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I always liked the 1994 Civic Si (Hatchback), not quite my dream car but close. I now have the opportunity to buy one but have mixed feelings about it. Some basic info about the car:

- Has 150,000 miles
- Not quite sure how many previous owners
- I believe the engine is 100% stock, never been modified
- Needs some minor body\paint work
- Small rust spots on the body, have not checked for rust under the car
- Standard (duh? )
- The Check Engine light is on
- Motor runs very steady

How much? $1,000. Some of you might be thinking ''What the hell are you waiting for?'' which was my first reaction, but after talking to a cople of guys that work and deal with cars (mostly european) this changed. Some believe that is not worth buying and putting money into such an old car. They believe that no matter what, the old motor ''with so many miles'' will break in a couple of years or less and I'll be speanding a fortune in it (which I don't have). Since I like the car so much I was planning to invest some money in it, mainly in the motor and body. Note, I do not know a whole lot about cars so any work that needs to be done will have to be done by a mechanic.

So, what do you guys think? I think that Honda cars are made to last, the older models more than the new ones. I think that if I invest maybe like $3-4k I will have pretty much a new car which is not very common and looks great even though is a 94. Is it worth it?

Would appreciate if you guys tell me other things to look for in this car before I buy it and what should I immediately replace as soon as\if I buy it and other things that I should look at in the future.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your feedback in advance.

 
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did I post this in the wrong place or it takes a while to get feedback in this forum?

 
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This forum is a bit slow to be honest.

To me it sounds like a reasonable car, but you have to get it for what it is and then not try to make it into a showcar. Just drive it and enjoy it and it's probably worth well over $1000 that way. I had a 94 DX hatchback, and I can tell you that it was my favorite civic so far. I really wish I had bought the shiny red Si that was sitting next to the DX, but at the time, the extra $1500 seemed like too much money.

 
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Thanks for the reply, not really trying to make it into a show car but more like it just got out of the dealer. The body needs some work and I would hate to drive the car around like that.

 
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I say that if you want to keep it for a while and you are not going to be doing the work yourself then pass. A 16 year old car with 150k miles will have problems. Mechanics are simply expensive. I would say that it would be a good car to learn auto mechanics on. Just my .02

 
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Thanks, well I don't have the time or the knowledge to work on the car... Looks like I'm going to let this one go or just drive it around the way it is... I been asking a lot of people and they give me the same advice you guys did. Thanks for the feedback, wondering if anyody has a different point of view.

 
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sounds like a good deal to me. Where is it at?

 
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Germany... which makes the mechanics a lot more expensive.

 
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i would buy it, if the check engine light is on its ok as long as its not flashing. and as a mechanic myself the only thing i would worry about is the timing belt and water pump. i advise any1 that buys a honda or toyota with over 100k miles on it to do a waterpump and timing belt cuz its often overlooked as the car was running fine. i usually get $250-$300 for parts and labor to do the belt, pump, and tensioner before it breaks, and i get around $2500 to fix it after the timingbelt goes to heck, and bends the valves

 
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I bought a 95 Civic EX in February, knowing it would need work, and knowing that I knew NOTHING about turning wrenches on an engine. 189k miles on it.

I have learned a lot just from doing the maintenance myself; I spent $1200 to buy the car, and have MAYBE spent $350 in repairs on it since I bought it back in February.

And to date, I have replaced...timing belt (well, all the belts since I was in there), front axles, front brakes, rear brakes, thermostat, thermosensor, head gasket, door handles, pwr steering fluid reservoir. All with zero knowledge going in.

I have some bigger projects lined up for it, but it's been a sweet experience so far- gaining confidence in my own abilities and learning how to fix my car, all at once.

Plus, this thing SIPS gas, which is a great perk.

 
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I think you should definitely go for that car. The Si is definitely the premium hatchback for that generation, as far as performance and options go. Maybe you would perhaps want to pull the code for the Check Engine light and find out what that is, so you can get that fixed and be able to drive it worry-free.

I've owned a 97 Civic DX coupe and a 95 Civic DX hatch, and my dad owns a 98 Civic HX coupe. Out of all of those, my 95 hatch definitely reigns supreme, as far as performance, reliability, and being fun to drive goes, and it also has the highest miles, go figure!

It is funny that you would post a question on a Honda Civic forum asking if you should purchase a Civic, who's gonna say no?