[Kurt_W]

Like Shoden, I've had my fair share of Hondas at this point. 86, 89, 90, 91 CRXs, 92 Prelude, 2x 93 Civic hatchbacks...one was a Si (which I prefer) and the other was a CX (I still have this one, its modifed a bit...) They have all been great cars..some better then others but anyway...lean toward EX and Si trim levels as they have the most powerful engines. If you plan on doing an engine swap or something like that and can live with fewer goodies, the DX's and others are ok. I don't know what year your looking for, but if its 88-91 (4th gen), then you have 3 level options: STD (~70hp - barebones w/ 4 speed manual tranny), DX (92hp - still pretty bare), Si (108hp - sunroof, etc). With the 92-95 (5th gen) hatch, then you have 4 level options: CX (70hp - barebones), VX (92hp - some little goodies like alloy wheels), DX (102hp - seems to be the most common level), Si (125hp - sunroof, power mirrors, rear speakers, etc.) I'm not real knowledgeble of the 96-00 (6th gen) hatch, but I think it came in CX and DX forms, with no more then 108hp in the DX.

Primary issues to be aware of is rust, timing belt replacement (as Shoden said), rust, CV joints, rust, accidents and finally rust. Did I mention rust, its a major problem.

Parts are cheap and plentiful. 90-95 civics are becoming prevalent in junkyards. Many parts are interchangeble within the same generation, while some parts are also transferable between generations (particularly 5th and 6th gens.)

Expect to pay under $3000 for a decent 4th gen Si in original condition...you might also be able to find decent modifed ones for under $4000. 5th gen Si's go for $3500-5500 in good original condition while modified ones go for as much as $10,000. 6th gen hatchs are more expensive, but again, I'm not particularly aware of the details on them.

Good luck with whichever you pick, as they are all great cars. Cheap to own, easy and cheap to maintain, handle well even if they don't floor you with high power (though that can easily be fixed with $$.)