curaze

Greetings all,

I come to you all with a pressing issue and more opinions on the matter would be very helpful in resolving this. I own a 97' Honda Civic LX sedan which was a reverse-dowry of sorts when I met my wife. When we got together five years ago, the car was breaking down seemingly everyday but, miraculously, it lasted until recently. One day, I heard the dreaded knocking sound and I feared the worse. My fears were confirmed and the engine's life has come to an end. Now I am at a crossroads. I own another car (2003 Volkswagen Jetta); however, we need two cars in order to fulfill our daily responsibilities. Were it up to my wife, we would have financed a new car that second the Civic broke down; however, I am strongly against such a rash action and I really do not want to commit to the cost of a car note.
Another route would be replacing the engine on the Civic which would cost between $1500-2000. This is my preferred route but I am not entirely sold on such a plan either. For one, the car has 260k miles on it. The body of the car is in decent shape but the front bumper is falling off. The transmission is a little slow when going from third to fourth gear but otherwise is decent. If I have to replace the transmission in 1 1/2 to 2 years, I would do it seeing as I would now have a car that would last me for another 100k+ miles. Though, I will cross that bridge when I get there.

The biggest draw for me is that I can actually fix the old Civic. This is huge since I have basically learned everything I know about cars via all of the small repairs I have had to perform on it over the years. I have looked under the hood of newer cars and attempted to repair a couple and they are needlessly complex to the point where my novice mechanical skills would be no match for them. Having to go to a mechanic for simple repairs is one of the hidden costs (along with needing full-coverage insurance) that makes me balk at financing a newer car.

My budget allows for me to replace the engine now. I would also be able to afford another used car up to $5000. However, at this price, I would be getting a car with problems similar to the ones I would experience if I just fix my Civic and, thus, I have ruled out this option completely. I have good credit so financing a car would not be a problem.

So, this is my situation. Granted in the grand scheme of things, this is not much of a problem per se but that is fine. For those of you with an informed opinion to share, I would be greatly appreciative in hearing it. There is a direction I am leaning towards but more reassurance would go a long way in driving me to make that choice.

Thank you for your time.

wingsfan19

Hi, I'm in a similar situation with my son's 2003 Civic LX which has 183,000 miles on it and needs a head gasket. We didn't have the time (or expertise or patience, frankly) to replace it ourselves, so we are trying to sell the car or may wind up parting it out. In the meantime, my son has purchased a new car.

In your situation, facing an engine swap on such an old car, with a possibly failing transmission, I would use the money instead for a down payment on the newest used car that I could afford. Think about it this way: you spend $2,000 now for an engine swap, and then another $2,000 in a couple of years on a transmission rebuild or swap, and you have a 20 year old car with more than 280,000 miles on it with little resale value. Or, you could apply that $4,000 total towards a down payment and monthly payments on a newer, more reliable car. Doing so would also let you afford more than $5,000 for a replacement vehicle.

Good luck on whatever option you choose.

mac25

I gather the engine swap option is using another used engine from a scrap yard, without being rebuilt. ...this is risky because it too could have problems down the road.

I'd say if you are not going to swap the engine your self, the most cost efficient option would be to sell the civic for what you can and save up for a newer used car.

Wankenstein

If it were mine I wouldn't even consider replacing the engine in a car with that many miles and that old unless, I found a used engine in a known running car that would cost no more than $500. You listed an engine that cost between $1500 - $2500 is that a new or rebuilt you found on line? Either way you could buy a decent 5th, 6th or possibly 7th gen Civic car (not just the engine) in that price range.

You said your budget is up to $5k ? For that you could find a low mileage (100k or less) 7th gen in very good to excellent condition. late model '03 through '05 is preferable.. the '01 thru early model '03's are known for issue, especially the automatic transmissions. May even find 8th gens in that range. Don't buy any car that has a rebuilt title.

I suggest checking out '04 and newer Mazda 3's (all built in Japan). They can be had in that price range and they are very reliable. Top rated in class for the past decade. I've owned two '07 Mazda 3's and my current one (2.3L, manual transmission) has 180K on it and runs like a champ. The previous was a 2.0L, automatic I purchased new.. totaled in accident two years ago with 98K miles.. only repairs were passenger side motor mount insert ($25) and front struts (both common and inexpensive repairs on Mazda 3') I replaced the serpentine belt but, that;s routine maintenance,
The 2.3L manual is the way to go.. bit more HP and torque.