Discussion
Taking a friend to see a Del Sol she has her heart set on she know little or nothing about cars but shes been to a few japanese performace car shows and thinks she would like one of these. were going on thursday.
i know little or nothing about these cars in particular so was wondering if anyone could furnish me with the information on what to look out for when buying one second hand? obviously, the efforts of the PH massive will be supplemented by a good old google too. but was hoping maybe to hear from some previous owners!
cheers!
i know little or nothing about these cars in particular so was wondering if anyone could furnish me with the information on what to look out for when buying one second hand? obviously, the efforts of the PH massive will be supplemented by a good old google too. but was hoping maybe to hear from some previous owners!
cheers!
Kinky said:
Go through the PHers Garage - that will show you who has (or had one). It might be quicker to go to peeps directly, for specific owners feedback 
cheers for that, ill have a crack!as for this electric roof contraption, it sounds like something to go wrong really doesnt it!
It is essentially a 5th gen civic with a removable roof; the mechanical version being a transtop. A lot of them have been known to fail but i'd imagine it's down to wear and lack of maintainance.
Is it a UK model or JDM import. Both have rubber liners on the rear arches; presumably to stop people cutting themselves on the arch but it also holds water and causes rust on the back arches, particularly at the bottom.
If it's a vtec engine then look for abnormally low oil levels or blue smoke from the exhaust at high revs; both suggesting that valve stem oil seals have gone, not a bad fix but a job that would probably require someone other than the Sunday mechanic.
Worn bushes is another to look at, in particular the rear trailing arm bush as it can make the back end of the car seem rather vague.
Other than that they are really quirky cars that are in my opinion lovely to drive.
Is it a UK model or JDM import. Both have rubber liners on the rear arches; presumably to stop people cutting themselves on the arch but it also holds water and causes rust on the back arches, particularly at the bottom.
If it's a vtec engine then look for abnormally low oil levels or blue smoke from the exhaust at high revs; both suggesting that valve stem oil seals have gone, not a bad fix but a job that would probably require someone other than the Sunday mechanic.
Worn bushes is another to look at, in particular the rear trailing arm bush as it can make the back end of the car seem rather vague.
Other than that they are really quirky cars that are in my opinion lovely to drive.
I had one, a long time ago. The roof failed after a week, and thankfully covered under warrenty.
The roof takes an age, so see if you can get a manual one. The boot is a absolute arse, having to balance shopping, put the key in, turn it, keep it turned (for 30 seconds or so), for the boot to raise. Then reverse the proceedure to close it - now imagine that in the rain.
But the SIR or VTI engine is a cracker. Mine ran on Mugen suspension, and was brilliant to drive.
HTH
The roof takes an age, so see if you can get a manual one. The boot is a absolute arse, having to balance shopping, put the key in, turn it, keep it turned (for 30 seconds or so), for the boot to raise. Then reverse the proceedure to close it - now imagine that in the rain.
But the SIR or VTI engine is a cracker. Mine ran on Mugen suspension, and was brilliant to drive.
HTH
RossB_eg4 said:
If it's a vtec engine then look for abnormally low oil levels or blue smoke from the exhaust at high revs; both suggesting that valve stem oil seals have gone, not a bad fix but a job that would probably require someone other than the Sunday mechanic.
I'm sorry, but the old 'valve stem seals' suggestion is nothing but optimism from people whose Hondas burn oil, and are hoping to get away with a cheap repair.If it puffs blue smoke at high revs then the oil control rings are old and past it. Same old for Hondas.
Which model is it she's looking at? There were a lot of different models with different things to look for.
335Dmapped said:
RossB_eg4 said:
If it's a vtec engine then look for abnormally low oil levels or blue smoke from the exhaust at high revs; both suggesting that valve stem oil seals have gone, not a bad fix but a job that would probably require someone other than the Sunday mechanic.
I'm sorry, but the old 'valve stem seals' suggestion is nothing but optimism from people whose Hondas burn oil, and are hoping to get away with a cheap repair.If it puffs blue smoke at high revs then the oil control rings are old and past it. Same old for Hondas.
Which model is it she's looking at? There were a lot of different models with different things to look for.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff