'97 Civic Hatch + D16Y5 [HX] swap...pre-approval

[MakDiesel]

I recently stumbled onto a sweet deal. It's basically a low-mile former drag '97 Civic Hatch shell for roughly $2500. It has a recent paint job, NO RUST (<--- important), carbon fiber hood, upgraded brakes/lines, koni yellows, GC coils, and tokico whites. It must be shipped from a state away, however (figure $4-500). The only other caveat is the roll cage, but I could always cut out the front portion if the halo bar is too close to my naked head for comfort.

The engine is a 150k mile HX (D16y5) engine/tranny/ecu for $150. The best part is it is still in the car, and can be driven/tested to ensure good running order (the owner claims no leaks, smoke, etc and allows a compression test).

With the ultimate goal of replacing my '85 CRX Si (she's not getting any younger, parts are drying up, no safety measures in a crash) would this be a good project? The '85 CRX Si currently gets 46 mpg & the '89 CRX HF + D15Z1 swap gets 58 mpg, so could I reasonably expect 45+ mpg out of the EK+Y5 swap or should I use the $3150 (bare minimum for the project) to upgrade/update/rebuild the 2 cars I already have? Just asking opinions, I know it's subjective as anything else.

P.S. I do not want 3 cars (storage, insurance, maintenance, etc) so keeping all of them is not feasible.

Thanks,
Mak

[silversol]

i would not want a car that was a former drag car or moded by a kid! I would keep your crx with the vx swap or search craigslist and just buy a unmodified hx civic!

[bambbrose]

agreed. For $2500 you can just get an HX

[MakDiesel]

Unmolested Honda anything is rare from my experience with CL. I haven't found a HX anywhere near me with less than 180k for less than $3k (<--- that will reply back to my emails. The rule seems to be the cheaper the car, the less likely the owner calls back. This can get frustrating.) When they do call back, they seem to have suffered a stroke & do not remember when the last oil change was, timing belt, miles, etc.
It must also be disclosed that I am partial to Hatchbacks (5 out of 6 cars I've owned were HB) so this is a natural course. Bodystyle I like, motor I need for good mileage but I'm open to more suggestions, I haven't paid anyone yet so there's still time & I'll entertain all opinions.

Thanks, Mak