Hello all! I just joined here and I have a couple of questions if I may.I am looking at a 96 EX 5 speed for my son. It has 142,000 miles on it and the main reason he likes it is because it does not have a rear wing or a moonroof visor. I was wondering if there is any problemsareas in particular I need to look at before we buy it? I own a 97 Accord EX and its a great car, but I'm not familiar with Civics and I know different cars made by the same manufacturer can have different problems.This car seems very clean, is green in color with a gray interior, has normal wear and tear on it. Any comments will be appreciated!Thanks!!

 

I dont know much but... obviosuly test drive it. If that works out well, look for rust on the lower back rim of the wheel wells. That is usually the first area to rust on a civic.

I am a big fan of buying used cars with maintenance records. I would even be willing to pay more for a car knowing they took it to a dealership to have regular maintenance done.

other than that civics are one of the most reliable vehicles out there, definitely a good first car for someone as well.

 

This will actually be his second car. His first is a 94 Nissan Sentra SE-R but its an automatic. He is wanting something popular and a 5 speed. Yea I'll definately test drive it. I've bought 2 cars off this individual and he's always done me right, but there's alwaysa first time....

 

get underneath the car. Check for any kind or rust or rot. Check the wheel wells and the bottom of the doors for rust or rot. check to see if there was any bondo there at any point. another thing is check the sunroof opening and closing. Spray it with water to make sure it won't leak. Check the oil. Make sure there is nothing foreign in it. Have him give it an oil change before you buy it. thats all i can think of right now

 

Make sure the gears don't grind when you shift.. I recommend you to shift all the way to 5th gear. If possible drive it on the freeway (highway)

 

CHECK the brakes see how much is left because i got my used civic and the brakes were almost all the way worn and also check how well the ebrake works it should only have to be pulled up to 4-5 clicks if more the rear brakes are worn

 

The brakes are easy and very cheap to replace.. The transmission and the engine are more important than the brakes pads. Those 2 things got to be working in really good conditions. Now that cost money to repair..Big $$$$. Well if it needs pads maybe he can give you a little discount? You can replace them.

 

Thanks for the info everyone! Yea, we're going to drive it Wednesday. He actually has 2 almost identical the only difference is the other one is a 97 with basically the same mileage, color and allbut with the rear spoiler. It has several dents in the hood and deck lid, both of which would have to be replaced and painted to match.According to nada.com there's only $225 difference in the retail prices and it would probably be more than that to fix the body. As with our Nissan, I know you have to look out for the rust issues, brakes and other mechanicals don't bother me too much.

 

Well good luck Sir