twobone Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 My great aunt in BC is too old to drive now. She lives in Victoria on Vancouver island. She has a little red 1990 Honda Civic 4 door with only 20,000 miles!?! I think it is rust free and in great condition. Am I crazy to spend a grand or two to have it shipped across the country to use as my 2nd city car and as a starter car for my eldest son once he is old enough to drive (in 5 years)? From what I hear they last forever if taken care of. It is 22 years old though. If I change the oil and tranny fluid, the brake pads and fluid and get new tires and a new battery, the car is going to be practically like it came off the lot, right? Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automoda Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 You know its probably worth something to certain people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Yeah, my wife thinks I'm a cheap skate. She is right. She wants a Mini convertible or a Fiat 500. I just can't turn down a deal like this. Worst case, I get it, drive it for a little while, then sell it to some "tuner" kid for my cost of shipment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboeric Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I'd add belts and hoses to your list, but that's exactly the sort of car I'd jump on. Cheap to fix and relatively simple. Honda durability (except for body panels) is legendary for a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 It also only weighs 2300 lbs with a low centre of gravity and sharp steering. It should be a fun little city scooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 (edited) Am I crazy to spend a grand or two to have it shipped across the country to use as my 2nd city car and as a starter car for my eldest son once he is old enough to drive (in 5 years)? From what I hear they last forever if taken care of. Thoughts? twobone, Just my belief but I think you would be better off by just passing on the 90 Civic as a second car even if it is free just because of the cost to get it to your location unless your a four door Civic collector which I do not believe you are or even think you are. I would think you could spend the money that it would cost to get it from Vancouver Island to your location on a newer vehicle that would be safer (has airbags for driver and passenger) and newer for your use and your son's in the future. My estimate of the value of a 1990 Civic four door if it is in show room condition which we know the car you aunt has is most likely not but in good shape for its age would be no more than a $1000 dollars and most likely only worth but about $500. This is mainly due to its age and lack of use (about 1000 miles a year [being generous her]) which means that with normal driving you would most likely have to replace belts and seals and tires and all kinds of small things once you started using the vehicle just due to its age and lack of use by your aunt. I know this sounds harsh but I had to learn this the hard way two years ago with my mothers car which was a 1995 Lincoln with just over 11K on it and garage kept so it looked like new and drove like new until we started driving it and it turned into a money pit and we wound up donating it to a local charity who then parted it out as it was worth more in parts than as a driver. Hope this helps with you decision. :seeya: Edited October 11, 2012 by MHKflyer52 Spelling correction in red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Great feedback! I do worry that once I start to use it, all those old dried out parts will start to fail.... I guess I will have to decide if this is an experiment worth doing. If I can get it at my door for a very low entry cost, then it might me fun. If it is going to be steep, then you are right. Right now our 2nd city car is a 2000 pathfinder with 150,000 miles. She is starting to rust and only has a season or two left before she is too embarrassing to have in the drive way. I guess I saw this as a low cost replacement to defer the big cost of a replacement car. I only drive the 2nd car about 5,000 miles a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboeric Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 My estimate of the value of a 1990 Civic four door if it is in show room condition which we know the car you aunt has is most likely not but in good shape for its age would be no more than a $1000 dollars and most likely only worth but about $500. Used car prices in Canada tend to be much higher than they are in the U.S. A quick check on 1990 Civics advertised in Canada runs from $1000 for a car with >300,000 km on it (about 200,000 miles) and some issues (hasn't passed emissions and is being advertised "As Is") to $2000 for a couple of also high mileage cars in better shape. (Ignoring the modified rice rockets with fantasy price tags) Still, much depends on the economics of transportation. The money pit potential depends heavily on how much you pay for the fixes - i.e. if you do it yourself or pay someone $100/hr to fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Tom & Ray aka Click n Clack would give you two answers. One would echo Martin's comments about problems you may have with slightly used older cars and the concern on lack of saftey features..... on the other hand. Look at the adventure you could have driving it back yourself with your son riding shot gun. I mean shotgun, you may need it to fend of the wolves when you breakdown in the middle of nowhere and the Mounties haven't found you yet. But seriously, the car should have some good miles left in it, and someone can benefit by having it. If has had regular exercise the seals should OK, if not, you will know everywhere you have parked. Good luck and make someone happy. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanG Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 The best part of this is the possibility of a ROAD TRIP and then having something odd to take to car events. In 5 more years it will be eligible for AACA events possibly cars with significant original features (save the tires). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboeric Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I was just struck by the irony of a Se7en driver worrying about safety and airbags! :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxologist Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Pictures? For $1k sale price I'll look into importing it and driving it back to NYC. I have a local that will want it w/ 99% certainty if it can get to the US. He isn't fond of his son's BRZ or son's best friend's e90 M3 as autoX cars and wants to build up another Civic. There is a huge market for old Hondas. You will sell this in less than a day, if not an hour. edit: oops, thought it was the hatchback. Still will sell very quickly, just lacks the storage and hauling pluses. My great aunt in BC is too old to drive now. She lives in Victoria on Vancouver island. She has a little red 1990 Honda Civic 4 door with only 20,000 miles!?! I think it is rust free and in great condition. Am I crazy to spend a grand or two to have it shipped across the country to use as my 2nd city car and as a starter car for my eldest son once he is old enough to drive (in 5 years)? From what I hear they last forever if taken care of. It is 22 years old though. If I change the oil and tranny fluid, the brake pads and fluid and get new tires and a new battery, the car is going to be practically like it came off the lot, right? Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now