the 3 door civic vti's are probably quicker as they are lighter and only 10hp down at 158hp. the nissan's both use non turbo SR20de's so yes 2.0l but only 145ish hp iirc they are pretty solid engines and with the right mods can be free'd up quite well, always have the option of boost with the SR20deT which is the turbo motor or get the neo vvl engine which is nissans vtec SR20VE and are 197hp stock n/a lol
id say get the almera instead of the sunny as its more common so cheaper parts etc. and only thing i can say about the civic is, why a 5 door other than its probably cheaper?
Sooo after all this, drain your coolant, flush it with water a bit to clear out the old blue coolant (turn heaters on as well) Put in fresh mixed antifreeze/coolant of your choice and live happily ever after!