I am looking at buying a used 99' EX 2 door. What are the main issues to look for in these cars? It has 176K miles and has been serviced regularly according to the seller. Any help would be appreciated.

 

check that the timing belt has been replaced check the brakes suspension ect. and check the arches and sills for rust and you should be pretty good and the tranny for crunches ect if its a manual also the auto box on these cars are pretty bad

 

It's an automatic. Should the tranny have been replaced by now with that many miles?

 

its not that it should have been replaced its just there known for being a bit sloppy but for a daily driver it should do the job

 

Guy said it's original. You think it will hold up for another 30-50k as an around town car?

 

yes aslong as you do regular maintainance i recommend you service the car as soon as you purchase it if you go through with buying it even if the guys says it was just serviced just for peace of mind

 

subframe. rear brake and fuel lines.

 

rust and previous damage/repair

 

There's no guarantees for future mileage on any used automatic transmission with 175k miles. If you buy it do a 3x3 ATF drain and fill and at your discretion add Lubegard Red additive. How long has the seller owned it? Does he have all services records? Here's a checklist for buying any used car: http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/downloads...-checklist.pdf

Trunk leaks are common so have the seller remove everything in the trunk including the spare tire. Look for rust, holes and run a hose with low pressure from the top of the car down the rear window and inspect for rain/drainage channel leaks. Spray the tail lights with water too to see if any water is coming through their seals. Get the tires inspected for free at a tire shop...even though they make look good there could still be issue such as cupping, dry rot, etc.. New tires with mounting, balancing and other fees is between $400 and $500...so that has to be factored in towards the purchase of any used car.

Rent (free) at Autozone or O'Reilly's a Block Tester and test for a possible head gasket breech. Also, with rad cap off (use caution) and engine at operating temp look for dime sized bubbles in radiator neck at idle. Tiny bubbles are okay but, larger (dime size) bubbles is suspicious for head gasket leak. Also, while test driving turn the climate control to max heat and fan on..if it doesn't produce heat or is intermittent that's another possible sign of a head gasket issue. No heat could mean a blocked heater core. Feel for wet spots around the area underneath the center/dash where heater core is located. If the interior smells musty like stale water then avoid purchase.

If you feel good about the car after going through the checklist then bring it to a mechanic to get it up on a lift and check suspension, steering and other possible issues: worn bushings, shocks, oil leaks, coolant leaks, fuel leaks, etc.. Also, a compression test and especially a Leakdown test will provide info on an engine's health. A leakdown test should cost around $60 or $75 but it will reveal any head gasket leaks, compression leaks through cylinder rings and compression leaks through intake and exhaust valves.

I've owned two 6th gen EX's , both stock..one was a manual and the recent one is an automatic with 185k miles on it. A gave it to my son a few months ago and him and his friend drove from the middle of Florida to St. Louis, MO and back last month without any issues. Easy car to work on, plenty of info online and via forums for repairs, service manual is a free download, parts are plentiful and mostly inexpensive. Common issues are window regulators, door lock actuators, various oil leaks, clearcoat fading/peeling, trunk leaks. However, you'll see more 6th gen Civics (and Toyota's) on the road than other makes/models of the same years because they were/are designed well.

 

I have a 99 ex with almost 255k miles on the factory engine and auto trans. Just keep up with the maintenance and they will fun for ever! I bought mine with 175k on it did the timing belt and waterpump for piece of mind. The only issues I have had which is really nothing for it age and mileage is I replaced the factory radiator and it started leaking and replace the distributor! I just change the oil every 3k and the trans fluid and spark plugs every 30k.

 

Transmission.