97 Civic Value Question (maintenance knowledge requested)
#1
02-07-2010, 01:41 PM
97 Civic Value Question (maintenance knowledge requested)
Hi,
I'm thinking about buying my friends 97 Honda Civic 2 door from him in the next few weeks.
I'm trying to get a gauge of the value - there is nothing really close under ebay completed listings or on craigslist around me.
The interior is a little dirty - carpet stains that won't come out, probably due to long use of the vehicle with no floor-mats. The seats are in decent condition.
The car has no power steering (its about as basic as it gets), has 138,000 miles, and the clutch has never been changed. It's loose but still works fine.
The AC belt is broken so the AC does not work. It's also got some small body dings near the front tires and some scratches on the rear bumpers. The carpet in the trunk is in poor condition as its old and sags down in the spare chamber a bit.
Also the last person that changed the oil looks like they used sealant on the plug since I'm guessing it was stripped... the oil needs to be changed now and I'm wondering how much that will cost to fix.
Other wise the car runs well. There is a bit of a rattling noise which I think is coming from the plastic underneath the car - not anything metal in the engine compartment.
Two of the tires also probably need replacing soon.
All of these things considering, how much should I pay for this car? I want to give him a fair private party price, but don't want to pay too much. Any things I should check for in particular?
I'm thinking about buying my friends 97 Honda Civic 2 door from him in the next few weeks.
I'm trying to get a gauge of the value - there is nothing really close under ebay completed listings or on craigslist around me.
The interior is a little dirty - carpet stains that won't come out, probably due to long use of the vehicle with no floor-mats. The seats are in decent condition.
The car has no power steering (its about as basic as it gets), has 138,000 miles, and the clutch has never been changed. It's loose but still works fine.
The AC belt is broken so the AC does not work. It's also got some small body dings near the front tires and some scratches on the rear bumpers. The carpet in the trunk is in poor condition as its old and sags down in the spare chamber a bit.
Also the last person that changed the oil looks like they used sealant on the plug since I'm guessing it was stripped... the oil needs to be changed now and I'm wondering how much that will cost to fix.
Other wise the car runs well. There is a bit of a rattling noise which I think is coming from the plastic underneath the car - not anything metal in the engine compartment.
Two of the tires also probably need replacing soon.
All of these things considering, how much should I pay for this car? I want to give him a fair private party price, but don't want to pay too much. Any things I should check for in particular?
#2
02-07-2010, 08:29 PM
check.
timing.
belt.
The timing belt is essential to the life of a Honda. If that **** breaks, your car will be worthless and un-drivable.
And I noticed that you note little faults in the car. How old is it? If you're looking to buy a 13 year old car, don't hold it to brand new car standards.
Also, timing belt should be changed every 100k kms, or 60k miles.
timing.
belt.
The timing belt is essential to the life of a Honda. If that **** breaks, your car will be worthless and un-drivable.
And I noticed that you note little faults in the car. How old is it? If you're looking to buy a 13 year old car, don't hold it to brand new car standards.
Also, timing belt should be changed every 100k kms, or 60k miles.
#3
02-08-2010, 09:47 AM
Also check for sludge in the engine by taking the oil cap off (or even the whole valve cover, it's only 4 nuts holding it on). 140,000 is right around the mileage where the engine will start to go bad if it's been abused and allowed to sludge up from not changing the oil often enough.
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