I know there is a standard list of things to check when it comes to looking at purchasing any used car; But because Civic's are so popular with engine swapping, scams, and theft, I want to know what are some of the little details that I should be looking at to spot the difference between a good and bad deal. If it helps, I'm specifically talking about 96-00 Civic Ex's.

1996+ Integra's have green metal vin tags that can help identify if the engine and/or transmission is stolen or an original component of the car. Is it the same case with 96-00 Civic's?

My last EG coupe developed a nasty rust stop in the rear quarter panels, which I later found out to be a common occurrence in Colorado. So are 96-00 Civic's prone to anything similar to this effect?

So help me out H-T. Aside from the superficial excuse, "It looks clean, therefore I shall buy it.", fill me in on what you would look for if you're looking at a used car with the intentions of purchasing it, with little emphasis on price.

Yes I'm bored BTW.

 

Yes, and I'll add that any hint of car-stereo or alarm related anything should be put under the utmost scrutiny. <-- My personal pet peeve.

 

main things I look for are to see if there any signs of wrecks front damage/repair and to see if the wiring has been hacked, if you are planning on swaping, the motor/trans is not that important

so straight body/frame and stock unmolested wiring

 

I hear that! Anything involving the wire harness is a pain X___x How about when you're test driving the car? Strange noises coming from engine, weird smells coming from engine bay, and etc? I know some folks would drive up to a certain speed and press hard on the brake pedal to test the alignment and see if the ABS is working. Any other "test driving a used car" tips?

 

i would look for severe rust along the frame rails. i would also be looking at suspension/ steering parts for wear. Also like what other people said,what the other owners have tweaked and try to repair or ghetto rig

 

I always ask the owner to have the engine cold when I get there, bring a friend and check the exhaust fumes when starting it up. I like to check the throttle cable, if its got lots of slack and it stretched then you know its been driven hard (although it can be adjusted) but thats one thing I like to check. Make sure it has a cat on it, barrow a scanner if you can to check engine light codes if one is present. Crack the oil cap and check for signs of coolant, and also check the oil.... make sure its level and the cleaner the better. Look at the coolant level as well. Make sure the odometer matches up with service records, ppl swap clusters and roll them back. Also kick the tires 2-3 times

 

Unless they want to keep it to themselves. -____-

 

Great stuff Frase. I vaguely remember places like Autozone allowing folks to rent out an OBD scanner. Is this still true? Also about the exhaust fumes, white smoke is okay during the first few minutes of starting a car right? Because it can be condensation and not coolant that's being burned. And black smoke is an indication of piston rings (oil rings I believe?) going bad because it's allowing oil into the combustion chamber. True?

I've seen friends of mine rolling back their odometers before to get a few extra bucks by claiming the car to be "low mileage". So why kick the tires? To see if the wheel bearings are good?

 

Check for chocolate milk under the oil cap. If it looks milky its leaking or burning coolant could have a bad headgasket. Look underneath the car and see if anything is "wet". If it is you have a leak somewhere. Check for any shady wiring, aftermarket alarms installed improperly can cause parasitic drain overnight and are a headache in general to deal with. Pull out the dipstick and see how the oil is, also look at the radiator overflow to see if the coolant is green or brown and dirty. Another sign that the car may have not been maintained. Look at the bushings to see if any are torn. When you drive it listen for metallic grinding/knocking/rubbing noises that could indicate an issue. If you hear any knocking when turning probably gonna need axles. Test all the window switches, door locks, and HVAC controls.

 

Check the boots on the CV shafts and steering rack. They crack, and especially in areas with a hard winter it can wear out the bearings or rack quickly.

 

Thanks for this thread really helped me out guys

 

I've seen cracked CV boots before but how do you know if the bearings are going bad? I'm sure it's simple to replace a boot if that's the only thing broken.

 

I just read that some owners would go as far as disabling the check engine light, by removing the light bulb and other possible means, to hide CEL codes if there's something wrong. So be on the look out for that too. I believe most cars will have the check engine light turn on for a few seconds when you first turn the key.

 

get him to fire it up and watch for black smoke right on start up (from cold- feel engine to see if he pre ran it to warm it up) if she puffs ....valve seals! if excessive white/blue smoke when hot burns oil (colapsed oil rings) if it runs smooth starts fine and doesnt rattle...its a honda no worries also check for excess growl when you depress the clutch and release (through out bearing no biggie but talk him down more lol ) if you test drive and when gearing down you get growl from tranny ( input shaft bearing is fried= need rebuild on tranny!! not cheap but easily fixed with a swap and an afternoon wrenching. Kicking the tires is necessary when buying a used car, more effective with a coffee in hand (tim hortons works best) haha Also im not sure if autozone rents them out, would have to call around for that

 

Having bought my first Honda last year there are a couple things I'd suggest...

1. Check the entire body for rust. If you live in Colorado you know as well as I do(I live in Wisconsin, tough winters) that rust is a bane to any car. Surface rust is workable but it quickly turns into something MUCH worse.

2. This can be hard to see but look over the paint job VERY closely. I didn't and I paid for it. It turned out the whole passangers side quarter panel had a layer of bondo on it as thick as my finger. There was nothing on the carfax report about it and it looked like a backyard project. I noticed mostly because my brother mentioned the color of the paint was a shade different than the rest of the car.

3. If you're seriously interested and on the verge of a purchase a carfax report might not be a bad idea.

4. Any work the person claims to have done on the car ask for paperwork on it. The car I bought had all the mods done at a reputable import shop and he had receipts and paperwork to back it. That's a big plus.

5. IMO stay away from anyone who says "it's all ready for boost". You have no real way of knowing what's been done internally and unless the guy can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's legit I'd just rather not deal with it. We all think we're master mechanics but in reality....

6. Aftermarket "systems" that were installed by the previous owners are a complete PITA. I've wired a lot of car stereos and there is nothing more aggrevating than an idiot who thinks he know's how to wire a deck....

7. Be wary of anyone who says they're very flexible on price. More often than not this means he/she wants to move the car quick and doesn't want to deal with it anymore. Someone who's more firm on the price tends to know exactly what it's worth. Now this isn't always the case but in my experience with buying cars it usually means problems in the short term for you.

8. Now this is a little more suble but check tire wear. Is the wear even across all tires? Are the fronts bald and the rears mint? Is there wear on only the outsides of the tire? You can tell a lot about a car owner by their tires. If they can't even take the time to do a simple rotation and keep air in the tires how do you think they treat the rest of the car?

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck buying your "new" Honda.

 

check for that infamous "honda Idle". like someone said have the engine cold. if at start up the idle is high(above 1k) that's a problem.

 

My 2 cents. Check for oil on the plugs, let it run long enough to possibly overheat, check all lights, reverse gear, horn, any power options including cruise control/sunroof, that speedo/odo work, if you're feeling frisky check for premature fuel cutout or ask them to do it for you, e brake, mounts, milky coolant, antenna, etc etc etc

 

alot of cars start above 1k and as they warm go down, my stock del sol does it. This is a good thread, info should be collected and stickied.

 

I mean if the car is really something you want and seems like a purchase just ask the owner if you can take it to have a used car inspection at an independent shop. They're usually pretty cheap and it'll save you from any major unseen issues down the road. If the buyer refuses don't walk away, run.

 

'98 - '00 Do, '96 - '97 don't (they have the holes for the vin tag, but no tag. OBD2 JDM engines and transmissions are the same way)

 

While you're checking in the truck for signs of water leakage, make sure that no one stuffed a dead hooker in there.