'87 Honda Civic Advice

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david - 26 Jul 2006 21:56 GMT

Hi.. I ran into a fellow who has a '87 Civic hatchback with 1.3L
engine for sale.. pretty cheap, $250. The problem is, the engine
overheats, and quickly. The guy says that the the guy HE bought it
from replaced the head gasket, but the problem was the head.

The question.. should I buy it? It has 153,000 miles on it. The rest
of the car is in good shape. The guy says that the previous owner
put a transaxle in it.

I want a Honda 'cos of the reliability. I am hesitant because there
could be something wrong with the bottom of the motor.. and I would
have to replace the whole motor. I am not a good enough mechanic to
do this.. don't have the time, or the facility.

thanks,
David

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Larry in AZ - 26 Jul 2006 22:19 GMT

Waiving the right to remain silent, david <carroll6@kc.rr.com> said:

> The question.. should I buy it? It has 153,000 miles on it.

Not unless you're getting it as a "backup" car.

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Larry J. - Remove spamtrap in ALLCAPS to e-mail

"I've come here to enjoy nature. Don't talk to me
about the environment!" - 'Denny Crane'

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Matt Ion - 27 Jul 2006 04:51 GMT

> Waiving the right to remain silent, david <carroll6@kc.rr.com> said:
>
>>The question.. should I buy it? It has 153,000 miles on it.
>
> Not unless you're getting it as a "backup" car.

It's not gonna cool any better in reverse...

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Alan - 27 Jul 2006 15:53 GMT

> > Waiving the right to remain silent, david <carroll6@kc.rr.com> said:
> >
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> It's not gonna cool any better in reverse...

The air would blow out instead of blowing in the engine compartment.

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Matt Ion - 28 Jul 2006 01:30 GMT

>>>Waiving the right to remain silent, david <carroll6@kc.rr.com> said:
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> The air would blow out instead of blowing in the engine compartment.

Yeah, but then it's pulling the air off the driver's feet... eeeeeewww!

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TeGGeR® - 27 Jul 2006 00:58 GMT

> Hi.. I ran into a fellow who has a '87 Civic hatchback with 1.3L
> engine for sale.. pretty cheap, $250. The problem is, the engine
> overheats, and quickly.

Serious cooling problem or crappy head gasket replacement.

> The guy says that the the guy HE bought it
> from replaced the head gasket, but the problem was the head.
>
> The question.. should I buy it?

Only if you *really* like automotive adventures!

> It has 153,000 miles on it.

Completely, utterly meaningless. The car's nineteen-year age is much more
important, as is the care it's had during those years. By the sounds of it,
this vehicle will be a disaster for you.

> The rest
> of the car is in good shape. The guy says that the previous owner
> put a transaxle in it.

Why'd the last one fail? 153K is awfully young for tranny failure. Sorry
but my BS alarm is clanging quite loudly just now.

> I want a Honda 'cos of the reliability.

Not with this car. Past eight, ten years, the vehicle becomes an
individual. That it's a Honda means little now. It's a Honda with 19 years
of abuse and neglect on it. With enough effort, you can beat even the best
horse to death.

> I am hesitant because there
> could be something wrong with the bottom of the motor.. and I would
> have to replace the whole motor. I am not a good enough mechanic to
> do this.. don't have the time, or the facility.

Do yourself a favor. Leave this mechanical experiment to someone else. This
is NOT the car for you.

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TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

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Eric - 27 Jul 2006 08:42 GMT

> > I am hesitant because there could be something wrong with the bottom of
> > the motor.. and I would have to replace the whole motor. I am not a
> > good enough mechanic to do this.. don't have the time, or the facility.
>
> Do yourself a favor. Leave this mechanical experiment to someone else.
> This is NOT the car for you.

Agreed. Sometimes it's best to just walk away. However, one time I had a
little fun. I was considering getting an old 'Lude that didn't run as a
project car but the owner thought she had gold and wanted too much money for
it. So, just for fun, I did as much of an inspection on the car as I could
without taking the wheels off, getting under it, etc. and handed her a work
needed list for her "golden" 'Lude that was about two 8.5x11 pages full and
then walked away. About a week later the same car was advertised in the
local paper for a lower price but it was still too high!

Find something that runs dependably. Personally, I would suggest avoiding
the '84-7 Civics and find yourself a nicely maintained '91. You'll pay a
little more but I think you'll be better off in the long run.

Eric

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