I have an opportunity to purchase a 98 CRV EX or a 99 CR (unsure of model).

The 98 has 230km, few rust spots, silver/tinted windows - $3700

The 99 has 218km, no rust, blue/tinted windows - $4000

I only have a posting for the 99 as the 98 is through a friend.
99 cr-v, runs/drives excellent!! | cars & trucks | Edmonton | Kijiji

Thoughts?

Sorry, first time poster and recent viewer - hopefully a new CRV owner!

 

 

My intention is to lift the rig and use it for minor off-road.

I'm just new to CRVs and unsure if there's a huge difference between the 98 and 99?

 

I'm fairly sure the 99 is high comp which is what you want. 97-98s have 20hp less.

 

I have two RTAWD, manual, 01 EX's. The 97-98 had less HP (147 vs 126) than the 99-01's, I can't imagine having less HP than mine has now as it's barely enough. It has been the best Honda or Acura I've owned. Great in snow, rain, and most terrains. I'd honestly never go near a rust car again if it were me.

 

99 for sure. For 300 more you get 20 more crank hp and no rust. This is a no-brainer for me.

 

Guy selling the 99 was screwing around - didn't seem legit. Have to go with the 98

 

Also, the engine on the 98 is solid, but really, how much of a difference does 20hp make?

 

If all you are doing is off roading, then I would say the 20hp is not a big deal. But the rust... have you climbed underneath and gotten a good look at the frame, suspension, etc?

 

Rust issue. Pain, people keep talking about how easy it is to remediate but don't realize some people just don't have the time to take it apart and fix the issue, plus new body panels and paint. Thats time and money, if you don't have both at the same time than its suggested to find a rust free body and do minor prep work to keep it from rusting.

 

My uses:
Minor off-roading, winter use mostly, with long-distance highway use. I'm thinking of lifting with larger tires as well though.

Rust seems to have only affected the panels. Undercarriage is solid. Too much salt wash on the road in Alberta.

 

It sounds like you are of the opinion the other option is not valid now, correct? Leaving really only this one?

We bought our daughter a '97 for $4,000 two years ago. The used lot wanted 5, I talked him down to 4 as I saw I needed some things done. I would expect that if you do buy it, there are at least $1-2k more things on it you will find you will need to fix. Suspension (lower ball joints, upper control arms, tie rods). Axles (any tears in the boots?). Center bearing (how does it look?). I would get a compression test done to make sure you don't have some hidden things lurking. Things like that. The '97s-'98s have less power, as in that 20hp, so you would notice it on the long highway trips if you compared it to a more powerful ride, but it gets the job done. If you are confident that the rust is cosmetic and not a problem with the main core, then that's just cosmetic, but as Tony mentions above it is not all that simple to fix when you decide to do it.

I look at it like this: for $4k it can be a fun project vehicle, but it will be something you will have to spend a few dollars and time on, inside the next year most likely. If it were your main driver - sketchy. For an alternate use vehicle, why not. You probably will bang the hell out of it wheeling anyway. But since you are talking wheeling - you WILL want to replace the lbjs, and take a hard look at the cv axles.

 

If you do decide on it, I would HIGHLY recommend taking it to get a used car inspection first. It will be well worth the cost (generally 60-100 dollars around here). Not sure how prices are in your area but $4K for that seems a bit high for the condition and mileage.