I bought a thing! First car :D

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 02/14/2015 at 21:14 • Filed to: honda, new car, civic

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Here it is. My first car. By first car, I mean the first car I have bought, insured, and will register myself, under my name. Price paid? $545.75 all said and done. Here's what it looked like when I bought it.

1998 Honda Civic LX Sedan, canadian-spec. When I bought it it had no exhaust, no tail lights, and no battery. With the help of the guy who sold it I got a battery stuck in it and got the foggy headlights cleared up a bit, and he let me borrow some tail lights from another car. JayhawkJake got me the old exhaust from his Chevy Sonic RS which I will be chopping up and rearranging to fit under the Civic shortly. But here's what my $500 got me.

A short shifter connected to a nearly flawless transmission

Aftermarket headlamps that were wired up by an inept buffoon. Those aren't faux-projectors, either.

This badass stainless header

Ballin' seat covers that are actually really well-made and fitted.

Other goodies include a USDM gauge cluster with tachometer (shows 190k miles, car's actual mileage is around 250k), block heater, and a relatively new AC (canada cars dont have AC, it seems), a super hot heater, and all the wiring necessary to install an amp with the 50w 4channel Sony head unit with AUX JACK!

So far I've just driven it around a bit and given it a good wash at JayhawkJake's house. It drives pretty nice. The non-VTEC engine is gutless but the transmission shifts well and revving up to 7 grand is so much fun (though the lack of exhaust means it dumps right under the shifter and smoke wafts up through the shift boot at WOT). The ride is pretty good, and the fresh-ish Yokohama sport tires are pretty nice as well.

So, what mods will I be doing?

Well, I'd like to lower it one inch and get a VTEC D16 or a turbo (probably the former), and possibly some better wheels/tires. Other than that, I'm not gonna mess with it too much. The car is honestly in better nick than the Murdersofa, which I will continue to use to commute to school.

Have some more pictures.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:16

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The buick makes this look small.

CB > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:19

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So you now have two cars that are pretty much polar opposites of each other. Nice.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:22

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so if it's better than the murdersofa why keep the murdersofa?

SlickMcRick > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 02/14/2015 at 21:23

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Trust me that car is a lot smaller than you think. Fun though.

SlickMcRick > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:24

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CONGRATS! Soon you shall enter the temple of VTEC and be enshrined among the greats. It's rather addicting trust me. Also your car is very fun to toss around. My second car was a 97 LX auto but man did I have fun flooring it everywhere.

 V8 Rustler > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:26

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I'm jelly of you americans, you get cars very cheap. With that kind of money I bought a Chevy Citation with a friend(OKCARS).

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > SlickMcRick 02/14/2015 at 21:29

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A friend had a 94 hatch in green, what a tiny thing it was, it was also their DD for many years until some dickwad decided to back into it, totaling the car.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > SlickMcRick 02/14/2015 at 21:29

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Yeah, this manual is fantastic and its loads of fun getting better at driving manual on it.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:30

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That Honda is a homewrecker! How dare it come between you and the Murdersofa. On Valentine's Day no less!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 02/14/2015 at 21:30

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The murdersofa is my dad's car. He doesn't want me daily driving the civic because it's "too small to be safe" so I'll commute in the 'sofa since my trip to school takes place during rush hour.

SlickMcRick > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 02/14/2015 at 21:32

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I had a 92 Si hatch. Man that thing was fun and rather quick for what it was too. Still trying to find out why I got rid of it...Wait I sold it because I needed a sedan at the time.

SlickMcRick > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:33

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It's also remarkable on gas and repair prices are CHEAAAAAP

TheHondaBro > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:36

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Forget the exhaust pipe and make it come straight out of the manifold!

jkm7680 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:38

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Any plans to replace the headlights?

AJ Feldman (alecmets2011) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:39

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Steelies <3

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:40

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Craigslist be like "stainless steel header"

Pretty shitty one if it is rusting like that

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:40

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Fun anecdotal fact: I got rear ended at 70mph in my 96 civic. The car was tossed a few hundred feet and spun around once or twice, but I was (overall) fine whereas the larger wagon that hit me was obliterated.

That car saved my life.

GTI MkVII > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:41

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Congrats! My first car was a 97 DX coupe. No power or creature comforts to speak of, but damn was it fun and bulletproof. Here's what mine looked like after I did a few things to it and had it sitting how I liked it:

thedevilinside > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:42

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He let you do all those mods to his car? That's awesome!

