hondanoob

Looking to lower car pmt. Passed up on a few 70k mileage hondas, but found an 04 33.5k mile granny driven ex 4 dr. Great tires, clean body and title. Basically just drove a few places a wk. Hasnt had oil change in couple years. Says he had offer for 7700, wants me to do 8k min. Posted at 9.5k at beginning of month. He is selling for the lady, as he is family friend. What do I need to check specifically if I take to dealer for diagnostic? Obviously needs oil change. What price should I offer, or just let it go? Nada shows 8800 retail and 6700 trade. 1700 of that is mileage factor though. Kbb is in the 9s. Car guru says it is good deal at 8600 and lower. Just 10 yrs old, though and have 750 more still for sales tax

kinakoes2

See if it overfills the radiator's coolant overflow tank when driven for long distances at freeway speed. If this isn't possible, have all the cylinders pressure-tested with compressed air as in a leakdown test, with the overflow spigot on the rad neck linked to a small hose that's in a bucket of soapy water, and look for a steady stream of bubbles.

If it does... you can chop about $1500 - $2000 off that offer, as it's a head gasket (known weakness of the D17 motors). Depends on how much your local shops will charge to properly swap it out... and even then, it can still fail again after another 50K. I wouldn't pay more than $6000 for it if the HG is showing signs of going bad.

If he won't budge given the evidence, or won't pay for the test, look for an 8th-gen -- you can get some nice 8th-gens for $8K. They have a crucial component change (TTY head bolts) in their engines that pretty much eliminate HG issues.