Whatsup guys. I finally sold my 00 Honda Civic Si today. I ended up getting $20,000 for it, so that, combined with the little bit I have saved in the bank, means I am in the market for a 02 C-coupe! I have a couple of questions first though:

1. What are the most common performance mods people start out with (with honda's its usually intake, exhaust, and header, then people move up to bigger stuff like turbos and superchargers).

2.Seems after browsing the forums, everyone is putting 18's on their ccoupes, are 19's to big??

3. Have there been any known problems with the 02 c coupes?? Any service bulletins or recalls?

4. How are the mb dealerships attitudes towards people tuning their vehicles?? Are they quick to void warranties? Or is it more of a don't ask don't tell (honda was really cool with me about modding my car, in fact the service manager would occasionally ask me for recommendations on parts).

Thanks in advance.
I'm looking at the c coupe, along with used audi s4's, and used bmw 330's. I like the c coupe a lot though because of its small size, and mb warranty coverage.

Btw, if anyone is interested, this is what i just sold:


More pics can be had at my sponsors site here: http://www.eminentautosports.com/Pics.htm

*edit* One more thing I forgot to add, Does anyone know of any reputable MB Tuners close to the Philadelphia area??

 

There are other members much more knowledgable on the subject but all I can say after looking at your mod list for your SI....Similar modifications for the 230 are about twice as much if not more. So if you plan on getting (which I highly recomend) and are looking to do a whole load of modifications its gonna cost you a pretty penny.

By the way you might wanna also check out the WRX's or RSX's if your really into mods. The 230 is a way better car though.

 

Having both a Honda ('90 crx) and a ccoupe, if modding is your thing, I personally would move on to another car. If you can deal with not having a sunroof, a tacky interior, and its headlights, a WRX is a better deal, and much more moddable.

All mods for the ccoupe are very expensive, and tend to focus on beefing up the supercharger. One thing that you can't change much is the weight of the car, it's a real pig.

19's are too heavy for a car that already needs Jenny Craig, and I can't imagine driving them on PennDot-approved roads. An 18" staggered setup is plenty.

Philly is pretty crappy for shops, ain't it? I didn't get into cars until I left Doylestown, but go back often, and still can't find a good shop once I cross the state line. For European cars, Autoadditions ain't too bad - they have a small satellite shop in Manyunk (sp?) - their main shop is in Allentown.

You definitely would want a '02 instead of an '03, though. With the new engine, it'll be a good while until mods are plentiful, and I'd assume that you wouldn't care much about the refined nature of the new engine vs. the wider powerband of the '02.

MB tends to frown on mods; you certainly won't get the kind of relationship that you had with your Honda dealer. As far as issues, the fuel sender tends to die, and there have been several members with problems with their roller blinds on their sunrooves (but I'd still get one). If you read Buell's posts, it sounds like these cars practically fall apart once you drive them off the lot, but I think that they are about average in reliability.

If the Civic Type R were being sold over here, I'd tell you that it's a no-brainer (though people are already swapping in the RSX Type S engine without much problem). Not trying to dissuade you, but thought I'd put down some honest opinions.

BTW, from where did you get the cf hood? I'm looking at one for my crx, and Fiberimages seems to be the one to get. Is that what you got? Personally, I would have had a hard time selling that Si.

 

Actually performance mods are not that expensive if you look in the right places. For exampe a $350 pulley from ASP Racing will give you a good boost in performance that I don't believe you can get for the same money on a Honda. I got 197hp/214 ft-lbs of torque at the rear wheels. Wheels are about the same price I would imagine. Body kits can be more expensive but there are some cheap ones out there. Any German car is not going to be as reliable as a Honda. MB dealers are more oblivious to mods because most customers don't mod their cars like on Hondas.

Good luck with your choices.

 

I agree with most of the points that tommy made. From your Civic it's obvious you love to do tons of mods - this could get expensive fast with a MB. If you think you want to seriously mod another car, I'd suggest another brand - if you wanted to stay German you should probably consider a VW or Audi, these seem to have more modding potential than either BMW or MB. Although, if you're tired of constantly modding the car and just want a sweet ride with only a few performance mods then I'd recommend the Merc.

Point by point:
1. engine mods: an alloy pulley should get you about 30-40 hp, chip (maybe about 10 more - but only if you have a pulley, chips alone aren't worth that much), new intercooler (not quite available yet) maybe 20 hp. These will cost around $1.5 - $2G minimum. I don't know as much regarding exterior mods, but they'll be considerably more expensive than your Honda's

2. 17s or 18s are right for the Coupe - 19s will fit, but as tommy mentioned - at the price of reduced performance due to the increase in unsprung weight

3. 2002 Coupes seem to be as reliable as most cars out there, there are a number of people on this forum who have had serious trouble but I don't think that's representative of the whole; most of the service bulletins have been for minor problems, although I think there was one major problem with early W203s having fuel pump issues.

