Was thinking of offering the guy $1200 for the car. It's in great shape aside from the engine..but I could probably get a d15 for $500 or so in my area. Assuming the tires and such are in as good of shape as he says..I think this is a steal. Yes/no?

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/865654964.html

 

Well I talked him down to $1500. The rims and everything are included; he said he just installed a new clutch and some other things like 2 weeks ago. Just that it threw a rod and went through the oil pan. But hell, he basically has the body exactly how I want.

I figure I could buy a stock civic for $2000 and pay for the body work, but that would be more expensive then taking this car and getting a new engine. Think I'll go pick it up tomorrow

 

ummm... without a working engine, it's more or less a rolling shell. Rolling shells go for $300-500. I'm just saying I don't care if it has aftermarket headlights, tails, and wheels, I wouldn't pay $1500 for it. H**l, I wouldn't pay $1000 for it.

What body work does he have? Looks like stock bumpers/skirts and an oem front lip to me.

 

Well what I mean is I can't find a stock Civic for any less than $1700 around here (and those are in bad shape body-wise). I think it would be cheaper to pick up the car this way and get a new motor than to buy a working car and have the body work done. With the car already being black and having new wheels/tires I think it would be a steal. I figure paint is $200 or so, at the cheapest. Then the wheels/tires..what? $700? That alone is more than an engine would be.

Again, I could be wrong..I'm not the best with pricing, etc but if I can get a motor for $500-$600 it would be cheaper in the long run.

 

How long have you been looking for a civic? If you keep looking, you'll eventually find a real steal. I've been looking for a civic/crx/del sol/integra/240sx for a few months now, and this week I'll be buying a '96 dx with a little bit of deer damage (it's looking like a $300 repair if I do the work myself) and a b18 swap for $1500. That's less than the b18 swap by itself costs lol

But if you really want it, I'd say go for it. I'm just saying the longer you wait, the better deals you find. Also, when you talked to the guy, did you act like you wanted the car or did you act like you didn't care about whether or not you got the car? If you act like you don't care, you tend to get a better price (yes, even with private sellers). When I went to look at that EK, I spent a good half hour pointing out all the s**t that was wrong with it (all cheap things I could fix quickly by myself and/or things I really didn't care about, but it's good to have a long list of reasons as to why he should lower the price).

 

I haven't been looking too long, just about a month. Truth be told though I'm a very impatient person . And when I talked to him I basically just asked if there was anything wrong with the car aside from the motor. He mentioned it had a little rust on the rear quarter panels (imagine that, right?). I think when I go look at it I'll act like I really don't care whether I get it or not in hopes of getting it for less.

 

yeah, also, try to find more things wrong with it... the more you can complain about, the more he might take off. but you have to remember, some people are dead-set on a car's price, so you might be complaining for nothing. But good luck on the negotiations

 

ya well ya think about it....a blown motor expensive new motor, PLUS cost of all the labor to have the old motor pulled and new motor installed. not to cheap......

id say 1200tops... remember just because wheels look good doesnt mean they arent bent.... people that drive hard usualy drive hard hiting potholes or curbs can easily bend rims and no one likes a bent wheel always shaking driving down the road!

i bought my old 94with a blown Z6 motor and i got lucky to find a good replacement engine for only like 250bucks but i got really lucky and did al the work myself. but IMO i wont buy a car with a blown motor again.... to many suprises that can pop up afterwards! new clutch or not the syncros are the huge PITA if they go bad... plus tranny bearings could be whining and lets face it without the running motor YOULL NEVER KNOW ABOUT THEM TILL ITS TO LATE.

so just think hard about the whole deal and tell the guy you have no garentee everything else is in good condition! work that price down at least or ditch the car and keep looking....

trust me jumping on a car because you cannt find a good one at this time is never a good idea! i did with my 99civic. then found out its been wrecked twice. plus i originaly wanted a hatchback 5speed and ive still always wanted a hatchback 5speed.... but i bought a coupe automatic....
i wish i kept my cash in my pocket and waited afew more weeks and drove alittle further to this day!

 

Luckily I'm blessed with a master mechanic uncle, so swapping an engine is no problem. Though I definitely have and will continue to think about it. I realize the danger of not knowing what all is wrong with the car right now..and if I buy it and it sucks I'll be really upset..like you have no idea

 

well im lucky also and have a dad that has all the tools i need and taught me pretty good.
but the little things add up!
with my 94blown motor civic i had to replace almost all the bushings, axles, balljoints, shift linkage, splash guards.... blabla bla it was a real PITA!!!!!!! didnt look to bad at first but definatly every penny added up to a nice bill i bought it for like 400bucks, and sold it for i believe 3K bucks and after all the parts and total cash i had in it i only made like 3-500bucks from all my work. definatly not worth the hassle i went thru with it!

only good thing that car did for me was get me hooked again to a 5speed manual honda