This summer i'm looking to buy a civic. I'm going with 92-95 hatch not sure which model just like the 30+ miles to the gallon. I'm lookin to get one under 4 k, with under 150 k miles, 5 speed.Is this a good price for 1 with a few mods or is that to much? I just don't wanna get ripped off so any replys would be appreciated.

 

4K sounds alittle high for at least in my area for one, and your lower milage could be hard to find, they are out their but harder to find.

but like always it depends what all mods have been done.
IMO i would look for one thats at least got a stock motor or maybe a Z6 or Vtec E motor.
but im just to worried about buying a motor swaped car because you dont know what parts are stock, so if something breaks then you got a posible headache trying to find the right part to replace it with!!!!!!
but thats just me....


i got my 94civic that ive got listed localy on free craigslist.com listing for 3,200, cars got over 210K miles but lower milage motor thats been worked over, BUT best part about my 94 is the very little rust on the car. for having 210+K miles im shocked its not rusted away anymore!!!!!!
i got it listed for sale BUT as soon as i paint the car i think ill keep the dang thing!


higher milage doesnt always mean the car is bad just depends how well its been worked over and repaired when it needed it! i found my 94civic with a blown motor for 400bucks BUT its been a huge headache with all the little things that needed fixed! and unfortunatly i still got more to fix BUT at least the list is alot shorter now than it was when i bought the car.LOL

just inspect the car ALOT when looking for a new car. and ask questions about whats been done to it.
also like any used vehicle GET A CARFAX REPORT ON THE CAR!!!!!!
if your not sure what to look for on the car find a friend that will look the car over and point out everthing wrong which could be a red flag!

 

thanks addiction where i live in ky there's not many tuners mainly 4x4's. I'm shootin for around 3-3500 so i can put a sytem with the extra. What all should i look for in a high milage chassis? cuz thats what scares me havin over 200k on the chassis.

 

what should i look for if i do get a high mileage civic? I want to have a realiable vehicle that wont break down. With 200k+ miles even with a swap will there be problems?

 

with a used car their is ALWAYS posible problems... no matter how much milage on the car.
hell look at my 94coupe its got 214K miles but ive went over ALOT of the car replacing odds and ends to get it reliable, most stock wiring is usualy fine no matter the milage, so mainly just test things out if posible, like power windows, locks, sunroof, shocks,springs.

everything else is cross your fingers that the previous owner has taken care of problems when they occured!
but with any older honda dont be suprised when the rear lower suspension bolts get seized up.... that is only a problem when you HAVE TO or want to change out the suspension to replace or lower the car
and most important again CARFAX report for any flood damage or wrecks as those 2 can have alot of problems for your future project.

then just cross your fingers ya find out..... hatchs AT LEAST IM MY AREA are hard to find! you got a better chance of finding some old estate auction where some old lady had a civic hatchback...... cause its funny ive only seen a few decent hatchs in my area and its always some old lady driving the car! and then ive only seen one other hatchback and its the typical riced out but HORIBLY DONE! looks like differnt color silver spray paint all over the car, euros, fart can muffler, and the body still beat up like a **** with large OBVIOUS bondo over rust patches. and ya i laugh at his hatch everytime i see it! cause to top it off the car used to be RED and it shows thru the silver.lol

 

Yes listen to Addiction. Much of the reliability comes from how well the car was maintained. If they changed the oil around 3000 miles then chances are the engine will run "OK"... If they had it properly maintained at a shop then the chances of the engine being in good shape are higher. I bought a 99 Civic in January. It's the first car I ever bought myself, by myself with no experienced person to watch over my back. I got it for $4000 with 156k miles on it at the time. Check the body, look at the grooves between the panels over the whole chassis. In my case the body was in ok shape, he had the rear bumper replaced so I inspected everything because I knew it had been rear ended. The trunk was not collapsed in, the trunk lid was not sprung, the foam bumper under the rear bumper was still intact. Check underneath the car for obvious leaks. Many times a careless mechanic will leave the impression of a bad leak. Check the underneath for weld marks (has it been to a chop shop?) Drive the car and ask yourself: How does it sound? Is the motor responsive? Is it smooth through the full RPM range? How does the transmission sound? How is the alignment? How is the suspension? Is there any smoke coming out of the tail pipe?

For 4k you will find a lot of 150-200k Civics. Be patient, it took me over a month to find the car that met my standards. You might also looking at Acura Integras too.

I'll advise against getting a automatic with over 200k on it. Your bound to have to deal with transmission problems. A manual
tranny will last the life of the car if maintained. Some Honda's burn oil, people race them and don't maintain them. Other Honda's have head gasket problems, people race them, don't change the coolant, let the car sit for months and months etc... the best way to check the engine is to run a compression test on the cylinders. If you have the means I highly recommend doing it.


My experience here in LA is most people don't know **** about their car, and as a result they don't properly maintain them. Be cautious and skeptical of every car you set foot in. A car with 150,000+ is bound to have some issues. Some will be minor some will be major

 

Thanks guys. In my town there isn't any civics or acura's. So i will look this summer for 1 and cross my fingers i find 1.