Civic Si: EF, EG, EM1, or ... swap?

Hi all, I'm thinking about picking up a new ride sometime soon. I'm out in the Bay Area, which means we have lots of cars to choose from, but have to be wary of government regulations. I'm thinking of getting a Civic Si (amongst a few other things). On the civic front though, I'm thinking of an SI from 1990-2000. What are the advantages / disadvantages of each? Anything particular I should look for when buying?

On another note, should I avoid swaps completely, or are they ok if they've been Bar'd ?

My goal is to have a nice, fuel efficient DD, that gets decent mileage, and can fit four people. Extra points for competitiveness in SCCA autoX and fun at track days. Budget is $5k, but lower is better.

Also, what other cars should be considering - bmw e30 seems good... anything else?

Thanks! _JR

Miata with a rumble seat

/thread

Wife made me give up the miata I was driving. So, 2x miatas unlikely to pass muster

I would grab a rule book to see what they will allow as far as swaps go. Nothing would suck more to put all your time and money into a car just for it to fail Tech or the class you were aiming for doesn't allow it.

I prefer the EG to the EK because I think the EG is more fun. But neither the EG or EK I have owned have been Si models.

In reply to DukeOfUndersteer:

I'm not sure, but I got the impression that he's less concerned with racing class legality and more concerned with CA legality. IIRC, CA has a stiffy for regulation of engine swapped vehicles.

I mean if he is looking for AutoX is there anything other than the EF? If you want you can swap in a K20 as well down the road. If I was looking at a civic, I'd just stop there and build from there.

Thanks guys for the suggestions. I am concerned about classing , since I'd like to be competitive (though I don't have to be top dog). I don't really understand how the scca classes swaps.

As far as staying on the right side of Johnny law, in CA a swapped must be passed by the board of automotive repairs . Once that's done,I think it's like any other car - smog, etc. Right now I'm leaning more towards eg or ef, but there is an eg with an h22(!) swaap for sale that looks very tempting.

5k can get you a STC prepped EF Si.

Swaps almost always = SMF.

Yeah if autocross competitiveness is something you value at all go for an 89-91 Si.

The 99-00 Si will be the nicest for daily driving, but the hatches will my more useful for passengers and cargo.

Most people looked at me funny when I suggested they sit in the back seat of my EG hatch. They're roomy enough to fit people back there, but nobody believes you until they actually get in.

The EG hatch feels pretty old on the daily commute compared to newer cars. Noisy, twitchy, and uncomfortable on the freeway. Fun to drive off the freeway though.

I swear my "EF" hatch had more rear-seat leg and headroom than both my "EG" and "EK" coupes.

Thanks all. I really like basically all the models I've named, but there is a special place in my heart for ef civics. Though my friends look at me like e I grew an extra head when I say I want a 2 decade + aged car.

btw what's SMF? Street modified ***? I've been away from autox for a while and we used nasa rules, so scca classing is rather confusing to me

I would go with the EF Si if you want to AutoX. I have a '97 Ex coupe which is basically an Si minus one cam and 30 hp. It's a good DD.