so, I've spent a long time thinking through what I was going to do when I got back to the US. So far, lots of other things have taken precedence, like actually moving... and getting stuff done on the house (which is still on-going). In some ways, it's some of the age-old case of "too many ideas, too little time/space/money".
Dig around some, and you'll see some of my odd musings.
Fortunately, a bunch of friends have gotten into driving Honda Fits on track in GridLife's SundaeCup... and there's a significant effort to try and get 5-6 SundaeCup cars to OneLap this year. I didn't have a car that fit that protocol when we got back... and other cars were the priority of purchase at first. But, now I've cleared enough boxes out of the garage, and unpacked enough dishes that I could set my sights forward... and the deadline to OneLap's startline is getting uncomfortably close.
So, I've been scouring for 2nd & 3rd Gen Prius', and 7th and 8th Gen Civics... non-Si. If I'd gotten an 8th gen, it'd have to be an auto... just for the sake of budget, and familial harmony. Unfortunately, today it's still quite the seller's market... and after a good bit of thinking and wondering... I decided cheap was better than most other factors. I probably overpaid today, but $2k got me this 2002 Civic Lx 5spd with 258kmi on the ticker:
it's got some issues with oil dripping all over the everywhere... and the coolant circuit seems to randomly make the engine cool or the interior hot. There some niggles with the front bumper fitment, and the door lock's operation. But, on the other hand, here's some potato quality images of the driver's rear arch and pinch weld:
also, it's not currently at my place; but at a friend's place... which was 30miles, instead of 60miles from where I bought it. Which was good... the drive there was stressful enough as-is... since the oil level is a bit of a question, and the temp guage pegged up to "H" a couple of times.
more to come later... maybe tomorrow.