Hey all!

So I have this dilemma. I have an old beater civic eg9. This car has been dependable for us and I will admit to tossing it up and down some mountains roads with gusto now and then. I really like this car but it has problems and I don't "really" need 4 vehicles.

The car has a headgasket issue and is a little beat outside. I am not getting any buyers... I could donate it.. but then I kinda feel like it might be just wasting away in a scrap yard, when I know it has life left.

So my question is what would you do with it? My guts says I should just let it go... but the gearhead inside me says "fix the head gasket, lower it, find some rims, paint the hood black, replace the broken bits from the junkyard, and make it a project car".

Problem is I don't have much money for a project car... but I do love working on them and having fun. What would you do? Whats the cheapest way to keep it on the road and have fun before terminating this civics life in a pick-n-pull? Keep in mind I don't take cars super seriously, yes I will rice the **** out of this just for giggles. It's a d-series with an auto trans... it's worth a couple hundred bucks as is (not even that, it's worth what the market will pay and the market isn't interested, have had the ads up for months).



"I'm not gonna go fast, but I can still have fun."

 

Try slapping in a new gasket-- you really just need a new stock head gasket that costs about $30 you can re-use everything else. If that gets it running OK then consider keeping it for other mods, or you've certainly increased the resale value by more than $30.

 

Agreed∆∆∆∆∆

 

Hard to believe no one is willing to take it off your hands for a reasonable price. Replace head gasket and try selling.

 

I have replaced transmissions, and rebuilt suspension, replaced axles on honda's before... is a head gasket job within my mediocre skill level?

 

Fix and keep as a spare. I am currently driving the "spare" as the nice cars were crashed within 3 weeks of each other. Having a reliable spare that you drive a couple of times a month is worth its weight in gold, because feces occurs at rendom times in life. Ask me why I am driving the parts car at 55 years young.

Regards
Dave
old and tired of the bull manure life can hand you at inopportune times

 

I too am old, pushing 45. I am also a teacher. I keep thinking about how the "kids" might think I am still cool if I roll into work in a slammed and tuned hooptie (isn't that what the youngsters call it?). I used to have a CRX and regret selling it. I have an irrational urge to rice up this car as cheaply as possible... just for the fun of it.

 

Man, I feel at home on this thread with all these forty and fifty somethings driving both hot and clunky Honda's. I myself am just a few months from 50, and this conversation is making me reconsider the sale of my grandson's first car. Maybe I should just keep it around... just in case.

 

For reals. I have this irrational urge to put the car on jackstands and tinker with it, but it's not like I don't have other projects that need attention. It's just hard to let a car go when it's been awesome for so long. It feels like it deserves a third life besides sitting in the junkyard.

 

The "spare" was bought as a non runner to repair the "nice" crx si with a swap. After the second wreck, I had 3 days hurting to install an engine and make the car run and pass inspection. That happened on day 2. Then registered online and went to dmv on monday after work for tags. The car is an electrical gremlin machine with most repaired. I still have to repair the a/c and install front speakers. It is still an hf but is somewhat nice to drive to work and back (40 mpg). Now to repair the "nice" crx, same color, now the unsuspecting will have to guess which one I am driving as to whether they will mess with the old guy in the crx. Keep the simple car, it will come in handy.
Regards
Dave

 

If you do replace the head gasket, replace the head studs as well.
Those will stretch and ruin your day later on.

 

Are the other of the 4 cars as cheap to operate as this one? Maybe one of them needs to go...

 

Fix if not I'll buy it lol I'm serious

 

Also I'm mad that you sold the crx and made that I didn't buy it

 

I would not be on a forum asking people what I should do. I would take into account everything going on in my life and make the decision to do whatever I need to do.