My Tuning Diary
 

Hello guys,

I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
to sleep to them.

After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.

The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.

It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.

In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.

Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hello guys,
>
> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
> to sleep to them.
>
> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>
> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>
> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>
> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>
> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>
Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hello guys,
>
> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
> to sleep to them.
>
> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>
> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>
> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>
> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>
> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>
Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hello guys,
>
> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
> to sleep to them.
>
> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>
> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>
> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>
> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>
> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>
Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

Gunz4me <gunz4me@somewhere.com> wrote in
news:wYGdnUqVx5NDIhXbnZ2dnUVZ_tWhnZ2d@giganews.com :

> GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Hello guys,
>>
>> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
>> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
>> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
>> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
>> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
>> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
>> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
>> to sleep to them.
>>
>> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
>> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
>> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
>> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
>> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
>> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
>> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
>> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
>> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
>> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>>
>> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
>> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
>> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
>> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
>> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
>> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>>
>> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
>> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
>> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
>> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
>> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
>> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
>> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
>> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
>> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>>
>> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
>> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
>> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>>
>> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>>
> Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
> into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
> taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
> modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
> even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?
>

some people like to "roll their own",or do their own customizations.
It's a project,a hobby.
That's how stock car racing came to be,by backyard tuners.
(sadly,now,they are no longer allowed to modify their cars)


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

Gunz4me <gunz4me@somewhere.com> wrote in
news:wYGdnUqVx5NDIhXbnZ2dnUVZ_tWhnZ2d@giganews.com :

> GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Hello guys,
>>
>> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
>> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
>> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
>> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
>> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
>> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
>> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
>> to sleep to them.
>>
>> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
>> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
>> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
>> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
>> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
>> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
>> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
>> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
>> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
>> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>>
>> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
>> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
>> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
>> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
>> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
>> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>>
>> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
>> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
>> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
>> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
>> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
>> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
>> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
>> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
>> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>>
>> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
>> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
>> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>>
>> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>>
> Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
> into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
> taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
> modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
> even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?
>

some people like to "roll their own",or do their own customizations.
It's a project,a hobby.
That's how stock car racing came to be,by backyard tuners.
(sadly,now,they are no longer allowed to modify their cars)


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

Gunz4me <gunz4me@somewhere.com> wrote in
news:wYGdnUqVx5NDIhXbnZ2dnUVZ_tWhnZ2d@giganews.com :

> GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Hello guys,
>>
>> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
>> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
>> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
>> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
>> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
>> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
>> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
>> to sleep to them.
>>
>> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
>> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
>> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
>> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
>> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
>> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
>> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
>> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
>> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
>> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>>
>> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
>> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
>> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
>> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
>> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
>> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>>
>> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
>> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
>> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
>> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
>> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
>> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
>> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
>> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
>> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>>
>> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
>> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
>> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>>
>> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>>
> Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
> into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
> taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
> modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
> even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?
>

some people like to "roll their own",or do their own customizations.
It's a project,a hobby.
That's how stock car racing came to be,by backyard tuners.
(sadly,now,they are no longer allowed to modify their cars)


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:16:28 -0700, GRobinson324 wrote:

<snip>

> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.

Maybe you should dream about a girlfriend, or a career, or something
useful. Having the main goal in your life be a "tuned" Honda is
quite..... lame.

Grow up, dude. Get a life.

> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?

I sure hope not.

--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:16:28 -0700, GRobinson324 wrote:

<snip>

> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.

Maybe you should dream about a girlfriend, or a career, or something
useful. Having the main goal in your life be a "tuned" Honda is
quite..... lame.

Grow up, dude. Get a life.

> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?

I sure hope not.

--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:16:28 -0700, GRobinson324 wrote:

<snip>

> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.

Maybe you should dream about a girlfriend, or a career, or something
useful. Having the main goal in your life be a "tuned" Honda is
quite..... lame.

Grow up, dude. Get a life.

> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?

I sure hope not.

