Learn me about Del Sol's. I found a 93 si for sale locally. I've had a Civic before and know most of the nuts and bolts. I have read the targa top can get leaky sometimes and the chassis might be a tad floppy. I love my Escort but this might be a little more fun to drive and it has decent trunk space. This would be a daily driver and maybe one track day in the future. I'm on the road for work everyday so I need something fun to drive!
They are 200 lbs or so heavier than a coupe or sedan and 300 lbs or so more than a hatch, and as you mentioned, not as stiff. Other than that, they are late century civics with the biggest parts bin in the universe to riffle through.. I think they are great looking little bugs, too bad the motor is not where it looks like it is!
More girly than a Miata.
Shawn
Rattles from the T-tops & waterleaks were the bugaboo from the get go. There were TSBs on both issues though of limited help. Other than that, nice little mid-nineties Civics
I auto-Xed a friends 'Sol V-tec on 15" azenis in otherwise stock trim, and it was Awesome! We killed a pretty competitive STS2 class(local club in ME) that day. I can't remember if that one had the Targa top or not though.
Any way, if you can deal with the leaks, current or future, the lack of power(because of the extra weight) can be easily overcome by a plethora of engine swaps down the road while enjoying topless motoring now.
There is even a guy in Canada that built a twin power 'Sol:
A lot if crappy Honda fanboy E36 M3, but some great tech/pics/garage engineering
Good: Its a Honda. Spiritual (if heavy) successor to the CRX.
Bad: Owner demographic is not one that I would personally want to be grouped with. Said demographic has already trashed 95% of them. Pricy for what they are.
Ugly: Take a look at the typical condition of a used Del Sol for the ugly.
I thought the grasshopper-green Del Sol was cool when it came out. They have gotten exponentially worse on a per-owner basis since then, and most of them will have about five previous owners by now.
I know someone that has a nice black one as a daily driver, He says is nice, but its pretty slow, and people want to race him all the time. lol
Wasn't there a GRM article on these a few years back?
What I remember of that was that the Si wasn't the top-dog car, as it only had a SOHC VTEC motor, and that there was a "VTEC" trim level that had a DOHC VTEC motor.
I think they're definitely more a looks car than anything else though I'm not a big Honda person, so take that as you will.
I've never been a big fan of the styling or the inflated price compared to a Civic of the same age.
I tried my hand a throwing a turbo Del Sol around an autocross event a few years ago.
It had wicked understeer and I remember not liking the cramped interior either.
So to sum it up: It's sorta like a Miata, except not as good and more expensive. 
Tyler H wrote: So to sum it up: It's sorta like a Miata, except not as good and more expensive.
Except it has V-T3CK!!!, y0!!!!
I owned a '93 "slimer green" Si. Seemed slower than my '91 DX hatch. Tons of cowl shake with the top off. I didn't have any problems with leaks and the targa top was pretty cool at the time. Though it eats up a good chunk of the trunk space when stowed. Honestly though, you're better off buying a Miata. Most anything 90's Honda is going to be pretty beat. The prices for the car and the insurance are jacked up by the ricer tax. The Del Sol doesn't handle very well in stock form compared to a stock Miata. Aside from nostalgia, I can't think of many good reasons to consider Del Sol when there are better cars out there for the same money. 
Ah, but they do have some pretty nice seats, I was always on the hunt for a set in the civic. They give a couple of inches of head room for us tall guys and hold you in a bit better.
I always thought they had a little more leg room than a Miata.
I went to an ice race last year and there were a bunch of them there. I couldn't explain it.
InigoMontoya wrote: Ah, but they do have some pretty nice seats, I was always on the hunt for a set in the civic. They give a couple of inches of head room for us tall guys and hold you in a bit better.
this
I have a set in my 99 Civic Si. Killer seats, indeed.
Criticized for excess weight and a flexy chassis, but otherwise, it's a mid-90's Honda. If it isn't rusty and you don't mind only having 2 seats, there's not much that could be a problem.
They also look lovely when lowered on a nice set of 15's. 
Woody wrote: I always thought they had a little more leg room than a Miata. I went to an ice race last year and there were a bunch of them there. I couldn't explain it.
Did they have the targa top off?
When i was a kid, Honda friends always called em the "Del Slow". Thats all i got...
My mom has a '94 she has owned since '97. Overall it's been great. She's approaching 200k with it. No leaks that I've heard about. The chassis is flexy, but not anymore so than other convertibles of that time.
Hers is a plain jane S model. It's not terribly fast but it offers 34-36mpg on the highway. Since my mom has a 60 mile round trip commute, that's nice.
I looked for on several years ago and I found that most had been poorly modified.
Dunno about good and bad, but here's ugly covered for ya:
I have sorta been looking at a Del Sol for my daughter, but she needs to be able to fit a cello case in the passenger seat.
And, of course, it has to be automatic...which rules out any fun for me.
theres a nice one that follows me to work almost everyday. He blows right past me everytime, i give chase. Has a big "Mr Clean" sticker in the back window...
A friend of mine has one and loves it. She's had it since it was a year old and is the second owner. The car is bone stock and will likely remain that way... (she and her husband have classic Mini's to play with). She's never mentioned anything about the roof leaking. They love the huge trunk for hauling cases of wine back from Watkins Glen...
I see a fair number around here... most are stock... kinda rare to see one that's been butchered... there's one for sale near my work in NJ, although I've had no desire to look at it beyond curiosity.
thatsnowinnebago wrote:Woody wrote: I always thought they had a little more leg room than a Miata. I went to an ice race last year and there were a bunch of them there. I couldn't explain it.Did they have the targa top off?
I don't remember, but I don't think so.
It's depressing that they aren't mid engined. They really look like they are/should be.
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