Hey everyone! New here, longtime poster on Acura/Honda/VW sites...

Ran across an ad on CL that looked pretty promising, going for a test drive tomorrow with cash in hand. Did all the research I could, but I'm here because I need your help!


Mechanically it seems sound, 105K, in Florida the last 5 years, hasn't hit NYC streets for more than a week (thank god). My biggest concern is rust, but the hatch looks fine, the rear wheel wells are juuust barely starting to bubble...some rust on corners of doors, and under the hood, but it doesn't look too bad (for now???).

Can I get your guys opinion? If this works out, I hope to be a regular poster here! Thanks so much everyone.

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Any more requests for pics, let me know I have a zillion.

Thanks!

 

The tin worm has started and it won't stop.
How long do you want to keep the car? In any case you need a major discount to the average price

 

Really? That's bad news, I thought this was one of the nicer ones I've seen (nicer meaning less rust).

You don't think it will last me 3-4 years, 40k miles?

We're hovering around 3k in price, too much?

Thanks for your help!

 

Mechanically these are sound cars. 3 to 4 years is no problem for these if you keep up with basic maintenance. Also it is impossible to avoid rust all together.
We (my son) have a '98 Protege, bought it with 148K, made some repairs right away and got our money's worth out of it. It is becoming very rusty now. The rear wheel arches are rusted through. But it runs very well. I am shocked to realize we have it already for 4 1/2 years.

To find out how much to pay for a car I use mostly Edmund's True Market Value. I also look at Kelly Blue Book but I think they are too high and Edmund's TMV may be too low.Used Cars: For Sale, Appraisals & Certified Pre-Owned | Edmunds.com.

You would do well having a pre-purchase inspection done by an independent mechanic.

 

Thanks a bunch, I'm really not that worried about appearance, just safety if the rust becomes a huge problem.

I think I'm going to go for it, I really just need something to get to school and work over the next few years. After that, maybe I'll even go back to no car.

Any other thoughts, I'm all ears!

Thanks again.

 

Ask if the timing belt has been replaced. Ask if the coolant and the tranny fluid have been replaced.
If they have not been taken care of you will have to do it.
Pay attention to the tires. The rubber has become rather expensive.

It looks good under the hood. The air intake hose may actually be new. If it is new this would tell that the old one cracked and caused a P0171 lean condition. Tehy would have taken care of it the right way.

 

Thanks a ton! New timing belt and that air box is all new. Don't know about the coolant and tranny fluid but I'll find out.

I think I'm going to go for it, pending a test drive in the morning.

 

Make sure you hook up an OBDII reader to check for any error codes.
If no error codes and tread depth of tires is good (at least 5/32") then I would buy it.

 

Actually, no codes could mean they just erased them. Make sure "all monitors are ready".