Possible civic purchase.

[mhmitszach]

1998 Black 4 door Honda Civic EX with manual transmission D16Y8 vetec (afaik)

273k miles

Dent on front of hood, Rear quarter panel a bit dented, rollin' on a donut.

Besides that in great shape, interior is nice too.

But, I can get it for around 1000 or less. afaik.

Epa mpg 25/32 - 28

Which kinda sucks though. But people seem to be able to pull 40 with them.

But compared to my car, I can almost hit 40.

I'm not sure if it'd be worth it?

Other question. What are the cost of transmissions/engines for this generation civic?

Say I wanted to put in a transmission from a 92-95 vx or one of those more efficient engines. What is the price range of them?

General opinions?

zach

[SVOboy]

Well, if it's running well, go for it. Could you sell your car to pay for the difference?

[Arminius]

Hard to say. I think the car has too many miles. How many miles are on your car? You already know its history.

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by Arminius

Hard to say. I think the car has too many miles. How many miles are on your car? You already know its history.

112k miles. I've only put about 6k on it though.

Which is kinda my dilemma now.

But at the same time. I've pretty much reached peak mpg in it. Where as the civic has the potential of hitting 50 mpg.

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by Arminius

Hard to say. I think the car has too many miles. How many miles are on your car? You already know its history.

No such thing as too many miles on a honda!

[ankit]

Original transmission and engine? If it is good mechanically than <$1k is a good price IMO. Are there any maintenance history papers?

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by ankit

Original transmission and engine? If it is good mechanically than <$1k is a good price IMO. Are there any maintenance history papers?

Hoping to find that out soon.

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by mhmitszach

112k miles. I've only put about 6k on it though.

Which is kinda my dilemma now.

But at the same time. I've pretty much reached peak mpg in it. Where as the civic has the potential of hitting 50 mpg.

Hhhmm. Well, my old 92 Escort had a 1.8L engine and died with 320k on it. I think your engine was made by Mazda, but I could very well be mistaken about that. Personally speaking, I always prefer what I already own, if it is working well. I'll never trade something that works well for something else that I don't know too much about.

Keep in mind, I'm presently driving a Civic.

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by Arminius

Hhhmm. Well, my old 92 Escort had a 1.8L engine and died with 320k on it. I think your engine was made by Mazda, but I could very well be mistaken about that. Personally speaking, I always prefer what I already own, if it is working well. I'll never trade something that works well for something else that I don't know too much about.

Keep in mind, I'm presently driving a Civic.

Well I basically took same risk with the escort I have now. Had a rebuilt title. Only problems have been leaking radiator, but a patch fixed that. Obviously new tires and brakes.

I wouldn't be getting rid of the escort though. I'm "selling" it to my parents. So it'd still be available if civic died out.

I'm just more or less waiting on price of civic. If its 1000 or less. This would leave me with at least 600 to put towards any repairs. Which should be plenty to keep it running for good bit longer without any major problems I'm hoping.

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by mhmitszach

Well I basically took same risk with the escort I have now. Had a rebuilt title. Only problems have been leaking radiator, but a patch fixed that. Obviously new tires and brakes.

I wouldn't be getting rid of the escort though. I'm "selling" it to my parents. So it'd still be available if civic died out.

I'm just more or less waiting on price of civic. If its 1000 or less. This would leave me with at least 600 to put towards any repairs. Which should be plenty to keep it running for good bit longer without any major problems I'm hoping.

Sounds good to me.

[PolyOlefin]

Hondas are much more efficient than most others in real world conditions. The new EPA rating on my car is extremely pessimistic. I can achieve 30+ mpg without really trying.

[mhmitszach]

So slighty better news?

My dad is convinced we'll be able to get it cheaper and that if that happens we'd just buy it and not even worry about "selling" my car to them.

Which in a sense would be a better situation incase the civic is complete crap.

But being completely pessimisitic.

Say suspension is shot, exhaust, or whatever else.

What would you think general prices for repairs in those or other parts of the car?

Another question. Say in the end the investment in the car is 1500 dollars and I can acheieve 45 mpg versus the 35 mpg I get now. At how many miles would I be saving money? I still cannot figure this math out, which isn't good but nevertheless.

[Arminius]

It depends upon how much you drive per year. Assuming you can get a 25% increase in FE, and gas is $4 per gallon, you have a point of reference. Assuming you drive 6k per year, you would save about $134 per year.

[mhmitszach]

Dead.

Wanted at least 1100 for it which is more than I wanted to spend.

Had rust on rear quarter panel and some bondo work too.

If it had under 200k miles or no rust it might have been an option.

[ankit]

That sucks. Keep looking and you will find something that you like eventually.

[Arminius]

You're about the age of my son, so I'll give you the same advice I give him: Make your decisions based upon the math.

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by Arminius

You're about the age of my son, so I'll give you the same advice I give him: Make your decisions based upon the math.

Most definitely. I've changed to a new idea. Find an old beat up hatchback to fix up for fun. Put in a d15z1. The good stuff.

But the budget will be way way low so that it will pay for itself in less than a year.

So now the search for a civic shell is on...