[Ferkmerlerf]

Ok, so I'm looking HARD at buying this 10' Civic with 84k og miles. It looks MINT. when I say mint, I mean i just took these pictures a few hours ago. They want 10k for it. I took it for a drive. First thing I notice is rough idle. I didn't look to see what it was idling at, just that it was rough. Road noise was loudish but I mean.. I guess to be expected of the era? Tires look pretty good, shifted fine, brakes work perfect with zero wobble, but I did notice some vibration and I was wondering if it could be wheel bearings maybe? This will be a 120 mile/day commuter so I want to ensure it will be reliable. I can fix anything on it thanks to all these resources and aftermarket parts links here but just want to see what others thing if I should Nike it, or pass all together? I very much like it, just curious what you guys thought. The only two cosmetic issues even at all I could find is the faded/worn Honda Steering Wheel Emblem, and the radio LCD does not work, but I'll be stuffing a new fangled radio in it in the future if I buy it anyway so no effs there.

 

[Chaos Pilot]

Good looking car.

I doubt the vibration is a wheel bearing. That Civic has the CVT tranny right? That tranny can make a vibration thats felt in the steering wheel and throughout the drivetrain. More likely its a slightly out of balance tire or toe alignment is off making the tire scrub along the inner or outer edge. The compliance bushing crapping the bed can cause a strange vibration under acceleration or in turns but with the low miles on this car I would discount this option.

My father has this model and I've come to enjoy driving it. It has never had any issues and its still going strong at 120k miles.

If you have to buy a car during this current market situation, I feel for you, then you could do much worse than a Civic.

That being said I would still have a mechanic do a leak down and compression test. If those dont go pear shaped then you know you have a car with a solid heart thus negating any major mechanical issues for quite some time (if you maintain the car).

Buy it if it feels right when you drive it (yes those civics are all noisy and sound a little tin 'y) and it passes the leak and comp tests (and you like it) then you have officially passed your sanity check and are cleared to purchase this vehicle.

 

[Tompoop]

is this sold from a dealer or a private seller? the rough idle would worry me, I can well understand the rough idle from a private person sell cause the owner is too stupid to know what's wrong, but from a dealer , the dealer would have corrected that rough idle before selling it, but if the dealer can't fix that thru a cheap fix then I would suspect a more serious problem with the rough idle

 

[jerymapaul]

Good looking car


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ferkmerlerf]

likely its a slightly out of balance tire or toe alignment is off making the tire scrub along the inner or outer edge. The compliance bushing crapping the bed can cause a strange vibration under acceleration or in turns but with the low miles on this car I would discount this option.

The vibration is hard to describe (well.. cause it's vibration). I had a corolla once and drove it to death so I know how it is with wheel bearings, etc with front end stuff in general however this was almost like a constant vibration regardless of speed, regardless of turning angle or straight which isn't indicitive of wheel bearings I know, but I figured I would ask to see what you guys thought. This isn't at a dealer, it's like a mechanic shop + sales lot out in the country (Way out like god's country). It's definitely not a CVT though. You can feel it change gears and it shifts smoothly. From what I understand only the Hybrids came with CVT? Is that correct? Unfortunately my 12' Pathfinder has seen better days.. I bought it right before the pandemic, already spent a whole summer underneath it (literally), but I would need to huck another... probably 2 grand in parts to actually feel better about driving it the way I have on this 120 mile round trip every day. I agree it's probably the absolute worst time to buy a car. In a year this car I'm looking at will probably only be worth 6k if the predictions are correct on the automotive market. As far as a leakdown test, I highly doubt they would let me have it for that long and they would probably sell it before then. When you say 'compliance bushing', what would that be like an upper control arm bushing? I looked it up. If it's probably just front suspension I mean.. I can replace it all myself for under $300 for both sides so if that's the case no biggie. I'm more so worried about the idle. I can tell it has a brand new rider's side motor mount so it's definitely not that. I'm curious that maybe it's the MAF being dirty. I mean 10 year old car, and it only has that few miles, it wouldn't surprise me if it needs the injectors cleaned and fuel flushed. I wouldn't think it would be spark plugs or coils at all. The more I am thinking about it the more it does make a lot of sense that the vibration while moving would be tire related. On my Pathfinder, I have **** (cheap) tires, and I got a buddy who is a Nissan truck nut with 3 of them, all older. On those, if you don't buy good quality tires, it's going to have vibration no matter what you do. The only other thing is I noticed the rear shocks feel pretty bad on bumps, but I don't feel the vibration from the rear at all.

 

[Ferkmerlerf]

Fawk.. I dunno.. I'm wondering if this is a bad idea now..
Carfax shows proof that there was a 'Minor' front end collision, and shortly after it was serviced multiple times (both dealer and non dealer mechanic) for vibration issues between 2 owners... I think I'm going to pass on this one..

