1999 Civic EX

[InvalidUserID]

Hi all,

Just agreed to purchase a used 1999 Civic EX coupe. Original owner, 108,XXX miles, automatic and no accidents. Agreed to buy it for right around KBB "good condition". I bought it to be my commuter car M-F and use my Camaro on the weekends.

The owner has all the receipts from the local Honda dealership for the major scheduled maintenance (50k, 75k,& 100k) and the water pump and timing belt were just replaced less than 10k ago. Just passed CA smog test, new tires, few dings, yada yada.

I don't know much about these cars and I found a similar post but it was for a DX (different engine than the EX) so if anyone has any helpful info for me, I'd appreciate it. Anything to look for, tips, etc...

Thanks all!

 

[Brogy]

Sounds like it should be a good car, how much did you pay for it?

 

[ThirdeYe]

If it has the rubber strips on the wheel wells on the rear quarter panels, remove them. They'll trap moisture, dirt, salt, etc. and potentially cause rust (as it did on my car, even though it's always been babied).

 

[InvalidUserID]

Thanks for the tip ThirdeYe.

We agreed on $6,500. KBB for "good" is $6,855.

There were the same cars out there that were cheaper but I felt it was the best available (one owner, recent maintenance on belt/pump, new tires, general condition, etc).

Only thing in between is a compression test.

 

[Mokanic]

Keep the valves adjusted;the oil changed;and the transmission serviced and you are on your way to 300K before major repairs start showing up.

 

[Dave Hess]

My wife had a 1998 Civic EX and I must say it was a GREAT car. We gave the car to my nephew and with 170K miles....it still gets 39 MPG on the highway. These are some tips to keep your Civic purring like a kitten for another 100K miles.


1. Inspect the Cap & Rotor, plugs, SP wires
2. Change the ATF fluid
3. Use NGK V-Power plugs
4. Change the air and fuel filter
5. Inspect exhaust manifold for cracks (the 1996-2000 Civics tend to develop cracks around 100K miles)
6. Remove the Idle Air Control (IAC) and clean the wire mesh screen with a flat edge screw driver as they tend to get clogged up with grime.
7. Remove the throtle body and clean the grime off with a rag
8. If you want to use an 'oversized' oil filter - Use the Purolator L-20073 or L-24458 filter
9. Change the PCV valve, its located under the intake manifold next to the oil filter.

 

[Dave Hess]

BTW,

If you get a Check Engine light for the Oxygen Sensor and you clear the code and it keeps coming back a few days later...

theres a very good chance that the 02 sensor is still good, but the exhaust manifold has very small cracks

 

[InvalidUserID]

Very nice...thanks for the advice.