Get the DelSol VTEC. Sounds like a fun, economical, and unique car. Drive it around for two or three years and then sell it for darn near what you paid for it. In the meantime, keep saving up your money for an even nicer car, a house, paying off student loans, or whatever else is important to you.

Andrew

 

Del sol all the way. I used to own one, put about 100K on her too! The roof will rattle, and sometimes will leak. But you cant beat getting 30+ mpg (we are talking high 30's too b/c of the low weight) and the ability to drop the top. There is plenty of space in the del sol, much more so than the s2000 believe it or not. The car will be reliable. Just make sure the timing belt was done and the breaks/tires are in good shape. Also, you may want to have the cv joints checked.

Save up some more dough and get a really nice car later. Also, you may want to put that 7K in savings or a cd. Then take out a loan for 6K from the bank and pay it back. This will help your credit.

Bobby

 

Neither.

The Del Sol is a hairdressers car -- the Civic too much money to be spending at this point.

Stick with what you have for winter driving, buy a toy car for nice weather. Miatas can be had for around 7 grand and are a much better platform to start with than a FWD civic with a leaky roof.

 

Well then, I'd better start looking for a new job! ...I'm not all that good with a curling iron, though.

It's funny you make a comment like that, Steve. I remember when people would make the comment that Vettes were for impotent 60 year old guys with open shirts and gold chains.

For the record, I have 110,000 on mine and the roof has never leaked. I am sure many people have had leaks, as with any removable roof that can be the case.

As for the high-30's mpg....not with the VTEC. Baby it or hit redline at every shift and you're talking 27 to 28 mpg. I'd believe high 30's in the 108 HP del Sol S.

 

Keep your DX and run it till it breaks down. Don't bother with either Sol or Civic. Save your money and buy a really nice new car when you're ready. If you didn't already have a decent car, then I would suggest the Civic. However, seeing that you have a bullet proof car, there's really no reason to change unless you're planning on a really big upgrade (TL, G35, 3 Series, etc). Better yet, save your money for a DP on a nice house, townhouse or condo.

 

^ Now there's thinkin'.

With a new place in NY, that thing will go up in value, and you can finance an even better car that way.

 

First of all I'd like to thank most of you guys for giving me honest advice, and I'm also glad s2ki has an Ignore feature for the tiny minority with reading comprehension difficulty or lack of decent manners.

My mother has a 93 Sol S so I'm familiar with the size of the trunk and everything else. I'm still worried, though perhaps I might be less so if I just cleaned my current trunk. That car's roof is more of an umbrella, meaning my knee gets soaked if I drive it in the rain. Granted, the car I'm thinking about is a 97 and should be better.

I DON'T want to keep the DX until it dies. While I can drive without a tach I'd be happier with one, not to mention power windows and a quicker steering ratio with less play in it. I had to replace the exhaust pipe my first week in this new job and it pissed me off no end to have to spend 200$ on that car. I want something better and will get it, but not a jump straight to a G35 coupe, which is sexy as anything but not near Honda reliability from what I've been reading. Nothing wrong with a stepping stone between the 4000$ car and the 40000$ car...

I'm also not in a BAD situation financially. I'm not comfortable with locking myself to a payment but that doesn't mean I'm not making much... after taxes (and I got extra withholding) I pull in about a grand per week, so I don't think this is a stupid idea.

I don't want the responsibility of a house yet. Too many taxes and too much upkeep. I like where I'm living now and it's CHEAP. I will move in a few years and get a house. Meanwhile, I want a car I don't hate and can keep for a decade or so so I can get a toy car later on and not need to worry. Anyway I guess I'll see what happens with the Sol. If someone else gets to it first or it's not in good condition I'll pass and get the new one unless another good used fun Honda comes along. Thanks again everyone, I'll keep you updated!

Either way I'll be hanging out here. I can't stand the Civic forums.

 

The leaky roof was only an issue on '93 and some '94 models. Part way through the '94 model year, Honda changed the seals. The '97 won't leak. As for the rattle, it can be eliminated with Shin Etsu grease on the top's rubber seals. Once every 3-4 months is all it takes.

One more small detail: The del Sol is more "convertible" than "targa" because the back window rolls down. Every true targa on the market has a fixed, non-movable, non-removable rear window. The del Sol has a much better "open-air" feel than a true targa.

I loved my '95, and I miss it sometimes. It was a blast to drive, and nothing beats the look on people's faces when they think they're going to blow right past you, and they end up getting owned instead. Having said that, if I could do it over again, I'd have to agree with Steve. I'd get a Miata and slap the obligatory turbo onto it.

 

get the del sol (if its indeed the VTEC trim)

you can always get the new Si later down the road, but a nice del sol VTEC is hard to come by

 

Just get a last-gen Si. You can drive it until you really have the money for something really nice. It's got decent power, decent room, good reliability, a good shifter, nice seats, and while it's not the best looking, it can still be improved significantly with bigger wheels/tires and a drop.

Get the 2003 Si for cheap. They could be bought for $15K+ttl new, so they can't be THAT expensive now. I would imagine you can buy them for $10K all day long, maybe less.

The del Sol is getting old (literally, not that it couldn't be fun to drive). The new Si is going to cost you too much. The older Si (EP3?) is just the ticket for a young guy newly out of school.