Good deal for civic?

Cianos

I was just looking at a 1.4l 1993 Civic, NCT'd til 02/07, good condition from a dealer that I could get for around €1900. As a first car do you think this would be a good buy?

Thanks

Sizzler

As a first car yes for sure, but not at that price mate.

Its 13 yrs old FFS. You should be getting it for c.€1200 or €1500 if its a MINTER.

Good luck with it

jayok

Didn't the 1993 Civic come as a 1.3, 1.5 or 1.6 only? (i.e. DX, LSi, ESi / VTi respectively?). Fine first car, but like the other poster said not for €1900. There was also a VEi in there but not sure on engine size.

Cianos

The guy in the shop said it was 1.4 and it was definately '93

So I should definately not be paying more than €1500 for a 93 Civic even if its in mint condition? Thanks for the heads up

jayok

Ok, the DX engine is actually 1343cc so unless he's rounding up to 1.4. IIRC it was considered a 1.3 in it's day. But such is semantics.

€1,900 for a Civic DX would have to be completely mint with a FSH, relatively low mileage (around the 80k mark), and even then I think it's too much. As the previous poster said I would think around the €1200 mark.

jayok

Some googling - the VEi is a 1493cc engine so must be a DX then.

Cianos

There was no price marked on the car and I mentioned that it would be my first car so he probably thought he'd chance his arm with me.

Sizzler

Cianos wrote:

There was no price marked on the car and I mentioned that it would be my first car so he probably thought he'd chance his arm with me.

Get his price down so, happy haggling

cjs

tell him straight €1200 cash nd he will more than likely take it just to be rid of the car. I definetly wouldn't pay anymore though for a 13 yr old standard civic. Check out the buy and sell www.buyandsell.ie theres loads of these civics for sale. They are very common and very popular and should be easily found at low enough money

cormie

Anyone think if he's spending so little on a first car that he may as well just get a 1.1 or 1 for learning in and get rid of it in a year/after he's got full license or whatever and upgrade then? Get a car like mine Cian. Good for insurance/tax etc and not as bad when you are conking out, curbing the wheels or reversing out and scraping the edge against a wall like I did when I was learning.

bazz26

Plenty of Civics of this vintage for sale these days. Is the dealer offering a warranty on that one? I doubt it very much if he is offering a warranty on a 13 year old car.

If there is no warranty then why not look at buying private? The only reason to go to a dealer imo is because of the warranty. In this case it is very unlikely so there is no benefit.

A private seller will be cheaper but make sure you have the car checked out by a good independant mechanic as there are alot of knackered diy modified Civics knocking about the place.

cantdecide

cormie wrote:

Anyone think if he's spending so little on a first car that he may as well just get a 1.1 or 1 for learning in and get rid of it in a year/after he's got full license or whatever and upgrade then? Get a car like mine Cian. Good for insurance/tax etc and not as bad when you are conking out, curbing the wheels or reversing out and scraping the edge against a wall like I did when I was learning.

PLEASE don't do this

i've had a couple of these and they are absolutely perfect for learning to drive. the handling is fantastic so it's very forgiving if you misjudge corners. very reliable. easy to drive. juat a tad hard though. for what it costs, you can dispose of it in a year anyway. go for it if you've had it looked overmate

Cianos

Ok so I'm thinking of taking another trip to the dealer and finding out more about the car.

I forgot to mention that the first price he stated was €2200. I asked him would he discount if I payed in cash, and thats when he said he would drop it to €1900. Now, I still think he is trying to chance his arm with me a bit because I know nothing about cars at all and I'm sure he could tell that a mile off.

So, if I am gonna go back down to him I want to have a bit more knowledge so I can get as good a potential deal as possible.

So, the questions I need answered would be;
1. Does the car have a full service history
2. Does it have a warranty
3. Whats the mileage (what mileage would be acceptable anyone?)

If I go down to him with €1200 cash, and tell him that I have done a bit of research and know that that is what its worth, maybe he'd be happy to make the sale there and then.

P.S If the questions are negative, ie if it doesnt have a full service history, if it has no warranty and if the mileage is very high, dyou think I should forget about it altogether? What effect would this have on what I should be paying?

