[mpg_numbers_guy]

Originally Posted by 19bonestock88

That silver one with 252k doesn’t seem too bad... IMA pack is good and most parts serviced/replaced recently...

That's what I was thinking. He has put A LOT of work into that car and is asking $3100...I offered $2600 but it will depend on if he receives any higher offers. He is in the process of reinstalling the rebuilt transmission and fixing the rear main seal (oil leak) before selling and is currently on pause for a bit due to a family situation.

Everyone says the engines can last over 400k with minimal maintenance, but if you’re worried, find a spare engine and plan to swap it at some point (ideally you’d rebuild the spare in the interim)...

I don't know how to do that....yet.

Since you plan on deleting the IMA, you could also consider a K swap; you’ll still get terrific mileage with the right combination of parts and hypermiling, and it’ll be genuinely fast

I'm doing this all for MPG; a K-swap would defeat the purpose of having cheap and fuel efficient driving.

Above all I’d see what you can get out of your Civic first before considering any of the three listed choices

Already have a couple prospective buyers at $3500 for it.

Originally Posted by Ecky

My main concern are that they're Michigan vehicles (?). Michigan has salt, and very little culture of protecting vehicles from salt because there are no state inspections. In Vermont, a vehicle with a CEL is taken off the road and not allowed back on until the CEL is gone, period. Cars that have structural rust on brake lines are taken off the road until it's fixed, even if they haven't burst yet. Cars with holes in the exhaust are taken off the road. Cars with holes in rocker panels, or other decently large spots in some critical areas of the unibody are taken off the road. Cars with a clogged catalytic converter or bad O2 sensor get fixed or are taken off the road. Most vehicles are undercoated and washed frequently to protect from salt, because the state orders your car off the road otherwise.

Now, the Insight won't get holes in the body or rocker panels, but maybe 5% of the vehicle is still steel: brake lines, brake rotors, rear torsion bar, front sway bar + links, exhaust, bolts...

Brake lines can be replaced. A rusted-out exhaust can be a pain and expensive if someone needs to take a torch to it, but it can be replaced. The rear torsion bar could be a bigger deal, but I've never heard of one rusting through. Still, 18 years and 250k miles of Michigan winters could, in a worst case scenario, make a few parts of the car very nasty to work on.

The 252K is Michigan, the 150K is Kentucky, and the 78K is Pennyslvania. I wouldn't buy a car with excessive rust. I'd have to clarify first to verify though.

Originally Posted by Ecky

Personally, all three sound overpriced. I would hope to badger the owners down at least $500, possible more. There's one currently on sale (pending but not sold) on Insight Central with 136k miles for $2000, another with 71k miles for $2500, and one with 225k for $1500.

Yeah, I saw the 136K mile one on there, but it was too far away. The 71K has structural damage...and the 225K one has issues plus being 225K miles old..

Originally Posted by Ecky

Deleting the catalyst will prevent you from registering the car in many states, but even a CEL for a bad cat will not affect economy. Some states will look for O2 sensor spacers that would shut the CEL off, so it may not be an option.

That's just for states with inspections though, right? I've heard that a cat replacement is $1200...but replacement are available on ebay for like $250?

Originally Posted by Ecky

I have not heard of a dirty EGR valve or plate causing a CEL. It can affect drivability in lean burn, and may have a small impact on economy. It can also cause an engine to burn a little oil, which would go away once the valve or plate is replaced/cleaned. These are very easy parts to get to and replace, little harder than changing the oil.

Just did a binge-read on Insight Central about EGR cleaning. Doesn't look too bad..

Originally Posted by Ecky

While you may not care about the condition of the IMA, in my opinion it could weigh heavily in price negotiation. A bad IMA battery will (without fooling the computers)) prevent these cars from being registered or put on the road in many states. Fuel economy is lower without the IMA - I'm seeing 10-20% now that the weather is cooling off - and they're less fun to drive.

IMA battery quality would definitely be a huge negotiation point, but I wouldn't object to buying one with a dead battery. I'd love to be able to maintain one, it's just that during the months I'm in college I'll be using the car once or twice a week. In the summer I'd be using it daily. So it would be harder for me to maintain a battery's lifespan, and it wouldn't justify replacing the pack whenever it died.

Are you saying that the IMA battery helps reduce typical winter fuel economy losses?