I just started looking for a new car about 2 weeks ago. I'm 20, I work at Pepboys and I make around $12 an hour as an Advisor. Well I had been trolling the autotrader and a few local dealers for a black ep3 or a newer Tundra. I saw a sign for one of those 'NO CREDIT NO PROBLEMS!' signs saying that this weekend only there's a huge carlot sale at a local movie theater. So I stopped in there and sure enough, in the center all alone like a movie was an '02 Black Si. Only 46k miles, and they want $15,998. So of course the salesmen is rushing me to run my credit but I keep my cool. I hate pressure salesmen so I asked him to give me a few minutes to look over the car. The brakes had been replaced recently, unfortunately the OEM rims were replaced with some ugly 15" chromies but aside from that it was MINT. The belt was still oem and not cracking, I checked a few other small things but I didn't test drive it. I set up an appointment to return tomarrow @ 10am.

My question is since this forum is full of knowledge I thought you guys could let me know any other signs to look for. I only have like $500 to put down and almost no credit history. They wanted me to use my car as a trade in but I digress, it's a pos but I can get more selling it privately. I grabbed the vin and I'm gonna blue book it but I wanna make sure I'm not gettin boned by some jewbag salesmen. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thx.

 

It's expensive for an Si with 46k miles... you could probably talk it down to 13 at least, maybe even more.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's expensive for an Si with 46k miles... you could probably talk it down to 13 at least, maybe even more.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hmm, really? Maybe thats FL, but in SoCal these cars are going for 14k private sellers, and they're usually 70k miles or more. Maybe I should spend the extra few thousand dollars and fly to FL lol.

**EDIT***

Also, is there any design flaws or anything engine/body-wise different from the 02 models compared to any other years? I've always really been fond of the,'Don't buy a car the first year of a new body style.'

 

Im not really familiar with the EP3's but I do know the later models did get some 'revisement'. I'd definately check for signs of previous owner abuse. Check the oil to see if it looks like they have changed it, or if its filthy. Usually, if there is mods like an intake or exhaust, chances are it had the **** ran out of it.

 

was there any mods to the suspension or engine?

 

No modifications of any kind other than the cheesey chrome rims. And the idiot took the Si sign off the grill and jb welded it onto the valve cover..

 

Sounds high to me, but I am not in your market.

http://www.edmunds.com/used/20...esult

 

Check over at EPhatch.com for some advice. They are some of the coolest people around and willing to help anyone. I don't know about SoCal, but that's highway robbery for an 02... Sure the mileage is nice, but that's still way too expensive for that kinda car here on the east coast.

 

ok drive it in a tight circle, you want to make sure the stearing rack is ok, they tend to have problems in these cars. Also take it to 6500 in 1st and 2nd gear. The tranny's are also known to grind but you have to take it up a little in the rpm range to check. Basically thats it they are pretty solid cars besides those 2 things. Also that price is a lot when i was looking at a 02 with 41k on it the guy wanted 11,000 with i/h/e and the thing was clean as hell and always had mobil 1. So i would talk him down to 13 out the door or say sorry.

 

It does seem high. You can get a RSX-S for the same price, if not cheaper.

Also, trade-in might not be a bad idea. There are no hassles of trying to sell your car, and also, the tax break.

 

The steering rack problem mentioned above has almost always been because of lowered suspension. Mugen, HFP, and Buddy Club (I believe) kits keep the steering arms in the right locations to avoid rack problems.

As far as 02 vs. 04-05, not much is different in terms of reliability. Wheel sizes, turning radius, rear sway size (increased from 15 to 17 mm), and maybe a couple other under-the-skin changes, but apart from that, they're effectively the same. Same motor, tranny, etc.

I did get my clutch master cylinder replaced at about 25K for a clicking/squeaking problem. That and a transmission grind (not a problem on my EP) have been the only issues I've known that included stock EP's.

 

your on crack thats WAY to much for an EP3

check on ephatch.com

 

i bought my 03 with 19xxx for only 14....get them to go way down

 

Too late, I bought it. Got them down to $14,9xx; $15,3xx after taxes. I'll take pics tomarrow. 46101 on the odo, and those ugly chromes were actually some decent looking 16's. Thank you all for the input though.

 

that's a bit high, I got my brand new 04 Si for $16k OTD. Negotiate!

 

http://www.putfile.com/2002ep3

Wow, today I was checking over the car and damn wasn't I surprised to find out the car had some Tein Basics on it! Maybe the previous owner wasn't as much as an idiot as I thought? Also, they are a bit stiff but still acceptable for a DD.

**EDIT** and I convinced the dealership to keep the price the same but give me a 3 year bumper - bumper + drivetrain warranty.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2002Ep3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://www.putfile.com/2002ep3

Wow, today I was checking over the car and damn wasn't I surprised to find out the car had some Tein Basics on it! Maybe the previous owner wasn't as much as an idiot as I thought? Also, they are a bit stiff but still acceptable for a DD.

**EDIT** and I convinced the dealership to keep the price the same but give me a 3 year bumper - bumper + drivetrain warranty. </TD></TR></TABLE>
hey the rims aren't that bad..looks alright..you should lower it more..and get a CTR Spoiler or HFP Spoiler..samething but whatever.

and then get the HFP Kit..lip, rear lip, side skirts..and the basic bolt ons if it doesn't have it

 

Yeah, gonna drop it a slight bit more but I wanna get an alignment check on it first. It's pulling to the right at the moment and its obvious the front and rear camber is way out. Maybe a full degree. Also, I took the car way up to Big Bear today to go snowboarding. Smooth sailing the whole way, god those 16" tires + Teins make that little car feel like it was velcro'd to the pavement. And it was wet and there was still snow on the pavement.. Just pure bliss. Wish I had some photoshop skills to lighten the picture up and accentuate it somehow.

 

dude honestly you can get get a used itr for that price man...its not worth it to spend 15k on a 160hp 2.OL....you might as well get a used gsr...but with 15k...you can get a way better car...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bmoua &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dude honestly you can get get a used itr for that price man...its not worth it to spend 15k on a 160hp 2.OL....you might as well get a used gsr...but with 15k...you can get a way better car... </TD></TR></TABLE>

If you read the above posts, I've already purchased the car. Like I said, I had almost nothing down, a bad trade in, and no credit. The fact of the matter is I didn't want a Type R or GSR. Those are theif magnets in my town. And the Ep3's aren't very common here.

 

See my signature.

 

Really, the only thing "wrong" with an EP is the engine's relatively low redline ("relative" when compared to the K20A and A2 motors).

Everything else is good to go. 2002ep3, have fun with it -- plenty of us enjoy ours.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bmoua &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dude honestly you can get get a used itr for that price man...its not worth it to spend 15k on a 160hp 2.OL....you might as well get a used gsr...but with 15k...you can get a way better car...</TD></TR></TABLE>

"way better car"

^That's entirely subjective man. I bought an EP3 because I wanted good gas mileage, decent power for passing, reliability, somewhat low-key, and a usable hatch. Alot of people have priorities other than "performance". IMO, EP3 build quality is superior and the chassis is much more solid. I much prefer the powerband of the K series over the B series...especially for daily driving...

 

The price is a bit too high. Recently, I just bought mine, a silver 05 model with about 17K for $16 grand....

 

yeah price is way high man i bought my 02 si from dealer honda ceritfied in 04 with 9k on it for 13k low ball him stand your ground on a low price if he wants the sale to go buy another cheesy suit hel sell it

I LOVE MY EP3
91 si hatch ls vtec coming soon