Buying 2000 SI coupe this week, NEED HELP
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Honda-Tech Member
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From: Plano, TX, USA
Buying 2000 SI coupe this week, NEED HELP
Sup,
I will be purchasing a 2000 Civic SI coupe this week..... everything looks clean..w.hat kinda of tests should i do to make sure its good. I'm confused what to do with the dip stick, pull it out and if theres lil peices of debri/metal that means the engine is bad right? What about the oil, how do i check that? thanks
I will be purchasing a 2000 Civic SI coupe this week..... everything looks clean..w.hat kinda of tests should i do to make sure its good. I'm confused what to do with the dip stick, pull it out and if theres lil peices of debri/metal that means the engine is bad right? What about the oil, how do i check that? thanks
I feel sorry for that car. 
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From: Sydney, NSW, Australia
as far as i know.... there should only be oil on that dipstick. anything else... ummm.. stay away?
pull it out, wipe it clean, stick it back in, pull it out after a few seconds, and see where the oil goes up to. there should be two dots on the end of the dipstick. the oil should be inbetween the two dots.
i *think* thats the right procedure lol
gl
pull it out, wipe it clean, stick it back in, pull it out after a few seconds, and see where the oil goes up to. there should be two dots on the end of the dipstick. the oil should be inbetween the two dots.
i *think* thats the right procedure lol
gl
Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space...
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From: Rochester, NY, USA
Re: (fried)
While making sure the owner kept oil in the car is a good idea, that's really not what's going to tell you whether or not the car is in good shape.
I don't even know where to start. I know everybody's gotta learn, but are you sure you really want an Si if you don't even know how to check your own oil? If you feel like you need an Si instead of a regular Civic coupe, start searching the board and reading and reading and reading.
Really, just take the car to a mechanic that knows Hondas. If you don't wanna do that for some reason, drive the car.
-Make sure it goes into all gears without resistence or grinding.
-Make sure it idles smoothly.
-Make sure VTEC engages ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP (it will not work and is a bad idea to try until the temp gauge shows the needle halfway). You will know if it's working. If you find yourself saying "that was VTEC, right?", then it isn't engaging. That will at least tell you that the solenoid works and that the car is maintaining oil pressure.
-Take some hard turns in the car and see if the oil light comes on. If it does and the oil level is not low, that means there is probably a dent in the oil pan, which is bad.
-Ask the owner if the timing belt and water pump have been changed. If the car has over 80k miles you are going to need to have this done relatively soon as it is required maintenence. And it's kind of expensive.
-Obviously make sure everything electrical is working right.
-Get the VIN and get an insurance quote, the insurance company will tell you if the car has a salvage title. Otherwise, CARFAX the VIN number.
-If the owner is shady, look at the VIN on the dash and compare it to the VIN in the engine bay. Make sure they match. If not, the motor has been replaced at some point, probably because he blew the other one. I can't explain exactly where the VINs are located in the engine bay, it's a small plate and is easy to find.
So on and so forth...
I don't even know where to start. I know everybody's gotta learn, but are you sure you really want an Si if you don't even know how to check your own oil? If you feel like you need an Si instead of a regular Civic coupe, start searching the board and reading and reading and reading.
Really, just take the car to a mechanic that knows Hondas. If you don't wanna do that for some reason, drive the car.
-Make sure it goes into all gears without resistence or grinding.
-Make sure it idles smoothly.
-Make sure VTEC engages ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP (it will not work and is a bad idea to try until the temp gauge shows the needle halfway). You will know if it's working. If you find yourself saying "that was VTEC, right?", then it isn't engaging. That will at least tell you that the solenoid works and that the car is maintaining oil pressure.
-Take some hard turns in the car and see if the oil light comes on. If it does and the oil level is not low, that means there is probably a dent in the oil pan, which is bad.
-Ask the owner if the timing belt and water pump have been changed. If the car has over 80k miles you are going to need to have this done relatively soon as it is required maintenence. And it's kind of expensive.
-Obviously make sure everything electrical is working right.
-Get the VIN and get an insurance quote, the insurance company will tell you if the car has a salvage title. Otherwise, CARFAX the VIN number.
-If the owner is shady, look at the VIN on the dash and compare it to the VIN in the engine bay. Make sure they match. If not, the motor has been replaced at some point, probably because he blew the other one. I can't explain exactly where the VINs are located in the engine bay, it's a small plate and is easy to find.
So on and so forth...
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From: Yokohama, Japan
Re: Buying 2000 SI coupe this week, NEED HELP (bigbeasta4)
Since you clearly do not know what to look for yourself, take the car to an independent mechanic or a dealership to have it checked out before you purchase it.
The owner of the car should have no problem with this, so long as you are paying for the inspection.
The owner of the car should have no problem with this, so long as you are paying for the inspection.
