I started off searching for a civic for a daily driver for about 3-4 months, my criteria was the car needed to have ac ps and be a manual 92-00 civic coupe or hatch for under $3k. I was very strict about no quarter panel damage or major dents. My truck was getting terrible gas mileage and the camaro is reserved for track duty, and my formula is the curse of the devil on my life
Use my thread to help you decide what you want to buy in a car. There is some real junk out there right now
I saw many clapped out vehicles, busted up repo cars, dented up kids cars, to neglected beaters but nothing was clean enough.
I happened to find my car about a month ago. The owner was very straight forward and a nice kid who was moving back to Colorado.
The car was immaculate inside but too perfect outside. The perfect condition paint on the front was a sure indicator that it had been in a front end collision, in this case it was a plus. The paint was immaculate and all panels lined up. Since it was wrecked I was able to settle on a fair price. Previous owner wasn't sure what happened to the original wheels but I was sure I could find some
Went home and inspected the repaired front end and all was as I thought, replaced correctly
Well I did find an issue, the motor mount was gone at 185k. The timing belt is in good shape and the plugs needed to be replaced but maintenance wise I was good to go
Good to go
Soo I was off. The first thing I wanted was a set of fog lights and a lip since they are easy to find. I ordered off of ama...com. I got the parts and they fit well, but the fog lights were terrible
As you can see, if you ever order a set of these fake fogs be warned you need to seal them around where the housing and the glass section meet the bracket
I also ordered a set of window visors. Very happy with them, fit and finish was great for $30
The major issue with every civic I found was paint clarity. With a thin clear coat on them the reflection of these vehicles get very hazy. I spent about 6 hours wet sanding the car and hitting it with me guitars m205 and a rotary buffer with a mixture of soft foam pads. I know it seems redundant on a silver car and the picture is kind of over exposed but the clarity in the reflection is immaculate now
I also happened to come across a set of hx wheels on Craigslist. Very happy with them, getting an extra 2-3 mpg highway from them
And now I am searching for a 96-98 civic ex radio/cd player to put keyless entry back into my car
The car also needs a new windshield wiper motor, but I am having a tough time shelling out $80 to get the min setting on the wipers fully functional again
I know it is not much of a thread yet but I love documenting my vehicles and I am extremely pleased with my civic.