LX Owner finally test drives an Si

[Rawhyde]

I've had my LX since March 10th of this year. I've racked up about 6500 miles on it so far. I finally got an opportunity to test drive a Civic Si today.

Here's my observations of the differences...

The Si has a good exhaust sound. It's not loud, but it has a nice pleasant sound to it.

The Si has far superior steering. The LX has ZERO feel and feedback. The Si has a much better feel. Too bad the Si uses an all electric power steering system that'd make a retrofit impossible.

The Si has superior seats to the LX. Much firmer and more supportive.

The brakes in the Si are much more responsive and the pedal feel is more linear. Like the steering, I hear that upgrading an LX to Si brakes is nearly impossible. I know there are plenty of BBK's out there, but nothing beats the easy availability of spare pads and rotors of OEM on a car that gets 40K+ miles per year.

Suspension wise, the Si is far superior also. None of the "floaty" pillowcloud ride like the cheaper versions have. The stock LX suspension purely sucks. I added the Si swaybars at 1600 miles, and that ain't enough. I'll be getting the springs/shocks within a week or so. The Si achieves a good balance between ride quality and comfort. To be honest, I was expecting something much harsher and darty. I'm anxious to meet up with my seller to get the springs and shocks now!

The transmission in the Si had a much crisper shifter. It just felt right with its crisp chort throws.

The difference in the engines was less dramatic than I expected. It seemed a little more peppy and it certainly sounded better than the LX. The salesdude kept telling me that I wasn't driving it right. He insisted that I rev it hard. So at the next stop, I ran it up to 4000 rpm between shifts. It's stronger than the LX, but he said that it had to be revved much higher to feel the difference. So I stopped and revved to ~7500 between shifts. IT REALLY WOKE UP!! When you spin it up, the Si will scoot!

Is it worth the price difference? Yes and no. With my long history of low revving cars, it's hard for me to let something wind up like that, but if I could go back in time, I'd have the Si instead of the LX.

I inquired about swapping cars with him. I was hoping to swap for maybe $1500-2000 more than the price differential between the two models. My car is only 6 weeks old afterall. They wanted $8945 before the taxes and other BS hidden fees were added. The Si is the superior car, but it ain't $10,000 better.

Congrats to all the Si owners! Y'all bought the right car. I tried to go cheap...

Rawhyde

[Izzy]

If you ignore all the numbers on the tach, and just see that redline, I'm sure you won't have a problem winding it up. It is a bit different though, to have the powerband ONLY on the high range.

[jasongg06]

Most of the "superior" stuff you said is extremely subjective. Judging from your review.. yes, you made a bad choice. If i were you, I'd just sell the LX privately and get an SI.

Also, you're one of the first people that have said that the other civic models have unsupportive seats, "ZERO feel and feedback" for steering, and a floaty ride.

Most people on this forum, along with numerous reviews, say that the suspension, ride, handling, and seats on the non-SI models are more than adequate.

A 2007 LX Coupe should be between $14-15k, a new SI is about $21k.. you'd need to pay at least $6k..

Heck, even a new LX is $17k.. and you'd need to pay at least $4k.. how did you do your math? $1,500-$2,000 for a new higher model car

[Rawhyde]

Originally Posted by jasongg06

Most of the "superior" stuff you said is extremely subjective. Judging from your review.. yes, you made a bad choice. If i were you, I'd just sell the LX privately and get an SI.

Also, you're one of the first people that have said that the other civic models have unsupportive seats, "ZERO feel and feedback" for steering, and a floaty ride.

Most people on this forum, along with numerous reviews, say that the suspension, ride, handling, and seats on the non-SI models are more than adequate.

A 2007 LX Coupe should be between $14-15k, a new SI is about $21k.. you'd need to pay at least $6k..

Heck, even a new LX is $17k.. and you'd need to pay at least $4k.. how did you do your math? $1,500-$2,000 for a new higher model car

I meant 1500-2000 more than the difference between the models. I knew there'd be a "penalty" for trading so soon, but I wasn't expecting it to be as much as it was. Maybe I'm just dense, but the difference in the LX and Si is about $3500 or so. I was hoping to trade for maybe $6K. They wanted $10K. That's too much for me.

The point I was trying to make is that a little more money (on the original deal) buys a LOT more car. The Si is twice the car! I was trying to pay the Si and it's owners a compliment. I also wanted to help keep a fellow forum member from making the same mistake I did.

I have the Si swaybars already, and I'll have the springs and shocks in a week or so...mine'll be improving soon.

Also, I want to apologize if I offended you. The LX seats are OK, but the Si's are much better. I still think that the stock LX suspension is way too soft, but I have to cross three mountains on the way to work every day. It was a huge adjustment for me when I retired my previous daily driver. I'm narrowing that gap, but I'd be driving an Si today if I'd taken a test drive in one before I bought the LX.

[BoMbIChRiS]

hahaha i bought a 07 lx in march 07 and put 12000 miles on it and like 2 months ago traded ti for 14 thousand back to dealer annd got myself a Si i couldnt help not having any power hahhaha i loved the lx tho it was a good car

[I Vtec, do you?]

I used to have an LX, the two dont' really compare at all other than sharing the same visuals between each other.

I agree, the suspension flat out sucks on the LX, yet everyone likes to disagree with me. And yeah, the SI isn't very quick at all unless you really rev it up, so if you don't want to do that, I wouldnt' get the SI.

If you sold the LX privately, you could easily buy a low-mileage used SI for ~17-18k. It'd be worth it, imo.

