CivicN3wb

I'm looking for a used car and found a 2002 5-speed Honda Civic EX for sale. I'm trying to decide whether it's a good deal or not and need some advice.

It has 135k miles, needs shocks and brakes, the A/C is not cold, and one of the windows does not roll down. The exterior and interior are in good condition, minus a small dent where a tree branch fell on it. It has a clean carfax.

The seller is asking $3,450. Do you think it's worth that much?

CoMPuLSiVE

That's a decent price.
I'd still take it to a mechanic to get it checked before you buy it.
Just to make sure everything is OK.

513EM1

Not a bad deal. But if your still unsure, go to KBB.com to get a better idea of what its worth.

tipnitty

See if it had the timing belt changed, its past due if it hasn't. You are probably looking at another $500 in parts and labor to get the repairs done. Did you ask him if he is firm on that price?

At that price I would say its a fair price.

Roxie

For me, it's not worth it. For you, that depends. There could be a lot of work I'd be doing myself to get it working (if I were to buy it). To start, I'd be needing to locate an issue with the a/c, and also locate an issue with the window. These could be very simple, or both could take a while in order to actually fix them. Unless you, someone you know, knows their stuff very well with this, then you might want to assume worst case scenario. Not a bad idea when estimating.

Then, shocks and brakes aren't too bad on labor, cost of shocks I'm not aware of. That's not terribly bad, but it's a lot of labour for a car that may need even more work under the hood. When was the clutch last replaced, if at all? How are all the hydraulic fluid levels (could hint at an issue)? When was the timing belt replaced? Anything else a shop recommended for repair? Plus, I always go with how I feel about the person who owned the car. If I think they're a bit cheap, then I assume they've had cheap work done, etc..

Plus, when I buy a car, I automatically do spark plugs, air filter, tires (if they're mismatched, and/or semi-low on tread), alignment check, oil change, tranny fluid change, and depending on battery age, a new one. I make sure my car is in pretty good shape before I drive it much. That way, I minimize issues down the road on my behalf.

Everyone does things differently. I have a decent amount of work, and maybe a bit of cash to drop on the car as it stands. Therefore, a car with potential headaches like that may/may not be worth it to me. It's purely a judgement call. What it really comes down to in my books is: what are you willing to pay for it? What do you think the value is?

CivicN3wb

I talked to the guy again, and he said the timing belt has not been changed, ever. So guess that means I'll need to get it changed pronto if I buy it.

I'm going back and forth on this, but I need to decide soon because he has other buyers wanting to come look at it. The KBB value for the car is $4,800 and when I last talked he said he'd be willing to sell it for $3,300 (but no lower). So even if I have to put $1,000 into it right off the bat, I'd still be getting it below the book value.

Any thoughts?

CivicN3wb

Another thought I just had is whether it's safe to even drive home? The car is a significant distance from me (about 500 miles), so would I be taking a risk in driving it 500 miles home with the belt having never been replaced?

pmjr0987

i dont think thats a bad price, around me 02 with similar mileage is about the same price and up... and thats craigslist who knows who did what with the car pricing

Roxie

If it's a 500 mile drive, that's a hell of a leap of faith that it doesn't have any potential problems. You will find out if it has a cooling issue though lol. Personally, I'd try to find something closer to home. The price sounds alright, but the car itself is a maybe. Do you have service history or anything pointing to what has been done to it? That would tell you if it's going to be an even longer ride home than just 500 miles. I wouldn't worry too much, but I'm also a picky customer.

CivicN3wb

I know...

The thing is, I've been looking for a decent used car for about a month now (craigslist in all the major cities in my part of the country, ebay motors, autotrader.com) and I've only seen a handful of cars that were in good condition and reasonably priced, and most of them were sold when I called. I'm kind of desperate, which is why I'm willing to go so far.. I am worried about the timing belt, though.

coupedeill

Used cars are always a gamble, worth taking to a local shop and geting it checked out for issues other than the ones you know about...if you can. Of course they wont be able to tell you if you're timing belt will blow out on your trip but the inspection will give you peace of mind otherwise.

$100 for an inspection or a lot more if you get stuck between there and home. Good luck, hope it works out for ya.

Roxie

Let me just laugh to myself really quick here... it took me 2 YEARS to get mine. I know your pain, and it sucks bad. And here's my deal too, I was looking at almost a dozen different types of cars the whole 2 years I was in the market. It takes a long time to find the right car in one purchase (and mine wasn't perfect). Mine was far from perfect, I had to spend just over a grand in discounted parts and a bunch of man hours on my own to get it running at it's peak. And even still, there's a few things wrong with it almost a year after purchasing it. I'm just glad I did my own work, as it would have cost me about 2,500+ for all the parts/labor at a shop. Lucky for me I don't pay retail when I have a choice!

Honestly, I'd find a car that you're willing to make a compromise with, then put some work into it. That way you'll have some bonding time with your car, and it'll be up to your specs. This car seems like a decent one to start with. BUT... I have lots of thoughts. And these thoughts aren't the good kind. I'd rather you find a semi-decent car, in your area, get it on the cheap, and invest some green into it so it's up to your specs. You can be proud you did the work, you know it's going to run, and you know it's done right (well, if you're a decent mechanic lol). If you just buy a car that's "in good running condition", it's a crap shoot every time it's driven until you actually bust in there and poke around.

You're call, mate. It's a big decision, buying used cars. My rule of thumb is this: always have service history/records or no sale. Most people don't keep them, but it serves as a piece of mind for you. Plus, even if you take it back to the shop they said it was last fixed, no one will remember your specific car most likely. And even further, you now lack any proof of warranty that you may have on parts/labour with a shop. That would definitely suck if your car just was serviced, done wrong, and now you're stuck without a receipt of where it was done. Don't rely on the previous seller to be nice after you bought the car, you're on your own at that point.

Sorry if I'm making a bigger deal out of this than it should be lol.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

stop making multiple threads of the same subject.