1987 4Dr hatch
Its got original 150k miles and the replaced AT done only 10k.
It only does around 3k miles/yr. Original paint in good shape. Nock the wood. It was well maintained.
It has a lot of practical use but its old. If anything I want to do, would be Struts.
Would it be a wise investment and to keep it?
I am debating about this car - whether or not to keep it. If I were to keep it, I wish to spend some money on it - do some preventive maintenance.
If you like it, the interior is in good shape, and the body is rust free then get the struts.
You neglected to tell us it was stolen and recovered.
Isn’t that true?
At only 150K miles, yes, replacing the struts is not money wasted.
Investment? I fail to see how you can look at it that way.
It’s a 4-door with an automatic. It will never be collectible.
That doesn’t mean it’s not a reliable car. Just don’t think you’re going to make money on it.
Do you have the dollars for a new car? If so, get one. Life is too short to waste it saving money when you no longer must do that. Beside that, if you don’t spend the money, your heirs will and they might buy a new car. Might as well be yours.
I once wondered if I want to convert it into an electric car - electric integra! Again AT is not desirable for such a conversion - but it might change.
It was recovered (a year ago) and repaired - we’ve been using it regularly.
You are actually averaging 6,500 miles per year, but I guess the majority of the miles were front loaded. I think you drive this car less miles each year.
As long as you can get shops to repair this car, keep it on the road. If you can buy new struts, replace them.
But in all fairness, this is not a very safe car. This is maybe a car best suited for a young or better yet a middle aged adult. I would hate to see a young teenager in a car like this, or a senior citizen.
Safety was a concern to me that I wanted to do the struts. I am hoping once the struts are done, safety should be fine.
I’d say keep it. At 3k miles a year it should last an eternity and that’s a better option that flushing interest money down the toilet with car payments.
The one big issue is the timing belt/water pump/tensioners job. If that has never been done then you’re one of the luckiest people on Earth.
A broken belt will ruin, at a minimum, the engine’s top end when it bends valves and nicks pistons.
Thanks all;
A question based on what kizwiki said - safety - what made kizwiki to be concerned about the safety? Does all old cars become unsafe - why?
I did feel less safe due to the oem suspension - I believe.
I appreciate your comments. Thanks.
Another think I like on this car is that it doesn’t look fragile compared to say generation 3 integra or newer cars - in case of an impact/accident.
Why this is the case? Why they changed the design like that? We used to have bumpers and now they are integrated with the body … and it goes on.
Just about anything on a car has Federal regulation behind it and this includes bumpers, or fascias as the case may be.
Those are just one of thousands of Federal gov. regulations that are behind things like this. The angle of the windshield, the size and light ouput of the taillamps, windshield wipers, you name it and there’s a regulation for it.
If I were to hate 2 other things:
- Rear indicator lights in red instead of orange - you have to pay extra attention to decide whether the driver in front of you is not just tapping on the brakes - American cars started it and then the Japanese followed it (they do it all the time)
- If I take the 1st gen Integra - the ones that are made for other countries (eg Austr) has a indicator on both of the front fender - gen 1 Integra never had it in the US - some newer cars put that on the back of the mirror making it complicated as those mirrors easily get damaged.
my 2 cents.
I cannot speak for anyone else, but “unsafe” probably means you don’t have airbags, antilock brakes, stability control, etc. which modern cars now have. My daily driver is a 93 Festiva and I hear that all the time. Life is a risk/reward tradeoff. You have to weigh your chances of having an accident severe enough to require the assistance of these systems against the freedom that comes from not being beholden to a finance company.
Of course a car is not an investment. It is only an “investment” in respect to the money you can save by not buying a new one, and what other things you could use that money for.
Wha Who? makes an excellent point, but it all depends on where you are in life. I’d rather pay off my house and retire early than drive a shiny new car, but if everything is paid for and you have the money, go for it.
I agree with you regarding cars no longer having bumpers. If you get bumped in a parking lot and the airbag deploys, you’re looking at $3000 for the so-called bumper and $3000+ for the airbags. If the car is more than a couple of years old, this could well total the car.
The more I read about these gadget and feature laden new cars, the more I like my 17 year old heap. But you’ll probably run into the same problem I now have, finding the correct parts to keep the vehicle going. It is good if you have a mechanic who knows how to improvise.
And at one time when cars had real bumpers it was pretty easy to bump start the manual transmission models with a weak battery by giving them a shove with another vehicle, or even with the aid of a few friends who had strong backs.
I think he means safety in a wreck. A lot has changed in the 23 years since this car was made.
Wasn’t this car stolen and wrecked before, by the guys who stole it? Also, isn’t this your very first car you ever got?
If this is a 2nd car, do what you want. If it’s your primary car, I’d consider looking for a newer vehicle.
I can understand not wanting to part with a car that’s served you so well for so long, but there does come a time when it has to happen. I had my Civic for 8 years(Halloween '01 until June '10) and didn’t really want to part with it, especially since I had kept most of my other cars for only a year or two before it. However, when I moved recently, I knew I was going to need a different vehicle as the Civic just sits too low tot he ground, and it was getting more and more difficult getting in and out for me. Plus, some of the streets around here don’t get plowed much, so more ground clearance is needed for winter.