Honda Civic
Author
Discussion

P4D

Original Poster:

257 posts

127 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Going looking at a 'shed' later on today. Agreed a purchase price of £475. 53 plate 1.4 civic with 100k on the clock, 11 months MOT, full Honda history and supposedly one woman owner from new.

Is it worth me buying a HPI check?

Any other basic things anyone can list to look out for? Always forget to look at something!

Sc0tchland

448 posts

110 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Have you checked the MOT History online? Worth a look

P4D

Original Poster:

257 posts

127 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Sc0tchland said:
Have you checked the MOT History online? Worth a look
Had a look last night, seems ok. Failed this year because of the beam projection being obviously wrong but seems like thats been rectified.

aka_kerrly

12,505 posts

239 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
At £475 is the plan not to run it on basic maintenance & hope for the best or do you intend on having a proper poke around with a view of fixing things/keeping the car long term?

On the mk7 Civics , check the back arches and rear ends of the sills for rust - on later models there are arch liners in the rear which cause more problems than they potentially prevent so it's best to whip them off and give the arches a real good clean.

At the rear underside check for rust around the towing hook an spare wheel well for rust, if you proceed to purchase the car then id recommend getting the back bumper off in order to get some better access to the rear end and giving it some underseal.

Electric power steering is a bit strange to, the steering wheel wont return to centre that quickly which is quite normal. When the racks start to play up you will find it steers one way easier than the other, there can be excess play when you wiggle the steering wheel before the road wheels move. They can also make horrendous knocking noises which is when the slider inside of the rack is worn out. It's a £30 part but a pain in the ass to fit regardless if the rack is in the car or on the workbench.

General knocking noises from the rear are likely to be wrecked anti roll bar drop links, nice cheap easy fix.

Standard stereos are a bit rubbish with no AUX/connection options , you can get a COnnects2 kit which allows you to add a 3.5mm jack to the standard stereo by tricking it into thinking its a CD changer. Single DIN or double DIN upgrade isn't hard but both require facia adapters

Handbrakes are unreliable and as a consequence seized rear calipers are quite normal, rebuild kits are £15 or £100 for a refurb caliper

Engines/mechanical components seem bomb proof , the service parts - filters/spark plugs etc aren't expensive. I dont know for certain if the EP2 non Type R models have the same throttle position sensor but if the car feels a little sluggish at very low revs and a tad hesitant these are often the culprit. Again not an expensive part at £50 just a faff to fit as Honda use tamper proof nuts to attach the original one. If the idle is a bit uncertain/floating around then the Idle valve probably just needs a clean -a quick free fix.

Oh an check the Air Con (if fitted) is working, usually the pump fails.

P4D

Original Poster:

257 posts

127 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
aka_kerrly said:
At £475 is the plan not to run it on basic maintenance & hope for the best or do you intend on having a proper poke around with a view of fixing things/keeping the car long term?

On the mk7 Civics , check the back arches and rear ends of the sills for rust - on later models there are arch liners in the rear which cause more problems than they potentially prevent so it's best to whip them off and give the arches a real good clean.

At the rear underside check for rust around the towing hook an spare wheel well for rust, if you proceed to purchase the car then id recommend getting the back bumper off in order to get some better access to the rear end and giving it some underseal.

Electric power steering is a bit strange to, the steering wheel wont return to centre that quickly which is quite normal. When the racks start to play up you will find it steers one way easier than the other, there can be excess play when you wiggle the steering wheel before the road wheels move. They can also make horrendous knocking noises which is when the slider inside of the rack is worn out. It's a £30 part but a pain in the ass to fit regardless if the rack is in the car or on the workbench.

General knocking noises from the rear are likely to be wrecked anti roll bar drop links, nice cheap easy fix.

Standard stereos are a bit rubbish with no AUX/connection options , you can get a COnnects2 kit which allows you to add a 3.5mm jack to the standard stereo by tricking it into thinking its a CD changer. Single DIN or double DIN upgrade isn't hard but both require facia adapters

Handbrakes are unreliable and as a consequence seized rear calipers are quite normal, rebuild kits are £15 or £100 for a refurb caliper

Engines/mechanical components seem bomb proof , the service parts - filters/spark plugs etc aren't expensive. I dont know for certain if the EP2 non Type R models have the same throttle position sensor but if the car feels a little sluggish at very low revs and a tad hesitant these are often the culprit. Again not an expensive part at £50 just a faff to fit as Honda use tamper proof nuts to attach the original one. If the idle is a bit uncertain/floating around then the Idle valve probably just needs a clean -a quick free fix.

Oh an check the Air Con (if fitted) is working, usually the pump fails.
The idea is to just keep it for 3/4 months till my insurance renewal date and during that time I can search and plan for a car I actually want. Just needed a car within 60 days to continue my insurance for this year and its been 35 already!

Butter Face

34,698 posts

189 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
It’s a punt at less than £500 no matter what so just buy it and be done with it IMO.

GreatGranny

9,519 posts

255 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Just get a HPI check on your mobile.

Less than a fiver and it will cover most things apart from finance I think.

P4D

Original Poster:

257 posts

127 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Wonder if anyone can help before I pull the trigger. It sounds like the input shaft bearing is knackered, there’s a ticking sound which disappears when the clutch it pressed. Is this something I should avoid? I have no knowledge with mechanics. The service history is missing a big chunk too 2007-2012 and 2012-2018 no history.

Butter Face

34,698 posts

189 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
It’s probably the release bearing. It may go tomorrow, it may last another 20k.

History missing is to be expected at this age I suppose.

P4D

Original Poster:

257 posts

127 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Butter Face said:
It’s probably the release bearing. It may go tomorrow, it may last another 20k.

History missing is to be expected at this age I suppose.
I thought the release bearing was the opposite way around? Made a noise when the clutch is pressed?

Shiv_P

3,036 posts

134 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
What's the reg?

If you type into webuyanycar you can generally get a decent judge on previous owners with pre-selection

P4D

Original Poster:

257 posts

127 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Shiv_P said:
What's the reg?

If you type into webuyanycar you can generally get a decent judge on previous owners with pre-selection
No idea what you mean but the reg is DE53 UFC

Shiv_P

3,036 posts

134 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
quotequote all
Webuyanycar reckons 2 previous keepers.

Butter Face

34,698 posts

189 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
quotequote all
P4D said:
Butter Face said:
It’s probably the release bearing. It may go tomorrow, it may last another 20k.

History missing is to be expected at this age I suppose.
I thought the release bearing was the opposite way around? Made a noise when the clutch is pressed?
Yeah you may be right with that one.

I've HPI'd it anyway, all clear but yes, 2 keepers.