Hey guys I currently have a 1999 chevy s10 5spd. It's a fun little truck but I get terrible mpg like 15-20 depending on how I drive. So I was thinking of selling it and to buy a Honda cause they last a long time. In my area (upstate ny) I can't find a nice civic, integra, prelude or anything for a relatively cheap price.

So I thought what about a crx? The only thing is its really old, is that really a big deal? And I heard the mpgs are really good too.

I've looked up online on what to look for and etc when buying one but, in the event I buy one and the motor or tranny just crap out what motor and how much would it cost to put in the cheapest reliable motor in?
And in all honesty do you think I should sell the truck and get a crx?

Thanks I appreciate guys!

 

a complete swap can be don for a minimum 4-500 bux if you swap it yourself
and they are very fun cars the are small fast and sporty looking and great only thing you might miss is back seats if your truck had em
in my opinion id get it ud go for 88-91 ones the the first gen arent my cup of tea

 

I didn't have any back seats in my truck it's a bench seat, so even a crx with like no room in the back is an improvement lol. They are pretty reliable though?

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/cto/3188146276.html

What do you think of this? I can paint it later if I wanted, I don't need anything flashy just something with good mpg and reliable

 

if you maintain the engine and treat it nice it does the same to you, the car looks like a good project just some clean up paint and maintain the engine, looks like a good deal to me

 

Alright awesome, I'm gunna talk to him in the morning. Thanks exelbaradin.
And is it just me or does it look lopsided lol? Like it leans to the left? Could be just me r he could've just didn't adjust the coilovers correctly?

 

to me it looks straight but when you go look at it just peek under and check for no chassis damage and check the the gap between the wheel and fender is the same on but sides

 

Doesn't look too bad. I have an 88 and two 89's. They usually are very reliable, but it depends how they were treated throughout their life. If the engine really only has 133K miles on it, you should be good. My 88 has 340K miles on the original engine and it still uses virtually no oil and runs strong. But you gotta treat them right - no revving to 6000 rpm when the engine is cold, do the oil changes when they're do, etc.
But still, keep in mind that this is a 24 year old car. Things will go out, even if it has low miles. Don't be too surprised when you have to replace an alternator, fuel pump, main relay, etc. But the parts are pretty reasonable in price.

Here some info that may help you make a decision:
The 88 is unique in the CRX line up. It uses a decent amount of parts that are different on the 89 - 91. That comes into play if you decide to do a swap down the line.
A lot of parts are no longer available from Honda. So with an 88 it makes it even harder to find certain parts, because they have to come from an 88 Si. 89 and up won't work.
These cars have an interference engine, meaning if the timing belt goes out, you're gonna spend some serious cash. Change interval is 60K miles, so this one is probably do, unless the guy changed it. On the CRX it is very highly recommended that you change the following when doing the timing belt: T-belt, belt tensioner, water pump, front crank and cam oil seals. So unless the seller can proof that he did change it, be prepared to do this before you start driving it around. But you can get the whole set here for about $80
http://www.ebay.com/itm/88-91-Honda-...sories&vxp=mtr

They are very easy to work on and Honda shop manuals are easy to find on the web for download.
If you decide to get this or another CRX, they're super fun to drive around and you won't regret having ditched that truck for a rex

Beware that this one is missing the whole climate control. Hopefully it's just that what is missing and the other parts (heater core, fan, etc) are still there.
Depending on how the interior looks and how much is missing, I would aim for about $1400 - 1500.
Good luck

 

#1 Tip for looking at a car to buy, make sure the engine is stone cold when you look at it. Meet them at their place, give it the first start of the morning. If there are any abnormalities they will be heard.

Also check the oil level and how it looks, slight idea of how its been taken care of.

 

Well that seems highly discouraging, cause if god forbid I gotta change some parts i don't want a headache finding parts :/
Now idk if I should go for it lol. How much would it cost to do a water pump and timing belt change on my own, and is it difficult?

 

It probably sounded worse to a CRX newcomer than I intended it to come across.
Nevertheless, it is something you should be aware off.
Most parts that you usually have to deal with are shared across the line, but I'm still coming to certain things where I find out that it's only used in the 88.
The good thing is Honda sold plenty of 88 Si's.
Don't take it as an discouragement, but yea sometimes I had to look a while longer for a part because it was an 88. But I've always found them.

Click on the ebay link I provided, that shows you the whole set for a t-belt change.
If you have worked on cars before and with the help of a shop manual it shouldn't be a big thing to do it yourself

 

Lol alright i feel better now xD, then I'll probably get one... Hopefully... I looked up the price of a water pump and I found one 25$ which is great when I buy it I can replace that and the timing belt almost immediately... Aside from changing the oil and replacing spark plugs anything I should replace immediately?

I really appreciate all the help and info.

 

Did you click on the ebay link I posted?
Don't just replace the t-belt and water pump. If an oil seal goes out one month after you did the t-belt, your belt isn't gonna last very long before the oil destroys it. Same for the tensioner, etc

 

Now I did sorry lol I was just on my phone, but 74$ for that is still pretty cheap too. I just gotta sell my truck before I can get a crx an I really hope I can! Thanks again

Would you recommend changing the spark plugs and spark plug wires too?

 

it depends on how they look and how old they are. If you have the money, it's always better to start with a clean slate. But unless they look terrible and worn down (plugs) you probably can get by with the old one for a while.
Those things aren't as critical to do it all at once because you can access them without problem.
With the t-belt, all the things I listed, if you don't do them when you do the t-belt, you have to remove the t-belt again to gain access, plus a bunch of other stuff. That's why those should all be done at the same time, unless you like to do the same work multiple times...lol