Is buying a 2001 Honda Civic for 140k miles at a $1,000 a good deal?

Is buying a 2001 Honda Civic for 140k miles at a $1,000 a good deal?

If it's in nice condition, it's a good deal.

Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the actual condition of the car, as determined by a professional mechanic's inspection before you buy. If it needs expensive repairs, has been flooded or wrecked and poorly repaired, or is simply worn out, it's probably not a good deal.

Drive it for 10 miles on the freeway and let it rip. Check if the heater is working at least. A working AC is a bonus. If it can make the 10 mile trip, it should be a good car for that price.
Make an offer for $800.

ASK FOR THE TITLE BEFORE handing your money. No title with the seller's name on it, no sale. If your state requires a smog check, ask for a current smog check. Again no smog check, no sale.

Maybe. If there's nothing major wrong with it, I would say yes. Pay a mechanic to give it a thorough inspection. You have to realize, that car could last for years, but most likely it is going to have stuff going wrong and needing to be fixed, at least every 1-2 months.

Hi No it is not given with age and mileage it will be a constant money pit.

Whether it is a good deal or not depends on information that you haven't provided, probably don't know, and probably can't determine without hiring someone to do a proper inspection and road test for you.

That depends on if the brakes are good, the tires don't need replacing and if the timing belt was done recently.

If it has a manual transmission it probably is - but it is crucial for your mechanic to o a pre-purchase inspection (about $100). An important issue is whether the timing belt has been changed recently. It is due every 105K miles and the engine is an interference design; if the timing belt fails the engine will be severely damaged. It is about a $500 job with the water pump and tensioner. If the timing belt is due or overdue it is a bad deal in any condition.

If it is an automatic transmission, stay far away. 2001 was in the heart of the Great Honda Automatic Transmission Debacle, which saw automatic transmissions dropping like flies. 6 cylinder engines were affected horribly but even the four cylinder transmissions were very bad news. If it is a manual transmission you can ignore the "Avoid like the plague" rating carcomplaints.com gives it.