So first, the quick backstory on this purchase...
Our story begins early one Saturday morning last month. I've got the freshly washed RX7 packed, cooler full of drinks, ready to head off to another fun filled day of autocross. But as I turned the key, the battery had other plans - chug.....chug....click. Seeing as I was already running late and the battery was not easily accessible to jump start without shuffling the dead RX7 and several motorcycles around the garage, I made the swift decision to throw my stuff in the FRS, the reliable daily driver of the fleet that also can pinch hit at auto x duty, and take that instead.
Fast forward to later that morning, I'm entering the last complex of turns, a 180 degree left hand sweeper that leads immediately into another 90 degree left hander heading down to the finish, at the end of my second run, feeling like I was putting together a reasonably quick time and wanting to finish strong. Coming through that last turn I just got a little too greedy on the throttle, the back end stepped out and I managed to hold the slide for a brief moment before the ass end came around completely. The next thing I know I'm careening backwards, watching a concrete barrier approaching through the passenger window, the lizard brain running rudimentary time-speed-distance calculations. That was the distinct moment, a split second forever seared into memory, at which I realized I was berkeleyed.
It was a pretty solid impact, enough to blow the airbags. Fortunately I managed to come away unscathed, but I knew immediately the car was hurt pretty badly. Somehow I still managed to limp the poor Scion off course under its own power, since it didn't appear to be leaking any fluids, where we could wait for a tow truck without further impeding the racing But it was immediately apparent the car wouldn't be returning to the road anytime soon, or possibly ever. I wasn't terribly happy with myself at this point.
I got the FRS towed back home and decided it would just sit for a while until I figured out what to do with it long term, and focused for now on locating a suitable new DD on the cheap. Needless to say, crashing your car at a racing event where it is not covered by insurance is not an ideal move from a financial perspective. I combed through Marketplace and Craigslist indecisively for a few weeks, talking myself into or out of this or that, before this 06 Civic Si popped up:
I've always liked the 8th gen Si, a good friend of mine had one for a long time that left a positive impression, and for the price this one looked relatively clean and unmolested. 180k miles, R title from what the seller reported to be a very minor front end collision, some flaking paint. But here's the kicker, car was fresh out of Arizona - never saw a winter. I made arrangements to see it as soon as the seller and I could get together. The paint was a bit worse looking in person, definitely had a bad respray at some point in its life, but the front end damage looked to be really minor overall, nothing important bent or tweaked. A test drive revealed no issues shifting hard into second and third or other weird issues, just a bit of slop in the front end not unexpected for the miles. The undercarriage was as pristine as I've ever seen on a car of this age. I'm still amazed. We quickly agreed on $5200 and I was back the next day to pick it up.
Paint looks alright from 20', but the closer you look the worse it gets. Look at the orange peel and over spray on the trim. I'll have to do something about these bare primer spots before winter.
Over spray in engine bay, more evidence of bad respray.
Damage to front end, doesn't look like it was too bad.
That's a legit Mugen drywall screw right there - super rare JDM mod 
Interior is pretty mint. I've always liked the combination of materials Honda used in these seats, seem to hold up very well. Has a touch screen Carplay stereo, which is a feature I've quickly come to like.
Under hood shot
Though not perfect, overall I'm pretty pleased with the purchase. I've put about 300 miles on the car so far and it's been a treat. The K20 is a real gem of a motor, so eager, it just wants to go-go-go all the time. I can't drive this thing anywhere and not hit 8k at some point (and screaming "V-TAAAK!" at no one in particular.) The gearbox is typical Honda, just a joy to work, which is a good since it requires it so frequently. The whole car just has a certain busyness about it that makes it super engaging even just running errands around town.
Car has a few needs, compliance bushings in the front control arms are definitely bad, possibly tie rod ends and maybe a bushing here or there in the rear as well. Shocks and struts wouldn't hurt either, so first major project will definitely be going through the suspension. Really could use fresh motor mounts too, but that's about it so far, as best I can tell anyway. This being a Civic and all, and the massive aftermarket that entails, the urge to modify is definitely strong, so I'll be keeping an eye out for cheap speed parts too.
Though the circumstances that lead to its purchase were unfortunate, I'm actually looking forward to the ownership experience. Hoping I can eek out at least a few years of good service and hopefully have some fun with it along the way.
