I'm gonna go look at a 96 ls integra next weekend. What kind of questions should I ask him maintance wise about the car? What should I check out and look out for? Common problems on integras? It's a 96 5 speed with 90k miles for 5 grand.

 

maintenance records!

 

check this thread...
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1457780

 

Check the Vin before heading down there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by juicy629 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">maintenance records!</TD></TR></TABLE>

i'd say that's one of the most important things. check for wear and tear too. look to see if the car could've been abused. and if you have any doubts, back out. you don't wanna be kickin yourself later. TRUST ME

make sure all the vins check, body is straight, look under the hood. one time i popped an eg hood to see the whole radiator support pushed in and messed up. but if u feel any doubts, just say no or....lowball

 

How can you check maintenance records if you do the maintenance yourself???

Like me I do everything myself. Used Synthetic oil and changed the oil anywhere btw 2-3k.. Yes im ****.. Never kept any receipts..

I even changed the synthetic gear oil for the tranny, synthetic brake fluid too..

 

What I do is keep an envelope in my glovebox with all the reciepts in it and on the outside, I write the date, milage, and what I did

 

still gotta buy the parts brotha

 

There are always a few things to look for when buying cars known for being boy racer cars; tires (baldness), the body (on a side note most early 3rd gen tegs and civics are notorious for rust at the rear quarter panels around the wheelwells regardless of who drives it), open up the hood and give the engine bay a good check for old and used parts, holes, and most importantly, wrinkles in sheetmetal. See if the panels line up ok, as those (and the wrinkles mentioned) are prime indicators of accidents, and since its a unibody car it can mean a twisted frame. You can also get below the car and check for holes, rust, wear, wrinkles also, but only if you dont mind crawling around. Inside, check the mileage and state of interior, as well as smell. Try all HVAC including AC, and check lights too. Finally, get all papers the owner has on the car, look them over, and see if anything looks weird. If all is well, then go for it, but the minute you spot something put the owner on the spot and ask him questions on whatever you find until you know everything about it. "I dont know" is never a sufficient answer, so if the owner is trying to bullshit you, be persistent. Remember you dont have to do all of this, but I put this in in case you wanted to cover all bases. By the way, see the age of the person because that alone should tell you how hard the teg has lived. Good luck man

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by morocco &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There are always a few things to look for when buying cars known for being boy racer cars; tires (baldness), the body (on a side note most early 3rd gen tegs and civics are notorious for rust at the rear quarter panels around the wheelwells regardless of who drives it), open up the hood and give the engine bay a good check for old and used parts, holes, and most importantly, wrinkles in sheetmetal. See if the panels line up ok, as those (and the wrinkles mentioned) are prime indicators of accidents, and since its a unibody car it can mean a twisted frame. You can also get below the car and check for holes, rust, wear, wrinkles also, but only if you dont mind crawling around. Inside, check the mileage and state of interior, as well as smell. Try all HVAC including AC, and check lights too. Finally, get all papers the owner has on the car, look them over, and see if anything looks weird. If all is well, then go for it, but the minute you spot something put the owner on the spot and ask him questions on whatever you find until you know everything about it. "I dont know" is never a sufficient answer, so if the owner is trying to bullshit you, be persistent. Remember you dont have to do all of this, but I put this in in case you wanted to cover all bases. By the way, see the age of the person because that alone should tell you how hard the teg has lived. Good luck man </TD></TR></TABLE>

the age thing is not always true though. well, just because i am 18 fo an example doesnt mean i beat the living crao out of my car. well maybe because i am not like every 9/10 oweners.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tngay &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

the age thing is not always true though. well, just because i am 18 fo an example doesnt mean i beat the living crao out of my car. well maybe because i am not like every 9/10 oweners. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i don't beat on my car either...best bet is take the car to your mechanic and if he says no, don't buy it.

 

carfax

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jh2586 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">carfax</TD></TR></TABLE>

carfax doesnt justify if the car was beat on or not.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gsrious &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">look for any frame damage what so ever(welds at various places)... check to see milige(odometer fraud can be relevant if the mileage is low and the pedals all seem to be worn out. check for rust. ask for history of motor(comp test if possilbe). if dents and dings, as well as paint fade/chip are relevant(id ask him to lower the price a lil bit). check suspension compenents(axle to see if ripped, rubber bushings, spring, strus, sway, etc.) oh, check rims status(curb rash can mean that he hits the curb... sometimes throwing off alignment... check to see if lights are working properly. that about sums it up for now. i'll letyou know some more if i can think about it

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
visual inspection</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gsrious &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">let the car warm up before a test drive(while waiting, listen to the characteristics of the motor...). once fully warmed up... take for a test drive(try to see if you notice any vibrations, steering wheel pulling to side(either right or left)... check to see if power steeringis working... check to see if air conditioning is working... check to see ifthe motor misfires(while at idle, acclerating, decelerating, etc)... try to see if you notice any dead struts(you can tell if they are really bouncy and not dampening the car while it goes over bumps)... listen tothe suspension componentsto see if you can hear the wheel bearing going out. check to see of windows are operative. also check at the cluster to see if there are any lights that are on(check engine, abs, etc...)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
performance inspection</TD></TR></TABLE>