Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Civic Si is old school and appreciably unmodified. Could that be reason enough to mod your bank account for its purchase?
There has been a spate of folding screen phones recently introduced on the market, representing a solution to a problem that really doesn’t exist. Who is the audience for these fat folders? Hell if I know. Maybe the phone makers are in cahoots with the cargo pants conglomerate and are attempting to bring giant pockets back into fashion.
A similar question of marketability in a fast-changing environment can be lain at the tires of the BMW 18, a gas/electric hybrid lacking both the range and the performance of newer competition. The 2014 BMW i8 we looked at yesterday had one thing going for it which was futuristic good looks. It’s $64,750 asking price proved however, that looks will only get you so far in this town, as that represents a precipitous drop from its $140K starting point.
That’s obviously a warning that the basement hasn’t yet been reached, but that didn’t stop a narrow 52 percent of you from voting the car a Nice Price win. I guess being good looking does have its perks.
Speaking of good lookers, let’s all gaze in wide wonder at the joy we have found. This 1999 Honda Civic Si—by all accounts and as presented in the pics in its ad—is wonderfully stock. That’s amazing. I mean, when was the last time you saw an old school Si not rocking a fart can, a slammed suspension, o r some Mensa member behind the wheel, the vape mist curling under his flat-brimmed cap?
It’s so factory in fact that the seller says he ripped out an aftermarket stereo added prior to his ownership, and replaced it with a Honda head out of an Odyssey. I’d say that’s close enough and give him an A for the effort.
The seller’s story is that he once had one of these, in the same color, back when he was in school. It got boosted, and in a fit of passive aggression toward the thief he tracked down and procured that original car’s doppelgänger. Revenge being his, he now what’s to sell it because he has a new conquest in sight.
That’s a good thing for the rest of us, as it frees up this Electron Blue Pearl Si for yet another appreciative fan. Rocking a modest 122,000 miles on the clock, this EM1 does show some war wounds, however overall it’s in pretty tight shape. The seller is kind enough to document the worst of the blemishes in the ad.
Those include some apron scrapes on the front lip, and some scuffing on the bumper caps. Those aside, the paint looks terrific, and the factory alloys appear to be completely un-marred down below. There’s a huge wing out back which could have been dealer-installed when new. Below that is a wonderfully proportioned chrome exhaust tip.
The interior presents in similar fashion, with clean cloth upholstery and carpet mats. There’s a five-speed shifter in between with faux leather stitching molded into its plastic knob. Above that, there’s an 8,000rpm redline on the tach..
That’s an important feature of the EM1 as under its hood sits a 1.6-litre B16A2 DOHC four. With its VTEC valve timing that little mill pumps out 160 horsepower and can rev to the heavens with just a tap of the toe.
Now, to be honest all the fun happens up in those higher revs, but it’s not like you have to get out and push to get it off the line. The timing belt was done at 93K so the engine should be safe to rev with abandon too.
The rest of the car seems to be in excellent if not museum quality shape. The undercarriage is clean with minimal surface rust on its kibbles and bits. What looks to be aftermarket shocks hold up their end of the bargain out back, but there’s no mention of updates on either end in the ad. What is mentioned is that the door locks don’t work consistently and hence the old school key in the lock move is the preferred method for access. I imagine that couldn’t be all that hard to fix.
The title is clean and the car is located in Phoenix which isn’t that hot this time of year so you could even enjoy going out for a look. The asking is something we’re going to have to look at right now. That’s $9,999 and for full transparency, it should be noted that the seller offered the car on eBay at that price and didn’t seem to get so much as a nibble.
Do you see an obvious reason for that? Is this factory Si worth that $9,999 asking? If not, where should it find favor?
You decide!
Los Angeles, CA Craigslist (although the car is in Phoenix, AZ) or go here if the ad disappears.
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