Guys, I'm looking at an 88 CRX-Si that's being sold locally. I've always been a fan of the Rex but I've never actually owned one. The car looks in good condition cosmetically but needs a bit of engine work which is not an issue. What should I look for in the car ?? Flaws ?? Common problem points ?? etc .. All opinions are welcome.

Also, I was really looking for a 91 model but this 88 has the right price. What are the differences between the 88 and 91 model ??

Thanks for the info !!!

 

well diferences between 91 and 88:
different trim and bumpers
different wheels (si models)
seat belts on doors for 89-91
bigger side windows for 88 (window trim changes)
few other things, cant remember


well the down side of crx that I can think of:
wheel bearings
broken ac unit
check for rust specially 1/4 panel and below the car...
check engine mounts and some bushings if you can

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pakipr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well diferences between 91 and 88:
different trim and bumpers
different wheels (si models)
seat belts on doors for 89-91
bigger side windows for 88 (window trim changes)
few other things, cant remember


well the down side of crx that I can think of:
wheel bearings
broken ac unit
check for rust specially 1/4 panel and below the car...
check engine mounts and some bushings if you can
</TD></TR></TABLE>

well I don't think the ac is a big deal if you plan on taking it out anyway.

-timing belt
-brakes
-shaking
-rough idle
-exhaust color

 

Thanks for the info ... I'm looking to use the car as a daily driver/beater. I'm tired of taking my ITR to get dents fixed from dumb-asses who can't open their doors properly when parking.

The car I'm looking at is an "88. I haven't seen it in person, only through pics and descriptions from the owner who lives about 2 hours away. I just want to know what to look for once I make the drive over and hopefully buy the car.

I thought the bumpers and trim were the same for the 88-91 models. Does anyone have a side-by-side pic ?? Or maybe a description of the differences would work.

Thanks a lot for the input .. any other issues ??

 

88-89 bumper


90-91 bumper


I like the 90-91 bumper best, only if its painted full


Also SIR bumper

 

****

 

they are almost the same cars.... CRX are more rare

 

the only thing that would ever make me buy or walk away from a crx is the body. if it's straight, unmolested, and rust/bondo-free, my mind is made up.

there are a thousand things to start looking for from there, but, at least for me, those are just places i look for to start talking the guy down- not to make or break the deal. everything after the body is easy to fix, easy to find (ok, seats and unripped cargo dividers are tough, but not that tough), and won't make a bit of difference to the car once you're done. a bad body is none of those.

 

As mentioned before there are going to be some minor changes like bumpers and doors. If you are happy with the way the car looks I would also check the suspension, For this old of a car just about every piece of rubber is totally gone. (Mounts, bushing, ball joints, tie rods) depending on what your long term plans are; these are normally things CRX owners are forced to address. I would mainly check you rear trailing arm bushings and ball joints, its not like this will affect the purchace price of your CRX, because they are all normally shot, you just wanna make sure there is something there before you use it as a daily driver.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by markadopolus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think you should get a civic hatch instead. I had too many problems with my CRX. it sucks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

tool, CRX is way better than an Ugly *** hatch

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 88crxhfb16 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">tool, CRX is way better than an Ugly *** hatch</TD></TR></TABLE>

now lets not be immature about this...both cars are equal in many standards, just comes down to personal preference, but definately take in consideration of the above mentioned details like rust and all, a car with shitty paint, no rust is obviously much better when any other car with a new paint or whatever else that's pleasing to you.....


specially for cars our age, a rust-free body is of the utmost importance when the body condition is taken in consideration

 

i perfer the 88-89 front bumper i like the stock lip and the cargo dividers are great didn't have'em in the first rex but the second one i got did and i like the privacy also make sure the shocks on the hatch work

 

88-89 is

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pakipr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
check for rust specially 1/4 panel and below the car...
</TD></TR></TABLE>

No ****! That stuff ain't cool!

 

I like 90-91 front better (if painted full) not leaving any black parts just the trim

 

can bumpers be swapped between 88-89 and 90-91??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civhatch90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can bumpers be swapped between 88-89 and 90-91??</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes...

 

Thanks for the excellent info !! The car was hit in the front, driver's side and that's a great reason to go with a 90-91 bumper which looks a lot nicer than the 88-89.

I finally got more detailed pics from the seller and it looks like this will be a build-up project. The car has been partially stripped down to turn into a track-only car which means time and cash spent on rebuilding this sucker .. The owner tells me the only rust spot is on the sunroof panel but there are dings here and there so a trip to the body shop is also an issue. Here's a few pics of the car. How much should I be looking to pay for this ?? Remember that my goal is to fully restore the car to OEM form with the exception of maybe a b16 swap.


Modified by iperez at 6:32 PM 3/21/2006

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iperez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here's a few pics of the car. How much should I be looking to pay for this ??</TD></TR></TABLE>

Where?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iperez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The car has been partially stripped down to turn into a track-only car which means time ans cash spent on rebuilding this sucker .. Remember that my goal is to fully restore the car to OEM form with the exception of maybe a b16 swap.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This is what worries me about the car. It has been partially stripped and you want to return it to OEM. CRX parts are <U>HARD</U> to find. I have a mint full interior 91 si and it takes months to find the few pieces i need. I bought an entire other car to get some of the stuff It takes work to get it to OEM. Depends on how much you weanna spend and what you want the finished product to look like.

As far as what to look for thats wrong. Heres a short list

- Ripped Seats
- Cracked Climate control
- 1/4 panel rust
- Sunroof Rust
- rust everywhere else (90-91 had more rust prevention in the metal and paints)
- Hood latch cable stretched and doesnt pop the hood
- Rotted out rear bumper support
- Leaking because of tail light seals
- Leaking by the hatch struts
- blown hatch struts
- broken sunroof
- ripped door panels (you shouldnt have this problem because 88 has pillar belts instead of door belts)
- CV Joints

and thats not including engine.

Those are all fairly common minor problems. On one of my cars i have 11 out of 13 of those. lol

I am not trying to steer you away from the car. I love them. Just know that they are hard to find clean and require a lot of TLC.

 

Check the spare tire area for rust. If there is some there, it means your rear windsheld washer spray nozzle is leaking through the base (letting water in). I need to fix this, but i got lucky and thats the only rust on the entire car.

 

Didn't the 90-91 Si's come eith rear disc brakes also?

 

Here's the pics .. sorry about the wait .. I guess it helps if I actually upload the pics !!

How much would you guys pay for a car in this condition ?? Consider that I want to put it back to OEM form. Would I be better off spending a few extra bucks and buy a "compete" CRX ??

First, here is the interior which is my biggest concern. Putting this back together seems like a major jigzaw puzzle

Here's pics of the exterior. I don't mind the front-end damage as I would be using a 90-91 front bumper anyway but it seems like there's a lot of work to be done.



The body seems very straight and has no rust spots other than the sunroof panel.

 

if the motor runs and everything i would pay 300-450 for it. nothing else interior costs!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ef9typer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if the motor runs and everything i would pay 300-450 for it. nothing else interior costs!</TD></TR></TABLE>

The only "declared" problem is that the radiator is shot. I'll have to inspect the engine in person to know for sure. And, yes, the interior is my biggest concern. I know I can get a lot of the parts on ebay and the web but its going to cost $$ and take some time to get it all. FWIW, I'm really not in a hurry to get it running and I'm looking at it as weekend, stress-relieving, work-on-the-car, project.

$300-450 is what I'm thinking but the seller's asking price is twice that amount.


Modified by iperez at 6:27 PM 3/21/2006

 

$300-450

I paid $1300 for a ZC CRX w/ full interior and it's a rust free FL car.