Hello Honda gurus,

I have been driving classic BMW's since the early 80's but have a chance to buy a nice older Honda Civic. It is a 1990 base model with only 36,000 original miles. I know the mileage to be true. It was traded in by the original owner (yea a little old lady) a few years ago as she had roasted the clutch and decided to buy a new car. The parts manager at the time (now a colleague of mine) bought it and had the clutch replaced. He also replaced the timing belt, tires, changed the fluids, and replaced the battery.
It has been a local Florida car and is not rusted. The red paint is dull and it needs a good cleaning as it is rarely driven. This car is so base that it doesnt have a/c or even a radio. It does however have a 4 speed manual transmission.
He is firm on $2500 for the car. Is this a good deal? Was this particular Civic a good year / era?
Thanks for chiming in!

 

what you are looking at is a 4th gen civic of the std designation

1.5 liter dpfi (dual port fuel injection) basically a carb stack with 2 injectors on top iirc

2000 seems pretty steep for such an old car offer 1000 and see what he says

as far as potential your wallet is the limit i just pulled mine home today(sold it a few years ago and just bought it back) thats why i joined up (also has a dohc zc swap but thats another thread)

anyway if you are looking for a reliable car that is easy to work on it is hard to beat

 

$2000 seems like a good price for a Civic with such low miles. The paint can be buffed out. Whats the insides look like? Any rips in the seats? Is it clean inside? You have any pics? I have seen Si Civics with that low of miles sell for $6,000-$8,000.

 

Thank you for the comments so far. Yes, the interior is in great shape as is the rest of the car.

My intention is to use it as a commuter and just keep it stock. Being unfamiliar with the product, I'm just looking for assurance that this is a good generation and its price is in line.

It is hard to bite on a car without a/c in Florida, but man only 36,000 miles.

 

I met my wife in 1997 she had an exact copy of this car, it got 45 mpg, was easy on the wallet regarding maintenance. We sold it at 310k and bought a 91 si in 2003. The car was still nice, ran good, my wife used it to haul mulch and soil with a tarp in back. As far as I know the car is still going. If you want a/c, you can find the parts within this forum. Our current car count is: 91 civic si, 91 crx si, 91 crx hf, 99 civic si. I am in my 50's and find these cars budget friendly and fun to drive, I would buy it and add a/c. 2k is a fair price, might pay asking price, that is how much I like these cars.
Regards
Dave

 

Sounds like a great deal, I would jump on it.

 

The price is great!! Get it or I will!!

 

There is probably not a SINGLE car on the road more dependable than a 90-91 Honda Civic.
The only thing that kills them is rust, or poorly done motor swaps with bodykits that don't fit.

Great MPG, great price. These things go to 500k all day long.

 

Price sounds fair. There were two different dpfi engines - the 90hp d15b2 that came in most 88-91 Civics (slow), and the 70hp d15b1 that came in the STD hatches (REALLY slow). Furthermore, the STD 4-spd trans has really long non-sporty gearing. It can EASILY get over 40 mpg in mixed driving, however. The STD was basically a DX hatch that Honda made (and sold) as cheaply as possible. Seems like there were TONS AND TONS of '91 red ones. Whether or not it is a good car for you depends on what type of driving you do. If you commute in an urban area, you will HATE the car on summer afternoons when you're sitting in traffic or at a stoplight with your windows down and big trucks right next to you and the sun beating down. If you drive mostly highway, it's not so bad... until it starts raining and your windows fog up and you're sweating your *** off.

 

Just get it. You will kick yourself if you didn't. Add some AC and your golden. Great commuter car!!

 

Adding AC is rough. It is NOT cheap. You seem to have some mechanical hook ups though, so see about getting it retrofitted prior to purchase. By that, I mean price out the cost of AC install and consider it within the car.

$2000 is NOTHING for a car like this in Florida. A 150,000 mile Civic, same year, worse condition, goes for $2000 every day of the weak down here. I bought one, in much worse condition, for $1500 and it was a steal compared to most of the other selling prices in the Orlando, FL, area.