To me it not a bad idea to buy a well maintained vehicle with high mileages because a lot
Cars these days with around 100K mileage are totally in good state and such car can still go another 100K miles without any issue. So I will say it fine to get the car if it was well maintained.
However, if the car was properly maintained and has been driven recklessly by the old owner or maybe it has previously been wrecked, then I would not recommend that car because with such conditions the car maybe might manage to rake up only around 30K to 60k miles maximum.
So just take your time and analysis it a little more. You may want to also look up the article on this site on Should I buy a BMW 3 Series with over 100k miles for a more informed decision

 

I got mine at 100k. Mechanically it was maintained ok but the previous owner hid some rust problems with a new paint-job. Needless to say I had major expenses trying to fix years later when I figure it out, especially since Honda chassis element are so expensive, it was cheaper to have them custom made. So, run away from rust on these cars, but other than that they should last pretty long!

 

My friend who deals with used cars regularly sells them with over 100K on the clock. It isn't a death sentence like it was decades ago. Mine has 291,000 on the clock and looks/drives like new. AT least I think it does, LOL.

If getting another 8th gen, I would look for a 2009-2010 and up, that way, you avoid the cracked block issue. Otherwise, be aware that our rigs HATE their A/C compressor after 100,000 miles (you can get a new Denso one on fleabay and ask an indy shop to install it for you......... like me..... cost me $300 for the part), be sure the tranny is good and change the fluid every 30,000 miles. Our motors sometimes eat their mounts, but that isn't a huge deal (money). I love my 07 to death, I plan on keep it as long as I can.

 

I am on my 4th 8th gen Si. Drove 5 1/2 hours from my house for my current ’09 FA5. Had 42k when I picked it up 09/18. Just rolled past 106k and did a valve adjustment. Car runs like new again. Best 2 tips. Make sure to remove the oil fill cap and peak in. If it looks clean, good chance engine is in good shape.

 

I just rolled over 220,000 miles on my 2008 Si. Bought the car in 2013 with 65,000 miles. Car has been SOLID!

 

I know someone with 360k on a automatic.. really depends on maintenance and style of driving how long they last.

 

Stay away from the 2006-Some 2009 Models. They have the notorious Engine Block Crack that plagues all the early model Civics. Other than that, they are pretty reliable.

If you are looking for a high mileage one (which will probably be all of them), I would look how it was previously maintained. If it was neglected at some point, then you got a lot of wrenching to do. If it's an Automatic, i would absolutely check the condition of the Transmission Fluid because if it doesn't get changed every 30,000 miles, the tranny won't live for long.

The common weak points of this car is;

• Starter goes bad
• O2 Sensor go bad (commonly the Upstream)
• Engine Mounts definitely go bad on these (commonly the Passenger Side)
• Key is fragile as it is made of cheap plastic.
• Clear Coat starts vanishing (factory paint defect)
• Ect...

Its a reliable car if you treat it well. I wouldn't worry about buying one over 150k its an 2010 and over (that's if it was taken care of).

If you can drive stick, and don't mind to daily it, I would get the Si over the base models. They are much quicker and much more fun to drive. Just be aware that some models had Transmission Issues, and also that they get abused a lot by new teenage drivers.

 

If it's an Automatic, i would absolutely check the condition of the Transmission Fluid because if it doesn't get changed every 30,000 miles, the tranny won't live for long.

Not sure what you mean by "changed". I had always heard that the fully synthetic fluid was good for around 60k miles, and many people will do a drain fill every 30k or a 2x drain/fill every 60k.

I wouldn't be surprised if my last car ( 09 LX-S 113k miles when I bought it) hadn't had it's ATF changed in a very long time (if ever), based on it's condition and the general neglected maintenance I found. (The air filter was caked with black soot, never saw anything like it - amazed it was running.) I changed it sparingly because I was afraid the wear particles were keeping the bands from slipping. I did a 2x drain / fill just after buying it and two more drain / fills at about 50-60k intervals before I sold it with 256K on the clock, and the tranny still working just fine. (Half my miles were highway commute, half start and stop).

 

Thank you all for your responses. I'm completely lost on all the technical terms and components of the car, but I get the gist. Another question, how would I determine if the transmission fluid's been changed every 30k? That, along with how to determine whether or not the important parts have been well taken care of by the previous owners. Would a standard inspection be enough or do I need to do something more?

