Losing interest... help me fall back in love

[jack.]

I love this car. I do. I'm just getting bored with her. I drive hundreds of miles a week for work. I'm in it all the time. I know the ins and outs of her, feature- and cosmetic-wise. Not so much mechanically, but I've been trying. I love "sporty vehicles," but I really love offroading. Maybe I just need to change directions with her.

I've only done simple mods, since I need her to be my reliable daily. They include, but aren't limited to; tint, intake, ktuner (hasn't been installed for a long time), strut bar, 7" touchscreen upgrade, LED headlight/fog lights, etc.

I've been sitting on quite a few mods, albeit still mostly cosmetic ones. 27won RMM, CTR 2017-19 shifter assembly with acuity bits, high flow grille (honeycomb), kc lights, Type R alcantara door armrests, Type R steering wheel, LED bulbs (other than the installed headlights/fog lights), switchback side markers, Eibach Sport line lowering springs, etc.

I've wanted things like a BBK, 27won hatch exhaust, etc. I can't justify spending a lot of time/money building this thing when I'm already losing interest. Mods can only keep me interested for so long. The car has 180 HP and is slow, but she's fun in corners, and the turbo sound is awesome. But offroading is just more fun to me. Anyone have any suggestions?

I have similarly fallen out of love with my Si coupe and even returned it to mostly stock because I wanted to trade it in. After reviewing the options, I thought I’d go for a red 2017 WRX, the car I originally planned to get instead of the Si. However seeing the prices of the WRX skyrocket out of my reach and driving the car with the factory parts made me really get bored of the Si and want to mod it again. I went from TSP stage 1, PRL race cobra intake, RV6 catless downpipe, Whiteline 22mm rear sway bar, 27won strut bar and motor mount, procivic front lip, suma side markers, acuity shifter, and more to completely stock except for a grille, d2 springs, and a K&N filter. It really took all of the fun out of the car and now I regret ever parting out in the first place. However, I am really looking forward to keeping my Si and reinstalling most of the parts I took off. Hopefully that will be enough to make me fall back in love with my car.

 

[geeeek]

I have similarly fallen out of love with my Si coupe and even returned it to mostly stock because I wanted to trade it in. After reviewing the options, I thought I’d go for a red 2017 WRX, the car I originally planned to get instead of the Si. However seeing the prices of the WRX skyrocket out of my reach and driving the car with the factory parts made me really get bored of the Si and want to mod it again. I went from TSP stage 1, PRL race cobra intake, RV6 catless downpipe, Whiteline 22mm rear sway bar, 27won strut bar and motor mount, procivic front lip, suma side markers, acuity shifter, and more to completely stock except for a grille, d2 springs, and a K&N filter. It really took all of the fun out of the car and now I regret ever parting out in the first place. However, I am really looking forward to keeping my Si and reinstalling most of the parts I took off. Hopefully that will be enough to make me fall back in love with my car.

My car is at a body shop after my door got smashed in by another car and I miss it like crazy lol. Driving a new nissan altima with a cvt is absolutely mind numbing and the infotainment touch screen is the same as 2008 era phones

 

[jack.]

My car is at a body shop after my door got smashed in by another car and I miss it like crazy lol. Driving a new nissan altima with a cvt is absolutely mind numbing and the infotainment touch screen is the same as 2008 era phones

When my car got hit in November (just 2 days after I tuned it!), it was undriveable so I had to have it sit at the shop until the parts arrived. I was without my car for 6 weeks and had to drive a 2020 Honda Odyssey elite instead. I did have a little bit of fun hearing that vtec crack but other than that I was desperate to drive my Si again lol.

 

[jtrader]

Try driving a different car if you have a chance.

This was gonna be my advice. I've driven dozens of cars on our recent quest for a third car. Here are a dozen examples or so: Genny Coupe, Veloster, Veloster N, Elantra GT, Forte SX, Forte Koup, Forte GT, Type R, newer Si, older Si, CR-Z, 350z, 370z, G35, G37, Altima Coupe, etc. Nothing off-road though.

The only one I liked better than my Sport Hatch was the Type R.

Tied with the Sport Hatch were the 2018 Si, 2020+ Forte GT, and Veloster N.

Everything else I drove was inferior. You've got a great car, enjoy it!!! I ended up just buying another sport hatch. LOL

 

[Austin@Wunderladen Racing]

One thing I always recommend to enthusiasts who feel like they're falling out of love with their car or the hobby itself is to go try a High Performance Driving Event (HPDE) at a track. Learning how to drive fast around a track is it's owning addicting hobby that ties very well with modifying cars and you can spend years just trying to constantly improve.

For anybody interested in trying it but don't know where to start I always recommend going on motorsportreg.com That site has tons of lists across the country for all sorts of different driving events and it can be filtered by type and distance etc. You don't need anything crazy to get into it either, at the minimum I recommend some decent brake fluid and brake pads but that's about it. I've instructed for a couple years and have had students show up in their completely stock daily driver (one I remember was a mid 2000s Ford Fusion) and they had an absolute blast going around the track.

I also get wanting something to off roading with. Off road driving is also a ton of fun and you don't need anything crazy expensive or super built to really enjoy it. Just last week I was out ripping around in a friend's CRV that just had some off road wheels and tires on it. The car cost him $1000 and he only had to put like $500 in it to make it road worthy. I've had way more fun shredding in that thing than my fairly new F150 just because I know that if something breaks it'll be cheap to fix and if we hit something with it that there isn't much to be lost, vs if I damaged my truck I know I'd be kicking myself over it for weeks.

