Rich, some generation civics with proper mods can easily hang with an elise. they were not a sports car from the factory but can definitely be sporty and hold their own when setup properly. ive been in ALOT of "sports" cars that my 17 yr old honda can easily outperform. most civics are stereotypically junk and non functional but theres also alot out there that are very fast. so dont be so quick to dismiss all civics.