Should I buy this 2001 Honda Civic?
It's my first my car. I really don't have much to spend since I'm paying for school right now and will have to pay for insurance. I can't spend much more than a little over $2000. I've searched and searched and finally found something in my price range that doesn't seem like a total piece of trash. It's some 18 year old kids car and he's selling it before he goes away to college. 2001 honda civic. You can tell it's been kept clean and taken care of, besides two dents, which is the least of my concern.
Everything looks great, the timing belt was changed about 20k ago, he claims he changed the oil regularly, clean car fax, etc.
However, when we started the car there was a fair amount of rattling, and same for when we backed up. It was a rough ride, which I've read that earlier civics tend to be, but a small bump in the road felt like a huge pot hole. I'm assuming the suspension may just need to be fixed. Also, the breaks were pretty shaky. Also, tires weren't the best, and I'd probably have to get some new ones once winter comes around.
The biggest concern was the rattling from the engine, which continued when we drove it around a bit too.
He accepted an offer of $1900. Which is a great price but i feel after taxes, and then having to replace all these things I'll just be dumping more money into it than I can afford. And the the engine rattle is a big concern as well since I'm not even sure exactly what it is and how much it is to fix.
What's your opinion?
If you aren't 100% sure on the engine, don't pay $1900 for that old of a car.
And it sounds like other issues too.
Carry a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic and get the service reports. If he approves then buy it. The Civic is an excellent choice.
Have a mechanic look it over before you buy it.
You did not mention mileage. If its over 160,000. Stay away from it.
What you need to understand, my friend, is that if you only have $2,000 to spend on a car you're not going to find much in the way of a car that isn't really old, in need of expensive repairs, or a combination of both. The car you're looking at sounds like it pretty much fits both descriptions.
You already know it needs new tires and brakes which will cost several hundred dollars, plus you also know it has a bad suspension and possibly a bad engine. Rough idle could be caused by a million different things. If all of this goes bad you're going to be looking at repairs that are going to be more than the car is probably worth putting you right back at square one.
What you need to do, if possible, is to see if you can wiggle your way out of the fact that he already accepted your offer to buy the car and see if you can save a few more thousand dollars to buy something newer and in better condition. The difference in what you can buy between $2K and $5K is fairly substantial, but even at that price the car you buy will likely need repairs as well.
Just remember, when you buy a used car you're probably buying problems that someone else didn't want to deal with, so you need to plan accordingly.
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