Hey guys this will be my second post. Last post was about a car I wanted to purchase I got some good feedback which I ended not buying.
So now here I am I currently found a 2005 Honda Civic EX with 25,000 miles I did a Carfax, autocheck, and a title check by a .gov approved site everything came out good, clean title no odometer rollback, although one accident came out in 2008 but it was labeled as minor on all reports. All service has been documented on the reports and the car has been for all it’s time a local car. So I do like the vehicle I’m a college student on a budget. I do not travel far farthest would be 20 miles.
So here I am asking for advice. Would a 2005 Honda Civic with 25k miles be worth buying? It’s selling for $5,000 and my budget is $7,000 would you guys be kind enough to give me your opinions or experience owning an older model Honda. Thank you here is one image of the vehicle.
Get it inspected and decide from there. I am always suspicious of an old model car with only a few miles. For that matter it could have been in a lake for the last 8 years
Edit: you might also want to find out how long it has been for sale. Under normal circumstances this car should have sold within hours. Days or weeks it’s a dead giveaway that something is very wrong.
I would wonder if a vehicle of this age and really low miles has even had any of the scheduled service done. Just buy it and hope for the best , used vehicles are a gamble anyway .
If this car has had more that a couple of owners, like 5 or 6, run away! A 5 owner, low mileage car screams “problem child” loud and clear to me. That old with that few miles with 1 or 2 owners (sometimes the leasing co.) says “grandma car” loud and clear.
It does appear to be a good deal IF and only IF a mechanic gives it a thumbs up after inspection. It is below your budget and as such leaves money for repairs. Like 2 oil changes closer together than normal.
Get it inspected, Check on timing belt age, a mechanic can tell you if it needs tires or brakes, and any other routine maintenance that might be advised.
The 2L doesn’t have a timing belt. Drive it and if you like it, pay a mechanic you trust for a prepurchase inspection. If everything checks out, make an offer based on what it needs. The mechanic can give you a list of items and an estimate. Subtract that from the asking price.
On average, this car has been driven less than 1,800 miles per year, and–unfortunately–a HUGE percentage of car owners choose to maintain their low-usage cars on the basis of odometer mileage instead of maintaining them on the basis of elapsed time. If you can verify that the oil was changed at least once per year, then this car is probably worth having an inspection done by your mechanic.
On the other hand, if the previous owner(s) chose to maintain the car on the basis of odometer mileage, then the car might have only had its oil changed every 2-3 years, and that means BIG trouble ahead for you. Look very carefully at all of the maintenance documentation to verify that the oil was changed at least once per year. If not… RUN away.
Also… I hope you can verify that the brake fluid has been flushed at least 3 times. If not, then the brake hydraulic system is likely contaminated with water, and brake failure is on the horizon.
I’d take a gamble on it if it drives ok. Kind of odd that it has such low miles, but if it is a one or two owner car and an extended test drive checks out, I’d buy it and change every fluid and filter that exists on the car, and then hope for the best.
This a tough one. I agree with kurtwm 1 a car like this should have sold in hours. There should have beeen a cloud of dust around the car from people fighting on who was here first. You have to get someone who really knows about cars to give it a thorough going over. Take the valve covers off,if owner won’t allow it deals off. Look under the whole bottom of the car, dented like it landed on something, bent, crushed, a lot of RUST like it’s been sitting in a flood, corrosion from salt. Look under the seats, rust or dampness when you pull the rug up a bit. Check the trunk and look at the spare, pull it up and take a look under it. Check the oil, start it up and see what’s coming out of the tailpipe, unusual sounds, clatter. Drive it, straight then tight circles. Brakes, quiet, brakes well, not spongy, maintains pressure under foot. Trans, auto check fluid, manual, may need a clutch. Good Luck
Hey guys so I did a little more digging. The car has been kept in a real well condition. I went to the car dealership where it was maintained by the prior owner.
Since 2005 the vehicle has been serviced. The owner took really good care of it. Even though the car has extremely low miles for its age the owner every year changed the oil did its scheduled maintenance. It even has a timing belt changed two years ago, brake pads changed last year, trans line changed last year. I think I’m going to buy it today before it’s sold. It’s been out on the market when I made this post.
I don’t know too many people that would allow some schmoe coming to look at a car they have for sale and allowing something like this. First, it isn’t like the good old days when removing valve cover(s) was a simple exercise. Secondly, without replacing the gasket(s) there’s a good chance they will leak when put back together. And thirdly, I’m not letting some person of unknown skills potentially damage my car unless they have an ownership stake in it. What if you snap off a bolt and then just walk away? You can look at anything and drive it around (with me in it) but you’re not doing any dis-assembly…
So I just purchased the vehicle about an hour ago. I will be posting some pictures of it and if i possible can I’ll post a video on this thread. The car runs absolutely fine drove it about 50 miles no rattling, no vibration, temperature gauge stayed below the middle, it did not vibrate, transmission responded very well. everything for the first highway run was good. I’m happy with my purchase. Yes I know it’s not a new car or anything like that but I’m just appreciative to have a good car that was kept up to schedule and with low miles. Besides that I’ve always liked the 7th generation Honda civics
