Just buy replica parts and you're good to go

 

^agreed mitch. reaper, i showed u pics of the 99gt i had. while it was fun, loud, fast, and eye catching, it was also harsh and brutal. didnt get good gas mileage, and the suspension is archaic. civics, besides the obvious lack of torque (naturally aspirated, mind you), are more refined. better fuel consumption, cheaper insurance, cheap aftermarket goodies, better handling, better longevity, better on tire and brake wear... i could go on and on. its really up to u man, but i feel ur plight. i sometimes miss rwd shenanigans, but theres just something soul stirring about dusting someones *** in an "econobox ricer car" when they are hitting a lick in a gay assed pushrod v8. /rant oh! and i know, 4.6 is sohc... not to sound more stupid than i actually am, i just hate all things pushrod. harleys, camaros, dodges.

 

RSX or S2000.

IMO the S2000 is more of a "chick" car in stock form, but both can be turned into an aggressive beast, hardtop alone changes the looks of everything.

I'm not a fan of the 350z's, not sure why, because I think the pearl white 370's w/sport rims are one of the best looking cars out there, only problem with them is the newer price tag

 

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you on most of your points (and please don't take offense to this, I'm just arguing my point).

-The interior of an EG/EK is not more refined than a new edge mustang interior
-My mustang has seen 32mpg on the highway; my civic, 34 at best. City, the civic wins by a large margin, but I'm actually kind of proud of an 18mpg mustang. Someone has to make up for those stupid prii.
-My insurance went down switching from my EG to the mustang, same exact coverage
-The aftermarket prices are equivalent; my problem is which brands I want are among the best in the market.
-Stock vs. stock, I'd feel safer around turns in my mustang. Civics are more nimble, but mustangs handle quite well for a factory suspension setup IMO, especially if an OEM rear sway bar is involved.
-Longevity will always be dependent on maintenance.
-Tire and break wear both depend on driving habits.

As far as ride quality and an archaic suspension, converting to macpherson strut up front with an IRS out back will take care of that. As far as torque, my mostly stock V6 already rivals most mild turbo D setups


At any rate, I'm leaning more towards option 1 the more I think about it. My debt will be lowest and I'll have a separate DD and pleasure car (a few months ago I priced it out. Listed as the civic being the DD, the mustang being a pleasure car my insurance went up by like $300/yr). Parking outside is my only concern, honestly. If I focus on the civic and get it "good enough" then turn my attention to the mustang I shouldn't have the problem of trying to modify two cars at once.

 

no offense taken, its simply a matter of opinion. my mustang had full exhaust, 3:73 gears, RAM HD clutch, CAI, intake mani, you name it. it was pretty bad on gas, prob 15 hwy and i dont even want to think about city. tracking down irs out from under a 99-04 cobra is not that easy. guys know what theyre worth, espescially with the cobra rear brakes still attached. honestly, the green civic i had last outperformed a gt v8 car in every way. mind you, the civic wasnt stock. i just cant stand the ride quality of a mustang. i hate how terribly american the (leather) interior is. the only two things i liked about my mustang were the exhaust note, and how the steeda triax shifter felt. best damn mustang shifter period. but, i understand man. def all a matter of opinion. im sure we can both find good and bad things about every car ever. hell, i wouldnt mind having a renault maxi 5 turbo (yugo boosted lol). i think the rsx looks the best of the bunch, and i really appreciate the k20 stock. s2k isnt my thing, nor is the 350z. i think it would be the most bang for ur buck to track down an LS swapped eg, and dump it. just my $.02

 

Stock mustang seats are for suckas. I have Tenzo R Rally seats right now which will be replaced with a Corbeau FX1 pro driver's seat (I'm a skinny **** so I'll fit perfectly in the pro seat) and a regular FX1 for the passenger's seat. I'm talking how the interior is designed, though. The civic dash/console is just so... meh. Out of all the dashboards I've seen in a non-exotic/non-luxury, the mustang dash has got to be one of my favorites (RSX is close though).

And the IRS brake-to-brake (meaning every single part down to the mounting hardware) usually goes for >$1,000 for a '99/'01 and right around $1,000 for an '03/'04. Using a coilover setup up front (which will effectively convert it to a MacPherson strut setup, the very same design the civic uses) means I can use a higher spring rate and still have better ride quality than the OEM setup.

Quick question. Anyone see an EG/EK with a DC5 dash swap yet? (no, seriously. I want to know what's involved. If I get a civic, it'll be a very real possibility.)

 

Dc5 <3

 

i call your bluff and say you dont have the ***** to get rid of the mustang and get a civic

 

I have the *****, I'm just not stupid. Going from a fully-loaded '01 mustang to a '92-'00 civic with half the torque, triple the mileage, and possibly no options is not a wise choice.

However, I am leaning heavily towards buying a civic for a second car. The biggest reason is I think my knock wasn't as serious as initially thought. I've noticed it only does it if I hop in the car and try to drive while the engine is trying to idle at 400rpm. If I let it warm up for a minute until the idle settles in at 650, I have no problems. I have a feeling simply switching to 0w20 oil would probably take care of the issue.

However, a base-model rsx might be an option instead of a civic

 

S2k is looking tempting again. I wants this:



I think what I'll do is rock the mustang through the winter and figure everything out when my tax returns come in. I might just get an s2k and keep the mustang depending on how much I'm getting back, though. Or maybe I'll fix the little things wrong with the 'stang and try to sell it privately next spring and get an s2k and civic or base model rsx.

And here's how I'm going to get around the $4500 for the Bulletproof hardtop:

Cusco 6pt cage. 98% for bling, but it's ballin' bling.