Buying a 6th gen coupe here in the next month. I've owned this car before, so I know most of the quirks it has, but I'd like some ideas as to what else I should be looking for when I test drive. Obviously the maintenance records, how the suspension and brakes feel, but should I be somehow testing the ABS like braking hard, or throttling it hard to feel for any break-up at high load/rpms?

 

i would say drive it as if u wanna rip the car apart. any car put under a little stress will show its weakness, u just need permission to do so to that car haha.

goodluck

 

do a thorough under hood visual inspection. look for disconnected vacum hoses. look at all the parts and see if they look cleaner then the rest fo the engine, fi it is then it has been replaced or removed recently, and ask why it was replaced and with what brand. drive it on some rough roads to listen for weird noises. drive it on the freeway and get a feel of the car at speed. and if its ok with the owner drive it hard to redline a few times, preferably up a steep hill and put the engine and drivetrain under stress and listen for unsual engine poises such as pinging and unusual drivetrain noises or rough shifting.

also check all the fluids. engine oil should be a transparent yellow to a deep black depending on its age, but it should be its viscosity should be consistent and smooth, not thick and sludgey with bubbles sometimes. dont know how to tell if trans. oil and p/s fluid is bad but look at the brake fluid in the resovior, its its dark borwn or black like coffee its obvious its been neglected and hasnt been replaced in awhile and the master cylinder might need to be changed soon due too much water in the old brake fluid.

 

-engine oil(check for little particles)

-tranny juice(check for baked/cooked smell, sign of black tad particle, which is
from the clutch pack)

-coolant(looking for oil in the coolant, oil, brown stain, sign of hg going south)

-brake fluid(should be semi-clear, if it's all baked and brown, it have not been
change, brake caiper cylinder might be rusted)

-brake booster check(pump the pedal with the key off, hold pressure and turn on the car, the pedal should depress more but not all the way to the floor)

-abs, just spray some water on the ground and brake, it doesn't take much mph to set off the abs if the ground is wet

-sway bar bushing(loose, broken, dry up)

-sway bar endlink******************(6th gen have defective weak links from honda, honda sells a reinforced version of the same link now)

-engine bay leaks

-window gasket(use a bucket of water)

-bondo check(use soft magnet to check for use of bondo/body repair)

-check tire wear(might need alignment, could tell you if the suspension geometry is off, could be frame damage)

-CV shaft(turn in tight circle aorund 15-20 mph, if it clicks, the side of the axle is bad)

-cel/abs/srs/brake warning light

-service record

-a/c, check sign glass and inside temp

-engine test- compression, leakdown, ask the owner, my seller let me tear down half of the engine last time

-driving test, drive in a empty hwy at night, right by the center divider, hit the gas and look for pings, knocks, etc.

-check the steering wheel shakes(balljoints) and brake pulse(warpped disk)

 

Awesome input. Thanks guys.