1994 Honda Civic-what To Look For?

[firescooby]

I am going to look at a 1994 Honda Civic Sedan. All I know about it is a 5 speed, grey with 137k miles. I know nothing else.

What I am wondering is some things to check or look for? I've never owned a Honda, so I don't know what are the things that might be a problem.

Also, are these cars, in particular the engines, transmission and clutches pretty reliable and durable?

thanks

[Doughboy]

Yeah reliable is an understatement when taken care of right..

Check to find out when the timing belt was changed last, Check for rust around brakes and the control arms underneath the car, Check engine bay of course for leaks around valve cover, and the master brake cylinder.

Check and make sure all gauges work properly, (in case of mileage tampering).. Run the car thru EVERY SINGLE GEAR to look for grinding etc... Listen for noises from suspension. And most importantly make sure the car is NOT a salvage title. This cuts the cars value in more than half..


Hope this helps bro!

[NstyGrnHatch]

Agreed with doughboy, hondas are common for rust, valve tap, timing belts, and oil leaks.

[firescooby]

Thanks for the info

[CivicSi04']

i would check all the body panels for rust also. its really common. especially around the wheel wells, also i would check the OIL!!!hahaha. but doughboy got pretty much everything. also just as a side note, look hard in the interior, make sure this person wasnt a pig, messy cars are a bitch to clean. especially if they brought pets into the car all the time or somethin. i would prolly ask who has been changing the oil, if its like lube me up plus i would be a lil concerned. ask when all the maintance was done. plugs, wires, filters, pcv valve, fuel filter. stuff that should be done

[Vtec_Power]

if its an LX/EX check the electricals.

be VERY picky of the door jambs. If they installed a aftermarket alarm check the driver side door wire harness if that goes bad then you lose power to your windows/locks and mirrors. Check to see that the windows go up and down with ease, if they take forever to go up and down then the window regulators.. may be going bad.. or it may be some other problem like a weak battery.

Make sure the sunroof (ex only) works in every way possible without jamming or giving you a hard time.

The above mentioned items are simple but VERY expensive to fix if you dont know how to do it yourself. I say if you can go with a DX...unless you find a mint sedan.

[NstyGrnHatch]

yeah check eletrical too, corrosion and other things start to get into the electrical system and start messing things up

[b series us]

couldnt said it better myself..