Thanks for everyones help

bazz26

Cianos wrote:

Ok so I'm thinking of taking another trip to the dealer and finding out more about the car.

I forgot to mention that the first price he stated was €2200. I asked him would he discount if I payed in cash, and thats when he said he would drop it to €1900. Now, I still think he is trying to chance his arm with me a bit because I know nothing about cars at all and I'm sure he could tell that a mile off.

So, if I am gonna go back down to him I want to have a bit more knowledge so I can get as good a potential deal as possible.

So, the questions I need answered would be;
1. Does the car have a full service history
2. Does it have a warranty
3. Whats the mileage (what mileage would be acceptable anyone?)

If I go down to him with €1200 cash, and tell him that I have done a bit of research and know that that is what its worth, maybe he'd be happy to make the sale there and then.

P.S If the questions are negative, ie if it doesnt have a full service history, if it has no warranty and if the mileage is very high, dyou think I should forget about it altogether? What effect would this have on what I should be paying?

Thanks for everyones help

I doubt very much a 13 year old car is going to have a full service history. I also doubt very much a 13 year old car will come with a warranty but I could be wrong on this. Also find out what is covered under the warranty if one is offered.

Lets face it, a 13 year old car is going to have a few miles on it but mileage is not a true indication of wear or condition, the best thing to do is have a good independant mechanic give it a check.

Why only look at one example of this car at one dealer? As I said earlier there are plenty of Civics of this vintage still knocking about but beware of any DIY modified ones. Don't limit yourself to a dealer, they will be doing you no favours on a car of this age.

Cianos

bazz26 wrote:

Why only look at one example of this car at one dealer? As I said earlier there are plenty of Civics of this vintage still knocking about but beware of any DIY modified ones. Don't limit yourself to a dealer, they will be doing you no favours on a car of this age.

I'm not too fussy to be honest. Basically I dont have the time/patience/means to look as extensively as I should. Meaning that if I am not getting the very best value for money, so be it. I dont know much about cars, so it would mean starting from scratch and doing a lot of research. So I guess I'm just looking for a quick solution. I just want a car that will be reliable, not give me hassle and is <2k.

IamMetaldave

Cianos wrote:

I'm not too fussy to be honest. Basically I dont have the time/patience/means to look as extensively as I should. Meaning that if I am not getting the very best value for money, so be it. I dont know much about cars, so it would mean starting from scratch and doing a lot of research. So I guess I'm just looking for a quick solution. I just want a car that will be reliable, not give me hassle and is <2k.

Dude, I'm in a similar boat to you (buying my first car)... I can't really get round to check out cars that often but I am taking my time with it... There is NO point in spending 1200 - 1900 whatever they charge you for car if the engine falls out a month after getting it. And then you are back to square one, minus the money you spent on the car. These guys know their stuff, I think you should heed their advice and look around before buying.

cantdecide

cianos. i know where you're coming from. if i were you, here's what i'd do.

as a matter of principal, look in the buy and sell at least. this is a common car so there are probably a few on your doorstep. if the original price was €2,200 he's a dreamer unless the car has less than 100k miles (160k/km) but then i would doubt that it were correct.
ask a mechanic to look at it or have a family member or friend bring it to a trusted mechanic. make sure it goes up on a ramp because rubber bushings in the suspension being worn is not uncommon (don't be too afraid if there are one or two gone, they are not expensive). he would have a good sense for whether the mileage was true or not as well. this is common sense when you are buyng a car with such a low budget.
if you are happy that the car is honest, the nct isn't due, the car doesn't need any immediate work including servicing/ tyres etc., everything works (electric windows/ central locking/ alarm if fitted/ radio). it hasn't been crashed and not properly repaired, the mileage is comfortably less than 150k miles, and that he would guarantee it for at least three months, then i would take the car on a "trade" basis. this means you will take it with no guarantee. i would advise doing this because you will have trouble getting garages to stand over cars of this age and he will knock some more money off if you do this.
i know this sounds like a lot of hassle when you don't know the terrain and all you want to do is get going cheaply but it really makes sense to be a little bit thorough. at the same time, don't be afraid to walk away from this one if you are not comfortable, there are cars everywhere...best of luck