Frank Grimes > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:46

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http://www.theoldone.com/articles/Larry…

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:46

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Not a bad buy, my second car was a Black 99 EX sedan. I loved that car, it was fast, and the girls I liked liked it. I once did 120 in the rain with 4 passengers. Ah to be young and stupid again.

Here it is the second day I had it with my First car

and later (don't worry those hideous taillights meet the mean end of a sledgehammer)

and what I wanted it to look like.

I loved it but when I found my 91 Civic hatch it had to go. Worth it.

Tohru > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 21:50

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Two months later...

pip bip - choose Corrour > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:19

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well done , not too shabby.

is it an air bag recall affected vehicle?

Wacko > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:36

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I had 2 civics both black hatchbacks, a 91 and a 97. I am a Canadian and all my cars also. a/c is not standard, but it was an option in canada. If I recall correctly the 97 had a plug or fake button covering up the hole for the button. My 97 was a cx, so no rear wiper, nor tach. I installed a tach under the heating contols.

dogisbadob > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:40

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nice blazer

dogisbadob > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:41

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ooo a murdered-out Buick

dogisbadob > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:41

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Congrats on the new car

Wacko > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/14/2015 at 22:46

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in a ice storm I was in a parking lot with my 97 civic hb going about 5mph, turned the wheel to get in my parking, but car didn't turn. I hit a dodge Dakota. My hood deflector had a scratch, but I destroyed his plastics under the bumper. Where the fog lights are.

Can't say it saved my life

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > TheHondaBro 02/14/2015 at 22:48

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Nah. The Murdersofa has kind of killed my enthusiasm for constantly-loud exhaust

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > jkm7680 02/14/2015 at 22:49

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Nah. They are unique and have a pretty strong cut-off. I'll keep them around and try to fix the halo lights.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/14/2015 at 22:51

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wow. Got any pictures of that?

jkm7680 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:51

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I'd suggest you check locally for the legality of blue xenon lights. I'm not too sure if they're frowned upon where you are.

Either way, the car looks fairly clean. I suggest that you give it a break in period to make sure that nothing else needs repairs before you start modifying it.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 22:56

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I do! On my old laptop which is somewhere stored...

For now just imagine a DX hatchback with the rear tires looking like they're standing on their tippy toes. And my hatch bent in at 135 degrees.

Funktheduck > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/14/2015 at 23:32

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Congrats

promoted by the color red > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/15/2015 at 00:38

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Welcome to the Honda club! The fact that you bought a 5MT Civic without Honda cancer that hasn't been stolen and burnt to the ground is an achievement in and of itself. Wire up a kill switch to the fuel line (the wires controlling it should run along the rear floor in the interior) and an ignition kill switch (ignition switch is wired through a kick panel under the dash) or you'll find it a few towns over missing a few key components.

Also, Ds can be built into pretty crazy monsters and people are only just starting to find out after riding the B-series' dick for the last 20 years, though the D17 that comes in the 2001-up Civic is NOT compatible. B18B swaps from the non-VTEC Integras are about the same price and they've got usable low-end power too.

Still, if you ever want to enter the temple of VTEC the right way - twin cams screaming into the stratosphere - you gotta get a B16A or B18C swap. It's pretty easy, though you'll have to wire in VTEC. If you're really insane, you can swap in a K-series from an RSX - hard, but power AND torque is never bad, right?

Kat Callahan > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/15/2015 at 10:54

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JDM that shit OUT.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Kat Callahan 02/15/2015 at 11:24

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You should ship me a mad JDM iVTEC engine ;)

Kat Callahan > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/15/2015 at 11:28

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Get me the cash, and then we can overnight you parts from Japan, and get you ready for race wars.

MonkeePuzzle > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/16/2015 at 11:31

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canadian LX is confusing, US LX means power everything with no VTEC (ex gets power windows AND vtec)

MonkeePuzzle > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/16/2015 at 11:34

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well you had to know I would approve of an 6th gen civic purchase. and that's well more than $550 worth of straight body and running car you have there, a mighty good pickup.

mcseanerson > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/17/2015 at 17:23

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Your dad's brain probably would have exploded at the sight of my CRX with a passenger seat restrained by a ratchet strap.