Value of a clean 88 DX?

Billy.

Has returned ;-)
Registered VIP
Registered OG
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
I'm about to pick up a '88 DX 5 speed the next town over. The guy is asking $1400. Mileage is mostly unknown after an engine replacement "a few years ago". Overall exterior condition is 8/10. Completely stock, wheels and all. He says it runs great, no "major issues", and only set it aside because he bought a pickup that he daily's. I've been out of the civic game for almost a decade after selling my EM1... So,

1) what are some things I should look out for on a EF chassis
2) how easy is it to still find oem parts for this
3) if everything checks out, does $1400 seem fair?





 

Mr.Baker

Mr. Search
Registered VIP
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
1) what are some things I should look out for on a EF chassis
2) how easy is it to still find oem parts for this
3) if everything checks out, does $1400 seem fair?
1. Rust, rust, rust. Check the rear quarters and along the rockers, running along the bottom of the door. Notoriously known for this!
2.Tough, the 4th gen stuff, most has been discontinued for years, but NOS stuff is out there and aftermarket OEM is fairly decent. I wouldn't let that weigh too much on your decision. These little things are rock solid reliable and being a hatch, offer good cargo room along with fuel efficiency.
3.I'd lowball at $1k, see if they bite, you can always go up in price, you can't come back down when you make an offer. It's in nice shape, but don't know the engine mileage. What's the chassis mileage?
 


XpL0d3r

I had a Civic once.
Staff member
Registered VIP
Registered OG
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
I'm about to pick up a '88 DX 5 speed the next town over. The guy is asking $1400. Mileage is mostly unknown after an engine replacement "a few years ago". Overall exterior condition is 8/10. Completely stock, wheels and all. He says it runs great, no "major issues", and only set it aside because he bought a pickup that he daily's. I've been out of the civic game for almost a decade after selling my EM1... So,

1) what are some things I should look out for on a EF chassis
2) how easy is it to still find oem parts for this
3) if everything checks out, does $1400 seem fair?

:welcome: back man! Damn it's been a while.

Baker has some good advice there. Although down in SC, you might not need to worry about rust as much compared to us Yankees :lol: Still worth a check for sure though, especially if you don't know the whole history of the car. I too say try a little lower on the price. Up here in NY I feel like that's a solid price because it's next to impossible to find a rust-free 80s/90s Honda here these days.
 

Paul Hansen

Respected
Looking for some exhaust for my 91 wagon I asked a Honda dealer by me about it and they go back as far as 97 for any parts Found a walker system through Orileys auto parts. That said a gent at the part store said I could probably get 5k for my rust free wagon van with 77k on it .
 


Paul Hansen

Respected
It is manual but 2wd- All major maintenance has been done. Plus I'm putting new exhaust and windshield in- Think I get between 4-6k if I wanted to sell?
 

Billy.

Has returned ;-)
Registered VIP
Registered OG
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Thanks, Baker for the pointers. I'm picking it up after work this Friday, and it will be dark so I'll be bringing a flashlight to do rust inspections :|

Thanks, xploder for the warm welcome back. Feels strange being back on the forums lol. BUT, looking forward to digging through the plethora of 4th gen information.

The goal is to get this little gem restored back to factory-like condition. I'll be using aftermarket parts as little as possible, and really only if the aftermarket piece is better in some way than the OEM.
 

Mr.Baker

Mr. Search
Registered VIP
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
Think I get between 4-6k if I wanted to sell?
I think you should take your post about your car to your own thread instead of thread jacking this guys.
But no, I think $4k would be on the extreme high end.
I wouldn't pay that much for what essentially amounts to a base model manual 2wd Civic wagon.
The AWD models command a premium because they are AWD, manuals have the 6spd transmission (SL/Super low gear) and come equipped with the 1.6l motor, which means it's MPFI equipped and not dual point fuel injected with the 1.5 motor.
 


Top