I am considering the purchase of a used Honda 2005 civic LX with the 1.7L L4 engine with an auto trans. The car has 20,800 miles.According to Carfax it has been in two car front end accidents. The car seems OK, body lines are straight,it stops straight when braking hard, does not make noise when crossing tracks, but the engine makes a slight knocking noise when accelerating. Do these engines make noise like this? Also the AC does not blow out COLD air, but the outside temp was only 40 - 45 degf. There is a slight vibration in the wheel at 50 + mph but I'm rather sure it's a balance/rotation tire issue. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Danno in Nebraska

 

[align=left]I doubt there is a knock at that low of mileage.
are you sure it's a knock and not a tick? Honda engines make ticking noises and it's normal. Check to make sure that the chassis is ok.
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I wouldnt buy that if I were you, cars that have been in accidents and have little problems like that only means there may be more trouble up ahead, but thats just my opinion. Your ac cools less the colder it is outside, so its either that or one of the tubings got cracked when the car got into the accident, and if thats the case than you are looking at a pricey fix for your AC.

Your best bet is to get your mechanic (if you have one) or ask if you can bring the car to a mechanic to check it out before you buy it, there's no reason why the seller wouldnt agree to this unless he's got something to hide. Your mechanic should be able to tell if that noise is normal and whatever else could be wrong with the car.

 

^ what he said. They crashed it twice? i hope they are seeling it for dirt cheap

 

Well the knock you may be hearing could the lifters which maybe sticking the only way to find out would yo put slick 50 transmission cleaner or something with in that lines. jason

 

Personally, I'd avoid this one like the plague! It sounds to me like you're just asking for trouble.

 

Look at it this way, why are they selling it, the car is practically brand new, it just seems shady to me. Look for another car, theres tons of civics out there, they arent that hard to find.

 

Thanks guys for the help!!

I contacted honda.justanswer.com and got this reponse:
"Those engines don't make noise at all. I would honestly find another Civic to buy. If the A/C doesn't work it's probably because the condensor was damaged in a front end accident at one point. You can find another one I'm sure for that kind of money. The A/C work could be up to $500 just for the A/C system repairs. I'd have a mechanic inspect the car on a lift and see if any of the body was damaged as well if you absolutely have to have it. Much can be covered at a body shop that could make the car unsafe in an accident."

My mechanic friend who was not a Honda mechanic mentioned that it sounded like a lower engine knock. The caralso had a vibration atidle. I could have got it for $9500, but I don't have time to mess with a can of worms! I think parts had been stripped as well, it camefrom Brooklyn NY, crashed twice, repo'd once. I let it go without hesitation! The dealer that I looked at it shipped it out today to parts unknown.

I bought a much nicer one owner, never wrecked 2005 EX today instead with 76,000 miles.(Honda certified, what ever that means) Probably paid too much, $13,000 but it drove much, muchnicer than any other ones I drove and has a VTEC engine. It needs a rear spoiler, any suggestions? I want a stock style. I looked at a couple of sites, thinking about getting it pre-painted. Are there plugs for the rear trail light in the spoiler in the truck lid?

Gotta have XM radio as well. This car does not.

Really HAPPY with Carfax! I found that about 60% of the cars I looked at were in accidents, about 20% were repo'd.

Danno from Nebraska

 

You made a good choice to stay away from that other one. And you got an even better car, very nice

 

Good thing you didnt go for it, sounds like it was going to cost you more in the long run. Id say you got a decent deal on your 05 EX. I paid 7,000 for my 01 EX with 69k miles in it but yours is 4 years newer. Good luck and grats on your new car.