Since this is a common question.. let's put in in one place for posteriety.
This is dedicated to people out there who likes the old school honda (88-91,92-95,96-00). Want to call it vintage might be insulting to VW beetle fans.. (which I am one, but cannot afford :P)
To answer the question...
Just be patient...
Not to say the the car price is expensive.. it highly depends on what you want to do with the car and what sort of budget you're expecting for mods, and what mods are already done on the car.
To buy a car for modding.. make a checklist of what is important and what is not.
For me, at least, this was what I came up with. (of course, in my mods, the only thing that that stayed stock is the body panels and chassis.. everything else wasn't. REMEMBER that this was what my priorities were, and they MIGHT NOT be what you have in mind.. the important thing is to decide what YOU WANT.
Important:-
a) Chassis must be rust-free or have minimal surface rust that can be removed.
b) Not necessarily accident free, but the damage must be repairable (get a bodyshop guy you trust for an opinion)
c) Mountings for various part must be in good condition (so you don't end up installing a part to find out it doesn't fit/mounting is bent/hole is not in the right spot) --> easy to miss.. I missed out the bent wheel well when I bought the car.. the strut bar couldn't fit since the holes were off by about 2mm. (later sent to the bodyshop and checked the front end alignment.
d) zero mods (all parts are bought beforehand prior to purchase of the car)
Not important
a) Interior isn't important - to be replaced --> use this excuse to nego cheaper, if the interior is not in a good condition
b) engine not important (as long as can move, unless you know a tow truck operator that can tow the car to the workshop) --> also can use for some haggling leverage)
c) body panels --> can be changed, but nego for cheaper price if this is an issue, because you will use the money saved from this for chopshop body panels.
Things you will PROBABLY need to replace:-
a) all rubber seals (doors, windows, engine)
b) all sorts of gasket (the halfcut will be at least 11 years old! >for EG, and minimum 6 years old for EK)
c) body panels/those plastic bumpers (maybe!)
d) suspension --> unless you plan to run stock units, which is kind of strange if you want B16A power.
e) the rear end/front end brake system... like maybe converting to a disc brake conversion (unless you bought the car with rear discs, in which case paying slightly higher might be necessary, depending on how much you think it's worth it)
f) pistons and rings (if you want fuel economy, and plan to live with a B16A for a few years, and accumulate mileage in a month that most people try hard to achieve in a year!) Get it bored, install new rings, and run-in till the rings seat, then you'll get excellent mileage out of your fuel and engine oil (you'll burn oil during the running in process, but once it seats, oils pretty much stays at it's current level until the next 5K oil change. (if you want power, get overbored B16B pistons, and get an R manifold for a slight bump in horsepower)
g) those rubber bushings on the suspension system h) intake and exhaust systems.. this one is pretty much needed if you're seeking for more power... as for brands, anything will do as long as it's not MADE IN THAILAND/TAIWAN (not to say they won't work, but lastability and fitment might not be that great.. )
All the above isn't going to be cheap, but you're going to end up with a car that is maintainance free for at least 5 years, doesn't leak (anywhere!) when it rains, offers good soundproofing and starts up in one try every morning! (^_^)
In my case, I spent (currently) almost 20K++ for my conversion.. the major stuff I put in are in my sig. Kind of expensive by most people's estimation for a B16A conversion + minor performance upgrades, but I ended up with a car that I drove 25,000kms (five oil changes!) in the span of 3 months plus without any issues. Of course, a distributor unit (installed beforehand and marked with the timing to reduce hassles of needing a timing light in the middle of nowhere!) needs to stay in the boot in case of emergencies, since I drive a MINIMUM of 120kms a day. Doing up the engine helps in keeping my fuel costs a month below RM500's (for a normal 25-day working month), although sometimes goes into the region of RM700's when I get the lead-foot disease or travel outside the state, like today. (O_o), Tickets for speeding in 60kmh zones not included..
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(>_ (^ ^)
