If this is in the wrong part of the forum sorry wasn't quite sure which section it belonged in. I'm currently debating on trading my truck for a 2000 Honda Civic EX Coupe. Its an automatic with 194k miles. From what the owner told me it does need work done to it mostly interior work. Needs new window motors and some of the electrical needs to fix. Thats not a big deal for me. What concerns me is he doesn't have a lot information on what maintenance has been done to it he just got it from a friend. They had the car up for sale for 1.5k on craiglist and it didn't sell however when I went to look at it it wasn't in horrible shape. Needs a new bumper and hood but thats minor. I drove it around the block and rode in it and felt great. Transmission doesn't slip or anything like that.

What I'm wondering is if the car hasn't been maintain that well will the motor last me and is there anything I can look at to check to see if there are any major problems with the car. I can slowly fix up the interior but mechanical wise I don't have the funds to be able to fix something right away. Is it worth it to take a chance on it for the MPG or is it not worth it when I have a truck thats running fine. Thanks for the advice in advance I really appreciate it.

 

Seems definitely worth $1500 if it is at all road-worthy. Take the oil cap off and look for sludge inside the engine. Check if the transmission fluid is fresh and red or old and brown. (Don't expect the automatic transmission to last very long in any case.)

 

Okay thanks. How many miles do you think I could get out of the transmission. I researched a little and it seems like its going to cost 400 for a used one plus labor. If I can get it to last for 6 months to a year I was planning on getting a new transmission.

 

I once bought a 1998 Honda Civic DX automatic that had 183k miles on it, from craigslist. Didn't get a chance to test drive it (no plates). I wish I could've, because on the drive home I discovered the transmission was slipping in the first two or three gears!

So really, every car is different, depends on how it was treated, but of course you dont know that... If it is not slipping now, I'm sure it'll be fine for another 6 months.

 

yeah i could never understand why honda/acura could never design a dependable automatic transmission ???

 

ask when timing belt was replaced. I got mine done at 150,000, although everyone usually recommends doing it every 100,000.

check engine oil/transmission fluid level