Would you buy this car?

[NOFX]

So Im looking for a good economical car. Last month for the first time, I put all the gas I bought on a credit card. As of one month from today. I have bought

$271 in gas and Im currently sitting on E with the gas light on. So needless to say my Jeep is sucking my wallet dry.

 

I sold my 05 Ninja last week for $5800. I paid 4,500 for it. and I only have 2,600 left to pay on it. I have my mind set on a

1996-2000 honda civic. I've been hitting the refresh button on autotrader within this criteria since I sold my bike and two nights ago this hit the market

 

2000 Honda Civic EX. 78k miles. sport package, low profile tires, ac, power windows, remote entry, moonroof, automatic - $5300. I went and checked it out yesterday, was in good condition inside and out(what you would expect for a 7 year old car). A few scrathes outside, here and there. The inside was very clean. One owner. she had all maintenance records. oil changed every 3k miles. new battery, tune up, belts.. etc. 4 month old tires. I look up the blue book value for the car in "good" condition and kbb says $7,600.

 

I called her first thing sunday morning and when I went out to check it out last night, she said she got about 4 more calls. I think Im going to go pick it up today, drive it around and put a for sale sticker in the back glass for $7,000. If someone buys it. Good for me, if they don't... oh well, I only owe 2,600 and I got a great running economical car that will pay for itself in a year from what I will save in gas.

 

My only concern is that its an automatic. I really wanted a 5 speed. and I also don't like the green, but oh well. I'll make some sacrifices for a good deal.

 

Looks exactly like this car, but has nicer wheels and tires.

http://www.automart.com/vehicledetail/adid.../kansas-city/mo

 

 

 

and no Im not going to make it look like this http://www.laughatrice.com/

 

my other ride is pimp enough

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/4104/afterhh6.jpg

[akaM2]

if you got the money, go for it

 

i miss my old civic since i got my mustang (bad decision )

[boiler]

I had a '96 civic 5 speed four door, and it was a great car. Fun to drive too! Honestly, I could have probably driven that car forever and not had a major issue with it. That car you are looking at should be no different. You would have an easier time selling the car with an automatic than with a 5-speed manual too.

 

I don't seem to understand why you are doing this though. You say you sold your bike, still owe money on it, and want to buy a cheap civic that you will turn around and sell to make a profit to pay off the bike?? I thought you wanted an economical car instead of your jeep to save on gas..... I don't understand

[NOFX]

ok, the bike is very economical, but lets get real.. The bike is a toy. Once you own one for a year, you realize you can't drive it everywhere all the time.

 

examples..

hey dude, lets go McDonalds.. Im not riding it with another guy on the back.

I go buy groceries.. I can only get a backpack full

its raining.. I can ride, but it sucks..

Im going somewhere over an hour away.. my donkey hurts really bad

its cold outside.. I can suck it up, but its more comfortable to be in a car..

 

I sold the bike now so I could make money on it. I made 1,300. I buy the car, sell it for 7k and make 1,700. That is like a free 3,000. I would then put 2600 on what I owe and have roughly 4,500 that I could use to buy another civic with a little more miles, possibly a year or so older. It will be just as reliable and I won't owe 2,600.

 

Keep in mind, I dont buy any car/bike unless I get a great deal on it. You would be surprised how many great deals are out there. It just takes a little patience, the time searching and not jumping on the first thing you see, which 90% of people aren't willing to do.

[[LaW]Maverick]

3 things:

 

1.) Expect to replace the exhaust

2.) Check to make sure that the timing belt has already been replaced (if it hasn't expect a $650 maintenance cost very quickly after purchasing)

3.) they rust...a lot

 

My fiance' had a '96 Civic...the exhaust (resonator and all) fell right out of the engine 3 times on her. The first time was the stock exhaust, and the other two times were replacements obviously. Once it fell it, it was shot. By the time it had 90,000 miles on it, she had put easily a grand into repairs (non-maintenance related) and hadn't even bothered with the belt. My last 2 cars didn't cost me as much in repairs as her Civic did combined, AND both of them had higher mileage (108,000 and 138,000).

 

I'm not saying all Civics are crap or anything, I'm just saying they aren't exactly maintenance free either. Accords hold up a LOT better. (though I've seen some repairs on those...there are 2 newer ones in the family that have needed work done, but that was under warranty). My fiance's sister has a Civic as well, and they couldn't get it started for 'bout 5 minutes this last snow-fall, and when it did, the thing billowed black smoke. It should also be pointed out that the father of these girs was a mechanic and thus was anal about maintenance (regular oil changes and what not).

 

 

Just my two cents. If I bought a Civic, the only reason would be to re-sell it for a profit. The nice thing about them is you can ALWAYS find someone that will buy a Honda (even if they've had bad experience in the past) just because it says "Honda" on it.

 

My advice, buy it, then sell it. You'll make some cash. Maybe drive around in it for a few months too just to save up some money toward whatever you buy later.

