Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Civic is a custom car that comes with an odd tale as to its present ownership. Let’s see if its price will give that story a happy ending.
It’s interesting to note that Nissan’s halo car, the GT-R is also the oldest model in the company’s U.S. lineup. Introduced at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, it has been in production with only minor tweaks and updates ever since. Hell, not even the moldering 370Z has been around that long.
With that kind of longevity, you’d think the GT-R would be a lusted-after car, and it does admittedly have its fans. That being said, it hasn’t achieved the legendary desirability of say Porsche’s 911. It was that less-than-legendary status that affected opinions on the 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition we considered yesterday. Well, that and a replaced engine. Those factors, plus some minor aesthetic blemishes, really called into question the seller’s $88,000 asking price. So much so, that in the end, it fell in an 86 percent No Dice loss.
If a replacement engine negatively affected opinions on yesterday’s Nissan, I can’t fathom what you all will make of today’s 2001 Honda Civic.
It seems the seller doesn’t quite know what to make of the car either, since they describe it simply as a “Great car turbo” in the ad’s headline. It’s also provided there that the car has just 19,000 miles on the clock. The rest of the description is a bit of a mess with the car being described as a “2001 2012 honda accord” on the right rail and an odd tale of how the present owner came into the car’s possession in the main description. Obviously, the car’s customizations only add to the confusion.
According to the seller, the Civic was part of a package deal negotiated in the purchase of the workshop where the car is located. In the ad, it’s noted that the Honda comes with shaved doors operated by solenoid poppers, plus custom bodywork and lights (Mercedes C Class in the back and R32 Skyline in front) that totally transform the Civic’s appearance.
Under the big scoop on the hood lies a turbocharged engine and five-speed manual transmission. The seller claims the car drives but ominously cautions that it’s a project.
Inside, there are Sparco seats and a wheel, plus a custom center console. A forehead-scarring extra gauge has also been mounted to the A-pillar.
The work all looks to be reasonably well-done although it’s also showing its age in the cracked and fraying front bumper. Additionally, that offset and angled license plate mount set into the boot lid is pretty much an acquired taste.
Per the ad, the car comes with a clean title and, as noted, less than 20K under its belt. There are a lot of other questions about the car you might have and the seller is willing to answer them to the best of their ability. We can avoid some of those by simply reviewing this previous sale ad which shows the car in its prime and, strangely enough, with an automatic transmission.
Okay, enough with the mystery, let’s get down to brass tacks. You did bring the brass tacks, right? If not, we’ll just deal in dollars and the dollars asked for this custom Civic total up to a stack 10,500 bills high. It should be noted that even at that amount, the present owner claims to be in no hurry to sell.
What do you say, is $10,500 a fair price for this mystery machine? Or, is that crazy cash for a car with such a clouded past?
You decide!
St. Louis, Missouri, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Will Beebe for the hookup!
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