jumpin4abeat

So I am looking at purchasing a 2000 SI but this thing is that the seller states that it has been sitting for a few years. The timing belt and water pump were changed prior to it sitting. It has low mileage and is stock besides exhaust. I would prefer to purchase a stock si but I do not know what sitting for a few years does to a car. I need advise please if this is a bad thing or if you can just change the oil and plugs and it wil be ready to go again.

virgineg6

Thats not good, unless you get it really cheap i would suggest staying away

civichxtreme2

Anything rubber is prolly shot, which includes but is not limited to, suspension bushings, belts, hoses, tires, brake lines, and other. Also anything that contains fluid will have to be flushed thoroughly or replaced. Probably looking at least a grand to get it back up to good running condition. Thats if none of the electricals have been tampered with by critters or anything else. Like the above poster says, unless you get it real cheap I wouldnt mess with it

redm3turbo

IMO....sitting is as bad...or worse for cars then raggin on them.
I posted this here the other day but I used to work for a dealer, and we'd see our fair share of cars that were owned by older ladies...that sat in the garage for 4-5 years..and amass little to no miles, however....to bring them back to life was more then blue book on the car.
I mean, go start the civic up...drive it around...REALLY drive it..to get the rust off the brakes and things, and see how it feels.
Things to take notice of.....
Rubber + sitting for years = horrible.
You didnt list location, but since Im in NY...Ill figure it was sitting in a driveway in ny for 3 years...in which case..your going to want to do the suspension bushings...engine gaskets, hoses, belts etc...poss tires.
Look over the brakes....see if any of the calipers froze up....
again- location will play a big part in that.
Look it over...then also think about any repairs that might be necessary....up here in the northeast Im sure your going to find a few bolts that are litterally froze on the car..

Cheap...and a really really long test drive...

Also...electrical items like the alternator dont like sitting for months on end...nor do batteries...

jumpin4abeat

thanks for the input, i will stay away from it

SJC

I'd buy it. I let my 2000 SIR sit outside for 2 years through canadian winters, and it was FINE, oil change, spark plugs, still running the same brake fluid pads and rotors (they'll be changed next weekend) but still. oh and it's still lowered on coilovers and stock shocks. so unless the car is beat to ****, sitting doesn't affect much. after i did the head on the car new timing belt and a bunch of other **** we waxed it, and it looked brand new. the car only has 88000km's on it so it should be close to brand new. sometimes i think people forget how good honda's really are. I've had this SIR for almost 10 years, and only had 1 problem with it, the AC clutch blew, and that was my fault. other then that, it never missed a beat. don't be scare dof cars that need a little bit of work after sitting for a while. if it's a ncie car that's barely modified, i'd buy it in a second

bandit67

I would buy it in a heartbeat. I have hauled a few home that had been sitting for years and then it sat here a year or two. I have got one running now of four year old gas. Change all the changeable and fire it up. If you decide to spin the motor over with fresh oil BEFORE wanting it to fire, be sure and unplug the dizzy instead of pulling the plug wires. I cooked a good coil doing that.

NOFX

Depends on what price you're getting it for, general condition of the vehicle and how it was stored for these years.

virgineg6

i guess this equals just changing the oil and the plugs like the OP wants!?

jumpin4abeat

here is a link to the car, its on the honda market place.
http://hondamarketplace.com/showthread.php?t=2944706
I do not have time to take apart the motor and change out a lot of parts. I would be getting it as my dd so im very cautious. I dont mind if I just have to change oil and plugs but that is about the extant. The person selling is selling because it sat and he said he did not have time to take about it. It looks in good conidition for the most part. I dont know, im getting mixed reviews. I actually am looking at an EX that has a jdm swap on in. I dont know what to do.

NOFX

If you just want a daily driver, I'd steer clear of an Si, much less one where you are not sure of the actual condition and you are not prepared to put some money into it if there are issues (that car is expensive for what you want btw).

That car will be quickly stolen for the blue paint (which screams Si) and the rare optional leather interior.

I'd highly recommend if you just want a daily driver that's all ready to be driven, look for a lower trim Civic that's as stock as possible, or very stock appearing at the very least.

NACvicSi

It looks to be in decent shape. Seems a little pricey considering what you may have to change out on it. Not to mention he says the previous owner changed the timing belt/water pump. Unless he has some proof I would take that with a grain of salt. Try to get him down some. Offer him $4500

NOFX

The thing is, you can get an Si or EX that's been driven often for the same price. It's likely to have higher mileage, but there's not much reason to get a 72,000 mile Honda Civic. It's not like they start falling apart once they hit 150,000 miles or anything.

Blacknight117

iTrader: (1)

Damn right. My `95 EX has 270k unofficially, (speedometer issue), and she`s still running strong.

NOFX

I have a '98 Civic that had 154,000 miles on the stock motor and it ran beautifully up until the swap.