 

Edit: My fiance' sold her car at 90,000 miles because it left her stranded on the road 4 times. She now has a, '04 Grand Prix at 83,000 miles and has only had to replace a blinker. Her Dad bought an Accord that needed a new computer at something like 14.000 do to a badly designed (the mechanic's own words) drainage system. They did get that replaced under warranty. They had to wait 3 weeks or so though, because it was such a common problem the computers were on back-order.

 

Mav's 2-Cents

Edited April 23, 2007 by [LaW]Maverick

[shoot]

I agree with boilersax.

 

You'll have an easier time selling the auto than the manual. if you're planning to flip it, by all means, get it!

[YoMamma]

She now has a, '04 Grand Prix at 83,000 miles...

 

Thats a lot of miles for a '04.

 

 

As for that Civic that NOFX found, I'd say go for it. Seems like a heck of a deal. I don't understand why the price is so low.

[farmerisme]

My 96 accord has 195K on it. Still drives like a dream and cost near to nothing in upkeep.

[Fairweather]

mav was right about the rust, my 96 accord needed complete new exhast and tire rods because of rust, also the breaks rusted out and one day decided to leak all of my break fluid on the road... good thing for e-brakes

[EbilDustBunny]

i thought you got a jeep?

[NOFX]

As for that Civic that NOFX found, I'd say go for it. Seems like a heck of a deal. I don't understand why the price is so low.

 

Im not quite sure either. I picked the car up last night and got tags on it this morning. The girl who had it was 41. Not married, her daddy took car of everything.

 

She told me she went to autotrader, did a search for 2000 civics. The lowest priced one was 5,400. So she put hers in for 5,300. I saw the one for 5,400.

I think it was a 4 door base model with about 250k miles on it.

 

Something I noticed last night that makes me wanting to sell faster.. It was low on oil. About a quart. Theres no leaks around the engine, its very clean. and I know its not burning. So look up under the car about the drivers door is and I see old oil caked on the bottom. I put my hand up there and theres definitely oil there, but this place is nowhere near the engine. So Im just about clueless on this one. When I get some time, Ill jack it up and see exactly where its coming from.

 

As long as theres enough oil in the engine its not that big of deal, probably just a bad gasket or something.

 

i thought you got a jeep?

 

I do and I love it, I want to have my jeep when Im 40. The jeep sucks on gas and isnt practical for an every day driver. Its a 2003 and right now it only has 17k miles on it. Id like to keep the miles low.

[[LaW]Maverick]

Bad gasket means new manifold

 

New manifold means $$$$$ because it's a Honda (imported parts)

 

A manifold on my '99 Cutlass (before I got rid of it) was $640...on a Honda, I'd guess something more along the lines of $700 or $800

 

As for the high-mileage '04 Grand Prix: It had 30,000 when she bought it, and we drive A LOT...something like 22 or 25k a year...that's why I'm so careful when I buy cars :-)

Edited April 24, 2007 by [LaW]Maverick

[NOFX]

Bad gasket means new manifold

 

What manifold are you talkin about? If my exhaust manifold is cracked, there wouldnt be any oil coming out, I would have an exhaust leak

 

There are tons of gaskets on an engine. Why do you say manifold? It could even be the oil pan gasket since theres no oil near the engine at all.. I gotta feeling you either really dont like honda civics or you very pessimistic.

[[LaW]Maverick]

hahaha...

 

naw, I just had to replace my whole intake manifold when a gasket in there, and I was seeing oil in very odd places...that was on my Cutlass too, not the Civic that my fiance had...most of her problems were exhaust related.

 

I hope it's not in the intake manifold, but now that I re-read your post, it may not be. I guess it'll be hard to tell until you get it up on the lift That's a really odd place to see an oil leak...could you trace your hand up it to see if it was running from somewhere along the frame from a slower leak? Just curious.

 

I will tell you this though, you got one heck of a deal, most people sell their Honda's for above blue-book, especially with the low milieage

[nut]

its a good deal but i wouldn't get it it. You should get a color you want and get the manual transmission. i am guessing you live in kansas city the closest Craigslist would be chicago not that far =/.

 

 

Your Ideal Car

 

 

there you go same color with manual... look at craigs.. its pretty good

 

or drop like.. what 5 k more and get a sick honda

 

 

Sick Honda

[boiler]

sounds like he already got it.

 

and the one he got would be easier to resell like he seems to be looking to do than a two door with a manual transmission.

[NOFX]

nice find, but Im nowhere near kansas city. I just posted that link because thats what I found on the net. I actually live in Virginia Beach if you look at my profile on the left

 

<-----

 

yes, I already got it. I got it for economical reasons... not because I want a sick rice burner.. The automatic is driving me crazy. I like the car an all, but it would be so much more fun if it were a 5 speed... I got it tagged and such, Im gonna drive it to my parents this weekend.

 

Im then flying to Norway and wont be back till May 20th. When I get back I think Im going to list it for sale for $6500. Then with an extra grand in my pocket, Ill try to get the one I really want.

[[LaW]Maverick]

sounds like a plan to me! Did ya' get it up on a rack yet to see 'bout the leak?

 

I hope it's nothing major, but it honestly doesn't sound major at all