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Hello to everyone @ HCF I Am new here, and hoping for some advice . Ive narrowed my search down to two civics a 2000, 2 door 5 speed with under a 100k timing belt not done yet . It has a CAI and was owned by a younger driver. The car was lowered by the po but the current owner put new stock suspension back on the car. He had it installed at the dealership he works at. I Am not sure why he he even told me that? The 2nd car is a 97 4 door auto with 106k the 100k service has been done, but it has a CEL they said autozone told them it was an o2 sensor but he didn't know the #,his wife has it. It comes from the estate of (i'm not kidding here) a little old lady. Both cars are equally clean and drive well. I guess what i'm really asking is which one would you take? Also are there any problems I should look for or any thing that would make you stay away from a civic Ive had a few honda's but never a civic. Im not really concerned about resale value I Am looking for Fuel economy and reliability. I need to make a decision today so a quick response would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah the 2000 is asking price $2700 the 97 is firm $3200 thanks in advance! Also do these years civics have any oil consumption problems?

 

2000 would get my vote.

What are the trims of each Civic? EX, DX, LX etc?

 

As long as the 2-door body style fits your life, I'd agree with cvcrcr that the 2000 is a no-brainer. Especially if you're looking for fuel mileage, the 5-speed will eek out a few more MPG than the automatic will. Plus, I would imagine resale on a 5-speed coupe would be higher than an automatic 4-door.

But ask yourself what you want to drive, and how much you want to put into the cars. The difference is only $500, which is less than what it would cost to have a mechanic replace the timing belt/water pump on the 2000. But if you did it yourself, the cost savings would be significantly less.

Also take a look for body rust in the fenders, specifically the rear wheel wells. Hondas have a nasty habit of collecting dirt in there and rusting out from the inside. You'll also want to take a look at the rear trailing arm bushings (the big, round ones that go through the trailing arms), as those are a pain to replace on your own, and expensive to have them done by a pro.

I can't talk too much on the oil consumption, as my '97 LX tends to use oil. I've summed it up to bad valve seals, which is probably something I'll address when I do the timing belt this Spring. I get a bit of oil smoke upon startup when it's been sitting overnight, but no smoke otherwise.

 

the 2000 is an ex v-tec, 97 inan lx not sure if its the v-tec. Thanks for all replys!

 

LX came with the D16y7, non vtec.

IMO, 2000 Civic hands down. More options (EX), vtec motor (d16y8), less mileage, no known problems, 5 speed, cheaper, the list continues on.....

 

that makes good sense . on that timing belt Ive heard some people getting 140k on them can they be easley inspected?

 

I replace mine at like 60k. haha I would not go above 100K to be honest.

You can inspect it by taking off the valve cover, then the upper timing cover on the driver side. Inspect for cracks etc. However, it can go at anytime, once it goes, there is a 99% chance the motor is F-ed.

 

A 2000 model with the original belt should have it replaced regardless of mileage. They fail by having the teeth strip off. The only sign that that is about to happen is little cracks at the base of the teeth. You would need to remove the belt from the car to see that clearly. At that point of course you just put a new one on.

 

very good advice thanks

 

I would go with the manual... Also, watch of for the timing chain.. They always seem to go out in these rigs!!!