# Purchase of 98 Civic with Low Miles **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 20, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709 "2009-05-20T00:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@Barned](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barned)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/1 "2009-05-20T00:25:22Z")
I am considering purchasing at below KBB value a 98 Civic 4 door with about 30,000 miles. It’s always been garaged but sitting for past year (driven just a few times). Only regular maintenance and oil changges have been done over the years. Am I looking at a headache or a great deal? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/2 "2009-05-20T00:45:04Z")
I vote for Great Deal. If you don’t want this car please tell me where it is so I can buy it. I’m not kidding. If you buy this car, make an appointment with your Honda mechanic to have the timing belt replaced ASAP. This is critical. I you gamble on the timing belt you will lose. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/3 "2009-05-20T13:18:11Z")
Sounds like a great deal. Agree with mcparadise about replacing the timing belt right away. Other fluids are old and likely need replacing too, coolant, brake fluid, trans fluid, etc. Change the fluids and perhaps new tires and you are almost as good as new. The '98 Civic is a very solid car. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/4 "2009-05-20T16:41:32Z")
I could not agree more! This is a solid little car and with the low miles, after timing belt and fluid changes, it will be great, with a lot of life left in it. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/5 "2009-05-21T00:05:10Z")
It’s still a 12 year old car and age can be rough on things as well as mileage. (tires, drive belts, timing belt, water pump, various seals, brake hydraulics, etc. are all affected by age) So how much are they asking for it would be the critical question in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/6 "2009-05-21T14:54:11Z")
I concur. Even though odometer is 30k I would still consider it the equivalent of 100k miles given 12yrs old. You have no idea how it was really driven. Usually ultra low mile cars have a hard life due to very short trips and not getting warmed up. Hopefully the condition is exceptional or the price. I personally would not dive into any 12 year car as a daily driver whatever the badge. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/purchase-of-98-civic-with-low-miles/30709/7 "2009-05-21T16:09:28Z")
What’s wrong with a 12 year old car? My cars are 12 and 13 years old and in perfect operating condition. People use even older cars as daily drivers all the time. I hope to get many more years use from my cars.