 

Checking the ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) to see if it's been regularly changed (over its life) is going to be tough unless it's been at a dealer all its life (they can look up it's service history), which is probably doubtful. There is an ATF dipstick under the hood (when you open the hood, look toward the right of the engine (as you look down onto it), then look down and you should see a yellow "ring". That is your ATF dipstick. Take it out and with a clean , preferably white cloth, wipe it down. The color of it should be a pink/red. IF it's closer to brown/black, the AFT MUST be drained and filled (3x preferably with a short drive in between, this way you ensure MOST of the fluid is new). Honda's are great cars, but their transmissions do require regular service otherwise the trans will not last. Like I mentioned, I have close to 300K miles on mine and for sure it's because I change it every 30,000 miles and drive conservatively. YMMV

Here is a DIY (I have the photobucket foto "fix" app on my Google chrome to see the images), you MIGHT not see them, if so, great. This is just to give you an idea. It is very easy to do.

R18 Automatic Transmission Fluid Change (ATF DIY)

Hey 8th, I did a transmission fluid change today... and I decided to take some photos to help out others who might still have some doubts about doing it themselves. This was my first time doing it and I highly doubt one can make a mistake. The other thread was missing photos, so here you go...

www.8thcivic.com

hope this helps!

 

If you have a friend who is any sort of mechanic, have him inspect things on a car you might buy. Lacking that, here are some generic guidelines -

As far as mileage, that may or may not be an indicator of how much longer a car will last. If a car has over 200,000 miles, THEN I would say avoid it because even the best cars have a lot of wear by then.

Even so though, if a car has a lot of small problems or looks like it was abused, it is safe to assume it will give you a lot of headaches.
If it looks like it has been taken care of and doesn't seem beat to hell, it is likely okay.

Also, now this is not P.C. to say but here it goes - If you buy from a private owner, look at the person or people and ask, "Is this someone I feel comfortable doing business with?" If it is some guy who looks like he has been featured on Jerry Springer, you do not want the car. If they seem like decent people, probably okay to take a chance.

Some sellers say "It has this or that problem but it is an easy fix/cheap part at the junk yard". Walk away. If it really were an easy/cheap fix, they would have done it to make the car more marketable.

 

It's a Honda, so they can go up to 300-400k if treated right.

 

think again Justin,think again, do not insult these cars

 

Read this carefully, I have a 2007 Civic EX 5 speed with 571,000 miles that is like new,,, read that again,, I have 571,000 miles. I don't care what anybody else post on here, this is perhaps thee greatest automobile ever made. I take care of it, do the usual maintenance and I am not afraid to drive it hard and fast. I'd be willing to drive it any distance without fear of a breakdown. No expensive repairs ever. Let no one say a bad word about an 8th Gen Civic, they don't know what the hell they are talking about, I drive the proof every single day. here is the pic when I turned half a million miles. I just drive to Las Vegas and back and still get nearly 40 mpg .

 

500k with the original Engine Block?

 

same engine, regular maintenance

 

@atomsmasher87: You are nearing the other member on this forum's record, @deltatechx on miles driven. His ODO stopped at 999,999, but his rig had 2 engines. First one made it to 350K until the starter blew up and made it so the engine wouldn't turn. Deltatech swapped in another engine and is/was at 620K miles before it experienced an rod failure. I want to say he put the original engine back in, but I can't remember. Anyway, nice to see another high mileage R18, makes me feel confident that I continue to add little mods and ends to it.

 

For that, i meant a Drain and Fill every 30k regardless of mileage.

 

Yeah that would probably be a decent strategy. Not sure which is better, once every 30K or a double drain every 50-60k.

IIRC when I let the fluid drain overnight I got about 55% of the fluid out. Doing it twice gives you 80% fresh ATF, after that it's diminishing returns.

 

No matter how much I thought I liked a car, I don't think I would want to be in the same one for 300K miles.
At that point I would be hoping it would just die already.

 

You are indeed correct, however, it has become a quest (how long this buggy is going to last)

Die you say? Copious amount of alcohol certainly helps, LOL.

 

Stay away from the 2006-Some 2009 Models. They have the notorious Engine Block Crack that plagues all the early model Civics. Other than that, they are pretty reliable. If you are looking for a high mileage one (which will probably be all of them), I would look how it was previously maintained. If it was neglected at some point, then you got a lot of wrenching to do. If it's an Automatic, i would absolutely check the condition of the Transmission Fluid because if it doesn't get changed every 30,000 miles, the tranny won't live for long. The common weak points of this car is;

• Starter goes bad
• O2 Sensor go bad (commonly the Upstream)
• Engine Mounts definitely go bad on these (commonly the Passenger Side)
• Key is fragile as it is made of cheap plastic.
• Clear Coat starts vanishing (factory paint defect)
• Ect...

Its a reliable car if you treat it well. I wouldn't worry about buying one over 150k its an 2010 and over (that's if it was taken care of). If you can drive stick, and don't mind to daily it, I would get the Si over the base models. They are much quicker and much more fun to drive. Just be aware that some models had Transmission Issues, and also that they get abused a lot by new teenage drivers.

