2002 Civic vs 1995 Geo Prizm

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Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Another vote for the Geo.

The Civic with a rebuilt head at that mileage will start burning/using oil like it's going out of style.

Will they be checking the oil often and keep it topped off ?


+1, had an 03 Civic LX. Based on description, would definitely go for GEO.
 
Price is relative/subjective and it depends on area and all, but Civic owner is asking decent money for such a high mileage vehicle.
 
I'd choose the Geo but I'd be worried that the ATF is red on the Geo. Is it red because it's been maintained or red because there's a leak and the ATF is being topped off frequently.

Just remember that no good deed goes unpunished.
 
IIRC the Geo has two drains on the trans, one for trans and one for diff. Just in case you get the bug to change fluids.

Maybe it does have an ATF leak. If it's not too large, does it matter? If it does get bad, what's the cost to swap out trans?

I suspect TB will be more than $300. My 5S-FE was $200 in quality parts plus 8 hours of my time--on the cheap it could be $100 in parts and 4 hours at a real shop?

If the Geo has the 3AT... well beggars can't be choosy. 3 or 4 gears, they are still pretty dependable.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
That year Civic doesn't have a good reputation with the transmission.


It has a bad reputation for pretty much everything on the car.

-transmissions
-power steering pumps
-alternators
-front struts
etc etc etc etc
 
It seems odd with the Civic that they would dump all that money into it and then sell it, if it was in good working condition. Something else expensive is probably wrong with it. The GEO sounds better and once you have it, you can do some research on what the original belt was, and see if its actually got a replacement.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
It seems odd with the Civic that they would dump all that money into it and then sell it, if it was in good working condition. Something else expensive is probably wrong with it. The GEO sounds better and once you have it, you can do some research on what the original belt was, and see if its actually got a replacement.


Straw that broke the camel's back? See the story once in a while. After a string of repairs the owner has had enough, fears the next one to come down the pike. Sometimes it's a wise choice, sometimes not.

But I'd avoid this Civic. Could be a great car, could be waiting for the next repair. My money is on it not being good. We had an '01 Civic and it needed constant A/C repairs and just seemed to have more problems than what the brand would have led us to believe, back in those days.
 
Prism

I have a 94 prism with 160K miles. Only major work I had was got distributor replaced around 110-120K in 2006/2007. Havent done anything since then other than oil every 3-4k, coolant drain annually, 1-2 starter replacement, battery every 3-4 yrs. Car rattles and is noisy and feels/sounds like its gonna fly apart at 65 mph but its been reliable
 
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