As for price, there are so many variables that go into it (age, mileage, condition, accident history, repair history, maintenance history, etc) that it’d be impossible for us to give you a firm price without actually knowing about the specific Civic you’ve found.
Best advice: Learn what the going rate is by checking edmunds.com and kbb.com, and then when you find a car you’re ready to buy, take it to an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection.
The Civic Si is a good choice btw. Solid but fun to drive.
Try one out and see how it goes for you. You may find yourself liking the hatchback style.
Though, there are rumors of a Speed 2, which should be a little smaller, and thus, easier to park.
I have an 87 Corolla, same deal, a gift from a sibling who was told the same thing about the frame as you were told. My mechanic told me the car was solid and gave me a punch-list to pass inspection. It took me two weeks to get the car into shape, and during that time I inspected the frame myself. There were soft spots in the floorboards. These I cleared out replaced. There was no rust or damage or weakness in the frame.
The body can absolutely rust on your car but the frame is probably solid. If it is not, it doesn’t matter if you weld reinforements in or not. I’d agree with shadowfax that the car is beyond repair at that point.
The Celica is well done move on given rust. It cannot be fixed properly.
A Miata is fine and they are available with an extra hard top for the winter month’s. I would buy one used not new.
With regards to not great in snow. Neither is a a 1981 RWD celica. So it will be little difference. A decent set of winter biased all-seasons(research) will alleviate much of that issue.
Maybe the Celica can be saved, Rusted frames were an issue with these era Toyota’s and are often the cause of their “final drive”. Without seeing that damage to the frame, no one here can determine whether or not this vehicle is salvageable or not.
There are certain points that are critical, that if rust damage is too great, the cost to fix would be way too high, and it would never be safe as a daily drive, but if the car had show value, then it could be worth doing. There is another place that can kill these cars, and it doesn’t necessarily involve rust and that is where the lower control arm mounts to the frame. A lot of Toyota’s of this vintage use a pyramidal piece of sheet metal pointing down and outward from the inner fender well to the lower control arm bushing. The inner fender well eventually develops cracks from the stress and the front end becomes wobbly. There doesn’t seem to be an effective fix for this.
Before you make a decision, you should get an estimate from a restorer with a good reputation who will not only reinforce the frame properly, but provide some rust resistance to the frame. I say resistance because there is no rust proofing, rust will always attack and eventually get through. Constant vigilance is your only defense.
After you get an estimate, then determine if it is worth it.
That sounds like good advice. I would estimate that up to $1500 would be reasonable to do all the work including the welding, brakework on the front and fixing the airconditioner. I haven’t put in any money into the car over the past year except for new tires and a battery. The mechanic’s concern was not that the car would collapse at this point but that if I were in an accident the frame would break. My insurance would go up $900 to $1000 a year for a new or recent used car if I added on collision and comprehensive. Restoring might be worth it.
I’ve used rustoleum rust reformer and I’ve found that to be very effective in treating rust.
Rust never sleeps. Repairing rust on an '81 will likely be much more than it’s worth. These don’t have a ‘frame’, they are unit construction, so the repairs are more extensive and more expensive. Sure, have somebody good give it a look, but I’d always be concerned. This is not a safe car compared to new cars in an accident without any rust, and we know it has been compromised. And ‘rust reformer’ slows additional damage, does nothing to repair damage already done.
I had the mechanic look it over again. He said the frame is good but the floor panel’s need to be reinforced which a his welder would charge about $125 for each side. The list of things that should be taken care of now include the rear shocks,pinion seal, central shaft bearing, rear transmission seal, oil pressure switch, oil pan gasket trailing arm which would all run for $1500. He also said I should in the near future do the timing cover seal and as long as I’m doing that the chain which would run around $1200 to make everything clean so it seems within reason. I could also get the rear quarter panels rebuilt for around $1200.
It seems like a reasonable option. I had the shocks replaced about 2 to three years ago and now one is busted and I hadn’t noticed. It’s crazy how bad the roads are.
I had the mechanic look it over again. He said the frame is good but the floor panel’s need to be reinforced which a his welder would charge about $125 for each side. The list of things that should be taken care of now include the rear shocks,pinion seal, central shaft bearing, rear transmission seal, oil pressure switch, oil pan gasket trailing arm which would all run for $1500. He also said I should in the near future do the timing cover seal and as long as I’m doing that the chain which would run around $1200 to make everything clean so it seems within reason. I could also get the rear quarter panels rebuilt for around $1200.
It seems like a reasonable option. I had the shocks replaced about 2 to three years ago and now one is busted and I hadn’t noticed. It’s crazy how bad the roads are.
A decent body shop/mechanic can tell you if the “frame” repairs are doable, reasonable (price-wise) and safe. Not really a frame under most cars anymore. It’s hard to see the condition of your car from here (joking!), but my experience is somewhat similar. My old '89 Accord has over 525,000 miles on it and just keeps going. Once a year I ask my friend/mechanic to put it on the rack to look at the undercarriage. I fix what I can handle and have not had to go the route you have suggested you are faced with (yet). I anticipate a few reinforcements here and there on areas that are rusting and I trust my friend/mechanic to be objective about it when he looks at it with me. He has an almost identical '89 in his parts yard behind his shop which the owner retired for the very same reason. I crawled underneath and looked at the rust damage and it is similar (but way more advanced) to mine. For the money quoted to you, I’d do it. But then look at me, I still drive my '89. One thing though . . . have your mechanic take a look at other safety stuff . . . my suspension and brake system has had a thorough going over and it needed it. Safety first. Rocketman
Update - Just bought a 2008 Honda Civic EX coupe, rallye red, NAVI 34k miles Honda certified to replace my 81 Celica. Should be able pick it up next week after the check clears. One last week with my Celica before I have to let it go.