Need opinion: 1993 civic hb vx

[bikekona]

I need some help deciding if this is a ok deal. I got the seller to send me pictures and the car looks clean with the exception of the headliner and drivers side rear quarter panel having a medium sized dent. There is also oxidation on the hood and roof. He is willing to sell for $3000 and has a clean title. 183000 miles. Let me know what you think. This car is in california.
This is the cl ad:
Up for sale is my 1993 Honda Civic VX hatch back. This was originally my grandmother's car, and she was the original owner. It has a dealer added sunroof as well as an aftermarket stereo, but aside from this, it is bone stock. It was meticulously maintained by both the Honda dealership, and my grandfather who is a mechanic. I purchased it from her at 149,000 miles and since then I've maintained the car with everything it could possibly need. Since 149k I have done the following:
New tires
New brake pads/rotors
New master cylinder
New alternator
New water pump / timing belt
New parking brake pads
New spark plugs
New front drive shafts
I've changed the oil religiously every 3000 miles with Mobil1 Synthetic.

This car is extremely reliable. It has never left me stranded, and starts every time.
I average over 40mpg in this car... That is better than a large chunk of new cars sold today.
This is the extremely rare gas saving VX model, which never came with a sunroof from the factory, but mine has one that was professionally installed at the time of purchase. This is probably one of the only, if not the only VX you'll see with a sunroof.
The seats in the car are in great shape.

I've scoured craigslist, and have yet to find any other VX's that are for sale long, so I feel my price of $3500 is quite fair.

[Baltothewolf]

If he has the paperwork to back all the stuff he has done, then it's a good deal. Otherwise I would invalidate everything you can't visually confirm is new.

[War_Wagon]

Don't the California VXs have a different setup in them than all of the other states? And aftermarket sunroofs are only good in places where it never rains, so if you are keeping it somewhere sunny then no problem, but otherwise expect leaks.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Don't the California VXs have a different setup in them than all of the other states? And aftermarket sunroofs are only good in places where it never rains, so if you are keeping it somewhere sunny then no problem, but otherwise expect leaks.

Exactly the same, except no lean burn. You can convert it to lean burn though, it's not that hard. Bluesteel just did his last week. I saw it yesterday and the only reason I knew it wasn't stock was the (extremely nicely) wrapped electrical tape wasn't dirty.

I'm not sure if he would be willing to sell it, but Bluesteel also has a spare ECU for a lean burn conversion.

Here is another one for 2500.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/4830804004.html

[bikekona]

So does that mean that the California vx doesn't get the great 50 mpg? I like the one you put the link of; however, given the amount of work this guy has done to his and the lower mileage, doesn't that make a $500 difference trivial?

[user removed]

The hacked up sunroofs affect structural integrity. Torsional rigidity is compromised.

regards
mech

[bikekona]

So should I avoid the sunroof versions all together?

[user removed]

There are no factory sunroof versions of a VX. Cutting a big old hole in the roof in unibody cars allows the whole structure to twist several magnitudes of movement more than they ever did before they were hacked.

A factory sunroof has a completely different roof structure designed around the sunroof to maintain the structural integrity.

Most of the sunroofs on the 92-92 model hatches were SI models whic got the worst mileage.

regards
mech

[figit090]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

There are no factory sunroof versions of a VX. Cutting a big old hole in the roof in unibody cars allows the whole structure to twist several magnitudes of movement more than they ever did before they were hacked.

A factory sunroof has a completely different roof structure designed around the sunroof to maintain the structural integrity.

Most of the sunroofs on the 92-92 model hatches were SI models whic got the worst mileage.

regards
mech

Agreed, a factory designed option is more likely to have design implements for structural rigidity and crash safety. They might even have to crash-test models with sunroofs vs. those without. Convertibles have extra chassis strengthening below the car (in most cases) to compensate for loss of rigidity above the door line.

Old Mechanic, do you know for sure (for models that were equipped with sunroofs from the factory sometimes) if there is a structural difference on hondas with a sunroof? I know some sedan models had a stock sunroof so I would question whether there was a difference there, but I don't know if any hatchbacks of this generation had sunroofs on luxury models...