4jacks

iTrader: (3)

Hello All,

It's been a hot minute since I've been on 7thgencivic.com *cough* I mean civicforums. Long story short the 2002 Civic HX is now 11.5 years old with 184k miles on it. Still runs goods. It's been great on repairs, maintenance, gas, everything, great car. But now it's burning through oil pretty good. I'm taking it into the shop next week to get it checked out. But at 184k miles I'm not really itching to spend too much on it. I'm thinking of just picking up another car for around $5,000k That I can put at least 40k miles on in the next 2-3 years. I visited kbb.com to get an idea of values for some models. I adjusted the years and miles get the fair private party sale around $5k for each vehicle.

2005 Honda Civic 105k miles
$4,952 Fair

2006 Jaguar X-Type 110k miles
$5,058 Fair

2004 BMW 325i Coupe 130k miles
$5,038 Fair

2005 Cadillac DeVille 90.5k miles
$4,984 Fair


Some odd comparables, I know. I'm older now, I drive a good amount. If I have to get a sedan, I honestly would prefer a more luxury vehicle. I know Acura and Lexus would be more reliable, however I get much less car for the money I have. The darn things hold their value too well. I could just upgrade the Civic to a 2005 and run another 80k miles on it. But I have been driving a Honda Civic for almost 12 years. And 5k won't even get me in an Accord Coupe.

I am leaning towards the Jag. It would sound nice to just say "Yeah i bought a Jag" plus they are not as common. I understand that they commonly have problems with thier transfer case, but otherwise I am unfamiliar with them.

All things being equal, which would you chose and why?
Do you have any real world experience with the above?

Thanks for your input.

Rennen

iTrader: (35)

K swap?

4jacks

iTrader: (3)

Well a full engine swap and a paint job would really be like buying a new car. However that is not something I'm going to do in front of the townhouse.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Just buy another D17 do a quick rebuild + check and install it. You might have more trouble with your choices than you have with your car now.

4jacks

iTrader: (3)

Well, a D17 swap or rebuild would probably be more inline with something I could have a local shop do. How much would that run me all said and done? How long would I be without a car? Right now I'm under the assumption that it would run upwards of $2,000k and take about a week. Which makes me think that buying a 2005 for $5k and selling my 2002 for $2k would be preferred, because then at least I would have newer interior and paint.

But also remember, I've been driving the same car for a very long time. I'm really just ready for the change.

Rennen

iTrader: (35)

or you can get one of these



But i'd lean more towards the bmw. i feel like you want to move on from the civic, and jags and cadillacs would be much less fun to drive than the bimmer.

4jacks

iTrader: (3)

I could pick up a 2004 Nissan Z for $5k, but it would have about 160k miles on it. I'm not sure if it would give me another 40k trouble free. (well, minimal trouble, nothing over 100k is trouble free.)

So you feel the BMW is a sportier ride. They do hold their resale value better, but I would be higher mileage, around 130k. Do you think they would hold up well to 170k?

rjones7755

But seriously dont get the x-type...driven a few of them and they felt very sloppy. The Bimmer's a great choice but your cost of maintenance/ownership is going to go up and obviously wont be as reliable, just be ready for that. The Cadi would be nice if you drive long stretches but they're a pain around town because of their wide turning circle and length. The low compression V8 would be pretty solid as far as reliability. Have you thought about an Acura Rsx or an Inifniti I30/35?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Hmm.. if your short on cash and you want something reliable a rebuilt engine is your best bet (just saying). I'm a bit of a hypocrite because I just tried to buy a new car and they didn't have the one I wanted to I'm fixing my civic instead. With your civic you kinda know what's going on with it. If youve done your suspension maintenance (tie rods, ball joints etc.) your cheapest option is to fix it. However, if you want something new that's a whole different story !!! But your probably buying something that will need repairs in the short run.

Maybe look at how much Jaguar and BMW parts cost and go from there since your buying used. That right there may change your mind.

4jacks

iTrader: (3)

That's a great video rjones! That's the kind of stereotype I would be happy with. I think that's much better than the stereotype of a BMW owner, lol.

I guess in reality I shouldn't say that I'm leaning one way or the other until I actually get out there and test drive something. If the Jag is pretty sloppy and unresponsive then I definitely wouldn't be interested in it.
$5k would put me around:

2004 Acura RSX 135k miles
$4,989 Fair Value

2005 Scion TC 125k miles
$5,038 Fair Value

2004 Infinity I35 130k miles
$4,925 Fair Value

I would honestly look into the Scion Tc before the RSX. My wife and I actually did all the comparisions in 2005 and chose the Tc. She drove it up to last year when she wanted to trade up into a truck. It had a few known problems put was a very good car.

BlueEM2. You're 100% right. I know the civic is sure shot of reliability. I do have a decent bit of prolonged maintenence that should get done. Suspension being high on the list. I wouldn't say I'm short on cash right now, but I am catious of overspending. I could definitely handle a higher maintenence cost, not having a car payment is great for that. But I don't want to accept that, if I'm not going to enjoy the car.

Another factor about the civic is that it is manual transmission. And even though 3 years ago I might of said that I would never drive an automatic again. I've been working in the city for a year, and the commute is killing me in traffic. So if I stayed with a civic I am leaning on selling my current civic and getting a slighlty newer, low mileage Automatic transmission.

Thanks for all the responses guys. Like I said, this is all preliminary stuff. Lets see what the shop says about the civic, and then of course I actually have to find a car to buy, so then we will see what's available.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

you can always buy an engine, rebuild it and swap and then sell the old engine.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Buy an engine with an automatic transmission attached? There are always options. I'd go for the RSX or the Scion Tc (best rated for reliability I'm pretty sure.)