Just Got my First Car, What to do?
 

Hi i just bought my first car, it's a 1997 honda civic si coupe(Automatic)
im wondering if what upgrade should i do first? i want it to sound diff from stock pipe im not aiming for super loud fart cans, just deep enough that it sounds good, it will be my daily driver going to school/work. can anyone recommend a good exhaust? and planning to give it a stance look. so mybe coilovers? it is my first car and i know little about cars just basic maintenance like changing oil, changing tires, checking oil levels and stuff but not enough to do engine swaps and such. any help would be appreciated thanks!

Now you get your first ticket, joking aside.

I would change all fluids first

How old are you? Then we can better judge how you should modify your car.

High school? - big subwoofers and fart can on steel wheels
Young adult? - slam on ebay coilovers and xxr wheels
Actual adult? - replace fluid, suspension bushings, oem lip kit and manual swap

im going to college im 22. i just want a nice cruiser with a clean look :)

my advice is don't change anything and save your money (except for general maintenance of course)

Automatic + exhausts :heckno:

Sounds like you want an intake to make it sound a little throatier. Honda Civic Si Air Intake Systems - Performance Air Intakes Try that before doing exhaust.

If you want real stance, then yes, coilovers. Don't cheap out.

Enjoy your first ride!

just get it a full tune up and it will be good daily driver.

It's your first car and it's an auto. Chances are you'll want to move onto something else shortly. I completely agree with nma, don't do anything to the car and save your money. Then when you get the car you really want, you'll have money to do whatever mods you want to.

thanks for the feedback guys, yeah i dont want a race car i just want a reliable but cool looking car. i just did a full fluid flush and replacement. next stop is air intake!! hahaha

Keep it stock for a couple months and set aside some cash for any emergency repairs that might pop up while you're still getting used to the car. It's also easier to sort out what you want for the car once you've had a little bit of time to decide what you like and don't like.

I'd put the money into tuning it up, replacing all the fluids and changing the tires to put it as close to its stock form as possible.

Putting an exhaust on a 17 year old car to me is not a good idea. It will help you find rattles and it drones on a 4 banger on the highway. The problems are more pronounced if you want harder exhaust hanger bushing. Oh and rusty bolts are never fun to take off yourself.

As for coilovers and a stance look? well it's a matter of taste but personally I would not do it. Maybe I'm getting old, but a harsh ride is not what I'm looking for anymore in a daily driver. It gets fatiguing when you feel every bump on the road especially in a lightweight civic.

anyone had this before?
 

Lowering coilovers for 88-00 Civic, Prelude, 90-01 Integra & Accord
im wondering if they are any good? ebay ones are really bouncy i heard

Honestly if you want to make some adjustments to your car, I'd just do suspension and wheels/tires. Those upgrades make your car safer, making it handle quite a bit better, allow you to stop faster, etc.. PLEASE don't waste your money on your exhaust or intake. The exhaust will make your car sound like shit 99% of the time(especially on an automatic), and the intake will add loud sounds with no other benefit. If that's what you're in to by all means, but if you want to make an actual difference in how your car looks and added benefits for your $$, buy a decent set of suspension parts and tires.

Look around on craigslist and this forum and you will find tonnes of wheels / suspension parts for a reasonable price. Research what brands are reliable, the last thing you want is to get some cheap ass product that will break in a few weeks. Not only is that a pain in the ass, but it may be dangerous as it could happen while you're driving. I cheaped out with tires once, NEVER again.

Do whatever you want to your own car just make sure it is safe to drive on the road, for the sake of other road users.
Repair what needs to be repaired and then mod it however you wish to do so. Keep in mind, with a car like this you will never get your money back out of it when you sell so if I were in your shoes I would be using second hand parts or very inexpensive parts to get what you are wanting.

Altezza tail lights
Angled single exit exhaust
Vinyl black on front hood and roof
Little circle blind spot mirrors










Notsrs

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:pokerface:

as someone has said earlier, an automatic civic is something you'll most likely move away from very very soon.

learn to maintain the car and learn how to make it work to the intention that it was supposed to. civics are well made and if in stock condition, the chances of anything going wrong is very minimal.

there are a few things that contradict that you have said. you'd said that you want a nice cruiser, but you say you want to stance it out. stancing it out would mean a few things, sacrificing ride quality, decreasing the life of your tires, and increasing the likelihood of getting a VI, which then leads to inspection, and wondering if it will fail etc.

the stock suspension is very comfortable as it is, i always love taking speedbumps without slowing down with the late 90s civics/acuras. if you add wheels, it may look slightly out of place. so let's say you want to drop it a bit with lowering springs. you can buy springs for only $150, but you should also think about the associated costs such as what happens if i blow my struts, etc.

exhaust. don't do it. there's nothing worse than an automatic civic with an aftermarket exhaust of any kind. slap on an intake. don't buy new piping. you'll probably find the piping from some junkyard car for super cheap, then get a filter. louder vtec is always more fun.

keep this in mind always when you want to mod it: it's not a show car, it's a daily driver. good luck!

beat me to it. change to 5 speed! :p


but really.. the first thing I do is oil change, brake check, fluid check, then FULL detail... spray nine the shit out of everything ya never know how many boogers and sex stains are in the car.

yup finished replacing all the fluids a day after i bought the car, so far its been good to me no weird noises or break downs. i have a problem tho its a minor thing but the right power mirror works but the left(driver) mirrors doesnt, i went to the junk yard and tried another power mirror and it didnt work but when i plugged it on the other side it worked fine so it wasnt the motor inside the mirror thats broken so i went to replace the switch, beside the moonroof control and still only the right side works. what could be the problem?

Could be the wiring

:heckno:

https://mulengafiseko.files.wordpres...ckno.png?w=580

http://i.imgur.com/0vSOp91.png

multimeter is your best friend along with the wiring diagram for the mirror circuit. is there a control box for it?

Check the wires in the door they should be in a boot (like the picture)... its common for them to break from the door opening and closing

http://www.denlorstools.com/autoblog...oor_Wiring.jpg

Don't upgrade, spend the money on autocross or a high performance driving school.

-Dave