Looking at a 1997 Civic HX - $4000
 

Anyone have any advice for this car. The owner does not seem to have very much info. Things to watch for? What are the specs on this type of car?

1997 Honda Civic HX 112k

1997 Honda Civic HX 112k - $4000

Honda Civic HX 1.6 112k V-tec
all stock own the car since 1999 with 10k when I bought it
NEW brakes, transmission flush and new spark plug and wires caps and rotors, oil and filter.
coolant flush and thermostat and tires are 85% left new battery
Clean title 100% no mods to the motor all
bumper ,hood, doors and body still have the VIN# tag on it
everything is still how it came form the Honda factory
the only thing we did was updated the cd player sound system
$4000 or make me a offer no low ballers

Specs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_C...th_generation)

Looks good, the only thing I would be worried about is if/when the timing belt and water pump were replaced. A quick Google search shows that the change interval is 90k or 105k miles, so it should be done ASAP if it hasn't been replaced. And its an automatic.;)

"Transmission flush" implies it has the CVT transmission which has been an issue in the Hondas. Replacement cost is exorbitant and the mileage will not be as good as a manual.
Considering that information, I think $4k is too high. If the tranny goes it could cost close to that much to replace or repair it, unless transmission shops have developed repair techniques recently.

My recommendation is look for a manual.

"The owner does not have much information" He is either lying or clueless. In either case you are faced with some significant service costs immediately.

regards
Mech

Seems high to me. It is clean looking though (too clean? check for damage/ repaint).
CVT = no lean burn
Also, not stock taillights.

Way to pricey for my tastes. I'd say 2.5-3k depending on condition. Low miles is slightly overrated v.s. proper maintenance and care.

Deleted.

I walked away from one HX owner when he did not have satisfactory answers and it turned out that he was selling a restored salvage car that he owned for far less than the two years that he claimed.

I was shocked to purchase my Civic five months ago for $2,700 with 174,000 miles. I have not driven it in two weeks and life hardly seems any different, I only filled up once monthly.

However, it came with a bad fender, the outside driver's door lock broke, the engine started misfiring, and I guess that the last quick lube place stripped the oil pan. However, before purchasing the car, I had a mechanic look at it. Business was so slow that there were five technicians under it and everybody told me that it was in amazing shape. I had expected to pay more, but I guess that I am already in the process.

I did not see too many old listings for HXs, although this current one looks better:

Clean Title 1998 Honda Civic

That hx looks well priced at $3,000 :)