choice of vehicle sport compact or sport truck?

[username17]

This thread kinda belongs in the Sport Truck and Sport Compact forum, but I'll stick it in here.
I have a 2002 S10 Xtreme 4.3L V6, 5-Speed Manual, electric everything, stepside.
I have very simple and minimal visual modifications done to the front end.
http://username17.com/images/full-va.jpg

My first car was (and is) a 1990 Honda Civic DX.
I got this car, essentailly, for free from my father.
It had a 1.5L 4 Cylinder, 5-speed, no A/C, base BASE model.
I bought a 1989 Civic Si, moon roof, nice interior, etc, but it did not run.
My plan was to take the engine out of a 1987 CRX (wrecked, but ran) and stick it in the 89 Si.
As with most 10+ year old Civics, things started breaking, tranny (bearing was going out, when clutch was disenganged), the head gasket blew, then low oil pressure (long story, found source).
So right now I have the 1990 Civic with a bad engine in it and a known good engine from the 87 CRX.
My 1990 Civic died the day I got my S10 (died on the way to pick it up, I got a ride home in my new truck). So my father has since decided to keep the honda (financial details aside) and make it a daily driver.
I have had my truck for a year now and I like it a LOT.
No car or truck is perfect, but between the gas mileage and lack of traction (on my truck), I am looking (just looking) at alternatives.
I have my truck 90% paid off, so I am not looking to get back into debt.

If I decided to go with my Civic, I would need to rebuild it, generally spend a lot of time, money, and energy in the car. I could sell my truck for over 10k (hopefully) and invest a few grand into the car.
I would like more HP out of the civic, if I went that route, and I am totally out of the civic loop. I would like to hear any feedback from either side (truck or compact).
I guess I need to be told either shut up and keep your truck, or yah, civic is a good way to go.

Yes, I know, there is no replacement for displacement, but man the gas prices.
-Jason

P.S. Sorry if i rambled, just keep thinking of alternatives.

[incudose]

you can gain back some MPG in the truck with simple mods. i personally would love to have a compact just to drive everyday, its gonna be on my list this winter when im working. i say keep truck just cuz i like trucks. it sounds like its gonna take a bit to get that civic back going, but hey all depends on what kinda challenge you want. where are you from

[jjrambo]

dude keep the truck and get yourself a cheap as hell beater to drive daily for the gas issue. you will be kicking yourself in the ass if you get ride of the truck

[username17]

I'm in chesapeake.
Thing is, if I get a cheap car with a 4-banger, to drive daily, I'll want to mod it as well.

I only need one vehicle, if I got a beater, it would end up being my primary vehicle.
Gas mileage isn't that bad, but it's def more than the civic.

My dad still plans on switching the engines (already has the good engine out). He just has to take the bad one out of the 90 Civic, which is completely hooked up.

Gonna keep my truck for now, but I'm going to keep my eyes open.
It def comes in handy having a truck. I don't haul people anywhere, so it's not bad at all.
I need to put a bed cover on my truck, but there are some things I am going to do to the bed of my truck and they have to be done in a certain order.
That order being, shave tailgate handle and relocate, get Line-X, THEN a bed cover.

Thing is I don't want a tonneau (sp?) cover or a fiberglass cover, I want one of the rolling bed covers. I've looked around and because it's a stepside and all, $800.00 is the going rate.
All these things I want, just don't have the money, that's life.
-Jason

[oneslowcivic]

I'm a really big fan of the civics but if you've got a 2002?? almost paid off, shoooot pay that bad boy off and keep it! Gas prices don't seem so bad when you don't have a car payment!

[phigity]

if you wanna get some power out of your civic then you'll need to more then just drop in a 89 CRX motor. b16 or b18 are some good ones to start with. B16 will a lot cheaper. i'll point k20hatch in your direction and i'm sure he'll be able to help you out.

it all depends on what you want to drive. a car or truck. i'd say for 5-6k dumped in the civic you could get the engine, tranny, clutch, and turbo it with a decent kit. good luck and if you need more advice then you holla.

[rhenry01]

If you're complaining about gas prices you are either driving a million miles a year or your budget is small...... If the budget is small the pittiful little difference in gas is not going to be enough to allow you to maintain an older car.....keep the truck and keep your foot out of the gas all the time.

[04edge]

I myself am a civic owner and fan.....but hey, if you've already got a fat as* truck like that that is almost paid for...... then keep it. you might not relize it now but later after all is said and done and paid for.... when something breaks on that old honda....you will be sayin man, i should have kept the truck....so really think about it before you just jump into it

[username17]

The CRX engine is the 1600cc engine, isn't that the same as the b16?
I'm not up on all the terms, but the stock engine in both of my civics were 1500cc, the CRX engine is AFAIK a 1600cc. It's a crate engine that was installed, because the original blew.
I have the paperwork on the crate engine, doubt it was high performance, but it's newer. The engine has like 80k on it.
I feel what you're saying about the honda breaking, because the 90 Civic started breaking.

I think if I were to setup my Civic as I want, I would end up spending the cash equal to my truck.
I guess I'll just keep my truck and save for the mods.
I don't drive a lot, just between the gas mileage and traction, I was questioning the truck.
thanks,
-Jason

[dozer313]

the crx is probally a d series, if ur gonna mod a D, ur better off goin out and buyin a shotgun and shooting urself in the foot. its pointless. Having both a truck and a civic, i can speak from both sides and say that it was awsome having a truck cept the fact it held one other person. I didnt haul much but it did come in handy. Having a civic was great, i loved the handling and the room. it was a kickass car and im gonna be stayin in the sport compact family. But if you stay compact, dont do the crx engine. get a b16 or a b18 like phig said.

Overall i say keep the civic and set it up for autoX or whatever but it depends on what ur life is like. If you like speed, curves, and compacts then stick with the civic, but if you find urself hauling or know u will be hauling, then keep the truck.

[bigroy80]

dont do the crx just pay off the truck and keep it, if you say theres not much left on the payments then thats even more of a plus. the car will just give you problems and to get any performacne out of it youll have to spend 2-3 grand. then replacing parts that break will run up the bill aswell. and to make it handle aswell as previous post have said to do it the "right" way itll can run you up over a grand for quality setups. but as i said thats doin it the right way. you can always go on ebay and buy a set of coilovers for 100 bucks that stiffen the ride up to much and then your ride quality is horrible. its up to you though man. my opinion is stick with the truck rather than deal with the car