AriAnaheimGold

Hey everyone, new guy here(sorry if i'm posting in the wrong area) but i'm going to check out a 01' civic ex tomorrow and i had a few questions. The car has 180k on it, i know its a honda, but that seems pretty high... Basically i want to know if there is anything i should know about these cars to check for(problematic spots). Also, what engine does the EX have in it? Here's some specs on the car and the price, let me know if you think its a good deal(plus i'll haggle like a motherfker)

5-speed clean title A/C and everything else is good




$3850

I'll post more info when i see it(people never give the full story)

Thanks

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

The motor is D17A2
It has:

Automatic Transmission Issues
Lower Control Arm (Compliance) Bushing Issues
Front Motor Mount Issues

Otherwise it's a solid car

AriAnaheimGold

Would you trust it past 180k? I've got to get a feel for the motor to know how healthy it is to judge its longevity, but i'm just wondering what others have experienced

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

We have members here that have over 200k miles... lots of them

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

check if they did change the timing belt, ask for service records or slips.

HLC

yea, as long as all the maintenance is there, you'll be fine.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I agree with the maintenance stuff. I would not however, let a timing belt deter me from buying a car. If I was told the timing belt was done 20k ago I'd probably still change it. I don't trust anyone with that too much. I just looked at a thread where the guy bought a car, was told the belt was brand new and 10k miles later it broke

ondalow01

Yeap that guy is me lol, my timing belt snapped... thats why i dont take the car to shops.. mechanics dont really care about your car just money..... make sure they show you legit paper work. but i think your paying wayyy to much for an 01 and 180k... id pay 2k... and yea your front lower control arm bushings will probably be shot. from the pick it looks like the car is lowered... cant really tell. good luck tho, these cars are great and great on gas as long as your not a speedracer.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

just go around make sure everything looks and sounds okay and all electronics work. they are pretty good cars but have the usual problems like engine mounts and bushings breaking, shocks, etc. maybe needs brakes, new fluids, usually people sell the car without really doing anything extra so you could inherit some issues. ask and see what theyve done to the car already.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Yea, that sucks so much. Timing belt is pretty easy to change too if you take your time...

AriAnaheimGold

haha yeah i plan to haggle like a ****, depending on how much i like the car. You gotta understand, around here these cars hold their value extremely well(better than most area's) because there is so much salvage title junk crowding the market... But thanks guys, and just for ***** and giggles, how easy(and $) is it to replace one of these engines/tranny's(i've done a 240sx swap so it's not totally foreign to me)?

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

http://www.xproductionz.com/k20swap/k20swap.html

Most people do a k20A3, -A2, -A (civic si, rsx, rsx-s) or K24 (TSX/CRV) engine

Dunno about difficulty, but the swap can run you 7-10 grand, so I've read.

AriAnaheimGold

I actually meant just a stock replacement.

Are these engines decent for building up? I'm not trying to spend a ton of money, or go super fast either... I'm in college, i want something that'll look nice and be reliable... i'll wait till i get a good job to start turbo'ing

unTuned

if you can do the work yourself, youre looking at the 500-1500$ area for a replacement engine (depending on the condition, mileage, etc etc on the new engine). ive heard of people getting them as low as about 500 on here but as much as 1500 too.

as for building up a d17, bolt ons wont do you much good. an intake, exhaust, header combo will only get you a few hp at most (under 10 hp). to get around 15-20 hp, you will need k-pro which will run you at least $1000. to get any more power than that (another 50+ hp) you will need to turbo it which should cost over 3k to do properly, or do a k-series engine swap which will be at least another 5k just for the engine alone.