At $23,000, Would You Pocket This 2000 Honda Civic Si Rocket?

While it's hard to consider any car as ubiquitous as Honda's Civic to be a cult classic, that's just what today's Nice Price or No Dice EM1 Si has been crowned to be. That honor comes, however, at a substantial price. Let's see if it's worth every penny.

Toyota's performance parts division is called TRD, or Toyota Racing Division. I've long hoped the company would debut an extension of this group, focusing on its highest-performance parts. To set it apart from the lower echelon, plebeian parts purveyor, they could call it Toyota Ultimate Racing Development (TURD). I guess I'll just have to keep waiting for TURD to drop.

The 2002 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 pickup we considered yesterday was equipped with the TRD off-road package. That's comprised of some heavier suspension pieces, Bilstein shocks, and a locking rear diff for improved performance off the beaten path. None of that, however, nor the truck's low mileage and decent condition, could sway the majority of you to look favorably on the seller's $13,800 set asking price. As a result, we saw it fall in a narrow 56% 'No Dice' loss.

Today, we're going to stick with Japan as our country of origin and red as our color of choice. That, however, is where the similarities between yesterday's Toyota Tacoma and today's 2000 Honda Civic Si 'EM1' start and end. Well, to be fair, both manufacturers have a reputation for high-quality engineering and building, so we have that connection as well.

Honda reintroduced the sport-oriented Si model to the U.S. market in 1999, and in doing so, created a legend. Today, these cars are coveted by enthusiasts, so much so that it's now challenging to find one for sale that hasn't been modded like crazy or wrung out and beaten to hell like Tom Cruise's stunt double.

With just 97,000 on the clock, this clean-title car is neither of those things. Under the hood sits the car's party piece, the sweet all-alloy B16A2 VTEC four. That's a 1.6-liter, naturally-aspirated dynamo that makes 160 horsepower, 111 pound-feet of torque, and can bounce its tach needle well over 8,000 RPM. The only transmission offered on the Si was a five-speed manual, and, in typical Honda fashion, the ponies are sent to the front wheels.

For this generation of Si, Honda kept the color selection tight, only offering the model in blue, black, or, like this car, in Milano Red. Unless anonymity is sought, this is probably the model's best color, and this car wears it well, matching the paint with original badging and decals advertising what's under the hood in boy-racer style. Exterior changes for the Si were minimal and subtle, comprising just a deeper front lip, rocker extensions, the aforementioned badges and decals, and a set of handsome seven-spoke alloy wheels.

This Civic's interior appears to be in excellent condition as well, with one caveat. Pictured in the ad is an ill-fitting and somewhat dorky-looking carpet dash cover. Any prospective buyer would want to check under that to ensure the dash isn't cracking and then give it the heave-ho when out of the seller's sight. Everything else in the cabin appears to be in great shape and all-original condition, right down to the Honda CD stereo in the dash.

The car's 97,000-mile odometer reading works out to around 3,800 miles per year, on average. That, or 24 years as a museum piece and then one crazy year racking up the miles. Either way, that's still pocket change when it comes to road use, and the engine bay presents as clean and tidy for that lack of overuse. Somewhat comically, it also shows how small a radiator Honda could fit on these cars, as it occupies only half the grille space, leaving room for the A/C condenser on the other side. It all looks to be factory under the hood, right down to the strut brace and original airbox. Happily, no one has succumbed to the urge to fit any sort of goofy cold-air intake to the car. Similarly, there's no mention made of any fart can exhaust out in the back, so that's likely stock as well.

The asking price for this clean and unmolested Si is $23,000, and before your indignation rises to the boiling point, take a look around at already-sold editions to see that, yeah, these cars tend to go for that kind of money. Is this the top of the market for EM1 models? Heck yeah. Will it be worth more down the road? Who knows? Are we now going to vote on whether anyone should pay that $23,000 asking to get into the car today? You're darn-tootin'!

What's your take on this nice Si and the $23K asking price? Does that seem fair given the car's condition and the market's lust for these models? Or is that just crazy talk?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

Los Angeles, California Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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