I am selling my Honda Civic VX because it will not pass CA smog testing due to a cracked exhaust manifold. The exhaust manifold is California-specific and is unique to the VX and CX Civics which makes the part relatively rare, and as a result I've been unable to find a replacement part; the manufacturer has discontinued it, no aftermarket company offers it, and I was unable to find any used replacements.

You may have better luck or more patience finding a good CA-specific manifold. Or, since there are many other Civic engines that would fit into the VX, you could swap in a different engine. The VX is very light (300lbs lighter than the Si HB) that with a different engine it would perform really well. Yet another option would be to take it out of state; the non-Cali parts (new and used) are much more abundant.

The previous owner was the original owner and used it to commute ~100 miles per day on the freeway. The car still runs great; last timing belt change was at 300,000; last oil change was about 200 miles ago, and coolant was replaced about 100 miles ago. No leaks, no overheating, and negligible oil consumption (about 1/2 to 1 quart per oil change).

The car is being sold as-is; this is your chance to get a legendary fuel miser (I averaged 50mpg during the time that I drove it) for little money and a little work.

Thank you for bidding.

Pros:

AC works (blows cold) + heater works
Starts and runs great, even with the cracked manifold
Amazing Fuel Economy without the expense or complexity of a hybrid
Not riced/hacked
Minimal surface rust
Includes MPGuino (small computer for tracking fuel economy)
Includes factory service manual
Includes both California and Federal ECUs (Federal is installed right now)
Includes 4 wire and 5 wire (installed) O2 sensors
Includes passenger side mirror and passenger mirror block off (installed)

Cons:

As mentioned, cracked exhaust manifold so it cannot be smogged in California unless a replacement part is found and installed
Intermittent speedometer/odometer

The odo shows 324,473 miles; another ~30K to 40K miles have been added since the odo went out

Some dents because tree branch (see pictures)

A tree branch fell on the car in 2009, denting the roof and the passenger-side area around the hatch

Only one speaker works
CV joint boots torn; probably needs a CV joint rebuild as it's making noise while turning
Drivers seat bolster torn

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Auto blog

Design Handbook explains the difference between design and styling

Fri, 11 Oct 2013

It's easy to confuse the terms 'design' and 'style,' but Jim Hall attempts to explain the difference between the two in his latest Design Handbook video column for Autoline. Before relating the terms to cars, Hall first uses other, non-automotive-related examples to prove his point, such as a well-designed glass versus a well-styled glass. Both do their job well as a result of good designs, he claims, but one stands out more because it also was styled.
When he relates his lesson to cars, he uses the 2013 Honda Accord and the new Chevrolet Impala as examples, but you'll have to watch the video below to find out which car he thinks is merely designed and which one has been styled.
We've also included a gallery of the Honda and a gallery of the Chevrolet so you can decide for yourself which one of these vehicles has been designed, and which one has been styled.

McLaren confirms Alonso, keeps Button

Thu, Dec 11 2014

Every year a big game of musical chairs breaks out in the Formula One paddock, as some drivers try to hold on to their seats, some try to grab new ones and others are left without a seat for the following season. McLaren has been extremely reluctant to announce who would be sitting in its carbon-fiber seats next season, but it's finally spilled the beans. McLaren was strongly rumored to have hired Fernando Alonso for next season, speculation over which was all but confirmed when the two-time world champion announced his departure from Ferrari. He's now been officially confirmed to be returning to Woking for next season. But the bigger question over who would be his wingman has now been answered as well, as the team has decided to keep Jenson Button on board for at least one more season. Long regarded as a top driver, Button started out with Williams back in 2000, then spent a couple of seasons in Enstone with Renault before switching to Honda in 2003, finally winning the championship in 2009 when the team went out on its own as Brawn GP (now Mercedes). He switched to McLaren in 2010 to form a dream team with Lewis Hamilton (who in turn left for Mercedes last year), but though Jenson has been unable to rack up another world title, he's remained a favorite especially of Honda's, which returns to F1 next season to rekindle its once-dominant engine-supply partnership with McLaren. Alonso, meanwhile, made his grand prix debut with Minardi (now Toro Rosso) just one year after Button, then switched to Renault first as a test driver and then got the race seat, winning back-to-back world championships in 2005 and 2006. He subsequently spent one tumultuous season alongside Hamilton at McLaren before going back to Renault and then to Ferrari, which which he spent five years, scoring eleven checkered flags to finish in second place in the standings, three times. Alonso's signing and Button's retention spell bad news for Kevin Magnussen, the young Danish driver who got his start with McLaren earlier this season after winning the Formula Renault 3.5 Series title last year. With all the other seats already spoken for, Magnussen was left with no choice but to accept a test-driver role with McLaren in the hope that he might be promoted back again in the future. McLaren-Honda prepares for 2015: laying the foundations for future domination McLaren-Honda is delighted to announce its new driver line-up for 2015: Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Ugly Moto makes beautiful motorcycle art [w/video]

Thu, 08 May 2014

Ugly Moto is a horrible name for a company that makes such wonderful motorcycle art. The creation of artist Francis Ooi, the company's illustrations focus on some of the iconic racing bikes of the 1960s and 1970s.
The artwork has an elegant simplicity that really makes it pop. It would fit just about anywhere from a home office to the bedroom of a young gearhead. Ooi has completed six illustrations so far covering classic cycles from Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and even Harley-Davidson. According to his site, the Suzuki RGB500 ridden by Barry Sheene will be the next one released. All of the prints are priced at $65 and are limited to 100 copies. They are all about 16.53 inches by 23.58 inches in size.
According to his website, these prints are just a hobby for Ooi and his real career is as the creative director at an ad agency. He creates the illustrations on his Mac, and he estimates that each design with about 800 components and layers takes about a month to complete. You can get idea of the process involved in the time-lapse video below.

1994 Honda Civic Vx - Cannot Smog In California on 2040-cars

Honda Civic for Sale