustang GT for like a week (never signed the paperwork found out I had a baby on the way took it back and got the WRX).

I've driven the CTS-V, the new WRX, the E90/92 M3s, and sat in a new WRX (the dealer I visited absolutely refused to let me test drive and I was ready to buy that day if I liked it but now I'm contemplating all these other options. Like I said the coupes are last on my list simply because of baby duty. I like all those cars. Nix - I have thought about keeping the Si and getting a dedicated track car. I'm not putting myself in any kind of debt with this swap. I'd be pretty much purchasing the car outright (aside from the F80). I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying driving at all the past year because of where my job has taken me. I ride my bike into work everyday because it's so close and chores are run in the wife's car. We are relocating back to Central Florida though so I started toying with this idea.

The Si has a great interior, I love it, it's what keeps me coming back to this car, it's the lack of sportiness compared to the 8th gen. It's not as visceral and that's what I'm looking for - that's what those rwd v8s always gave me...Like Nix said -- building a track car may just be the thing!
 
Yeah, I'm shopping a new car at the moment also. Trying to decide if I should buy a do-it-all car or keep what I have as a DD and get something else and make it a track machine.

I think it's the best option to keep a reliable DD and get a separate machine for racing. That way you're never stuck. If it's in the budget though. Space is also a concern.

I've got it narrowed down pretty well to trade and buy a new BRZ, Fiesta ST, Mustang GT or keep my current ride and get an older M3. If the new Type-R does come here then that would probably take the top spot though.

It's also going to depend on if we end up moving into a house or some type of apt/townhouse with a garage so I can actually work on it also. If the work space doesn't materialize by next spring, time im planning on buying, then it will be one of the newer cars that won't require so much maintenance. I'd ultimately prefer to keep my current car and buy an old 70's Hakosuka. They are in the same price range as the BRZ/Mustang.
 
I really think the Fiesta ST is a cool car but my wide shoulders did not like the inside. I'm not a huge person 5'10 195lbs and had a buddy of similar proportions get into one at the Rolex 24 and we were touching shoulders. Plus the back seat is way too small for a car seat and a toddler seat IMO. So I had to rule that out. I'm waiting a few more months before I make a decision though. I really want to see what the Golf R is all about, what the next gen Focus ST looks like (we get a preview this weekend), and if we get the 270+ turbo motor from the Euro Type R.

I'm not on the hunt for a tow vehicle yet either. I need a track car A) and when my wife's lease is up on her Forester we'll just buy something that can tow and haul children B).

The thing that sucks is that we are so secluded that car shopping is a 3-4 hour venture into Miami and then we have to deal with stereotypical a-hole car salesmen in the Miami area. They see a young couple role up in a Civic and they don't even want to give you the time of day or hound you because they think they might be able to rape you on financing because you look young.

The wife says I'm on my 3rd Si and that I should just keep it because I keep coming back to them and eventually just turn it into a track car while saving for a dream car. She may be onto something. She's pregnant though, so you can't take things she says seriously. /sarcasm lo
 
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