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From: Plano, TX, USA
Re: (Regal)
yea i test drove it last week, vtec definetly engages, just rides a little rough and needs alignment. I've been reading through these boards, its my first car and i don't have a dad to help me out with these types of things, so please bear with me. There isnt oil around the engine bay, it looks incredibly clean. i will be doing the dip stick procedure before i go and sign the title. Any more suggestions on what to check? Thanks
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From: Yokohama, Japan
Re: Buying 2000 SI coupe this week, NEED HELP (Reid)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Reid »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"><FONT SIZE="5">Since you clearly do not know what to look for yourself, take the car to an independent mechanic or a dealership to have it checked out before you purchase it.
The owner of the car should have no problem with this, so long as you are paying for the inspection.</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>
The owner of the car should have no problem with this, so long as you are paying for the inspection.</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,912
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From: WeHo, CA, USA
Re: (Regal)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Regal »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">While making sure the owner kept oil in the car is a good idea, that's really not what's going to tell you whether or not the car is in good shape.
I don't even know where to start. I know everybody's gotta learn, but are you sure you really want an Si if you don't even know how to check your own oil? If you feel like you need an Si instead of a regular Civic coupe, start searching the board and reading and reading and reading.
Really, just take the car to a mechanic that knows Hondas. If you don't wanna do that for some reason, drive the car.
-Make sure it goes into all gears without resistence or grinding.
-Make sure it idles smoothly.
-Make sure VTEC engages ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP (it will not work and is a bad idea to try until the temp gauge shows the needle halfway). You will know if it's working. If you find yourself saying "that was VTEC, right?", then it isn't engaging. That will at least tell you that the solenoid works and that the car is maintaining oil pressure.
-Take some hard turns in the car and see if the oil light comes on. If it does and the oil level is not low, that means there is probably a dent in the oil pan, which is bad.
-Ask the owner if the timing belt and water pump have been changed. If the car has over 80k miles you are going to need to have this done relatively soon as it is required maintenence. And it's kind of expensive.
-Obviously make sure everything electrical is working right.
-Get the VIN and get an insurance quote, the insurance company will tell you if the car has a salvage title. Otherwise, CARFAX the VIN number.
-If the owner is shady, look at the VIN on the dash and compare it to the VIN in the engine bay. Make sure they match. If not, the motor has been replaced at some point, probably because he blew the other one. I can't explain exactly where the VINs are located in the engine bay, it's a small plate and is easy to find.
So on and so forth...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Excellent advice, and do a compression test as well. It will require you to be able to remove spark plugs and have a compression testing kit (~$20-30)
Also, look along the rubber/plastic trim for paint masking lines, look at the quarter panel - specifically the metal that runs from the roof, between the rear window and side rear window to the rear quarter and make sure there is not a line right in the middle (would indicate a rear end collision where they had to replace the qtr or rear of car). Look for signs of overspray, drips in the paint, lack of proper factory stickers on door jambs, under the hood, etc. Body work is often underreported when buying a car - there are many accidents that do not show up on Carfax that owners will lie about.
I don't even know where to start. I know everybody's gotta learn, but are you sure you really want an Si if you don't even know how to check your own oil? If you feel like you need an Si instead of a regular Civic coupe, start searching the board and reading and reading and reading.
Really, just take the car to a mechanic that knows Hondas. If you don't wanna do that for some reason, drive the car.
-Make sure it goes into all gears without resistence or grinding.
-Make sure it idles smoothly.
-Make sure VTEC engages ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP (it will not work and is a bad idea to try until the temp gauge shows the needle halfway). You will know if it's working. If you find yourself saying "that was VTEC, right?", then it isn't engaging. That will at least tell you that the solenoid works and that the car is maintaining oil pressure.
-Take some hard turns in the car and see if the oil light comes on. If it does and the oil level is not low, that means there is probably a dent in the oil pan, which is bad.
-Ask the owner if the timing belt and water pump have been changed. If the car has over 80k miles you are going to need to have this done relatively soon as it is required maintenence. And it's kind of expensive.
-Obviously make sure everything electrical is working right.
-Get the VIN and get an insurance quote, the insurance company will tell you if the car has a salvage title. Otherwise, CARFAX the VIN number.
-If the owner is shady, look at the VIN on the dash and compare it to the VIN in the engine bay. Make sure they match. If not, the motor has been replaced at some point, probably because he blew the other one. I can't explain exactly where the VINs are located in the engine bay, it's a small plate and is easy to find.
So on and so forth...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Excellent advice, and do a compression test as well. It will require you to be able to remove spark plugs and have a compression testing kit (~$20-30)Also, look along the rubber/plastic trim for paint masking lines, look at the quarter panel - specifically the metal that runs from the roof, between the rear window and side rear window to the rear quarter and make sure there is not a line right in the middle (would indicate a rear end collision where they had to replace the qtr or rear of car). Look for signs of overspray, drips in the paint, lack of proper factory stickers on door jambs, under the hood, etc. Body work is often underreported when buying a car - there are many accidents that do not show up on Carfax that owners will lie about.
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kekekekevin
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