ABOUT TO BUY A 2009 CIVIC SI, SEEKING FOR ADVICES!

[kenh1991]

Hi, Everyone!
I'm new to this forum and actually this is my first time posting in here. I'm about to buy a used 2009 honda civic si with 110k miles, 2 owners. I never owned the sport car before (I'm not sure if the civic si's considering a sport car but it looks pretty neat for me lol). I got rid of my 2008 nissan rogue and honestly I was looking for the honda accord like my girlfriend. But I came across an ad on craiglist and found this civic, it looks really clean. The seller claimed that he bought it completely stock from the older lady and just performed some mod on the exterior like skunk 2 catback, skunk 2 coilovers, 17'' sparco wheels with bfg performance tires, and thats it. Other small things like tined window, led interior lights and hid headlights. He told me that he only put the short ram intake and it was flashed tune (I have no idea what this is) but he removed it before putting it on sale. I talked to him and he seems like really nice and honest guy. He told me that he worked at honda dealership and the car has always been taken care by that dealership and he told me if I bought the car, he could pull the complete maintenance records since he owned the car. Everything looks legit for me. The car looks extremely clean because it just got repaint ( he told me that there was sth wrong with this particular model and honda offers to repaint the hood for free). I could buy it for around 7000 and i think its really good price. So what should I look for while test drive the car? If everything is good would I be able to make at least 160k miles out of it? Please give me your opinion, I really appreciate it.

 

[Osiris19]

Wow. 7k for an 09 si? That's extrmeely cheap. I bought my 09 with 70k miles on it for 10k. Seems like its pretty decent from you description. I'm not a fan of skunk2 coils at all, or their catbacks. Do you have the ad by any chance?

Also, I would advise putting the stock bulbs back in the headlights. These cars have reflector housings, which blind everybody when you use hids. You can get brighter halogen bulbs that will be better for these headlights. Also, not a fan of short ram intakes as well. All they do is suck in hot air, which isn't ideal for the engine. It'll still run fine, but you won't see any power gains, just noise.

As for the "flash tune", its quite possible he may have had something called Hondata FlashPro. It's a module that plugs into the OBD-II connector and allows you to change ECU parameters from a laptop. You can load tunes right onto the ECU from it, and easily remove them back to stock like that.

If you go to test drive it, listen for any clunks or noises coming from the suspension. The bushings tend to make noise if its been through some winters or it could be the shocks from being lowered. Honestly, just listen and feel the car. Make sure the clutch feels right, make sure the engine doesn't hesitate and the trans feels smooth. 8th gen Si's are pretty notorious for a notchy shift so when driving it, really get a chance to feel the shifter.

Other than that, I say go for it. They're great cars, decent on gas, lots of potentional to become really quick. Just a heads up though, they're a pain in the ass to work on lol.

Here's mine.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[kenh1991]

Wow. 7k for an 09 si? That's extrmeely cheap. I bought my 09 with 70k miles on it for 10k. Seems like its pretty decent from you description. I'm not a fan of skunk2 coils at all, or their catbacks. Do you have the ad by any chance?

Also, I would advise putting the stock bulbs back in the headlights. These cars have reflector housings, which blind everybody when you use hids. You can get brighter halogen bulbs that will be better for these headlights. Also, not a fan of short ram intakes as well. All they do is suck in hot air, which isn't ideal for the engine. It'll still run fine, but you won't see any power gains, just noise.

As for the "flash tune", its quite possible he may have had something called Hondata FlashPro. It's a module that plugs into the OBD-II connector and allows you to change ECU parameters from a laptop. You can load tunes right onto the ECU from it, and easily remove them back to stock like that.

If you go to test drive it, listen for any clunks or noises coming from the suspension. The bushings tend to make noise if its been through some winters or it could be the shocks from being lowered. Honestly, just listen and feel the car. Make sure the clutch feels right, make sure the engine doesn't hesitate and the trans feels smooth. 8th gen Si's are pretty notorious for a notchy shift so when driving it, really get a chance to feel the shifter.

Other than that, I say go for it. They're great cars, decent on gas, lots of potentional to become really quick. Just a heads up though, they're a pain in the ass to work on lol.

Here's mine.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Hi, thanks for your useful advices. Honestly, the seller still keep most the original parts except the exhaust and shocks. I will take your advise against keeping the short air intake as my friend told me it's not helping to gain any power but noise. I really want to buy a stock car like you so I could gradually add things into it but this deal is too good to pass thats why I think I'd give it a try. I mainly drive an automatic car and barely had a chance to drive car with manual but I think I should be fine. The seller already deleted his ad because we're agreed to meet up this week to close the deal, but if I got the car, I'll take the pictures and post them up for you.
P/s: your car looks awesome, I love that color!

 

[Osiris19]

Yeah it's nice having a stock unmolested platform to start with. I got this from a good friend of mine and its been well taken care of. Thanks though, I love the color too haha!

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[kenh1991]

Yeah it's nice having a stock unmolested platform to start with. I got this from a good friend of mine and its been well taken care of. Thanks though, I love the color too haha!

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

The only concern is should I restock the shocks and springs? I never ever driving a car which being lowered before and just like you, I'm living in PA and the winter is pretty brutal here.

 

[Osiris19]

I would put it back to stock. Driving low in the winter sucks. Especially here in PA. What part are you from?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[kenh1991]

I would put it back to stock. Driving low in the winter sucks. Especially here in PA. What part are you from?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Yeah, I was thinking the same. I live in Williamsport, PA. I don't know if the skunk 2 suspension kit that the seller put on it could be adjustable, if it could it wouldn't too bad, right?

 

[Osiris19]

I actually just graduated from Penn College up there in may. I'll be up a few times this year to visit my friends. I live in Allentown. I just don't like skunk 2. Never thought they rode good at all.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[kenh1991]

I actually just graduated from Penn College up there in may. I'll be up a few times this year to visit my friends. I live in Allentown. I just don't like skunk 2. Never thought they rode good at all.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Oh really? my sister's going to Penn College, it was a good college for technology and mechanics. If you're up here around thanksgiving or winter break, hit me up, we should hang out a lil bit lol. I just sent you a pm!

 

[Osiris19]

Yeah it was s good school. I went for automotive. Expensive though.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[XpL0d3r]

It must be something about that area where cars go for cheap.. I took a train down that way to get my RSX and drove it back up here to Rochester.

Post the craigslist article so we can see the car, it might help since you're seeking advice :thumbsup

And Welcome to ClubCivic!

 

[RaYrAy]

Sounds like really good deal! Honda's are built to last, even with basic maintenance. 160k should be no prob at all. To put it in perspective, i bought my '07 brand new that same year, had 4 miles on it when i drive it off the lot. Im now at 178k (ya i drive a lot) and she still purrs like the day i took her home. ZERO major issues. Aside from regular maintenance and a 100k tune up, the only other thing i has to replace was my clutch last year around 168k.

In for pics, and welcome to the family!

 

[Dominick]

Osiris19 covered pretty much everything you need to look for.

I owned an 8th gen Si as well, and I researched what to look for ahead of time as well.

Being that the car has already been "tampered with," definitely check for creaks, bumps, and durability of the suspension parts. Fun fact, there is a factory recall/warranty on all 8th gen civics about the paint, so no need to worry about why it was repainted. The other big thing that 8th gens are known for is having a tough gearbox. I'd recommend a change/check of the transmission fluid and see if it's been maintained. Other than that, if the guy says he works at Honda, have him show you the records of everything he has done.

Other than that......7k is a steal!