i have a friend interested in buying a 94 integra, wants 10k (cdn). has about 160km, few items such as a front lip, stero system, spoilerless, paint looks pretty good condition, i think its lowered on sport springs, not sure what else.

i already did a vin check w/ icbc, nothing serious came up. couple 200 dollar claims from hit and runs.

i can't think of whatelse to look for, minds kinda blank. i want to be prepared tommorow when i go, so any tips?

thanks in advance,

doug

 

id keep looking and buy a stock one.

 

why stock? i don't mind if its driven hard as long as its maintained well

 

i'm a little iffy on the sport springs. It could be sorta mess up because of that. but of course it might we worth it if the price is right. how much?

 

160000 km = about 98000 miles
which model? manual or auto?
I am not a mechanic so you can take my advice with a grain of salt. If you do not know what i am talking about, run a search in the archives.
These are the things i would do that i can think of;
Compression and leakdown test. It will tell a good amount about the health of an engine. Run a search and you will get the specifics on it. Not sure if it would be posible for you to do at time of inspecting the car.
1. ask for service records if possible, timing belt should have been changed by now. If not, should be done asap, as recommended time is 60k for severe conditions and 90k miles for easy driving.
2. Take a test spin, bring it to redline at least once. Leave the radio off. If gsr, make sure vtec and secondary engages at correct times. After car is warmed, rev the engine while car is standing still, and have someone watch for the color of exhaust. I think blueish smoke is oil and possible burnt cylinder rings, and white may be coolant meaning blown head gasket.
3. Also at highway speeds, apply moderate brake pressure. Brake vibrations most likely means warped brake rotors. Afterwards, check the meat on the brake pads if possible or listen for squealing. If it makes a high pitched noise when braking, that may be the warning indicator or he didn't use anti squeal when he did the brakes.
4. Since its lowered, check the shocks to make sure they are not blown. Give each corner a push down, car should rebound very quickly and should oscilate very little or not at all. OR just get on the floor and look for oil leaking out. Also check for camber wear on the inside of the tires.
5. Check for oil leaks in engine bay. ie Cam seals, spark plugs, oil pan
6. If its a gsr and it has stock exhaust manifold (header), it most likely will have a destintive rattle from 3-4000 rpm. This is pretty common and most people just replace the header with an aftermarket unit.
7. Depending on your region, look for rust on body panels. A common spot is the rear quarter panel right above rear wheels.

if its a manual:
1. Go under the the driver side compartment and check if the clutch master cylinder is leaking. Its above the clutch pedal.
2. Ask if the clutch is the original one. I've noticed clutch life span range from 90k to over 180k miles, but mine lasted about 135k before a spring on the friction disc decided to come out.
3. Look out for the third gear grind. Usually happens when shifting from 2nd gear in high rpms to 3rd.

This is all i can think of now. If you chose not to take it, fine. Another thing you can do is take it to a mechanic and have them run an inspection. But remember, mechanics make more money by doing repairs then inspections. You can also run back a few pages in this forum and look for common problems that other members experience.

 

thank you mt3c that was the kind of answer i was looking for

its a ls model and its 5 speed

very sorry i forgot to mention that

 

mt3c makes some good points.

But realistically, you probably wont have a chance to take the car to have a compression test.

The thing i would add would be to check the wear of the tires. If the car was improperly lowered, you might have uneven wear where the inner part of the tire is worn more than the outer.

Check all of the door lights and trunk lamps and be sure the light up correctly. I had to spend some money fixing the latch switches on my 95 ls.

check all the signal lights, pay attention to how smoothly the engine revs, and how smoothly the gears shift. A common problem is the 3rd gear syncros grinding and possibly poping out of gear due to improper shifting and wear.

Look for exhaust rust, rust on the panels by the wheel wells, check the windows and sunroof to see if they open and close smoothing. Replacing a window motor is a pain and could be pricy. They are all not factors to make or break a deal. Jus thtings you need to be aware of when you negotiate a final price.

Hope it works out for you.
best,
aJ


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by unKnown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thank you mt3c that was the kind of answer i was looking for

its a ls model and its 5 speed

very sorry i forgot to mention that</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

if its a 94 ls w/about 100k miles, i wouldnt pay over 5k for that, you can probably get a gsr 94-95 w/around that milage for that price. what is 10k can in usd? 8k or so? if it is id keep looking around.

 

are you buying the car from a dealer or a person? if you're buying from a person, the only thing i can suggest is to have the car ckd out by a mechanic...that u trust..before u make any deals. I did that with mine... you want to make sure the car has been maintained well, service records etc. would be nice if avail.. if not certainly want to ensure no frame damage and such. but thats what i'd suggest. thats only if ur buying from a person.

 

Doh, i reread your original post and somethings come to mind...

Look at the internal body welds and body panel seams.

Duck under the chassis and look for any sort of rust or unusual creasing in the sheetmetal.

In essence, look for frame damage. A good bodyshop can repair a car that will have possibly no signs of impact. The truth of the matter is, most body shops try to pump out cars fast to clear room for the next customers so they quality isnt all there.

Look for these things and follow my original advice, use it to negotiate a price.

The rule of thumb is always be mindful of FRAME, ENGINE, & TRANSMISSION. Any one of these damaged may cost hundreds, if not thousands to repair or replace.

I'm being realistic rather than pessimistic here. Take it all in with a grain of salt.

If you come across a gem at a great price, good on you, and welcome to the H-T.

 

oh, i'm already a honda owner

i have a 91 teg, just trying to help a friend buy a car to get from a to b
gsr's go for quite a bit up here still, i've seen 94-95 gsr's go for 15-16k cdn

thanks again everybody for the advice, it is much appreciated

doug

 

http://www3.telus.net/dbchang/jldcnw02.jpg

http://www3.telus.net/dbchang/jldcnw01.jpg

thanks to all who helped me out with the quick replies
friend bought a 94 integra, he enjoys it a lot

just two pics, don't know how we all ended up with white cars heehe