The prices on 00-05 Civics seem to be bottoming out right now, and I'm wondering if they are as good of a project car base as the earlier 90s civics. The suspension changed from double wishbone to struts and the engines were just basic d-series but most of them are still in nice shape for their age. Are they worth playing with or should I hold out for an older model? Think challenge car budget.
Will they accept a B-series engine? Turbo it?
Nope nope nope. They have the oddball 1.7 liter engine that isn't really related to anything else. Get thee to either the double wishbone older civics or grab an RSX/Si etc.
If you're not restricting yourself to hondas 2zz toyotas are always cheap. If you want a modern honda i'd at least start with a K-series honda and swap in something with a vtec head. Or get an 03-07 accord and find away for the tsx comptech supercharger to fit. The accord guys swap in the tsx manifold anyway. 
I have one. Not a great performance car, but it is an amazing commuter. d17 is 100% an economy engine. Suspension is not that fun. They are cheap for a reason. Hold out for an EK or DC integra. Similarly, an EP3 or RSX-S can be had for not much more; some even below challenge budget.
Are they better than the double wishbone ones? Not really.
The coupe (~2400lbs) is like 200lbs lighter than the hatchback, and 300lbs lighter than the RSX. It'd be a good place to start if you needed a home for a K24 out of an Accord or CR-V.
I drove an '01 in college. It was a decent economy car, but noting about it was performance oriented. The suspension bushings wear out quickly and there isn't much aftermarket support for the platform. The ep3 (si hatchback) was slightly more loved, and the RSX type s was a step above that.
In reply to red_stapler:
I really don't think that couple hundred pound weight difference is going to make much a difference. To be honest, if I had to do it over again, I'd be looking at 1st gen focuses.
I have a 2003 LX coupe 5speed I bought new in June 2003. Paid 13,900 for it which was cheaper than the certifieds on the lot.
We are up to 190k miles or so. Its been a great car that still serves daily duty for my wife. Ive replaced the timing belt twice, changed the oil every 5k, a few sets of tires, a few air filter and cabin filters, its on its third set of brake pads and second set of shoes. Around 150k I replaced all 4 shocks (Tokico Blues that were on sale) and front control arm bushings. The rest of the suspension is how Honda put it together. Around 170k I replaced the AC compressor because it was starting to rattle a bit. At 180k I replaced 2 motor mounts.
The car has served as me and my wife's intro to the world of AutoX, RallyX, and it was the track day teacher for 3 of us on our Chump team. We do put a set of 200tw tires on it for track days.
If I had a time machine, the only thing I would change would be buying a sedan instead of a coupe. My wife suggested a sedan but mid-20s Logdog wanted the cool coupe.
It has enough horsepower that we had a blast at every event we did with it. Plus it gets great gas mileage.
Have an 02 that got me through college. It did overheat once (which seems to be a common issue on the D17), but my brother caught in time and it hasn't overheated since then in 5+ years. The headgasket wasn't replaced and it seems fine, go figure guess I was lucky.
Did have to replace all the shocks around 170k. I would avoid the KYB GR2s for these cars, for some reason the rear of those shocks make the rear of the car sit a few inches higher than the original suspension did. I had a Honda dealer tech do the job so he knew what he was doing with the rear install.
If you have to have a 7th gen get an 04 or 05 and a manual, they seem to be better put together than the 01-02 model years. Build quality on my sister's 04 was much better than the 02 and has held up better.
McStruts < Double Wishbones
I worked in the service department of a Honda dealership when they came out. As a collective, they're a significant step back/down in reliability and quality from previous civics. They were always coming in for all sorts of little issues, and quality-wise they seemed to fall apart after about a year (seats and interior worn out, paint peeling, etc). I think as far as getting you from point A to point B they were still fine, no major engine or transmission issues that I recall, but they lacked the quality of previous Honda's.
Apparently you can get a K series motor in those using parts out of a 7th gen Civic Si, which used a K20.
MadScientistMatt wrote: Apparently you can get a K series motor in those using parts out of a 7th gen Civic Si, which used a K20.
Yep, and CRV or Accord K24s are relatively cheap.
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