I know, it sounds lame, but I'm trying to figure out if this car is really the year the guy says it is. It doesn't have a passenger side mirror, and it was built like that. Could this be an 84?

Regardless of what year it really is, it has a 1.3L engine which was installed "brand new" (rebuilt) less than 2 years ago, and has been sitting until recently (he prefers VW so didn't drive it). It's a standard but not sure how many gears. It's a Hatchback, silver/grey in colour with what appears to be minor rust (for a car of it's age!).

Not sure of the mileage on the odometer or any of it's history, but I do know that he's wanting to get rid of this car soon (he bought a newer car--VW) and is basically willing to give it away (he hates Hondas and I actually had to leave the room when he was bashing them! but he'll sell it cheap because of that). Is it worth it for me to buy this? What is a car like this worth? (I'm Canadian, so that affects pricing a little.)

I'm not looking to replace the 90 Civic I have now, and certainly not with the one he has, but what would be the advantages of getting the 84 or 85 that he has?

Thanks in advance!
Melissa

 

It sounds like a DX (hence the lack of p/s mirror). The EF gens are like that too. As for the advantages of this car, it's questionable. The chassis itself is awesome because it is amazingly light (1800 lbs if I remeber right). This means that it will take less power to go fast of course. That's really the only advantage, because since its not an Si it's carburated which is a big pain if you want to do a motor swap. Not to mention that the engine bay is so small it's possible to do motor swaps but still a big pain because it's such a tight fit. The little cars are great, they are just difficult to upgrade without a lot of patience, knowledge and $$$$.

 

http://www.redpepperracing.com

for all your 3rd gen Civic needs.

 

Ok... so if I don't want to race this car--which I don't--is there any point in buying it? I have a perfectly good 90 Civic, which I actually really like despite it's current engine issues (I think it just needs a tune up cause it has no guts), and in every way that I can see it, buying his car would be a downgrade. If it has a carburetor, then I don't think I want it, brand-new rebuilt or not.
But if I can get it *cheap*... what's the approximate value on this car? If I could sell it for a little more than I paid for it, then it'd be good for me. I'll get more details from him about the car. Maybe I can make him an offer. I'm pretty convinced (after reading the history of the Civic) that it's an 84, either base or DX Hatch. Any ideas how much I might be able to sell one of these for? Just for basic driving, not pimped out or for racing.

Thanks!
Melissa

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dogmelissa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ok... so if I don't want to race this car--which I don't--is there any point in buying it? </TD></TR></TABLE>
Not really, but if you don't get it please pass along the details and the seller's contact info to the guys at http://www.redpepperracing.com