Mileage you wouldn't touch in a used 6th Gen

[MP1975]

Hi All ,

Long / short .... Picked up a 96 Honda Civic EX 2 months ago 150k, $1,200.00, Pristine inside 9 out of 10 outside and looks like it's been taking care of, 1 non smoking owner. Car is used for work, great gas mileage.

Looking for one for my daughter, at what mileage would you not even consider buying one. Just so this does not grow arms and legs, with the following criteria ; 6th Gen, 1,200 to 1,500 dollar range, 8/10 inside and out, fairly well taken care of.

I pretty much have a 150k cut off, no real reason, given what mileage these cars can get when taken care of is pushing that up to 180k to risky ? Do these cars have a "AREA" in mileage where you can count on things going wrong.

Anything will help.
Thanks in Advance,
MP.

 

[Wreckless Hype]

I bought a 2000 with 178k miles, runs fantastic, was cared for by an older IT professional.

To me, mileage is far less important when compared to WHO you are buying from and what kind of maintenance records it has / VIN history.

I was handed a fat folder of maintenance records, I skimmed through them and they all looked good. VIN history shows consistent mileage, regular maintenance, and also the body was in immaculate shape except for a small rust spot that is totally normal.

Point is, I would buy a car with 200k miles from someone who has maintenance records and can recall getting major maintenance like timing belts, etc. I would pass on a car with 80k miles if the kid can't put together a legible sentence and it looks ill taken care of inside or out with mismatched parts.

Should somewhat be common sense. If regular maintenance has been followed, as per Honda manual, you should be good to go.

 

[MP1975]

The maint. only gets included on the Vin if it's done at the dealers, is that correct ? New to this used car buying and never really believed in going to a dealer for really anything. I find them over priced etc etc. Everyone's opinion is different so to each their own. There are also many who do most maint on their own.

Your points are all well taken, and lol common sense does play. At my age, 54, when you hear 150k 180k on a car your mind is thinking...graveyard soon. Never really into cars so your opinion is very much appreciated.

 

[Wreckless Hype]

My gf has an 03 Mustang GT with 160k miles and it runs incredibly. Her sister blew up an 01 Jetta at 95k. When I see how it runs (or had ran) and it's mileage, I kind of just put 2 and 2 together and look around for signs of care.

By VIN, I mean yea, mostly dealer maintenance if any, but it also shows how many people owned it, where it's been, any accidents, etc.

If it changes hands a lot, why is this? If it's been in high salt areas, what kind of rust, etc are you dealing with here? Any accident, what was replaced and what is being hidden?

I bought a 95 DX with 150k miles. I knew it was a NJ car and it was in an accident. I was the 4th owner. 4 owners for a car in an accident isn't awful. NJ told me it was going to have seen some salt over 19 years. So I didn't expect much from the car and I knew it was going to have some qwerks. The seller was honest, or at least seemed to be, said it was fixed so it was straight and safe, the SRS light was on and he didn't know why, and also the timing belt hadn't been changed. He didn't have any records for it and was unsure how it was kept.

In the time I got this car to 200k miles (it had done so like a champ), I found the timing belt was in rough shape and the oil was not changed regularly before me. I sold the car to find something a little lower maintenance. It's hard to tell when someone doesn't have any records or knowledge of the car. I took the risk because I was desperate for a car at that time and it ended up working for me for 2 years. If someone doesn't know, you're taking a big risk when you don't know exactly what to look for.

Also, just taking into consideration the age here, the YOUNGEST 6th gen is 14 yrs old, and if you figure a low 12k per year, you're already at 168k. That's just going by newst 6th gen driven national average.

 

[MP1975]

Thats kinda why I'm taking my time and gathering as much info as I can. Not really rushed but would like to get my daughter out of the car she's driving now, 11 MPG, into something that saves her big on gas. Besides she fell in love with my Honda. May even come to me giving her mine and me taking what I can find. Which is also a good thing. Unfortunately this seller left no contact info.

http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/4580938146.html

 

[Wreckless Hype]

Doesn't look like a bad find. As long as there's not apparent issues with the transmission when driving it and no problem with the motor knocking or running rough, or signs of oil in the bay. Not sure why that thing has to see 90mph, I'd be curious of that heh. Seems pretty standard for a used Civic though.

 

[cgpEJ6]

Well the timing belt is supposed to be changed at 90-100k meaning it should be changed again at 180-200k. That's one thing to consider when determining value because it can be an expensive job if you don't do it yourself.

 

[MP1975]

The thing I liked most about this car......You see no white clips in the rear ! Every other one I have looked at , even less miles, you see those white clips. Not sure what it means but it stuck out. Indiana have such great streets there are no bumps ? Flip side / not seeing pictures of the engine.....BAD.

The timing belt mileage change is a big help ......... Once they have a way to reply my third question after engine and tranny.