--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:43:06 +0000, Jim Yanik wrote:

> Gunz4me <gunz4me@somewhere.com> wrote in
> news:wYGdnUqVx5NDIhXbnZ2dnUVZ_tWhnZ2d@giganews.com :
>
>> GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
>>> Hello guys,
>>>
>>> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
>>> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
>>> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
>>> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
>>> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000 Honda
>>> Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's in
>>> various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go to
>>> sleep to them.
>>>
>>> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
>>> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
>>> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
>>> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
>>> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
>>> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped into
>>> the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my car. The
>>> instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it took me more
>>> like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by myself, I was
>>> hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>>>
>>> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
>>> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
>>> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body kit,
>>> when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied, was
>>> TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All that
>>> work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>>>
>>> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
>>> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
>>> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
>>> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
>>> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
>>> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
>>> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
>>> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday. It
>>> really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>>>
>>> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be found
>>> at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any Honda fan
>>> will feel right at home on the site.
>>>
>>> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>>>
>> Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
>> into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
>> taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
>> modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
>> even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?
>>
>>
> some people like to "roll their own",or do their own customizations. It's
> a project,a hobby.
> That's how stock car racing came to be,by backyard tuners. (sadly,now,they
> are no longer allowed to modify their cars)


Yeah, agreed. There is nothing like taking a "Good" car and turning it
into a "Wonderful" car. Able to keep up with the best of them.

If you do the work yourself, you can have a hell of a car for cheap.
Look at all the guys that build Muscle cars ("well, that's different!"
Really? How so?)

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:43:06 +0000, Jim Yanik wrote:

> Gunz4me <gunz4me@somewhere.com> wrote in
> news:wYGdnUqVx5NDIhXbnZ2dnUVZ_tWhnZ2d@giganews.com :
>
>> GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
>>> Hello guys,
>>>
>>> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
>>> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
>>> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
>>> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
>>> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000 Honda
>>> Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's in
>>> various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go to
>>> sleep to them.
>>>
>>> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
>>> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
>>> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
>>> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
>>> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
>>> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped into
>>> the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my car. The
>>> instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it took me more
>>> like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by myself, I was
>>> hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>>>
>>> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
>>> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
>>> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body kit,
>>> when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied, was
>>> TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All that
>>> work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>>>
>>> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
>>> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
>>> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
>>> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
>>> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
>>> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
>>> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
>>> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday. It
>>> really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>>>
>>> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be found
>>> at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any Honda fan
>>> will feel right at home on the site.
>>>
>>> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>>>
>> Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
>> into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
>> taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
>> modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
>> even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?
>>
>>
> some people like to "roll their own",or do their own customizations. It's
> a project,a hobby.
> That's how stock car racing came to be,by backyard tuners. (sadly,now,they
> are no longer allowed to modify their cars)


Yeah, agreed. There is nothing like taking a "Good" car and turning it
into a "Wonderful" car. Able to keep up with the best of them.

If you do the work yourself, you can have a hell of a car for cheap.
Look at all the guys that build Muscle cars ("well, that's different!"
Really? How so?)

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:43:06 +0000, Jim Yanik wrote:

> Gunz4me <gunz4me@somewhere.com> wrote in
> news:wYGdnUqVx5NDIhXbnZ2dnUVZ_tWhnZ2d@giganews.com :
>
>> GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
>>> Hello guys,
>>>
>>> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
>>> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
>>> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
>>> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
>>> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000 Honda
>>> Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's in
>>> various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go to
>>> sleep to them.
>>>
>>> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
>>> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
>>> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
>>> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
>>> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
>>> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped into
>>> the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my car. The
>>> instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it took me more
>>> like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by myself, I was
>>> hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>>>
>>> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
>>> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
>>> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body kit,
>>> when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied, was
>>> TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All that
>>> work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>>>
>>> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
>>> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
>>> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
>>> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
>>> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
>>> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
>>> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
>>> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday. It
>>> really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>>>
>>> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be found
>>> at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any Honda fan
>>> will feel right at home on the site.
>>>
>>> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>>>
>> Maybe this is a stupid question, but rather than trying to make my car
>> into something it wasn't engineered to be, wouldn't I be better off
>> taking all those dollars I would have poured into Civic/Accord/S2000
>> modifications and just purchasing a real sports car from the get go or
>> even a stock EVO OR WRX STI?
>>
>>
> some people like to "roll their own",or do their own customizations. It's
> a project,a hobby.
> That's how stock car racing came to be,by backyard tuners. (sadly,now,they
> are no longer allowed to modify their cars)


Yeah, agreed. There is nothing like taking a "Good" car and turning it
into a "Wonderful" car. Able to keep up with the best of them.