[Englishe30]

I traded up to the 07 fa5 from an 06 lx coupe, all I can say is that its two totally different cars and yes the lx suspension sucks stock...The trade up really was not to bad. My car insurance went down $200 and my monthly finance payment is about $100 more than what the lx was so all in all I can't complain.

I almost don't recommend Civic owners test drive the si. It blew my mind the differences between the two models.

[sohcBOOST]

i like my LX.


at least i get a shit load more MPG

[gx4th]

Upgraded from lx sedan to si sedan here. The lx had decent suspension and steering feel. Compared to other cars in its class (drove a mazda 3, didn't like it) it's ok.

The Si though, presents a problem. My latest mileage is 20.7mpg
I had 25~ last week when I mostly kept it under 4-5k. This week though... addiction kicked in.

[sohcBOOST]

that suck man. i get 35 easy

[gx4th]

^ Heh, it was a downgrade from my usual 28-30 in the lx. I just trade other entertainment expenditures for having an Si. To me, it was worth it overall; Si's good bang for the buck.

[I Vtec, do you?]

Originally Posted by sohcBOOST

i like my LX.


at least i get a shit load more MPG

Originally Posted by sohcBOOST

that suck man. i get 35 easy

That sucks because I can get 30 easy and have a shit load of fun while driving it

[gx4th]

Don't turn this into another 'that sucks, I get more mpg' 'that sucks, I have more fun' thread heh. Mpg really varies from person to person. I know I get lower than most due to mainly urban driving. People who have lengthy cruises on the freeway as part of their daily routine have much better mileage.

[I Vtec, do you?]

Actually I've really found it varies GREATLY from locations. Some people struggle to get 25 MPG in the SI, I could rag the crap out of my car for the entire tank and probably not dip below 26.

[habitat]

I drove a 2001 Corolla S (5spd manual) for about a year... oh man was that year pretty painful. Although it only cost under $15 to fill up (gas was $1.4x at the time) I found myself revving the hell out of it to get all of its 125hp (still maintaining a solid 26-30mpg). When It came time to buy my 8th, I wanted to do the fiscally responsible thing and buy an LX/EX but told myself I'd sleep on it. Sure enough, that Corolla was in my head all night so I didn't even want to test drive an LX/EX. The next day I told the sales guy, I want a SI coupe in TW or GGM and I was offered 300 over invoice elsewhere. If you can make the deal, I'll drive off with one tonight. Sure enough, that is what happened and I don't regret it one bit :) (although in retrospect, a part of me wishes I had bought a TW FA5)

[DTNguyen107]

Originally Posted by sohcBOOST

that suck man. i get 35 easy

thats all you get?

[jasongg06]

Originally Posted by Rawhyde

I meant 1500-2000 more than the difference between the models. I knew there'd be a "penalty" for trading so soon, but I wasn't expecting it to be as much as it was. Maybe I'm just dense, but the difference in the LX and Si is about $3500 or so. I was hoping to trade for maybe $6K. They wanted $10K. That's too much for me.

The point I was trying to make is that a little more money (on the original deal) buys a LOT more car. The Si is twice the car! I was trying to pay the Si and it's owners a compliment. I also wanted to help keep a fellow forum member from making the same mistake I did.

I have the Si swaybars already, and I'll have the springs and shocks in a week or so...mine'll be improving soon.

Also, I want to apologize if I offended you. The LX seats are OK, but the Si's are much better. I still think that the stock LX suspension is way too soft, but I have to cross three mountains on the way to work every day. It was a huge adjustment for me when I retired my previous daily driver. I'm narrowing that gap, but I'd be driving an Si today if I'd taken a test drive in one before I bought the LX.

No, not offended. But unless you absolutely need better mpg. Try to sell the LX privately and get an SI. Otherwise, like myself, you'll regret getting a non-SI model, and have a much less fun driving experience for years.

As for the seats, it depends on the situation. I've asked many of my friends that have sat in my EX, and they've all said it's fine. If you've been in other cars that have unsupportive and soft seats, you'll see that any cornering will basically throw you off the seat. I understand the SI's are better, but you'd need to be doing some pretty spirited driving to actually use that support.

I'm in a similar situation, but I have an EX. I'd swap for an SI in a heartbeat if I wasn't going to give this car (my EX) to my brother in a few years. btw, with some haggling, I'm sure u can have them cut it the difference down to $7k. Either way, I hope you enjoy, SI's are pretty fun to drive. The fun factor alone may be worth the difference between the cars.

[splew]

Originally Posted by Rawhyde

Is it worth the price difference? Yes and no. With my long history of low revving cars, it's hard for me to let something wind up like that, but if I could go back in time, I'd have the Si instead of the LX.

I inquired about swapping cars with him. I was hoping to swap for maybe $1500-2000 more than the price differential between the two models. My car is only 6 weeks old afterall. They wanted $8945 before the taxes and other BS hidden fees were added. The Si is the superior car, but it ain't $10,000 better.

Congrats to all the Si owners! Y'all bought the right car. I tried to go cheap...

Rawhyde

Uh dude every R18 owner wishes they had an Si. Too much $$$ to buy and too much $$ to insure though.

[jlannoo]

The major reasons to want the lower trims are price, MPG or the need of a automatic transmission. The Si is clearly the better trim otherwise IMO.

The traction control and stability alone make it a safer car for everyday driving. I hear they are offering that on more trims in 09

[djpaw]

I was happy with my lx..............until I joined this site