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Ok, I was sort of looking forward to test driving a civic this week that I saw for sale until I came here & read the thread on "you know you own a 7th gen when...."

So now I don't know if I want to look at it anymore.
Price is $6,000 which is about equal to the KBB private party "good" value.

Are they really that bad like that thread makes them sound? I've heard civics are extremely reliable & good on gas which is why I was interested. (Also I really liked the looks of this particular car). But now that I've read so many negative things it sounds like it may just turn into a big headache.

The one I was going to go check out from a private owner looks really clean from the pics I saw:

2002 Honda Civic EX Coupe
1.7l in-line 4
96,000 Miles
Great gas mileage, ~32 mpg combined.
Clean
Dual Air Bags,
Sun Roof
Alloy wheels
Rear Spoiler
5 Speed Manual
Rear Defroster,
Anti-lock Brakes,
Air conditioning
Power Windows & locks
Cruise Control
CD Player with MP3 –Jack

I asked for addt'l info:

There have been no major issues or repairs to the car. It has been dealer serviced, except for some oil changes. The windshield has been replaced twice due to rock chips. It has original clutch. The title is clean and clear. There is no rust. There are no leaks. There are a few dings, no major dents, and the interior is in good condition.

 
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Don't let those minor negatives stop you from buying a 7th gen; all cars have a few design flaws and we're just making fun of the ones that our cars have. I've owned my 02 since almost new, I average around 40mpg and have never needed to make a repair outside of regular maintenance. If my car was totaled tomorrow, I would buy another 7th gen.

 
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hahah Maybe only members should be able to view that thread xD

 
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Haha thats funny you mention that. I just bought an 02 civic ex coupe on friday and i read that thread and got a little scared to.
But just driving it over the weekend made me realize how much better gas mileage its gets then my truck. the needle hasent come off full yet.
i also did a full tune up on it including new tires.

 
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Yeah they can be painful at times, but what car isn't. I love my car and it's so much fun to work on. I don't regret getting my car with the problems it had (previous owner) because it allowed me to better understand how everything works. I don't think you could get a more dependable and reliable car for the money.

 
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I'm still not too confident, but maybe I'll go look at it.

I have a 2007 Jeep Liberty right now with 68,000 miles, runs perfect.
I wanted to sell it for $10k & buy the civic for $6k & also save about $100 each month on gas. That's not a worthwhile plan if the civic is just going to require one repair after another.

So does $6,000 sound like a pretty good price?

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/2276699470.html

After more reading I don't think I want this car anymore. I have all the time in the world to pick the best car I can find, so which year Civic would I be better off getting? Nothing too new because I need the price below $8,000 & nothing super old with 200,000 miles on it.

 
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It's all up to you. The only thing standing out to me repair wise is the timing belt. That comes in at 110k so you still have sometime if you were to reconsider. Not a bad price for a good car. Nothing is gonna fail, unless it was modded which it looks like it wasn't. The only reason my car had some issues is because the previous owner was the oblivious Honda owner, thinking the car will handle itself. I mean, don;t expect it to be perfect, but definitely don't expect it to fall apart. VERY reliable car.

 
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There are threads like that for every gen and every car, regardless of make. I wouldn't take it to heart.

If it was an auto I would say no, unless they had records of ATF changes AND the fluid still looked good AND it shifted perfect. Being a 5-speed it doesn't look like a bad deal.

Go test drive it. After you drive it, try not to look excited (you'll be pleasantly surprised) and pull out 50 $100 dollar bills and wave it in his/her face. Don't ever pay asking price, people expect to haggle.

Honestly you can't hardly go wrong with a Honda of any generation as long as it's pretty untouched or not ragged out. Personally, if I was to spend that much I would probably get an Accord now.

 
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I would look for an 04/05 Civic, I fully believe it's one of the best cars Honda has ever built.