Alrighty lets go down the list but first saying I feel a new car is at the highest idiotic thing to ever buy. Mostly because the price for new ranging from 15k and much higher in NO WAY ever meets the middle for buying the parts and fixing. That is including dealership shop labor. (I go mom and pop shop personally since they need to do it right or get screwed out business by the community around em.)
Ok so back to the lineup. 1. The check engine light can be ANYTHING. It is so broad of a sensor its ridiculous. It could be the engine (doubt it, but hey do a compression check to see if its healthy) It could be and more then likly is your exaust system. (This will range from any leaks, to your catty, to your gas vapor disperse system, to the gas tank, to the goose neck that attaches to the tank and even your gas cap not sealing well enough.) Hell one time it was throwing a code saying my catty was dead or messed up. Know what caused that? The fuse in the fuse box in the drivers side dash was blown. It was a buck for a whole package of em.
So as you can see the check engine light isn't that dreadful. Hell most people drive around with it on especially when you live somewhere that doesn't require emissions.
2. Again sounds like a fuse or some wiring maybe. Pull out the dash. Usually not to hard.
3. Thats the one thing that could cost you. The kit would be around.. say 200 230. Labor probably another 2 to 250. Though really you could do it yourself. It's not the hardest and theirs just so many books and step by step video's anymore.
4. The idle thing would probably be maybe the mixture not being right. Could be just cleaning the fuel injectors. Usually if theirs something wrong with the engine its gonna let you know, expecially if theirs not enough pressure, or the oil isn't getting to the lifters fast enough. U'll hear it, hopefully faintly.
5. ....so? Throw a rug or something in there. lol what do you really go with a trunk besides keep (hopfully) a spare tire, a bunch of chemicals and a jack/tools. Hell usually the damn windshield wiper fluid always finds some way to get out of its supposedly sealed child proof bottle cap.
6. Heres the thing. Now you should take care of your car. If you take care of it, get the oil every 3k miles (I just do it every 3 I don't care what the damn bottle says) and around that miles id change the trans fluid ect. It'll run and work. But as far as looks go, just because it looks like hell doesn't mean its not gonna work. Ive seen the most beat to hell cars still running fine. Good gas milage, no knocks, shifting fine, holding fine. And their were rust spots eatn through the bottom of the door. Fenders crushed in but still holding their area so to not stop the door from opening or rubbing a tire. Sides scratched to hell, doors crushed in, windows taped off with industrial plastic lol.
The lesson is, a paint job costs about a grand to do it right and not half *** it. (again dealer not self done) And sure you could take 30 bucks and get another fender, or 60 and grab a bumper from rock auto or something. But in the end, **** happens. A branch will hit your hood, a god damn deer will jump out and nail your fender as you turn the wheel to cut it off at the legs and hood swoop it to save a windshield (gotta replace those lol) But the cars gonna run fine, and hold fine.
If the body itself (frame and axles and bolted bars) is fine, or moderately fine then the rest is just time repaired.
But if you have any doubts take it to a mechanic, pay 80 bucks and have a full inspection done. They will check the frame, the undersides, the engines life, the transmission, the gaskets, the cooling system, your shcks, your struts, your hub assemblies, everything and they'll give you a list of anything that is hazardous or needs replacing. (Take most things with a grain of salt.) Just tell em your looking to buy it and they'll give you an honest enough opinion. It's a standard practice to do before buying used.
But with 105k and a 93? Thats 21 years give or take. That's around 5k miles a year. That honda can't be that beat up. Id expect to get another 70k miles easy. If not 100k. And it's free. You own it. Thats gonna save you right there even with the most cut rate insurance.
There's a good chance you're going to drop $800 on this car soon, the clutch is definitely an issue. I've had cars like this, luckily my dad is a mechanic and has lots of mechanic friends, so I haven't had to pay, but I am aware at how much I would have had to with head gaskets blowing, etc. If you could get a Honda, that's great, just make sure its worth it. I don't know what you do for work but if you travel a lot an SUV is not a wise choice gas-wise (gas $4.15 here in NY). Summer is coming and you'll want A/c. Keep your eyes peeled and look for a nice car around $1,500/2,000 that someone's parents have hardly ever driven and they are looking to get out of the garage. And carfax. Use carfax.
Good luck
Buy a new one, I would.
You can get 200k out of a honda civic (I've had a few). Use Blackstar Rust Converter on the rust.
spray it on - rust turns black in 20 minutes - then paint over it - done
http://www.mrochem.com/BlackStar-Aerosol...
I currently drive a 1993 Honda Civic sedan with around 105,000 miles on the odometer. I received the car from my parents as an inheritance, but despite the relatively low mileage, the car was not really well maintained over the course of its life and as a result, has developed a good number of problems, both mechanical/electrical, and cosmetic.
Based on my observations, the car is suffering from these problems, among other things:
1. The car has its "check engine" light turning on every once in a while
2. Dashboard lighting problems (gauges and A/C controls),
3. What appears to be a worn or misaligned clutch disc (the car has a manual transmission),
4. Rather heavy vibration at idle
5. Missing trunk liner
6. Numerous small rust spots, most likely requiring a new paint job for the entire car
The question is, is it still worth keeping this car and carrying out the repairs, or should I just say farewell to this car and maybe buy a used crossover SUV for a little more versatility? I am currently on the fence whether to keep the car or not since for one, I am a fan of Honda vehicles in general made from the late 80s up to the early 00s, and that most of the latest models of different car manufacturers, including Honda's, do not really impress me that much. On the other hand, the car wasn't really well maintained, has seen better days, and is generally becoming more and more frustrating to drive with all the mechanical problems remaining unresolved.
