how much of a deal break is high km's on an ek civic vti-r?

[freshmaker]

Hi guys,
Over the past week or so I've been looking into selling my car in favour of something more compact, fun to drive and cheaper to run - the civic vti-r is among the finer choices I've come across.
The problem is the few that are available and fit my budget all have what I would class as very high (200+) km's.

I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice regarding how big of a deal this is?

There's one that looks neat as a pin and completely stock with 240 and then theres a couple around 200-220 with mods that that reflect the different owners varying degrees of taste (which could be harder kms than that of the stock one?).

Depending on your advice I might abandon the idea altogether if my budget cant stretch to a worthwhile example (~$6000)

Thanks in advance
Kind regards

(p.s sorry if this same question has been asked to death - i'm new hear and wasnt having much luck with the search feature)

[nobbs]

Considering the age of the car I wouldn't let k's deter me too much... reality of it is that if it has low k's and it fits your ~$6,000 budget then theres something fishy going on.

Check the car out properly; the condition/mods should tell you what kind of life the car has had. Personally I would buy a vti-r with 240,000km over a cxi/gli with lower k's.

[trism]

I dont understand why people get all hung up on a vehicle having high km.

The average distance per year a vehicle drives is 15k kms. Lets say youre looking at a 98 model. Thats 210k kms.

Based on that, id say anything less than about 250k is perfectly normal for an EK VTi-R.


Dont let kms deter you, make sure you get a good look at the condition of it. Check to see if the service manual has been filled out, and when they stopped doing it. Most factory service manuals go up to about 180k, but people normally stop getting them filled in after 100k, because the warranty has run out, so whats the point of keeping a record.

Check under the bonnet for a timing belt change sticker, and when it was last done. Dont forget that its not just based on km, they do deteriorate with age. The car might only have 80k on it, but if its 13 years old, its well overdue for a change,

Check out the condition of the tyres, if they look to be wearing unevenly, this means that suspension bushes will need to be changed. Look for oil around the engine, for leaky gaskets and seals. Check things like cv boots to see if they have been replaced.

My commodore has over 300k kms on it, its a 97 model, its done an average of 18k kms per year. Its in good condition, looks and runs great.

Dont let the number on the odomoter be your first impression.

[FenrirWC]

As trism said dont let Kms cause you to second guess the car they are reaching 13+yrs now. If you want one just look around and inspect them properly and dont rush into it. ;)

[trism]

Theyre not reaching 10+, the youngest youll find will be 13 years old, theyre all well past the 10 year mark lol

[lolmclol]

It would only be a deal breaker if it hasn't been turbo charged.

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/customavatars/avatar2484_212.gif

[RenzokukenJ]

Thanks for the responses guys!

FenrirWC:
I found your car on gumtree, looks pretty neat! Not a big fan of the colour but thats not too important. I hadn't seen it because I'd only been looking within Victoria - I'd always ignorantly just assumed that it was too expensive and too much effort to buy a car from interstate, however I have absolutely no idea and searching through VicRoads is only getting me more confused. Anybody know a rough outline of expenses involved in buying a car from interstate?

lolmclol:
Of all the cars I've looked at none of them have been turbo (which is beside the that point that I'm not looking for a turbo car, I just havent come across any of them) and the very lowest km's I've found on any have been ~160 - does this mean you're telling me none of the cars out there are worth it?

get a fd1, will solve all issues

[freshmaker]

get a fd1, will solve all issues

fd1 is the 2006+ civic with 1.8l right?
well carsguide wasn't blown away with it "The Sport is functional but not a particularly engaging driving experience. Performance is okay, handling is okay.."
and they are also a bit outside my budget. I'm after a cheap economical car that is practical enough to be driven around the city by a student but can put a smile on your face driving through the hills on a weekend.
Thanks for the advice though.

[RenzokukenJ]

fd1 is the 2006+ civic with 1.8l right?
well carsguide wasn't blown away with it "The Sport is functional but not a particularly engaging driving experience. Performance is okay, handling is okay.."
and they are also a bit outside my budget. I'm after a cheap economical car that is practical enough to be driven around the city by a student but can put a smile on your face driving through the hills on a weekend.
Thanks for the advice though.

they arent bad man, serious

the money you save with petrol in the newer car will be much more worth it

[freshmaker]

I currently have my 1995 honda civic vti-r for sale with 195,XXX kms and am asking $6k yet have only had 2 people contact me about it, one wanting to swap (which i wasn't interested in doing) and the other asking what the lowest price I would take without even looking at the car (which is completely stock condition)

As trism said dont let Kms cause you to second guess the car they are reaching 10+yrs now. If you want one just look around and inspect them properly and dont rush into it. ;)


It would only be a deal breaker if it hasn't been turbo charged.

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/customavatars/avatar2484_212.gif

Thanks for the responses guys!

FenrirWC:
I found your car on gumtree, looks pretty neat! Not a big fan of the colour but thats not too important. I hadn't seen it because I'd only been looking within Victoria - I'd always ignorantly just assumed that it was too expensive and too much effort to buy a car from interstate, however I have absolutely no idea and searching through VicRoads is only getting me more confused. Anybody know a rough outline of expenses involved in buying a car from interstate?

lolmclol:
Of all the cars I've looked at none of them have been turbo (which is beside the that point that I'm not looking for a turbo car, I just havent come across any of them) and the very lowest km's I've found on any have been ~160 - does this mean you're telling me none of the cars out there are worth it?

[FenrirWC]

Thanks for the responses guys!

FenrirWC:
I found your car on gumtree, looks pretty neat! Not a big fan of the colour but thats not too important. I hadn't seen it because I'd only been looking within Victoria - I'd always ignorantly just assumed that it was too expensive and too much effort to buy a car from interstate, however I have absolutely no idea and searching through VicRoads is only getting me more confused. Anybody know a rough outline of expenses involved in buying a car from interstate?


Ahh my bad should of said im in tassie i was just using my car as an example lol As for buying interstate it gets difficult if its NSW or ACT you are probably better off as you can just go look at the cars and if you like them buy them and drive them back. Unlike us in tas if we like a car in melb we have to fly over ... decide if we want to buy it then bring it back on the boat lol

[lolmclol]

If you need more information, PM EKVTIR-T, he's a knowledge base of information in regards to it!

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/member.php?2484-EKVTIR-T

[AndreaCivic]

Hey I have an ek4 with 175k kms on it. Car pulls great. No sign of problems yet. Replaced clutch recently and don't think it had ever been done in its 16 years of existence. Even then the car still ran fine.
As others have said be careful, if you aren't mechanically inclined have it looked over by a 3rd party.
Over 200k kms isn't a problem as long as its been looked after, timing belt, oils etc. it's an enthusiasts car so be sure the person you buy from is an enthusiast and has not trashed it.
The b16a responds well to a turbo so if the engine does come up for a rebuild hey lucky you whack a turbo and some new internals in the engine :)

[amant02]

I Would say Just make sure the body panels are straight no welds. Check for Bog/Body filler. If these check out fine. Your sweet. Parts for these cars are going for cheap. I have owned 2 em1's 1st one i bought with 138KM Sold it at 16xxxxKM still running great. Just bought another one for a bargain price with a straight subframe and no dodgy welds. Motor is on its way unless i do something about the rings and valve cover gasket. Gearbox is pretty avg condition, dsnt crunch or anthing but you can tell it has had a hardlife. But paying $3950 was a bargain in my books