Sad news..

[19bonestock88]

So, the Malibu left here yesterday on a rollback... Final offer was $2306; I couldn't argue much with their conditional deductions, so I took it... I should have the first $2k in a couple days, and the rest when the salvage company receives my title...

https://charlestonwv.craigslist.org/cto/5901898897.html
I found an HF for sale somewhat near me, thoughts?

[Ecky]

I've wanted one but can't see myself bringing one into the salt bath that is the north. That's a lot of miles on it though and you might need to sink some more money into it. If it were anything but a Honda it would probably be $6-800 less.

[19bonestock88]

You think it'll be worth it? My other options at the moment are a Saturn SC2, an SL1(both 2002 and manual), and a 2001 Ford Ranger, 2.3/manual(RWD)

I kinda miss having a truck, which still makes me consider getting another Ranger, and that 2.3/manual can get some pretty impressive mileage for a truck.., throw on clutch fan delete, tune, intake and exhaust, and we're talking about an easy 30mpg before aero...

The Saturns could either break 30mpg with relative ease, and have better aero than any truck... Some S series on here have been over 40mpg, from what I've seen...

The TDI I looked at was sold, and I have no way to travel over 180mi to look at that 2005 Ion that I posted earlier, all my options are within fifty miles of me

[elhigh]

I feel you on the truck - it's hard to imagine living without one. But which is more likely: carrying more than one person with you in the vehicle, or carrying more than a trunkload of cargo?

If you're more likely to carry people than stuff, the car might be your better choice. Then just fit it with a light-duty tow hitch and keep your eyes peeled for a small, lightweight trailer.

[Ecky]

Harbor freight has some excellent cheap trailers.

I'd consider the CRX but be prepared to do some mechanicing.

[California98Civic]

I think that particular CRX will be an unlovely surprise/week. If you want the labor of love, go for it. It has that dual port fuel injection system that was transitional to MPFI.

[19bonestock88]

Most of my consideration for that CRX is in its drastically lower price... The owner says he occasionally tops off the coolant and it will occasionally have a rough idle on startup... But it would be a $1k beater compared to spending my entire settlement and maybe still having some sort of mechanical failure...

[Ecky]

After having had a few cheap beaters, I'm of the opinion that keeping a 35 year old car that already has issues running is more expensive than buying a slightly more expensive vehicle with fewer to no problems.

I expect it would ultimately be more expensive than this Insight, after solving all of the mechanical issues:

https://athensohio.craigslist.org/cto/5890892887.html

A grid charger may well revive the battery in that car, but it can be driven safely without it, and Insights are pretty darn reliable. You might be able to low-ball the owner down to around $1500 (maybe even less) if you show him/her some other similar cars on Craigslist, and driven carefully, you can see 70-85mpg tanks even without the hybrid system active.

[19bonestock88]

I messaged the insight owner... Is there anything I need to know about those engines? Problems at I approach 200k miles?

[Ecky]

There are a handful of issues practically all Insights suffer from:

-Most develop a downshift grind from 3rd to 2nd gear, due to a design flaw in that syncro. The fix is detailed on IC (Insight Central), but I've driven mine for a long time by double clutching down from 3rd to 2nd.

-The driver's power window switch tends to wear out. There's a 3d printed replacement you can get from IC for about $4

-The buttons on the cluster eventually get hard to press. A member on IC offers pre-made replacements for a few dollars (~$6?)

-The trunk/hatch unlock latch has a plastic piece that may fail in some cars. You can still open it with the key, but there's a 3d-printed replacement available on IC for a few dollars

-A leak on the passenger side of the roof sometimes results in a wet seatbelt and the power locks not working for the trunk lid - there's an electrical connection in this area that can corrode. The connection is easily accessible (~30 seconds) and can be cleaned easily with a toothbrush and some baking soda, or electrical cleaner. The leak can be fixed with a line of caulk along the seam on the roof.

-The EGR passages tend to clog up after ~200k miles. The EGR plate is easily accessible from the front of the engine and can be scraped out with a screwdriver. I want to say it took me about 20 minutes to pull it apart. Until this is cleaned, lean burn may be a bit jerky.

-The rear engine mount usually needs replacement once in the lifetime of these cars. It's very easily accessible, but a bit pricey at ~$90 because it's made of aluminum. You could also fill the broken mount with silicone as a cheap repair.

-The hybrid battery will eventually fail, but it can be kept alive for years past its normal expiration with a grid charger, and the car will run perfectly fine without it.


Other than the minor details listed above, there are no major issues with the car, and in my build thread I've detailed how to fix all of these issues. There are plenty of examples of members on IC who have stock engines and transmissions still running like a Swiss watch with 5-700,000 miles. Mine doesn't burn a drop of oil between 10,000 mile oil changes with 215k on the clock, and right now the only thing mechanically I think I've ever done to it was replace the clutch master cylinder with a cheapo Rock Auto unit.