munoz93

Hello, I'm new to this forum and recently found a 91 CRX for sale and wondered what I should be on the lookout when going to buy one. I understand the basics but what are these cars known for, for example do they have a history of the engine going out? the one I'm going to be looking at has minor brake issues and has a problem with second gear. whenever you let go of the gas in second the gear pops out. other than minor rust on the body the car looks genuinely good for being a 91. forgot to mention I'm looking at the car on September 7th.

browngrasscat

"Minor brake issues" don't exist. You have; A. 4 properly functioning brakes, or B. A problem
The engines are great, but can be blown to bits like anything else. Old Hondas are made out of rotted metal covered in paint, at least one the East coast.
Also, they bent a shift fork, probably from leaning on the stick. Cheap part, not exactly easy access.
I bought a rotted out one with 270k, 3 different size dryrotted tires, and half the interior apart. The AC works great though. Anyway I'm not the one to tell anybody not to buy a Honda. Just don't let it go to waste.

Tyson

It's almost a 30 year old car.

What really are you expecting?

munoz93

Well I'm not expecting perfection, I just want a car that has great gas mileage and still fun to drive. Plus I'm not in a position to be buying a newer car for financial reasons.

Slade Exulis

If you're not in a position to be buying a newer car for financial reasons, there's a good chance you won't be in a position to fix whatever issues will come up with an almost 30 year old car. I would look at newer Hondas that won't have as many maintenance items needing to be done or hidden problems lying in wait.

munoz93

Without getting into to much detail, my VW Golf broke down. The car was a money pit and I'm over it. I only have 1000 dollars and need a car for work only after that I can start saving again for another car. Preferably another Honda.

2x0

OK so for a vague point of reference, I just bought a 91 CRX this past winter that had already had most of the major work done. That being rebuilt engine, and most of the brakes and suspension components.

I have probably spent $200-300 a month since then just trying to get everything "right", partly because it had some low quality mod work done, but mostly because the car is just friggin old.

If yours has original suspension, brakes, and engine, you better be ready to rebuild just about everything on it because it's about to go if it hasn't been replaced recently.

Long story short, this will not be your most economical option.

munoz93

I imagined it would be, but the way I see it is I need a car now. I can gradually fix it along the way instead of forking out another 1000 in getting an Accord while still trying to pay my bills and figuring out who can get me a ride home. The car is bone stock. Also when I say brakes I mean it could use new pads in front, still brakes just could use new ones. Of course I won't just throw my money at the guy when I first see it. I'll test drive it and look at it entirely. I just need to know what are these cars known for going out so I can check those areas. Example I know the mk3 golf's had a problem with the strut mounts rusting terribly, and I believe what's called a neutral safety switch going out as well.

2x0

In general they were very reliable cars, and I don't think there are any components in particular that are prone to failure. But when it's 27 years old, everything is prone to failure.

You'd be better off finding a Honda that's at least 10 years newer that's been taken care of, even if it costs a little more up front. It doesn't sound like you can afford to have a car that needs work and may not be driveable when stuff starts falling apart.

Tyson

the big problems that happen to CRX's are distributor's going bad, or timing belts snapping randomly. this is stuff you cant check for.

everything else is self diagnosing and obvious. you say it has minor brake issues and a bad second gear. that tells me its poorly maintained and been driven harshly. a 2nd gear issue means the forks have been slammed. if its driveable, then whatever, you dont need to worry about it until you can replace the whole tranny or rebuild it.

rust is always an issue. you need to look at the underbody and look for subframe rust. but this is really any car.... and should be obvious to check.

for a $1000, if it runs, its worth it. but at that price, everything is a money pit. i really dont know what else you expect, a sad finance story gets you nowhere in life.

munoz93

Alright well thank you for all the quick responses. After reading and taking your guys suggestions I decided to opt out of buying a crx, maybe I can get a glass top later in the future. As for now I'll look around at newer cars, any suggestions on what I should get?

cybersec

Honestly in terms of economical cars, Hondas are fairly bulletproof. Couple this with fairly cheap maintenance (My Civic has cost almost nothing to restore (and it has 225k miles) compared to my sister's Volkswagen Jetta with a blown tranny...) and lots of support online (There are dozens upon dozens of Honda forums, many filled with active users like this one!) meaning you'll generally be able to fix any problems that arise.

I'd look at newer Civics and Accords. If you're looking at cheap cars (In the $1000 range, like you were saying) stay away from stuff that looks modded. Many people sell their old cars for cheap because they don't think they're worth anything anymore, but generally people who are modding cheap cars are trying to squeeze every dollar out of their car and know how much they're worth, so when you see it listed for $1000 you know its barely worth that much.