Hello everyone, hope everybody is safe.
I'm planning to buy my first car and found a 1998 Civic CXI hatch for $2.9 K (negotiable). 2 owners and has run 88,XXX kms. Comes with a RWC and a month remaining rego. Would this be a reliable and sound choice?
regards
09 yaris for 7K, 09 corolla for 9K ..etc. just wondering someone here had previous experience with 98' civic and would recommend it to buy
I had a 98 Civic for quite a few years. Great reliable car!
Pretty low kilometres for a 22-year-old car …
ikr? i wonder if there is odo tampering.
Sometimes it is just clever advertising.
They may be referring to the mileage of the new engine.
The chassis and drivetrain itself may have bonkers number of km.
Agree and if the OP has the means to confirm this - i.e. check at a servicer etc to ensure it hasn't been wound back, this is a deal.
If you have a servicer you can trust, have them look over the car. Check for any issues that may be present - ie new tyres, windscreen, brakes, mechanical issues and if happy, this is a good deal.
If it's legit, this could be pretty great. Gf bought a similar car >15years old with only 40k km on it. Verified by a decent look over (condition way better than anything else we'd seen), and again by a local mechanic with the same model who said it's like new.
Just hadn't been used much, was always a spare car for the previous owner.
Not particularly. We average about 5000kms per year in ours. This is an average of 4000kms/yr, so doesn't seem particularly odd to me as we aren't infrequent car users, but most driving is within probably 5kms of our house.
It is when the average car use in Australia is 10K-15K per year. Not odd to you, but to the average driver, yes.
TBH I don’t think I’d want to buy a car that has done 4000km/yr and most trips within 5km. Those trips aren’t enough to warm up the car properly or often enough to keep seals etc in good condition.
An under used car is a potential mess of problems. Probably not as much as an overused car, but problems are likely.
Agreed, I've got some family that work in the industry and they actually won't buy cars that have too low a number of Kms for pretty much that reason. Our one has a much higher average as my other half used to do a lot of driving for work, but hasn't for the last 4 years.
Better get the car to the mechanic before purchasing, this way you know how much down the track you will need to spend.
No one in here can give you good advice as we didn't see the car and not knowing the car condition from the milage and age.
Agree with. SnoozeAndLose. Get it checked by mechanic. Also advice on any future maintenance items, so you can budget for those.
OP didn't say if they wanted good advice.
🤐🤐
haha appreciate the advice! i will definitely get a mechanic to have a look before purchasing..ppsr cheks and all
thanks for the suggestion!
I’d probably buy that personally, however would be hesitant to suggest a car that old if you’re not mech minded.
If the engine sounds clean, smooth and not struggling, 💯👍
How could OP know how should it sound? Unless OP has so much knowledge about cars and still buying the first car
Youll know the difference when you hear it
Wait till after Race Wars. They'll be pulling a premium before then.
Damn Hector and his spoon engines
Hey OP, just personal preference, but I would try something a little newer with higher kms.
Replacement parts might be easier to source and find.
When a car is low kilometres but still old it's no guarantee of reliability.
Here are a few examples on carsales that may interest you….
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2010-Suzuki-Alto-GL…
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2008-Kia-Rio-LX-Man…
appreciate it! i have budget till like 10K tbh but i found this car and i was like why not? if i can spend 2ish grand for some beater car goes from a to b without breaking maybe i could so something better with the rest saved. but anyways thanks for replying
Yeah I get it op, I just think you can get something newer for the sameish money.
Like i got a 2004 lancer 160,000kms for 2100 good condition with roadworthy
check for N16 Pulsar as well, around ~$3000 for 2003 one, how long would you be keeping this car ?
I think you should be able to find a 2010 corolla/mazda/lancer that has done 105-180k km for $5-6000. you just need to keep looking.
When I finished high school a friend of mine bought one of these new, it was a slow, slow car.
Maximum torque: 144Nm
I had a 97” CXI as my first car. Civics of that era are bullet proof so long as they’re serviced properly. Simple and made in Japan, but they are a 22 year old car so the interior might not be the best.
Downside is the 4 speed transmission is a bit clunky and not smooth. There’s no stability control, traction control etc. The person I bought the car from had cheap Chinese tyres on the car. It was absolutely lethal in the wet. It would understeer and looses traction with the slightest tap of the break. Even doing 20km/h caused this. plus side was it taught me to read/feel the road.
For the money, if you found an equally reliable newer model car with more safety features. I’d go for it.
Overall a great car, good on fuel, great reliability and a nice nimble car.
For $2900, you are getting close to an 05 civic's price or even Honda accord with higher ks. Toyota, Holden and Ford should be cheaper and newer as well. There's too many things to replace at 20+ years. Usually things you can see, especially underneath the car. I think $2500 or less would be better and only if the mileage is correct. I paid $950 in 2012 for my 95 civic with 3 months rego and seen a clean 2000 cxi model go for $900 recently.
*can't see
For any car prior to 2000, check the airbag issue for recall by the manufacturer. If the airbag cannot be replaced, do not purchase it. The recall for Honda cars is at https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/honda-australia-pty-…
I would get a mechanic's opinion. Rust and parts just wearing out needs to be looked at. But with such low KMs, it may have been garaged and kept intact. Either way, I've paid that same amount on car repairs before, lol, so you can't go wrong!
I would consider safety and head later if a comparable car gets more stars.
We have a 2000 Corolla, 60,000 km, sweet motor and interior almost perfect. We have given this to our daughter as a first car, but I will be advising her to upgrade when she can for something safer.
Later cars can be vastly safer…
NO… if anything, it should be 1k or less.
The vehicle is 22 years old.
Technology has changed considerably since then.
It is a death trap.
Download the app Cars Guide…
You can find plenty of cheap vehicles, much much better.
If you went through a dealer, you at least get a bit of warranty.
DON'T DO IT
Do it! good price especially for the kms.
I bought a 1999 Honda Civic GLi with 64,000kms, one owner not long ago as a daily driver. The car will last you forever.
Spare parts are easy to come by.
Lets see, spend 3k on a:
Getz/Micra K12/other early 2010s hatchbacks: no issues, maybe once a year tighten the aircon belt (as uses a chain for everything else).
Or
Civic: most likely get 2-3k of work flagged that needs to done if you take it to automasters.
^^^ I 2nd that.
Get a mechanic to inspect it, if it checks out with no major repairs necessary, then go for it.
In the end, the most you'll lose is $3k.
On some high end SUV's, that's just the cost of new tyres all round. 😅
Personally, I'll spend closer to $10k on something newer and in the medium size category, in a wagon/hatch/SUV body.
More practical, that's all.
Edit: I did my learning in an early 90's Civic.
Think it had a CD player…
Please get a GLi or VTi, those things without ABS was sketchy as fk when I had mine new (probably those Goodyear GA Rally 14" hoops didn't help).
compared to what? what other cars you found