Jap cars are not cheap to modify, my pal bought a turbo kit for his EP3 that cost £1400, it was just manifold turbo, intercooler etc, he still had to spend over a grand on other stuff like kpro and remap etc.
I bought a 291bhp LET for my Nova for £1100, and it was nearly twice as quick as his civic.
His engine then blew up and mine is still going strong now.
Just a comparison.