Folks, doesn't matter how good it smells, always check the carfax. Yeah it's $40 a pop, but it beats 4k or possibly more or who knows on something like this.. I would be apt to think maybe one of the control arms are bent or something, but it's also a possibility this is undercarriage related or something, and either the techs didn't look too much into it or the previous owners found out and just sold it.

 

[Chaos Pilot]

The CVT is in many Civics and you would not know it. Honda programed the ECU to make it feel like gears are shifting because focus groups and average individuals found the no-shift disconcerting. So you cant always go by "i can feel it shift".

My dads 11 civic has a CVT but it feels like it is shifting gears. Crazy shite but true.

 

[Chaos Pilot]

You have the right idea in passing. 2 owners taking it in for vibration issues and it is still vibrating speaks to a serious issue more than likely. A bent control arm would not allow a proper alignment and would be caught the first time the car was aligned.

Im thinking that "minor" accident was not so minor from the civics POV. Maybe a bent subframe.

 

[FuntanaS]

The CVT is in many Civics and you would not know it. Honda programed the ECU to make it feel like gears are shifting because focus groups and average individuals found the no-shift disconcerting. So you cant always go by "i can feel it shift".

My dads 11 civic has a CVT but it feels like it is shifting gears. Crazy shite but true.

The only 8th gen Civic's (2006-2011) with a CVT transmission are the hybrids. The rest all have either a 5 speed auto or a manual.

 

[Tompoop]

always remember ! most people love their Civic's and keep them forever, they don't part with them unless there's a big problem with it or the're too stupid to understand how good it really is.
Look at used car lots, you'll see they are stocked with the same model of vehicles that nobody wants or hates such as a Dodge Dart, Chevy Cruise, Kia Sorento's, it's rare, very rare to find any year of a used Honda Civic at a used car lot cause owners love them, keep them forever !

 

[krash]

$10k sounds a litte high.. ie. my neighbor has one, an EX sedan white, garage kept, well maintained, old lady drives to church every day and the grocery store when needed. 110k miles, and sh is hoping to get 10k for hers as a high ask price.
She just bought the small Tesla.

I'd def. check out the vibration issue, check the rubber strip on the windshield r/l sides it dteeriorate's cosmetic issue.
If I bought it I'd getfluids changes oil/xmission, and not think twice about driving it 12o mil rt daily. I'm on my 3rd Civic, '01, '12, and now an '08.

 

[Tompoop]

I paid $5150 for a "R" Title 2008 sedan , 5 speed manual with 164K miles
all service records plus all air bags were replaced on the recall
very detailed service records with one owner, the factory service record book is filled up, a pile of receipts, the owner wrote a book on it even documenting when air was added in the tires, 3000 mile oil changes service by the book, and all service done by a Honda Dealer - Martins Honda, Newark, DE

 

[Stus09si]

Damn the used car market is insane right now I guess. About 2, 2 n a half years ago I bought my 09 fa5 completely stock with 98k miles from the dealership that originally sold it and was traded back to for 10k

 

[OMGOrangeSi]

Fawk.. I dunno.. I'm wondering if this is a bad idea now..
Carfax shows proof that there was a 'Minor' front end collision, and shortly after it was serviced multiple times (both dealer and non dealer mechanic) for vibration issues between 2 owners... I think I'm going to pass on this one..

Folks, doesn't matter how good it smells, always check the carfax. Yeah it's $40 a pop, but it beats 4k or possibly more or who knows on something like this.. I would be apt to think maybe one of the control arms are bent or something, but it's also a possibility this is undercarriage related or something, and either the techs didn't look too much into it or the previous owners found out and just sold it.

I can tell by looking at the front end, one headlight is newer than the other one. The drive side is new. That being said, I bet it was in an accident and they didn’t disclose, so, negotiate 4K off the price, they will haggle back up. Or walk away.

 

[Maraudermick]

Ok, so I'm looking HARD at buying this 10' Civic with 84k og miles. It looks MINT. when I say mint, I mean i just took these pictures a few hours ago. They want 10k for it. I took it for a drive. First thing I notice is rough idle. I didn't look to see what it was idling at, just that it was rough. Road noise was loudish but I mean.. I guess to be expected of the era? Tires look pretty good, shifted fine, brakes work perfect with zero wobble, but I did notice some vibration and I was wondering if it could be wheel bearings maybe? This will be a 120 mile/day commuter so I want to ensure it will be reliable. I can fix anything on it thanks to all these resources and aftermarket parts links here but just want to see what others thing if I should Nike it, or pass all together? I very much like it, just curious what you guys thought. The only two cosmetic issues even at all I could find is the faded/worn Honda Steering Wheel Emblem, and the radio LCD does not work, but I'll be stuffing a new fangled radio in it in the future if I buy it anyway so no effs there.

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These 8th Gen civics are notorious for engine mounts failing.
Worth checking for source of vibration.
I see you checked the Carfax on it; I'd pass on this one too!