Thinking about buying a cage...

[Queso]

My sole means of transport has been my GS500, and it's done well... But I really do need a car, now. I still intend to use my bike as primary transport, so I just wanted a cheap reliable car for the occasions I actually need it.

So I found an 86 Civic Si wagon. I plan to buy it within the week. It's old, it's ugly, but it's got at least another 50 to 100k miles left to go. So it seems I'll be caging it occasionally once more. These things are as common as mosquitos out here, so does anybody else have one that might be able to share some tips or things to look out for with this particular vehicle?

It's a manual with 130k miles. Actually in quite decent shape for the price. I work with the owner, and he's taken good care of it. It'll be nice to have a radio again 

[ashman]

Is it 4wd? i seem to remember hearing something bout those having problems w/ that going out. other then that, i dunno much. Check out www.epinions.com great site with reviews by owners so you can get some real ideas.

-ash

[ambisinister]

Can't go wrong with any Honda, I've had four three cars and a bike 85 Accord 380000 mile, 87 Accord 473000, 91 Accord 240000 before my daughter got hit in it, Gold Wing 67000 before I got t-boned on it. Maintenance on a Honda will keep it running more reliably than a GS, believe it or not.

[hmmmnz]

i used to have the exactly the same car a 86 wagon, they are good cars, except don't let it overheat, when they have done loads of miles don't thrash it too much, and the only other issue i had was the fuel pump, but other than that, they go well, luckily you are getting a manual, the autos are $hit gutless and are prone to braking down
good luck

[FearedGS500]

hope you know the guy pretty well most civcs now and days are use to race . they dog the crap out of them then give them away to start another project .. i know not every one dose that but alot of ppl do . so i hope you know the guy well

[buzz]

An 86 should have the venerable EW 12 valve engine. These things are quite bullet proof when taken care of. I do not think you would have to worry about the car having a racing background. These engines and chassis are not popular at all.

Things to look out for..........

The coil. Any car this old is due for a replacement if it hasn't been done.

Rust in the tank. It should be carburated, all civics other than the Si where until 1988. This can stop up the sock in the tank and cause it to die. Not to mention it is really not good for the rest of the car. See if you can take the fuel filter loose, and inspect it.

The carburator it self. Check fuel lines, vacuum lines, ect. If you start to have a problem with the '80 era emmisions carbs it is a pain to fix.

Pull the oil cap loose and take a light to look at the valve train. It should not be black. A car that old will have some oil tarnish, but it should be more gold in color.

Other than that they are bullet proof little cars. I have a '89 and a '90 model my self.

[seaheifer]

97 Geo Metro Hatchback LSI....came with the 1.3 liter engine as opposed to the .99......
well that is what I drove for a while till a mercury courger pulled out in front of me when I was going 60mph so I t-boned them but walked away with just a few cuts....cheap and reliable car...great gas milage too....

[CirclesCenter]

hhhhhhHHHHHHHOOONNNNddddaaaaa.......

Ok that's bikes.

But yeah honda makes solid vehicles. Be it cars, bikes or lawnmowers (have you ever heard a honda lawnmower? No? No one has, they're that quiet!)

[rangerbrown]

wrong fourm damn it

[baco99]

check the heater core.  80's hondas tend to have issues with them, although in SoCal, the heater probably never got used much.  check for rust anyway, and for signs of coolant under the dash and under the carpets.

[Queso]

I've never heard of a 4x4 civic  But I ended up buying it, and I'm glad I did. Runs great! The guy that sold it to me already fixed everything on it that needed fixing. It's a fuel injected Si model, and I know he didn't try racing or anything. It's 20 years old and 100% stock. I looked it all over, no rust, no leaks, sounds healthy, it was a good deal. So now I have a cage again! Little 1.5L does well in both performance (for a 20 year old econo-box) and gas mileage, I'm impressed.

I'm going to be doing a bunch of maintenance on it today (plugs, wires, cap and rotor, filters, fluids, etc...) cant wait to see how it runs when I'm done! Then I've got to look into fixing the AC...