4. I think it depends on the dealer - from what I've seen here, some don't care about mods while others wouldn't hesitate to void you're warranty; although in general I don't think you'll have as good a relationship as you did with your Honda dealer.

Good luck, BT

 

Nice Civic SI you had there. If you're planning on doing similar mods to a C-Coupe, or most other Benzs for that matter, the other people are right about it's cost. It will cost you more than your last car, and some of the jobs may have to be custom-done. If you can obtain the proper parts, however, it can become a great and fun car to drive.

I don't regret getting a C-coupe over its Japanese competitors (RSX-S and Eclipse GT). Although it's not built to race or mod, I think you can make a great show-level car out of it if done correctly.

Good luck on making your decision.

 

yeah the C230 is a sweet car. But not always easy to mod. Its been out about a year and there are not many performance mods out yet. Look at the ITG filter that Buell got. It had to be custom made. With a civic 1 months after the cars debut there are turbo's, intakes, exhaust systems and all sort of other mods availble and alot cheaper. Have you ever though about Audi TT. If you get the 225hp version you can boost the HP by 40 and the torque by around 90 just by using a $599 chip. Then add and exhaust for faster spoolup time on turbos and you will run a low to mid 5 sec 0-60

 

You can't compare the coupe to the Audi TT, different types of cars, different price range. You say you can increase HP by 40 with a chip for $599 but on the coupe you can certainly get an Upsolute chip for $400 and an ASP pulley for $350 and be over the 40hp number, albeit for $150 more. Besides, you are starting off with a higher HP/Torque car than a TT or a Civic so when you add 40hp more you will still be higher.

 

Go to Audiworld and look at the TT Forum.

They mod the heck out of the 225 TT with more hp, new exhausts, wheels, brakes, suspension, and interior. There is even a Stage 3 that will get you over 320 hp.

If you like mods and enjoy talking about them and love the tech talk, you will enjoy the TT forum

With a TT, you get a great interior, plenty of room for two, with the coupe you have plenty of luggage room in back and you get AWD.

It's more fun and faster and better clutch than the C230, it has a sportier ride (will swallow bumps but not as comfy as the C230) and did I mention it's more fun! You will spend about $38k for the 225 6 spd, loaded after discounts

The C230k has an awesome AC, though.

 

just curious how dod u get 20,000 for your si? how much was that new? i see a body kit and a carbon fiber hood. and a cupple other mods. but it does not look like u have a supercharger or turbocharger? do u? And its kinda hard to compare the coupe VS. S4. but all the cars u posted are all good. Personally i like the coupe the best.

 

Whatsup guys, I am finally back from my 6 day stint in jamaica. Thanks for all the comments thus far pertaining to my questions. I think "Trench" nailed it right on the head though - "if you're tired of constantly modding the car and just want a sweet ride with only a few performance mods then I'd recommend the Merc.
". That is definitely the point i'm at right now. I could go out and get an rsx or a wrx tommorow no problem, but I want something more luxurious and refined. If I do decided to go with the c-coupe, I don't plan on modifying it nearly as much as I modded the civic. I'll most likely just give it a small drop, throw some wheels on it, and maybe a performance mod or two, and be done with it.

BlackC230Coupe - Honestly, I don't know how i got 20k for my si!! My friends and family were amazed. It was a 2000, and it was bought brand new for 17,000. When I sold it last week it had about 50k miles on it, and the blue book was about $13k. I just figured, $13k + $8k in mods = $21k. A bit far fetched, but I threw it up on autotrader with a price of 20, and had 2 calls that same night. About 3 days later, another kid called, said he wanted to buy it, came down from New Jersey last weekend on Sunday to look at the car, left (didn't even test drive it), and called me about 2 hours later offering me 17 cash. I stuck to my guns and said 20, and he said he would buy it for 20. So last monday he came down and bought it. I sold it to a 16 year old who doesn't know how to drive stick, and only has a learners permit (just turned 16, no drivers license). His brother had to drive the car back to NJ for him. So basically how did I sell it for 20? I found a rich kid in NJ!!

Tommorow I"m goin to go test drive a bunch of cars, but I think in the end i'm gonna go with the ccoupe. Only problem is i'm having one hell of a time finding one with a manual trans in pa. I did manage to track one down in Rhode(sp?) Island, but that will be a last resort.

 

Good choice! I was gonna suggest the WRX which a friend of mine got and is modding the heck out of - it's a BLAST to drive. But reading your last reply, we'll all agree: Dude - you're getting a Benz!
Rhode Island is correct, but remember - it's a Road, not an Island