I have an '88 CRX with 162,000 miles and a few things are wearing out, like bushings. The thing is 23 years old and I'm curious how the mileage is so low, but everything checks out.

I have an '88 Prelude with 254,000 miles that runs great besides a leak in the power steering line (the one that is known to leak on those cars) and an undiagnosed ground issue.

The biggest problems I face with the '88s is the paint isn't perfect on either of them and the driver seat bolster in the CRX has a big tear in it (Prelude seats look awesome though).

A Honda isn't broken in until it hits 100,000 miles anyway.

NACvicSi

Very true. If he was dead set on an Si then I would go for it for a lower price. That color is getting harder to find and one in good shape fairly unmolested even harder. However for a DD I would just go with a cheaper EX. I jumped and giggled like a little school girl when I bought my 86k mile Del Sol so I can't say anything about the low mileage

NOFX

While I enjoy having a low mileage vehicle, it doesn't honestly matter that much with these cars.

My Civic hasn't aged in the 70,000 miles I've had it, since I've kept up on the little maintenance it needed (exhaust b-pipe, muffler, input shaft bearing which never affected performance anyway, tires). The only thing I never fixed before the swap was my a/c compressor went out (mechanic said likely it was grossly overcharged by the previous owner).

Saying, "I have a one hundred and sixty thousand mile eighty-eight CRX," isn't much more than novelty. It's cool, but I've seen higher mileage CRXes, for example, for the same price these cars usually hover at around here. I only got this one because I was the first to jump on it (they sell FAST here) and the dealer selling it, despite what he told me, did NOT know what the car was worth. Basically they normally go for $2300 or up here and I got this one for $1800.

Deetz

I would have the Si checked out, and would replace the timing belt again...but other than that, the car should be pretty good. It is not "that" old, most rubber parts should still be decent.

Definitely have ALL of the fluids changed

kindawanapokeya

Engine will need a rebuild. Oil gets old and will turn to a rust like color. Also fuel system needs to be flushed as to what fuel was still in the lines have turned to a gel like consistency clogging everything. Try and talk the owner into taking to a shop for a complete tune up and they will end upnotifying the cureent owner of how much work is needed to get it running properly again. Then maybe you can get it for a cheaper price!

SJC

i didn't replace it because it need to be changed, i put skunk2 pro2 cams in it with full valve train, and a 65 shot of nitrous, on that bottom end that was sitting for 2 years, it's fine, and runs strong as hell. i was just saying i had the car sitting before i built the head, and did the nitrous, and i have had zero problems with it. so not buying it because it was sitting for a while is stupid.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

You guys up at the top of the thread would seriously just automatically "stay away" from a car that's been sitting for a couple of years? Why?

Who cares if it's been sitting. You can probably get a pretty decent deal on a car that hasn't been used a lot. I'm sure the engine is fine. Prime it before starting it by pulling the EFI fuse and cranking it till the oil pressure light turns off. You'll probably need a new battery prior. If the owner changed the T-belt and water pump in it before storing it, that's a good sign. Even if he didnt...who cares?!

And someone said that "anything rubber is probably shot". Really? Just by sitting for a few years? Why? It's rubber that's under a hood...which is not subject to U.V. rays. Whatever fluids are inside that rubber are meant to be run through that rubber for years and years and years.

The car's probably fine. The owner is probably giving you a decent deal on it since it's been sitting useless for a while. Sitting a few years would not deter me from buying it at all.

NOFX

Went with a friend to look at a car that's been sitting for about two years or so and been up for sale for around a year.

The car ran well when parked. What we found so far includes a radiator hose that somehow rubbed against another part it shouldn't be able to reach, and has put a nice tear in it, the supercharger could use some maintenance and the car sounds like it's running on two cylinders and is rich as all hell. Pretty sure there's a bad O2 sensor, but we'll see here soon. This car is also modified (upgraded cam, for example), so we're not expecting it to purr like an OE kitten.

Either way, food for thought. Car belongs to the owner of a well-known local shop too. He took care of it before, but he has at least twenty of his own cars, most of which get more attention than this car gets since it was parked.

Project Dad

I am suprised no one said it, but find out why it has been sitting for years. I looked at the car post. it looks good. I am just saying, if a car has been sitting for years, usually there reasons for that.

Hart-n-Sol

My Si was sitting for over two years and had a rod through the block. I got a hell of a deal though, threw in another motor, new tires and full tune up and its my DD. Bone stock and never been modified either

95EG2

if the body is in good condition i would get it... being that the car is 11 years old the bushings, front end parts are in need of changing anyway... as far as motor it never good for a motor to sit for a long time... but u can always get a rebuild or simply replaced and sell the old b16... timing belt and waterpump is pretty easy to do and not expensive at all as long as u know what u doing... i Si in good condition typically go between 5-6k so if been sitting for a while i say 3-4k will be a reasonable price