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Hey guys, I am new to owning a Civic and Honda in general, and I don't even own it yet, but I am looking at buying an 1992 Civic EG EL. Here is the actual link for the car being sold
Link Here
Just wondering if anyone could tell me if it is decent or not.
One of my concerns is the age of the car and also the fact it is not Fuel Injected, I don't know huge amount about these, hence why I am here. :)
Any Help would be good, Thanks =D
You need to inform us of your plans for this car,
If its for driving from A-B purposes, then no one can tell you unless they drive it or see if for themselves and even feel the car.
If its for conversion purposes and for a project later on, well, then thats another story.
If you want to put in a bigger engine, should be getting a fuel injected system to begin with for less headaches.
Give us more info on what you want the car for/ and your plans if any.
It's Mainly going to be for a run around car, getting to and from work mostly, Little to no city driving. However i wouldn't mind putting some time and money into restoring it and upgrading it, Nothing to Major. By Biggest concern is having to get any work done on a Carb engine.
If i do go to test drive it, is there anything i should be looking for apart form obvious mechanical faults?
Why you worried about getting a carb engine worked on? They are simpler than fuel injected.
Just because it's an older engine type. Figured would be hard to get parts for
mate its a honda.. best thing since slice bread.. parts are everywhere
Thats good to know :)
So any particular details about the Model of Honda?
I'm pretty sure thats how 80% of them start out.... nice tidy runabout. Trouble is parts are so cheap and so many mods been done before, its hard to leave them alone.
Basically, the EG civic is one of the most popular cars around. So parts are cheap and plentiful. (although be aware that honda are in the process of discontinuing a lot of non-major parts). If you're in nsw/vic, finding people to work on it is easy. They are great on fuel (I haven't driven a carby model though...), look ok, and almost have enough space for people with legs.
As for things to look for, pretty much the same as buying any second hand car. Look at the odo, make sure the numbers line up, check:
-tyres, if theyre low you'll be forking out for new ones soon
-signs of water leaks in the interior, especially in the boot, and with a hatch, the tail lights.
-generally check trim pieces, if the car has been well looked after there will be less bits falling off (unlike my poor baby)
-inspect the engine and bay, look out for:
-any aftermarket/dodgy electrical wiring jobs
-oil leaks, particularly around the valve cover seal and oil pan seal. these arent usually serious, but the only ones you'll really be able to see without getting under the car
-try and see if the driveshaft boots and steering rack boots are in good condition, no cracks, no grease splashed about the engine bay
-if the car doesn't have stockies, try and get an idea of the front brake condition (pad thickness, any marks or scoring on the rotors), also test the brakes by making sure the pedal is firm, doesn't feel squishy or sink to the floor
-pay attention to the clutch feel (obviously if youve never driven a civic before this might be a little useless, but you should be able to identify a cooked clutch
-when you drive it, (after its warm, and you're out of sight of the vendor) give it a little bit of a "thorough" drive. i don't mean limiter bash it down the street, but rev it a bit and test the brakes and the handling. you should look for any smoke from the exhaust, any rattles or odd sounds from either the engine or drivetrain. test the handling, make sure it doesn't dive too hard into a specific corner of the car or anything.
-look for chips in the windscreen
Theres probably lots more, thats all off the top of my head.
Oh, check for excess play in the steering rack. also, i cant remember if the major service is needed at 170 or 200 on those. i think its 200, so you'll be right for 40000ks. can anyone confirm that?
oh, and its an auto. so be prepared to be bored to death.
edit: i just looked at the photos. although they arent great res, the engine bay looks tidy which is good. also it has non standard wheels, and they look fairly far out, so check they dont rub on the guards or on the fender liner at full lock.
Yeah I went and took a look at the car today, and sadly it was in a bad state. Had not been looked after at all, Those pictures do the car justice. As you said the tyres rub on the guards heaps makes a hell of a nose, the back suspension made noise, then engine shook so much all the mirrors shook with it, the tyres mad everything feel like driving off road, So disappointed that it was a bad car =( was really looking forward to owning a honda =(