Hi,

I know little about cars so I would appreciate some help in determining what to do. I have a 93 Civic LX with 140K miles; we are the 2nd owner. I am wondering whether this is the point to get rid of the car as it seems that several major repairs are looming. I can afford a new car, but would prefer to stay with the Civic as long as I will not be spending a ton on repairs. KBB says that the car is only worth $1-1.5K so it seems silly to spend more than a few hundred. I would need to have the work done by a mechanic at a local shop in the Bay Area (i.e., not cheap).

Problems include (as mentioned by a local mechanic):

- "clutch master and slave cylinders are leaking." I have noticed - Very slight difficulty getting car in gear occasionally (bit of stickyness in clutch). Once at a stop light absoutely couldn't get car in gear. Recently have smelled burning after backing uphill into our driveway.

- "drive axle - both outer boxes torn open"; noise when turning to the right

- "Engine oil valve cover gasket engine seal & oil pan gasket leaking"

- "Rear suspension: trailing arm bushings cracking"

- "Steeering rack & pump leaking"

I don't want sentimentality or a "fix it yourself" answer. I would appreciate a financial-driven answer on whether it makes sense to sell the car now.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

The main parts of the car are in good shape. The miles are quite low. I'd say keep it. Economically, it is much better to keep the paid-for car that you have as long as possible. You cannot buy another Civic in perfect order with no problems for $1500. Any car in that price range will have problems, perhaps major ones. Buying another one means taking your chances rather than staying with what you know.

The clutch can be fixed fairly cheap if it's just the cylinders. You need to do this of course to be able to drive it.

If the rear bushings are completely shot, replace them as it is dangerous to have a loose suspension. If he's saying they are just starting to crack, they're probably all like that and you don't need to do anything now.

The other things you can let slide. The axles will eventually get noisy and break but it could take months. They are not very expensive when that time comes.

You don't need power steering, the base models came from the factory without it. Oil leaks, just keep adding oil.

 

i say run it till it dies and get new car since you have the $$$

 

This is just my opinion, so please take it as such. I calculate the cost of a new car as a 500.00/month payment with full coverage insurance bumping it to maybe 550.00 average. Therefore, on my used cars (I have 9 of them that I maintain) if I spend 1000.00/year average on maintenance I consider myself way ahead of the game. Liability insurance is much cheaper, an older Civic is not likely to be stolen or vandalized, and as another lister has said, you have the history on this car. I would strongly recommend going to Honda recommended maintenance schedules after you fix those master cylinders though, had you done that, or the previous owner done that, they wouldn't be leaking now. Brake fluid is hydroscopic and therefore must be flushed routinely. The same goes for the power steering components, as it is very small contaminants that cause the seals to leak after a time. If flushed per schedule the rack stays in good shape, as does the pump. The radiator and coolant system are the same story with genuine Honda fluid needed to replace the old coolant every so often. This is not preaching, just fact. All of these scheduled maintenance items will cost way less than an average of 1000.00 per year. I mention this because if you do buy a new car the maintenance schedule will be just as important, else, you will be facing the same dilemma in time with that vehicle too. Again, this is just an opinion, but I would flush ALL (including manual transmission) fluids and replace them with Genuine Honda fluids and fix what is broken. I personally wouldn’t mess with the oil pan until fixing the upper valve cover leak, cleaning the engine well (which is another thing that I do routinely so that I can keep an eye on any small leaks and take care of them in a timely manner), and see if the leaks persist. Replacement of the axles and steering rack will make the car much nicer to drive, since if the axles aren’t clicking yet they will soon. Have your mechanic change the rack bushings while he is there, if that isn’t done routinely, and your car should take bumps with silent aplomb. Don’t forget that you will need a timing belt and the related items there soon as well. The rear bushings can probably wait, unless you are already hearing clunking from the rear of the car.

BTW, I too own a 93 civic LX and I get very nearly 40mpg from it. There are no new cars, other than hybrids and a few problematic Volkswagen diesels, which get that kind of mileage now. You have a great vehicle that will give you years of good service if taken care of well. Most preventative maintenance is just that, preventative, saving thousands in replacement parts.

All the best,

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx

 

sorry, as a point of clarification the last post should have read "brake fluid is hygroscopic" not hydroscopic.

 

well heres my thing even tho it does have problems.... every car has problems somewhere!

at least this way you know what needs to be fixed. so IMO keep it and fix what definatly needs to be fixed.... and just save some cash for the other minor stuff if you really want to fix them.
the order i would do the repairs in is IMO of course... is just the same as you typed them in....
as to the power steering leaking try some power steering stop leak. ive heard good things from LUCAS OIL additives... you could also try there motor oil additive for the motor oil as well.

and just like said with the trailing arm if its just cracken alittle i wouldnt worry about it to much... 1 its in the rear so unless your autocrossing.... i dont think youd have a problem with a slightly cracked trailing arm bushing.

you can always look around for a cheaper shop...

 

Yes, time for a new car.

 

I also recommend fixing those things, one thing at a time. Once they're all done, you've got a paid off and reliable car that'll last you awhile longer.

 

ya dont give up on it.....

one thing that you always see no matter what forum your on... the other members with low post counts will typicaly say its not worth it... and other members with higher post counts say fix it thats not that bad!

but then again most higher post members do all there own work..... and when you do your own work it saves ALOT OF MONEY so that most people can fix, cheaper than a brand new car!

but in the end its your choice..... if you cannt do the work yourself the repair bill would suck. or you could try and step up and start doing your own work with a basic set of wrenches and knowledge from this forum whats the worst that could happen.... youd have to pay a tow bill to get the car to the mechanics shop IF you fail.

 

i just say drive the car until you absolutely cant anymore, them buy yourself a new one, save your money while you can. then buy an SI =]