Luke G.

im looking to get my first car soon and ive been researching, and using this site to help give me an idea of what i want. What im focused on getting is an eg hatchback. My big concern is whether or not its a good idea to buy one with an engine swap already done, And what i should be looking for as far as mechanical problems if i do decide to get one with a b18, or b16 swap done already. Thanks in advance!

donotswitchoff00

y not get a em1? i also have 1 for sale.

Syndacate

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke G. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im looking to get my first car soon and ive been researching, and using this site to help give me an idea of what i want. What im focused on getting is an eg hatchback. My big concern is whether or not its a good idea to buy one with an engine swap already done, And what i should be looking for as far as mechanical problems if i do decide to get one with a b18, or b16 swap done already. Thanks in advance!</TD></TR></TABLE>

If your goal is to swap it then buying an already swapped one would be better, simply as a car isn't worth as much as you swap into it (worth a lot less). So it'll cost you more to buy a stock and swap it than to buy a pre-swapped.

I like original engines though - tells you a lot about how the car was taken care of.

What to look for, depending on the mileage there will probably going to be some valve cover seepage, probably a good idea to look around for some other wet spots, or unusually clean spots (like somebody just sprayed a can of brake cleaner on it) - you're in PA, I'm in NY, you're probably going to see a lot of Honda rust, so don't base things solely on that, it's an easy fix, and if you take it to a body shop it won't cost that much.

If they beat on the trans 3rd gear grind will be common (though it's also common even if they don't beat on it), so that shows wear.

Contrary to popular belief a civic isn't different from any other car - an engine is an engine, so look for what you would on any other engine, which is usually gasket seepage (which is usually fine, seepage is okay, but leaks are not), blowing smoke out of the tail pipe when revved, any noises in the engine that sound abnormal, such as grinding, pinging, knocking, or ticking (though a light tick in the head might just be a valve adjustment request).

As for suspension, let go of the wheel in a straight line, put it in neutral (to avoid torque pull) and brake - see if it pulls to one side, that'll tell you if the brakes/rotors are wearing evenly.

If you're not into looking at your own ****, just take it to a garage, and usually you can get a mechanic to take a look at it, very cheap, they'll know what to look for. If the guy keeps making ****-poor excuses for that, then there might be something hidden that's wrong with it.

Carfax the VIN, and make sure it has a clean title.

Use common sense, and rarely will you buy a car that's 100% problem free. There's always **** to have or will go wrong with a 13-16 year old car.

longshot

get the eg hatchback, but dont buy one with a swap done already, try to find a car that hasn't been messed with besides minor tune ups, that way you dont run into any big surprises like a cut up wire harness or something of that nature, understand?


the eg hatchback is by far the best car ever...

Luke G.

my brother had one he sold recently, that's what got me into honda's but they're not really in my budget lol

Syndacate

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by donotswitchoff00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">y not get a em1? i also have 1 for sale.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Because if he buys your EM1, not only will his insurance shoot through the roof, but he has about a 75% chance of walking out into a parking lot and finding his car, the other 25% will be nada.

Not to mention the small problem that the EM1 is seriously under powered, they should have put a 1.8 in there - it doesn't make enough torque, and it's heavy.

Also, he's looking for a '92-'95 hatch - I have a '97 coupe that's for sale (well not really for sale, but if somebody offers money I'll probably sell), but I'm not trying to force it down his throat because that's not what he's looking for.

Luke G.

hey thanks alot Syndacate and yeah i did notice how underpowered the 1.6 was in the em1, but thanks alot for the information its gonna help

Luke G.

oh yeah insurance was crazy on his car. i wouldnt be able to afford that either haha