 

[geeeek]

This was gonna be my advice. I've driven dozens of cars on our recent quest for a third car. Here are a dozen examples or so: Genny Coupe, Veloster, Veloster N, Elantra GT, Forte SX, Forte Koup, Forte GT, Type R, newer Si, older Si, CR-Z, 350z, 370z, G35, G37, Altima Coupe, etc. Nothing off-road though.

The only one I liked better than my Sport Hatch was the Type R.

Tied with the Sport Hatch were the 2018 Si, 2020+ Forte GT, and Veloster N.

Everything else I drove was inferior. You've got a great car, enjoy it!!! I ended up just buying another sport hatch. LOL

What were your thoughts on the 370z and g35? Wondering how the experience is coming from another hatch owner

 

[xcoreflyup]

So after some really hard thinking, I believe I know part of what the issue is. I've been so busy with work and my hobby/2nd job (theatre), that I've basically stopped seeing my car as my main hobby. I'm deeply saddened by this revelation, because I love cars. Another thing (however silly) is Honda has slapped what I thought was an awesome/rare color on almost ever car in their lineup. Sonic Grey is no longer special. Lastly, I am coming from a 2003 Honda Pilot. I babied that thing hard until I realized it was pretty good in mud and sand. Then I switched to building it to be an offroader and it was a dream (as much as it could be with AWD). Until the trans died and I moved on. I think I miss the old girl.

I like tacomas a lot, but I do a lot of hauling/towing with my father's truck, so I would probably get a full-size, if I were to trade up from civic to truck. Probably F150 or Silverado, not sure about Rams.

I used to work for enterprise so I've gotten to drive things like camaro ss, scat pack chargers/challengers, f150, silverado, rams, etc. I like jeeps but the practicality, or lack-thereof, makes me lean away from them.

I've been doing some test drives lately, mainly some high country silverados and ram rebels, but a couple F150 as well. I've always been a fan of dodge products, not really ram, though they are pretty. There are WAAY too many out there for them to be special anymore.

Like I said I am not yet fully ready to drop the civic, as I still love to row my own gears. And I love that turbo spool. It's a good looking car too. I think a couple of you are right: install the mods and make those purchases worthwhile. I also wanna get back into going to car events/hanging with other likewise minded people and rekindle the love for the culture and the car itself. I've been out of touch too long.

I like the idea of adding an offroader to the lineup instead of trading the Civic for one. Maybe I'll save up some money for an offroader. Like a dedicated one. Or maybe another first gen pilot lol. That way I can have it both ways; on-road and offroad.

I really appreciate all your help guys. I've just been sad feeling like this because this was the car I really wanted. This was MY car. I have loved this car more than any other. I was surrounded by a cool community and had lots of aftermarket options. I think I have just taken advantage of it always being there as a commuting service. I'm going to change my line of thinking about it and see if that helps first.

I will update as time goes on how things are playing out!

Do whatever make you happy. Honestly, time goes by so fast. its not even funny.

 

[civicsi1211]

No matter what car you get, you will eventually get “bored” of it.
Personally I had a sport hatch and made the switch to a 2019 type R.
Some switching of wheels and subtle mods always keeps me happy and even though I am interested in some other cars…. I just couldn’t part with my type r. It’s way way way too much fun and would be hard to find a one with low miles now.

 

[jtrader]

What were your thoughts on the 370z and g35? Wondering how the experience is coming from another hatch owner

I actually loved the 370z, but only 2 seats was a deal breaker for me after discussions with the wife. So, my opinion on that above was misleading. It's more that I wasn't allowed to get one. LOL If that doesn't apply to you, I would buy one.

g35 was too cramped inside. Too old. Too creaky. Less fun to drive. Too blah.

 

[xXoVrKiLLXx]

Not happy - switch - only you can make you happy....

 

[86salmon]

Taking my car on the Dragon with other enthusiasts further stoked my love. Not just the driving either. It was feeling the energy of the other folks there too. I think it's that with anything. People feed off each other.

 

[lurker_j]

For the off-roading portion, I put a 1.5 in lift kit on my civic and threw some A/T tires on it with 15 in rims so they were nice and meaty. That made things pretty interesting for a while. It's not going to be a rock crawler, but having a turbo on the dirt is pretty fun

 

[dktyson]

For the off-roading portion, I put a 1.5 in lift kit on my civic and threw some A/T tires on it with 15 in rims so they were nice and meaty. That made things pretty interesting for a while. It's not going to be a rock crawler, but having a turbo on the dirt is pretty fun

Very interested in what you just said. I will now be digging into the pics on your profile lol

 

[DRTHVDR]

I had a beast mode 2006 STI with all manner of mods and tunes. It was costing me an arm and a leg to keep it going. After commuting 2.5 hours a day the civic has been a breath of fresh air. To make you feel better, just look at the cost of a WRX in this market vs a civic. If all else fails, give the ol lady the business in the backseat. That will spice it up.

 

[dktyson]

For the off-roading portion, I put a 1.5 in lift kit on my civic and threw some A/T tires on it with 15 in rims so they were nice and meaty. That made things pretty interesting for a while. It's not going to be a rock crawler, but having a turbo on the dirt is pretty fun

Okay so after stalking your profile, I haven't found any threads/comments about your lift kit installed. At least none that i could clearly find. Do you have any pics?

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