$1400 for a '98 civic?

[thestrangebrew1]

Looking to get a commuter car and don't want to spend more than $2k. Bro in law found a '98 civic with 196k miles on it for $1600 but seller is willing to go down to $1400. Title is clean, interior looks good, body looks ok for a 20 yr old, just the front bumper was replaced and is a different color than the rest of the car. Bro in law drove it and he said it feels great for the age. I commute ~70 miles/day so whatever I get will be driven alot. Anything I should look for? Bro in law didn't notice any fluids leaking or anything.

EDIT: Car is 2.5 hrs away so I haven't driven it yet and won't be able to see it for a few weeks.

 

[Bartman39]

Hummm...? 70 miles a day is a pretty good little trip even for a car with less miles on it...? If you buy it I would consider keeping it for only a couple of years tops due to its miles...?

Main things I would look at are the CV axles/boots and would take a code reader along (so when you test drive you can check it)... Also be sure to check all the fluids but be sure to look closely at the transmission fluid to see if it is clear or not... If not then walk away...

uhm just my .02 (chime in people...!)

 

[xnsheryl]

I drive 70 miles to work and 70 miles back. So I do about 140 miles a day. Hondas are good reliable cars and last long like Toyotas. I own a Honda Accord and civic also a Toyota 4runner that I bough for 2400. My first Honda Accord lasted me 16 years with 490,000 miles, and I actually got $1000 trade in for my 2015 civic. So I drive my civic or my 4runner which has about 265,000 miles and still going strong. If it's well taken care of I would buy it and use it for work.

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[WhiteNoise]

I drive 70 miles to work and 70 miles back. So I do about 140 miles a day. Hondas are good reliable cars and last long like Toyotas. I own a Honda Accord and civic also a Toyota 4runner that I bough for 2400. My first Honda Accord lasted me 16 years with 490,000 miles, and I actually got $1000 trade in for my 2015 civic. So I drive my civic or my 4runner which has about 265,000 miles and still going strong. If it's well taken care of I would buy it and use it for work.

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Wow and I thought my 100 mile round trip (5 days a week) commute was bad. With that mileage I would only buy it if he has proof of all services and oil changes and such being performed. Otherwise you could be buying a time bomb. Honda makes a great motor but nearly 200k with no records to prove it was taken care of means it most likely wasn't.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, $1400 for a car that vintage wouldn't be absolutely terrible, if it's in average or slightly-better-than-average shape.

Check the stuff Bartman39 said (codes, etc.) and make sure everything works, electrically. Probably should have your brother take it to a mechanic for a pre-sale inspection too.

Going forward, you can take one of two approaches.

1) Never fix anything, drive it until it dies, scrap it, buy another one.
2) Baby it so it's a reliable as possible and lasts as long as possible.

Often, option #1 is cheaper. You might need to choose #2 if your job is very, very inflexible about surprise absences. Good luck.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Thanks all. I've never purchased a used vehicle before, let alone from another person so I'm a bit skiddish about the process and what to look for etc. I just know that since I'm not commuting with my friend anymore, I really don't want to be commuting with my F150. I'll post back if I decide to get it.

 

[Smoove910]

Depending on the sub-model of the car and the motor it currently has (D-series or B-series), you could always buy a Japanese import motor (usually around 60k miles) and drop into the civic. This would gain you a ton of use out of the car. Not sure how mechanically inclined you are, but a swap isn't that bad. I have a local guy that would do a swap for around $500. Motor is typically $500-$1000, dependent on what you decide to get.

https://www.hmotorsonline.com/

Good luck!

 

[jlee]

Hummm...? 70 miles a day is a pretty good little trip even for a car with less miles on it...? If you buy it I would consider keeping it for only a couple of years tops due to its miles...?

Main things I would look at are the CV axles/boots and would take a code reader along (so when you test drive you can check it)... Also be sure to check all the fluids but be sure to look closely at the transmission fluid to see if it is clear or not... If not then walk away...

uhm just my .02 (chime in people...!)

You can buy the entire axle assembly for $34. I wouldn't consider CV boots to be a dealbreaker.

 

[NutBucket]

Ugh, cheap reman axles suck. My success rate with them is low. I've had them "click" right out of the box, the splines are dinged up requiring some filing to get them to fit, etc. I'd rather just re-boot the the current one if it's not noisy.

 

[jlee]

Ugh, cheap reman axles suck. My success rate with them is low. I've had them "click" right out of the box, the splines are dinged up requiring some filing to get them to fit, etc. I'd rather just re-boot the the current one if it's not noisy.

I had $50 CVs on my Tacoma for years without a problem - maybe I got lucky

 

[NutBucket]

I should qualify those were problems out of the box

And admittedly the OEM parts to reboot one joint are close to $50!

 

[jlee]

I should qualify those were problems out of the box

And admittedly the OEM parts to reboot one joint are close to $50!

lol, I had a box of OEM boots/grease/clamps that cost me about 70 bucks...then I realized for $100 I could just buy the whole axles, with no messy disassembly required. I never ran that truck hard offroad so cheap aftermarket CVs weren't a big concern.

 

[mindless1]

Manual tranny I'd consider but automatic, probably soon to fail if it hasn't been repaired a time or two already.

However keep in mind that IF it is a good value for the state it's in, it may not be around weeks from now. Generally to get the best deals you need to be ready to see/inspect/buy right away. I'm wondering why you need to drive 2.5hrs just to find a Civic, or is that just where your bro in law is?

I'd look around for some nearer you, to get an idea if you like that model/year of car if nothing else, before making a 5 hour round trip.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

If it runs and drives it's probably worth it. $1400.- for any working Honda is pretty cheap. They probably just don't want to do the timing belt replacement so..... you've been warned.