10 year old Civic problems?

Hi folks -

I'm shopping for a reliable long distance commute vehicle and I
think I've settled on a Civic. Will stick to an LX or EX for the
extras like cruise control. Probably going to pick up something in
the 95-98 range with 100-150k miles on it. Anything that commonly
goes wrong with these vehicles that I should be watching out for?

Still undecided on manual vs automatic transmission.

Anyone have problems with the "moonroof" leaking?

Thanx for any feedback ... jim

 

I'd make sure that the timing belt has been replaced around 90K or so.
That's an indication that the previous owner took good care of it.

 

I think one of the best things you can do for a Honda with
100-150k miles on it that you're thinking of buyin is get
documentation of when the timing belt was last changed. If
it's about due, then figure that's going to cost you around
$400-$600.

Other problems that come up with these Civics tend to be
nickel and dime stuff, though the more documenation you can
get on maintenance, the better.

This assumes the car has been maintained and not driven
hard. As you may know, the best way to verify this is
through a test drive and to have a mechanic look it over.

 

I would be looking at the front axle CV boots with the steering wheel
turned to full lock. Also run the AC after the car is warmed up to verify
the AC operation. I would feel the inlet and outlet pipe of the compressor
(carefully). One side should be ice cold and the other very warm or hot.
Good luck.

 

With regards to the AC, you should also check for the presence of bubbles in
the system's site glass which, if found, could indicate a leak in the
system.

Eric

 

Although a 95-98 would have R-134a, and probably no sight glass. (I don't
know why no sight glass with R-134a... but it behaves enough differently
from R-12 that I don't feel familiar with it.)

Mike

 

I'd take a good look in the radiator. See if the coolant is dirty. give
the hoses a squeeze. Check for water in the oil. Drive it at 65 M.P.H.
for a half hour and watch the temp gauge. bob

 

Thanks for the clarification. I haven't dealt much with the R143a systems
and couldn't remember if they had a sight glass or not.

Eric

 

My 94 Integra GSR AC has R134a and I believe it has a sight glass.

 

Good points. I once ignored traces of rust in the radiator because I was
lusting for the car. What a mistake.

Mike

 

What happened to the car?

 

There were three points of corrosion that made me crazy. One was a freeze
plug, of course, which I ended up patching by JB Welding a quarter into it
because I didn't want to pull the engine. The other two were coolant
fittings on the alloy intake plenum and on the head that were too eaten away
to seal. I fixed one other leak by replacing the thermostat housing with one
from a wrecking yard.

What was really crippling about the leaks was that as I drove coolant would
continually seep out, and when I parked it would suck air back in rather
than recover coolant from the overflow. The result was that I could drive
maybe two hours before it would overheat, then I had to wait for the engine
to cool enough to put more coolant in the radiator.

That was an '84 Nissan 300ZX. It had something like 105K miles on it when I
bought it, and under 160K when I traded it in on our Toyota. I had been
looking for a mid-life machine to replace my long-gone Lotus Europa, and I
confess the abominably maintained Nissan still was more reliable than the
Lotus... but it wasn't nearly as much fun to drive.

Mike

 

snip but all comments read

Good story; important tip for used car buyers. Folks should
definitely test drive I guess at least half an hour, and
definitely monitor the coolant quality and level before,
during, and after.

 

Thanks for all of the replies. Lots of good browsing tips. No luck
so far in finding something in my price range that i'd be willing to
own but still working on it. - jb