Looking at a 1991 Honda Civic... what problems should I look for?

[Karrde]

Hey guys, I've come across what seems to be a decent car for the money. A 1991 Honda Civic DX 4 door with only 99000kms. It's owned by an old lady who had it since it was bought new and she's selling it because her license was revoked a year ago. The car has been in her garage for most of the year and seems in reasonable shape, just a large dent on the hood where a can of paint or something fell on it a while back (it looks easily repairable) and there are a few dents here and there. It has new brakes and muffler, not sure about anything else. No visible rust underneath, just a tiny bit on a few corners. She's asking $2200, though I'm pretty sure she'll go as low as $1600 (she really wants it gone).

So, my question is, what should I look for in terms of possible trouble spots? The battery is apparently dead, so there's a chance I might need to replace it. I've also read that the timing belt on Hondas of that era needs replacing at around 100000kms. Anything else? I'm a student with not much money, so this seems like a very good deal to me... what do you guys think?

Any help is appreciated here...

[barrie1]

You will have to change the water pump as well when the timing belt is done as it has to be removed in order to change the belt. Do it all at the one service as it will be cheaper. You may get luckey and the Battery will hold charge long enough for you to be able to either drive thecar to a reputable garage for a proper imspection or to be at least towed there for the same. Its hard to guess just what all may be wong if anything besides what you know already until it has been gone over properly by a certified mechanic. 

[gta_driver]

My old civic liked going through alternators every couple of years. The good news is that aftermarket alternators for the Civic are cheap and fairly straightforward DIY. Other than that it was solid and reliable.

[PJungnitsch]

It would be nice to see what servicing has been done. The enemy of a vehicle like that is time passing that ages rubbers parts and such, and the internal corrosion that occurs from short trips and lots of sitting around.

If she changed oil/coolant/brake fluid/etc regularly that would help, but if things like brake/clutch cylinders, rad hoses, heater hoses and such are all original they will likely require changing at some point in the future, at least if you want a reliable ride. Rads and heater cores are another things that decay with time.

[honda_civic_kid]

Hey  You probly already have or don't have the car but right now I own a 1991 civic dx sedan and it is probly the most reliable car out there and i still get 6.5L/100 for fuel econemy which is amazing!!!!  My car only needs new front axels(cv joints) these have been replaced only once before and it may need a new heater core other than that it is a dirt cheep car to run.  Last year I replaced that Rad and thats been the only major replacment for the cars life.  The only other work it needs is body but thats typical of old cars.

[Karrde]

Aye, my civic has proved to be fairly decent, though I think the tranny is on its way out thus my search for a new car. That said, even if the tranny was still good, this car seriously lacks power.

[safristi]

................ .......................don't mess with the olde lady on price.............

[Flinter]

I had a 89 Civic (Si Hatch) for many years and found it to be a very reliable and fuel efficient car. Here are a few thoughts on things to look for:

1) As someone else noted, problems with CV joints/axles were not uncommon on this car.

2) I found that the brakes required a little more maintenance than usual. Warped front rotors and issues with the rear drum brakes were the most common for me.

3) As others have noted, check if the timing belt/water pump has been changed. This is a fairly pricey maintenance job.

4) Over our 17 years of ownership we replaced the alternator/battery several times.

5) The exhaust on these cars do not hold up as well as more modern Honda's. Over the years, I replaced the entire exhaust several times due to corrosion problems.

6) This vintage of Civic was a little more susceptible to rust than more recent Honda's. Take a good look at the rocker panels under the doors and in front of the rear wheel wells. Also look closely at the areas behind the rear wheel openings where the rear bumper cover wraps around.