spankis Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 A friend of my parents has a 90 or 91 civic hatchback, which they bought new and have used to commute between Arlington and OSU for work for the last 22 years. I told them several years ago that if they ever get rid of it I may be interested. They contacted my mom last night saying the car needs a "$1000 repair" and that they are going to sell it, so I'm waiting for the rest of the info.... - Paint is Red (not yet sure on condition, but used to be nice) - Manual Trans - 87k miles - Thing was maintained religiously, per the Owner's Manual Not sure on whether it's a DX/LX/EX, but I know it's not an SI. Obviously this will tell me what motor/trans it has. I had my mother find out what repair it needs, how much rust if any it has, and how much they're asking for it. What problem areas should I look for, and about how much would be reasonable to offer them (they're not enthusiasts, just an older couple). Depending on what the car needs it could become a little mileage machine for me, or something to swap cheaply. Any insight on common/easy swaps for these would be helpful too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJdidit1738 Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Rust is the main thing, I had a 91 hatch and I miss it, I loved that little car. Mine did not really have any major problems besides burning oil due to it being so high mileage, it needed new rings. Very easy to fix, work on and find parts for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 I forget engine choices, but the '89 DX I had was the SOHC 1.5L and was very easy on parts and to work on. As always, you gotta worry about the tin worm. My exhaust rusted off but the car only got marginally louder. Stereo speakers and cloth upholstery are crap-ola. Valve cover gasket will likely be a-leaking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJdidit1738 Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 check out http://www.ef-honda.com they have a bunch of good info on there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted April 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Thanks for the replies so far. I'm anxious to find out what it needs, so I can settle on a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg1647545532 Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'll echo what others have said -- easy to work on, parts are dirt cheap and everywhere. There is no such thing as a $1000 repair if you're doing your own work. Rust (and to a lesser extent, paint condition) is going to be the driving factor for the price. No rust, you're looking at something that could be worth 3-4 grand. Typical Honda quarter-panel rust and you're around 1500+. Rusted to shit and it's still an $800 car. Replacement seats are also hard to find, so if they're beat, factor that into the price. If they're vinyl, they're going to be beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Gump 9 Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Yep, the only worry is the rust. It's a civic after all. It's one of the lightest civic. Good car for swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJdidit1738 Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 if your on facebook join the group ohio import parts, i see people posting parts all day and interiors and all kinds of stuff that would work for it. Post pics if you get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ef8sirJunkie Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Ef hatch came in 3 models Standard, Dx, and Si. Standard is a 4 speed manual and swapping between DX and SI can be tricky. Si is the only one that came mulitport both standard and DX are dual point fuel injection. Also Si is the D16A6 the others are D15's and all are non-vtec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted May 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Sounds like I'm going to go check out this car tomorrow or Sunday. I'm just waiting on a call back from the owner. Sounds like the car needs new CVs, a front brake job, a new radiator, and a valve cover gasket. She's only sent me one pic so far and from the side I can see the car is free of rust aside from a quarter size area on the rocker, just ahead of the rear wheel well... We'll see. And Clay, I'll let you know bud . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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