Check the fucking sticky.

>>14087436
I did, that's where I got the idea to look for a focus :)

I'm asking for your opinion on this specific car, I want second opinions. I'm going to check it out tomorrow, I wanna know if what you guys see on the listing seems good and if the price he's asking is reasonable or if I should be able to knock it down a couple hundred.

>>14087432
Holy high mileage batman. I got one with 95000 miles for $1.8k (and it still had problems everywhere).
Check for rust in the spare wheel well.
Check for water and rust in the passenger side footwell.
Check if the power windows go smoothly or if they appear to struggle.
Check if it idles smoothly with air, lights and heaters on.

Could go either way. The car has the potential to be reliable for a long time, but if it's been beaten, it'll show. Probably around 1500 miles after you bought it.

>>14087432
>These cars go well over 300,000 miles because it has a V-tec engine
They fall apart at 200k, they don't have VTEC engines (that's a Honda term), and variable valve timing has nothing to do with longevity.

>>14087464
>>14087460
Thank you, this is exactly why I didn't just stop at the sticky and blindly buy this car.

This is my first time buying a car, don't wanna get fucked.

http://stockton.craigslist.org/cto/5368560089.html

thoughts on this as well? Pretty much need a car asap so I'm weighing out all my options

>>14087503
op here, my main concern with civics is that i've known a couple of people who've invested in cars with modified odometers and such. any way i can see if its been tampered with?

also, what can i expect in terms of upkeep?

>>14087503
>>14087510
also, i'm concerned this one is a little bit overpriced..

>>14087510
>>14087522
You can post the VIN in a VIN thread here. It'll show the car's history and help see if the odometer has been tampered with.
You can also only buy cars with a complete service history (but if the seller rolled back the odo he'll just not show you any receipts that don't match).

Best bet IMO is to:
>look at the overall condition of a car. If the hubcaps are chewed to shit, it's not gonna be well-serviced in other places
>take into account the seller himself. Poor people's cars are in worse shape.
>find out as much as you can about the car before you look at it. This way you know what to look for.
>budget in at least $1k to fix things that pop up in the first year, on top of registration, tax, etc.
>ideally, drive the car to a shop and have them look over it for you before you buy it. In my case that took 15 minutes, cost 15 bucks, and I wish I had done it before I bought the car :^)
>if you got a hunch that something's wrong, walk away.

>>14087510
>what can i expect in terms of upkeep?
You can calculate gas and tax on your own.
For repairs/maintenance, $50-200 a month, depending on luck, model, condition, and your own confidence in wrenching.

>>14087503
So I just went out and looked at this car, test drived it. It doesn't seem to be leaking anything, no check engine light.

Only thing I found to be suspicious is that the mileage is low for someone who used it as a commuter, and also when driving it on the freeway it was loud. He attributed it the intake he put in. He took out the stock one and put a new one in. Thoughts on that? Also, within the town, the steering wheel vibrated a bit and while on the highway it would shake mildly. Is that a valid concern or is that something expected out of a 20 year old car?

>>14088770
Don't "expect" faults in a car you buy.
It's not supposed to shake. If it does, something's fucked and needs replacing.
If you have the time, test drive another Civic to compare. IMO, $3k is too much for a 136k mile car that feels wrong on a test drive.

>>14088770
>and also when driving it on the freeway it was loud.
That's normal for a Civic, they have shit for sound deadening.

>>14088770
Don't buy a Civic. I worked on one in school, they're junk

>>14087432
thats way to much for the amount of miles.
the rear sub frame rust on them so look for that if your actually interested.

http://stockton.craigslist.org/cto/5362416157.html

>>14090146
If your in Cali look for a pzev focus from '03-'04. They have the Duratec 2.3L and it's a much better engine than the Zetec.

>>14088770
Steering wheel vibrations sounds like it just needs a wheel balancing. Pretty cheap fix.