New to the honda scene. question.
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Joined: Feb 2012
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New to the honda scene. question.
Got a lot of friends in the honda scene. I've been picking up on a lot of the lingo and stuff on hondas, and they've been teaching me a lot of little things. I've been looking into getting a civic to start working on myself. I have a daily driver, so I'm just wanting to find something fairly clean that works. I found this car and I was wondering what you guys think of it? and if i was to go check it out, what are some things i should pay attention to or ask about?
HONDA CIVIC VTEC 5 SPEED
HONDA CIVIC VTEC 5 SPEED
Could be okay. But if it's a DX coupe, it doesn't have the VTEC motor.
Big things that you need to look out for is when the timing belt was done. Hondas are interference-type motors, so if a timing belt goes bad, a good portion of the engine is toast. The other thing is that a lot of Civics in that vintage develop rust in the upper rear portions of the rear fenders around the fender lip. Look for paint bubbling there, and feel the inside of the fender to see if there's rust starting.
Additionally, you'll probably need to change out the rear trailing arm bushings (big, round circular ones that are just inside the rear wheel wells towards the front of the car). A lot of these are torn (or in bad shape) especially on cars with a lot of miles. They're not expensive to replace, but are a hassle to do if you're a DIY kinda guy.
All the hinged body panels (hood, doors, trunk) have decals with the VIN number on them, so make sure those match the VIN on the firewall, which also matches the one on the dash.
Also, if the seller seems even the slightest bit shady, I'd Carfax a Civic in a heartbeat. With the interesting lives these cars tend to live, you want to make sure the chassis/engine aren't a former theft recovery.
Otherwise, just keep an eye out for the usual things like smoke coming out of the tailpipe, clutch engagement, cracked rubber parts, etc.
Big things that you need to look out for is when the timing belt was done. Hondas are interference-type motors, so if a timing belt goes bad, a good portion of the engine is toast. The other thing is that a lot of Civics in that vintage develop rust in the upper rear portions of the rear fenders around the fender lip. Look for paint bubbling there, and feel the inside of the fender to see if there's rust starting.
Additionally, you'll probably need to change out the rear trailing arm bushings (big, round circular ones that are just inside the rear wheel wells towards the front of the car). A lot of these are torn (or in bad shape) especially on cars with a lot of miles. They're not expensive to replace, but are a hassle to do if you're a DIY kinda guy.
All the hinged body panels (hood, doors, trunk) have decals with the VIN number on them, so make sure those match the VIN on the firewall, which also matches the one on the dash.
Also, if the seller seems even the slightest bit shady, I'd Carfax a Civic in a heartbeat. With the interesting lives these cars tend to live, you want to make sure the chassis/engine aren't a former theft recovery.
Otherwise, just keep an eye out for the usual things like smoke coming out of the tailpipe, clutch engagement, cracked rubber parts, etc.
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Joined: Jun 2007
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The seller claims it is a stock DX, so it won't be VTEC. Only the EX model came with the high performance VTEC engine. It also had power windows and locks.
The number one thing to do on a used car is take the oil cap off and look inside the engine. If there is black sludge, that means the oil wasn't changed often enough and you're going to have engine problems. Also look for rust. They tend to rust first around the back wheels-- a little there is not a deal-killer on a $2400 car, but be sure it's not about to rust out.
The number one thing to do on a used car is take the oil cap off and look inside the engine. If there is black sludge, that means the oil wasn't changed often enough and you're going to have engine problems. Also look for rust. They tend to rust first around the back wheels-- a little there is not a deal-killer on a $2400 car, but be sure it's not about to rust out.
Last edited by mk378; Feb 5, 2012 at 09:30 AM.
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