If you do the work yourself, you can have a hell of a car for cheap.
Look at all the guys that build Muscle cars ("well, that's different!"
Really? How so?)

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hello guys,
>
> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
> to sleep to them.
>
> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>
> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>
> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>
> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>
> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>


I haven't done anything to it yet, and will probably just do
maintainance instead of tuning, but I recently bought a '95 Civic EX
sedan, and I'd like to warn people looking for a 'sporting' Honda to
avoid the EX sedan. It looks sporty, handles well, but between the
outrageously tall gearing and lack of power below 5000 rpm, it
definitely *isn't* a car to drive fast. Fortunately for me that isn't a
priority, but I still marvel at how much slower this 125 HP car is in
normal driving than my 91 HP 1986 Civic Si. It's more like a Ford Tempo
four when I'm trying to merge into freeway traffic...

So if you want acceleration, get the Si. Don't be fooled by the
looks of the EX.

Re: My Tuning Diary
 

GRobinson324@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hello guys,
>
> I just wanted to share a little bit of my story of tuning these
> wonderful vehicles. Back in 2003, after graduating high school, I was
> able to secure a nice paying summer job at a local amusement park. I
> worked long hours in the 90 degree heat. The only thing that kept me
> going all those months was my dream. This dream was to own a 2000
> Honda Civic Si. My room walls were a collage of all types of Honda's
> in various states of tune. I would awake to pictures of Honda's and go
> to sleep to them.
>
> After working all summer I had saved up about $4000. Sadly, I was
> unable to find a 2000 Honda Civic Si locally, So I put a down payment
> on a Black 1999 Civic Ex 4 dr. I was so excited the first day I bought
> her home! Over the next few weeks my love for this automobile grew and
> grew! The first part I purchased was an AEM cold air intake. I had
> never worked on a car before, but once it arrived I eagerly ripped
> into the packaging. I quickly begin to try to get this thing on my
> car. The instructions said an estimated install time of 2 hours, it
> took me more like 8!! But after successfully getting it installed by
> myself, I was hooked. My addiction to car tuning had taken hold.
>
> The next few years saw many more upgrades; cat back exhaust, shift
> knob, sound system, lowering springs, 18's, projector headlamps, and
> racing seats. By mid 2006, I had just begun to save up for my body
> kit, when the unthinkable happened. My baby, while parked unoccupied,
> was TOTALED by some jerk showing off in a Publix parking lot!! All
> that work down the tubes in a few seconds. I was devastated.
>
> It's all good because my insurance company sent me a nice sized check
> for the Civic. The Honda pictures are back up on the wall, and right
> now I'm saving up for another Honda. I'm leaning towards a RSX,
> Prelude, or 6th Gen Accord. I learned many lessons from my first car.
> With my new car I'm not going to waste any money on bolt-on goodies,
> I'm going straight for a built engine and boost. I plan on making a
> huge down payment so I can have low monthly's, to free up a lot of
> money for tuning. I keep these hopes and dreams on my mind everyday.
> It really helps, since been riding a bike since the accident.
>
> In my spare time, I run a blog devoted to Honda Tuning. It can be
> found at http://hipohonda.blogspot.com. Check it out, I'm sure any
> Honda fan will feel right at home on the site.
>
> Anyone else have any stories about their Honda tuning adventures?
>


I haven't done anything to it yet, and will probably just do
maintainance instead of tuning, but I recently bought a '95 Civic EX
sedan, and I'd like to warn people looking for a 'sporting' Honda to
avoid the EX sedan. It looks sporty, handles well, but between the
outrageously tall gearing and lack of power below 5000 rpm, it
definitely *isn't* a car to drive fast. Fortunately for me that isn't a
priority, but I still marvel at how much slower this 125 HP car is in
normal driving than my 91 HP 1986 Civic Si. It's more like a Ford Tempo
four when I'm trying to merge into freeway traffic...

So if you want acceleration, get the Si. Don't be fooled by the
looks of the EX.