Yeah I'm leaning towards the Accrod right now-
http://tinyurl.com/a2mtc

It also hqas a great CarFax report-
http://www.autotrader.com/redirect/r...=FCVDBDMGCF871

Personally, it seems liek a pretty good price but I might try to haggle a little bit. DO you all think I should go for it? Should I buy that accord? I'm off work tommorow and my dad said if I decided on it, hew would take me to check it out tommorow.

 

yes private parties are so much better when it comes to buying... remember money speaks with those things.... when u start busting out with the flaws of the vehicles, suchs milage, scatches, you can bring down the price pretty low. I bought one of my civics for 2gs... it was originally for 4K.... good condition and decent miles... and yes please please try and haggle

 

Well I checked these cars out on kbb and they both went for more than $,6000 so I'm thinking less than $5,000 is a good price. Me and my dad are going to the dealership Monday or Tuesday and may probably purchase the car.

So are these good cars?(they are in the same dealershoip so we can check them out at the same time.)

1998 Honda Civic EX Coupe
http://tinyurl.com/9wzoo

2000 Honda Civic SE Sedan
http://tinyurl.com/c8b48

These are the two I'm trying to decide on. Your help will be appreciated =D

 

bump

 

bubump

 

i would go for the coupe but thats just me , since the old mom wants to use it too maybe the 4 door (i lil high on mileage though)

 

My dad owns the same '98 Accord and my wife drives a '98 Civic. Both are very reliable cars since it sounds like that's all you want. Just keep in mind that everyone here modifies their car in some way, which is why everyone suggests a manual. I really think that even if you don't get into turbos and other horsepower gains, manuals are so much more fun to drive (a little better gas mileage, too). But if you're set on an automatic than that's what you should get. Don't listen to anyone else (even your mom, respectfully) telling you you need to get this or that. It's your first car and you'll be driving it the most. My wife's car already has 165k and it's still running strong. I'm sure the transmission will clunk out at some point, but the way these things are built, I'm confident it still has a long life ahead of it. Aside from the igition coil that I just replaced, I haven't had to work on it in a long time except for oil changes.

If you can find a private seller you will no doubt get a better deal. Although, when I bought my last car I even stopped by a local used car lot that I had bought from before and was satisfied enough to go back their again. Then there's absolutely horrible places like the one place where I asked if I could look inside the car and was asked how I would like to pay for it. They wouldn't even let me open the door, much less hear it run, without me paying for the piece of junk ($2500 for a '95 Del Sol, I can only imagine the laundry list of problems it had). So there's good places and bad places, be careful and bring someone who can talk "cars" with the dealer if that's the way you go.

Also, as mentioned above, both cars are right around the mark for timing belt replacement. That'll usually run a few hundred I believe, unless you do it yourself. Unless the dealer can provide proof that the previous owner did it recently, I'd definitely have that replaced ASAP. If that belt snaps your engine will immediately be ruined. Make sure you can factor this into the cost, plus a little extra for routine maintenance. Change the oil and filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, cap and rotor, PCV valve, fuel filter, flush the radiator and all the other things that should have been done by the previous owner. This way you'll be starting on a clean slate and won't have to guess how old everything is.

Good luck on your purchase. Buying cars is fun.

 

If anuone has time and would like to help me, can some of you guys check out http://www.autotrader.com/ and looks for some good cars that are around $5,000 and that fit what I wanted(from first post). And please look for the cars with the zip code 77034 so they are kida close to here. Me and my dad are going to go look at some cars tommorow so your help would be extremly appreciated =D

 

I understand your problem surrounding the manual (your mom is probably the biggest obstacle) BUT the major reason for me getting a manual is how the car drives. With a small car like a Civic, it has much more pick up with the manual. If we are talking about an EX (especially with Vtech--the car i really wanted--instead got an Lx) then you really need a manual because it would be like getting a GTO automatic (I know Im stretching it here). these civics are quick and fun to drive with manual transmission and it is well worth the time to learn to drive a stick. I had a automatic celica once and all i could think about is how i could make it a manual (of course too expensive to actually change out the transmission) which was a bummer. However, if you dont know what your missing then it probably wont matter but one day you will. The AVANTAGES of a manual includes repair costs, better gas mileage, tight take offs, more control, and its fun. Wouldnt hurt your mother to learn how to drive one too. Also, if it doesnt start you can always "pop the clutch"--cant do that with a auto. Ok, I'll get off my soap box and wish you luck with your first car. you are starting out right looking at the Honda's. I stick with used Honda's and Toyota's and have never regretted it. Buying a new car is one of the worst investments I can think of. Buying anything that depreciates immediately by just driving it off the lot seems like burning up a couple thousand just for that new car smell. you can get much more car when buying used and its easy to get a used Honda still under warranty with the option to get an extended warranty. yI just bought a 96 Civic LX with 176000 miles. it has a couple minor things wrong (I hope) with it and I am hoping I can fix these things myself with the help of the fine people on this site. Let us know what you end up getting. Good Luck. Asilo