I know there's no real set answer, but I'm looking to buy a Honda and I found a Del Sol for sale. He's selling it for $3500/ neg, but it has 160k miles on it. It has a few performance upgrades, nothing too crazy, full exhaust, some supsnsion/ brake work, but he claims he doesn't race it. He says that the only reason he upgraded it was because a friend of his had a Del Sol, wrecked it and gave him the parts. Here's his e-mail response to me-

"It just past 160k. I had the car for three years. I changed the clutch when I first got the car. The clutch is fine. I only use the car locally. I don't race the car. The only reason I have all those upgrades is my friend had the same car and someone t~bone him so I got all the parst off his car. The only upgrade I did was the stereo system.I work only a few mins from my house. My friend back into the front of the car that's why it needs a fog light."

You guys are the experts. What do you think? I've always loved the Del Sol, but 160k miles is a hell of a lot. At least for what I'm used to (I'm a GM guy). Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

If it was well maintained and continues to be maintained it could go to 200k easily.

 

my civic had 300k on it when the head gasket blew... and i sold the head off of it, the mechanic had it checked and there was absolutely nothing wrong with the head. well maintained civics/del sols will last forever

make sure all the basic maintenance has been taken care of...

 

What about the price?

 

I bought my Del Sol with 158k miles on it. Check the engine bay for fluid leaks and such.
160k isn't that much for a honda engine. If it has been taken care of well, 160k is only middle-aged for a honda engine.

You can PM me about any questions you have regarding Del Sols if you want (or just post on this thread. since i am subscribed to it, i will notice your new post and i will reply. if i don't reply it means the e-mail notification got caught in my spam filter, and then PM me after a few days without response and let me know that i didn't reply), I know quite a bit about them and can probably answer any of your questions, except for some questions that involve in-depth engine internals, as I don't know that much about building an engine or engine overhaul procedures.
But the Del Sol engines are the same as the same year Civic engine.
here's the break down on engine similarities:

1992-1995 Civic DX, LX engine = 1993-1995 Del Sol S engine (D15B7)
1992-1995 Civic EX engine = 1993-1995 Del Sol Si engine (D16Z6)

1996-2000 Civic DX, LX engine = 1996-1997 Del Sol S engine (D16Y7)
1996-2000 Civic EX engine = 1996-1997 Del Sol Si engine (D16Y8)


Only exception is the 1994-1997 Del Sol "VTEC" (not to be confused with the D16Z6 VTEC engine) It uses some version of B16A (not sure if B16A, B16A1, or B16A2)

 

Here's his mod list-

"tokico shocks, EIBACH springs, power slot front and rear disc brakes, aem intake, header, racing cat, shunk2 2.5" catback exhaust, neuspeed strut bar, aftermarket alloy wheels, new tires, new pioneer radio with pioneer ipod connection, 2x 12" audiobahn aluminum dvc subs 2500 watts each, viper 1200 mono amp, viper 250 4 channel amp, cap (no clue what this is), boston front door speakers, jbl rear speakers, momo streeling wheel, short shifter, sparco paddles, racing motor mounts

it also has new timing belt, spark plugs, thermostat and new brakes"

It sounds very appealing, but how much should I offer him? My Trans Am's motor just hydrolocked, so I'm looking to get something economical and fun. I'd imagine that this car would have exceptional handling. No clue what kind of power this thing would put out. I can't imagine this having much grunt down low, but how well do they pull in the higher RPM range?

I've always liked Del Sol's and I can't seem to find a 5 speed Civic, Accord or CRX around, so this really caught my attention. I just can't justify spending $3,500 on a car with 160,000 miles on it. It's not that I fear engine failure. It's everything else that scares me. What about the radiator and cooling system, sensors, electrical components, transmission, and other parts? How reliable are they?

 

What model and year is the Del Sol?

 

Rust is the one thing that will kill an old Civic for sure. The parts are quite reliable, and readily available since a Del Sol is pretty much exactly the same as a regular Civic under the hood.

Find out if it is a VTEC engine version or not, the VTEC makes it pull a lot better at high rpm. The non-VTEC engines are built for gas economy, although it will be faster than many economy cars, neither VTEC or not is going to be like a Trans Am.

A "cap" is part of the stereo stuff. It's a large capacitor that allegedly increases the performance of the sound system, though this is hotly debated. Anyway it doesn't hurt anything.

"Racing cat" probably means a straight pipe, which you will need to replace with a real cat if you need to pass a smog test for your area.

 

Hey man. I've had many Hondas new and old. 160k is nothing on that car. Its a plus the clutch is still good. I had a 96 civic with 275k and ran great. Just maintain it.

 

With that many miles you may need to replace the seals/gaskets. Should be a DIY job if you've spent moderate time under the hood. $3500 isn't bad if the body is in really good condition, engines can be replaced relatively cheap.