RIP... my baby is dead
 

about a week and a half ago i was drivin to work stuck in traffic on the freeway. traffic came to a stop so i slowed til i reached a stop. i look up at my rearview mirror to make sure the person behind me was doin the same. instead, i see him slam on his breaks, the front end of his chevy suv just drops. he then swerves to the lane on his right. meantime, im prayin he just swerved into the next lane and stayed there. he disappears from my view for a split second, then next thing i know i see him lose control and thats when i knew what was going to happen next...

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insurance considered it totaled. so now im out of a car. im am considering going older again instead of newer. i also definitely want manual this time around. so far my options are:

1) '86 si hatch with a ZC D16A1 turbo swap, 270k miles on it (not sure if that is before or after the swap)

2) '90 dx hatch with 150k miles

3) '87 si hatch with 205k miles, repairs within last 12mos.: rear main seal, rebuild transmission (only checking the synchronize), clutch, pressure plate, resurface flywheel, water pump, timing belt, fan switch, thermostat, radiator, spark plugs, spark plugs wire. new KYB struts all four, new catalytic converter.

4) '97 cx hatch with 70k miles, B18 C1 Integra Engine, LSD B16 Transmission Short Shift, Stage 2 Exedy Racing Clutch, Apex M1 Exhaust, Intake System, 17in Tenzo Racing Rims, New Axels, Pioneer Stereo w/ 2 12 in JL Audio W3 Subwoofers, Kenwood Amp & Roxford Fossgate Amp

5) '93 si hatch with 100k miles

6) '91 dx hatch with 95k miles

7) '98 ex coupe with B18 B1 series motor, HID Headlights, Fog lights

8) '12 ex coupe with 7k miles

9) brand new '13 lx coupe or sedan

any suggestions, thoughts, opinions?

You still want payments?

I advise to stay away from very old, or turbo'd, or modified civics unless you are very coherent in what you are doing with the cars.

I agree with that-- Civic 1992 or newer, manual, in stock condition or with superficial mods only.

If the insurance will let you, keep the salvage and sell the car to someone as it is if you don't want to try to patch it up yourself. That's entirely fixable if you don't care about impressing girls or keeping water out of the trunk.

payments?! no i decided, for now at least, im done with payments. im puttin off the new car idea for the next couple of years or more.

advice heard loud and clear o knowledgeable one.

insurance gave me the option to keep salvage or cash out. i dont want salvage.

ive sifted through my search and so right now im down to 2 options:

1) '02 Civic EX coupe, everything stock, 114k miles

2) '98 Prelude S, Aikimoto intake system, Magnaflow exhaust system, 120k miles on chassis, 87k miles on new engine (replaced by honda under warranty), 15k miles on new clutch

My point was that if you keep salvage, they'll only reduce your check by a few hundred dollars (what the car is worth to them as they just send it to a junkyard which will pay by weight as scrap metal). When you "keep salvage", the insurance still has to pay the difference between what the car was worth just before it crashed and what it is now. Since Civics are somewhat collectible, you should be able to easily sell the car as it is for more than that insurance salvage value to someone who wants to fix it or part it out.

yea, but i dont have the time to sell it or part it out, nor the space to store it during that time. and they were going to deduct $2950 from the settlement for the dmv for salvage fee.

My daily commute car is a '01 Civic EX coupe, manual trans., with 382K miles. Bought it new in 12/00 and have had no significant problems with it. Had to replace starter and alternator, but everything else has been routine PM (plugs, timing belt/water pump twice, 5w-20 Pennzoil and filter every 7500 miles, etc). Great car. If the 'o2 you are buying checks out in good shape, you should be able to get at least another 100-200K miles on it if you take care of it.

That said, at around 350 K miles, my 01' started to exhibit typical symntoms of old age..oil leak, passenger auto door lock, and other minor issues some of which I've fixed and others I'm living with for now. the good thing about driving an old car is that you generaly know the problems you can live with and those you must fix to avoid a breakdown. I can live with adding 1/4 quart of oil every month vs. the cost of having a rear main seal replaced.

thanks for the info, but last night i ended up goin with the prelude. was able to knock $750 off the asking price. just couldn't pass it up.