Hi guys,

Im not too familiar with cars but I had some car issues this past weekend. My 2003 Honda civic lx of 68,000 miles engine seized while driving on the highway. I took it in to a Honda dealership. After diagnostics, they told me I needed a whole new engine and a radiator----an estimate of $4200.

Is this normal? And if it is should I consider investing the money into the car or cut my losses and get a new car? I've been looking on Craigslist and my same car or the ex version sells for 3-5k so I'm not really sure if it's worth it.

Any advice will be appreciated!

Rose

 

I would cut my losses and part it out if I had the space and time. If not, I would sell it on craigslist to get at least something for it and buy something else.

I would not be spending that much on a 2003 that will probably have other problems soon..... also gotta think insurance too. In the event it gets totaled after pouring all that money into it will pretty much vanish as the book value is so low.

 

^^ +1

 

ummm well your first problem was getting a quote on a 2003 at a dealership. labor at most dealerships is %15 above a precision tune or other national shop. also you would be much better off with a used engine and they are easy to find. I have found places that sell short blocks for around 1000. if the pistons really seized then the rest of the components on the engine should be fine. if the T belt broke or something then u need a new engine. Also my car has 173000 on a 94 and i had a 93 integra that i sold still running perfectly with 239000.... how in the hell did you kill a honda engine under 100k????? you must have missed quite a few oil changes


Also where the hell do you guys live that a 2003 civic with 68000 is only worth 3k-5k????? you could sell that car with a bad engine up here for almost $2500
i just went through the trouble of finding a civic to buy with my tax money and people don't sell them cheap... especially with gas around 3.50-4$

 

Used engine for sure. The LX (non-VTEC) ones should be easy to find. A third party shop might do it for about $1500 complete.

I assume they say you also need a radiator because the radiator leaked, letting all the coolant out and causing fatal overheating.

 

I called a few other shops around town (st. Louis area) and they've all quoted about around 3500. But again, I might just cut my losses and invest in something new. And mk-- you're right, they also said I need a new radiator. They said it cracked and the engine over heated. The dealership said it was probably my fault I killed the engine since I was supposed to get an oil change in late November.

The best part is that the dealership offered my 500$ for my car as is if I wanted to sell it to them.

 

I guess I'm just concerned that I'll be putting in close to 4k and won't get anything back in a few years. Also even though everything else is in good condition (newer tires, brakes,etc) I don't know what next will go bad

How would I go about to "part it out" and or us the best way to sell it is as is on Craigslist?

 

Based on your description I think your best bet is to list it on craigslist as-is after doing a little research on the price because you'll get a swarm of ridiculously low offers. There are plenty of guys out there with a little more mechanical know how who buy these types of cars to drop rebuild's in and sell them for a profit. That would probably give you a bit more than the $500 the dealer is offering.

Heck, you may even want to put a post in the classified section of some of the other higher traffic honda sites to see what people would offer.

 

Wow! What surprises me is that the dealer is offering you that much for it. I'm sure they see a lot more money in the future. I just had my first over heating issue with my car at 345k miles. Changed the hose that was leaking and back on the road. Where are you located? Imight be interested in a new project car.