Looking at a 94 EX with 150k miles. I am concerned obviously about purchasing such a high mileage vehicle. Guy is a second owner and only has his records which are for about a year. What should I be looking at in particular?

 

5 speed by the way

 

Do a CARFAX report on the car first.

 

yes, i will definitely do that, but otherwise...?

 

if its over $3k i wont buy it
i got mine with 110k same kind same year for $3900 + it got lowjack system

 

look under the oil cap. Look at the dip-stick. Basically if metal looks BLACK...the car has been thru few oil changes which is a bad thing. Check all the tires...are they the same brand or mismatched? Check under the car with a mag-light...do you see oil-leaks forming?

Unfortunately, car-fax won't tell you how the car has been maintained. Ask Tharpoy (? - some guy from South Carolina) just how bad a used car can be. His engine had a blown head-gasket when he bought it....

If the guy is much older (like in his 50's), all the better. I still wouldn't buy a car from a 2nd owner w/o records here in LA...you've got SOOOO many choices, you can be selective. Trust me

GOT A GREAT DEAL ON A GREAT CAR

 

Yea if you can see it's been taken care of and seems to be in good shape, I'd buy it in a heartbeat with that mileage. My mom bought her 94 Accord EX 2.5 years ago with about 135k and it's been great so far (only an oil pump, clutch slave cylinder, and a CV boot have had to be replaced.... it's at 173k now). It was in excellent condition though (and still is!), and had obviously been taken care of. Just have to use your own judgement. My car was bought with 140k and look how long it's lasted without any problems! It was also purchased from the original owner, who meticulously maintained it and kept records and reciepts for everything, even down to the headlight bulbs and brake pads, haha. It was in like new condition when we got it in '97.

Like RotaryBzzz said though, check all the fluids to make sure they all look good. Check the fluids that usually get neglected, like brake fluid and p/s fluid (and if it was auto I'd say tranny fluid too), and that might give a little clue as to just how maintence-consious the owner was, or wasn't. This might sound kinda dumb, but being a Honda you may want to ask and make sure he's never put non-honda P/S fluid in. If he has then you know you'll be replacing the rack in the not so distant future. Also check on that balancer shaft seal to see if it's been fixed (or needed to be). Other than that if everything looks and feels good, go for it!

 

a few other things to add,,,,
you also want to check under the car for any damage... So, if its all banged up, forgett it, who knows what it has been through
take it for a drive, listen for any out-of-norm noises, i.e. unusuall mechanical noises, aslo just see how it feals to you
as for the oil leaks, i think that has been covered
o, and for the milege, who cares its a honda,,, as long as it has been maintained well, that thing will run for ever
other than that, if the price is in your range, go for it

 

thanks a lot guys, i really appreciate the detailed responses. probably going to go check it out on monday, not really too excited about second owner not having records. If i am going to buy a car with that high a mileage, i'd agree that it would be better for it to be from the original owner. So we'll see, I appreciate everyones input.