I have a 2006 lx 196k miles still drives like it’s at 100k needa motor mounts and has sum rust but nothing serious or seeable and the auto doesn’t like to be manually shifted after doing it for about 20k miles it has developed a slight hard shift evry now and then and caused my trans to throw a code that cleared imeditalty

 

late Reply 5 Years late LOL - Welp. LOOK at the CARFAX for maint history Accidents title issues ETC if that PASSED THEN check the VIN on CARFAX to the CAR itself and SEE IF IT WAS PART OF THE RECALL ((Because of the recall for the cracked engine block issue in 2006–2009 Honda Civics doesn't specify exact VIN numbers to avoid. Instead, it applies to all VINs starting with 1HG or 2HG for 2006–2008 models and requires a VIN status inquiry for 2009 models to confirm eligibility)). Now thats out of the way. I if u can find one around the 150 miles to 200 mile range or less if possible and then try to get the SI 2.0 DOHC as a 1st choice I think its better than the R18 or the 1.8 SOHC (in my opinion) but what you wanta do 1st is check the maint done on it. If it checks out then DRIVE IT IN THE PARKING LOT AND Keep ALL THE WINDOWS DOWN and TURN STEERING WHEEL all the way LEFT and RIGHT several times to listen for CV Grinds WHILE YOU DRIVE AROUND THE PARKING LOT, If u dont hear any of that listen for timing chain noise and get close to engine to hear it. Rev engine look for SMOKE and/or STEAM. Sniff around the car during the 2000 engine rev to smell for GAS/ENGINE Antifreeze etc and sniff the engine bay real good, If that passed then DRIVER HER AND LISTEN for Engine Noise, SEE HOW IT SHIFTS THE GEARS, LISTEN AND FEEL FOR Vibrations in the wheel AND IN THE BODY(IF VIBRATIONS IN BODY THEN SHE PROBABLY NEEDS ENGINE MOUNTS, MAKE SURE TO go over speed bumps see how it do and DRIVE THE engine passed 4000 k to see if the VTEC kicks in good ... and look in mirror the entire time for any smoke or steam. Drive it for at least 5 min see if it overheats. If that all PASSED then park it AND go stick your FINGER in the TAIL PIPE EXHAUST AND LOOK FOR AND SMELL FOR OIL OR ANTIFREEZE SMELLS OR GREEN COLOR THEN look at the OIL dip stick and smell it for antifreeze make sure its an OIL smell then check the TRANS fluid (If you get automatic) AND get a WHITE NAPKIN OR PAPER TOWEL and PULL Trans DIP STICK and MAKE SURE THE FLUID IS RED ON THE WHITE NAPKIN (NOT BROWN OR IF IT smells burnt) IF IT IS THEN WALK AWAY DONT BUY ( FOR THAT STEP DO NOT USE A BROWN NAPKIN ONLY WHITE ) then let her sit for 10 minutes or so. RE SNIFF HER ALL OVER AGAIN and the engine bay YES again. then look for leaks IF THAT ALL PASSED THEN last thing look at the MANT records try to find out if they did regular OIL changes at least at 5k intervals and ESPECIALLY look for MAINTINENCE OF THE TRANSMISSION (if you are buying an automatic) MAKE SURE TRANS WAS SERVICED at least every 60k. Or ask the owner if that have a history of doing a "TRANSMISSION FLUSH" OR "DRAIN AND REFILL" This is very important because YOU GOTA KEEP DOING WHAT EVER THEY DID because if you dont YOU CAN RUINE THE TRANSMISSION (so if the previous owner only did Drain and refill of the TRANSMISSION THEN YOU GOTA KEEP DOING THAT OR VISE/VERSA. Hopefully they did ONLY drain and refills of the TRANSMISSION FLUID. I hope that helps - Also LISTEN TO THESE GUYS ON YOUTUBE - AND WATCH THEM All if you can Especially @scottykilmer
@dannysdiygarage
@scottykilmer
@VTECAcademy

Note: I've heard of these CIVICS going passed 250k and beyond

AS for me.
I got a 09 CIVIC LX R18 the 1.8 L - I got it from a Grand mother in the state of AZ (NO RUST) and she was the Only owner and that matched the CARFAX IN 2021 when bought her CIVIC it had 28k YES REALLY per the CARFAX and all the MAINT SHE DID. PLUS ALL HER MAINT WAS done at the HONDA DEALER that she bought the car from in AZ AND THEY STAMPED HER BOOK EVERYTIME after they did MAINTINENCE for the 12 years she had it AND she literally drove to the Store and Church. I've kept it stock and when ever I taker her to HONDA they cant believe my MILAGE