Hello all you Civic experts! Brand new user here, and in the market for a good commuter car. Love the Civics' reputation, and thought this would be the best place to ask some questions about a particular car I'm considering.

Here's the dealer's link: http://www.diamondlot.com/cgi/info.e...ealer=NCMOTORS

As you can see, it's a 2003 EX w/ 63k miles. The internet price is 10.9k. First off, lets *assume* the thing is in great condition (haven't looked at it yet--looking this afternoon.) Now, I've heard legendary things about these cars. My main concern is that to buy, I'll most likely be getting a 5 year loan. Maybe even 6 year, but I'd like to keep it to 5 tops. I'd put about 12-15k miles a year on it, so if I don't pay any extra per month, that means by the time it's paid off, it'd have about 138k miles on it. Good idea? Dumb idea? I'd almost assuredly be able to pay more on the principal after a year or two, cutting the loan to about a 4 year term.

P.S. Any tips on trouble areas to look for on the 2003 Civic EX coupe?

Many thanks!

 

this is my personal opinion, u should get something a bit older. like maybe 96ish. u could try to find one with less mileage, and u would end up paying less in the end.. (with interest) and the car would be paid off in less time. it would also be less for insurance also, iv heard that the statescharge too muchon insurance, soif u get anolder model, u pay less insurance, less cost for the car, and better gas mileage (if u get a cx or dx), for the same quality car

 

it's a nice car, but i'm not too keen on the asking price.

i'd buy a 92-95 civic eg hatch for a grand or two and then mod the hell out of it.

 

Looks like a good car. But make sure you inspect it inside and out whenever you get the chance.A honda will still run very strong with good maintenance after 150 + miles.

 

If you do go through with it, try getting a loan through your bank or somewhere else to get pre-approved before you go in on it. That way when you work the price down andits time to talk about how you are goingto pay for it(the dealership will be hoping that it will at least make money on your loan), you already have a nice lower interest rate loan. This way, you will get a lower price and lower interest rate.

 

Thanks guys! I think I might look for something a bit older...

 

On any Civic with more than 60K miles, I'd also recommend asking for a new/recent timing belt.

 

ya get something a big older, a bit cheaper to work on and my honda is pushing 140000 now but she is running like a champ. just make sure you take care of it properly no matter how good of condition it is in at the time of purchase