The current Honda Civic Si is one of the best cars on the market today. It’s also hella expensive, which is why cars like today’s 2014 edition might look contrastingly appealing. Let’s see just how appealing this last-gen edition is.

BMW has long touted its cars as “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” For many enthusiasts, that mantra implies driver engagement, and that equates to a physical connection between driver and machine. Yesterday’s lacked some of that engagement by sporting a four-speed automatic instead of a more involved Getrag manual. That notable factor, along with high mileage and some overall scruffiness, hampered opinion over the car and its $5,200 asking price. Ultimately, that resulted in a 66 percent No Dice loss.

You’ve no doubt heard the term “lipstick on a pig,” used to denote an attempt — often futile — to dress up an undesirable object by barely masking its flaws and failings. What if that object wasn’t fatally flawed or otherwise wholly undesirable? What if, at the outset, it was a really good-looking pig? What might we call that?

Honda has dressed up its Civic line in Si trim (meaning “Sport injection”) for almost 40 years now. It would be unfair to the base Civic to say that the performance engines, tightened suspensions, and subtly aggressive body kits applied over the years have been nothing more than lipstick on a pig. There have been, however, over those years different levels of attractiveness.

This comes from one of the less attractive pig eras. That’s not to say that the ninth-generation Civic and by extension the Si is a bad car. It just proved to be a bit of a disappointment when compared to precedent models and contemporary competitors like the Volkswagen GTI and Ford Focus ST.

The main issue with this generation of Si is that Honda brought a naturally-aspirated engine to a turbo fight. That 2.4-liter DOHC four does offer Honda’s VTEC cam magic which boosts output to 205 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, both fairly healthy numbers. That oomph feeds a six-speed manual and limited-slip differential that combined drive the front wheels.

This one, in black over black, is claimed to be totally stock save for its lowering coilovers and some faux two-piece aftermarket wheels. Both mods should be relatively painless to undo for a new owner, but the fuss is still there. According to the ad, there are 135,000 miles on the clock. That works out to about 15,000 a year. A number like that is at the top of what is generally considered to be reasonable wear and tear use, but the car doesn’t show any evidence in the pictures of notable flaws either inside or out. The engine bay looks especially clean and tidy, appearing to have either enjoyed a recent detail or been blessed with a fastidious owner. It’s interesting to see that Honda is still using traditional radiator caps on their cars, something shared between this 2014 and the current model car.

According to the seller, the car runs “excellent.” Being new as it is, it comes with a number of modern conveniences, including a backup camera, navigation system, and keyless entry. It also comes with Honda’s weird double-tier dashboard and frustratingly knob-less infotainment system. The title is clean and the price tag is $15,500.

Now, before you get all whoop-di-doop-dy over that in the voting, consider that the current Civic Si — which offers the same 200 horsepower and just a bit more torque — starts just shy of double that. Add on a few extras and suddenly it’s over $35,000 out the door. Does that make this 2014 an appealing value?

What do you say? Is this Civic Si worth that $15,500 asking as presented in its ad? Or, does that price elicit a “Si” of regret?

You decide!

San Francisco Bay Area, California, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!

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