Civic EG

Hi. im trying to buy EG.
First question, As buyer what should i becareful ? (Ex: check suspension, oil cap etc watever) what should i do and check as buyer ?

some ppl says like 100,000 miles on chassy and 30,000 miles on motor, what is this mean?

and tell me u recommend something more as eg buyer

the chassis mileage and the motor mileage may differ if the motor has been replaced with a motor of the same style but with lower miles on it.

as far as what to look for, ask what recent maintenance has or has not been done.

Mr. Pink wrote:the chassis mileage and the motor mileage may differ if the motor has been replaced with a motor of the same style but with lower miles on it.

as far as what to look for, ask what recent maintenance has or has not been done.

its just motor right??? so eventho motor miles is low, if chassy miles is high its not a good thing right? thinking about engine swap too after i buy eg

could be motor and trans, but honestly i wouldnt worry too much about it. my sedan has 230k miles on it or more and runs like a top.

hm... really? maybe ur car has been in good maintenance?
im looking for like 100k~150k miles. maybe??
but im really interest in car but im not good at it yet.
so i wana get clean decent EG if possible and start from there

knock on the body all around. If the sound changes around the quarter panels and there isn't any visible rust, it's probably been bondo'd at some point

Rust is the big thing to look for in the body. For the motor, I would just take it for a drive and see if it makes any chattering sounds, knocking, etc. See if it feels right. Also make sure to find out what engine it is (in case it isn't the stock engine) and do some research on it. And like he said above me, find out what maintenance (if any) has been done to it and when it was done.

Now time for more experienced members to add onto/change anything I said!

Take a look at all the engine mounts. Are they still there? If not, probably not the original engine.
That might not be a reason to NOT buy the car, but if you catch the seller in a lie, you can either talk him down or walk away.

I always look for the angle bracket that runs from the bottom of the intake manifold to the base of the block. That is almost never replaced in a swap. A swap is not necessarily bad, but if that is different than what the seller is telling you, beware of anything else he says.

Take a small rug and get down and look under the car. You can spot missing brackets and rust down there. Out here in western Washington they do not use salt on the roads, so the cars last a long time. Bought a $600 sedan with 300k miles on it with no rust at all. Engine and trans had been swapped, but ran quiet and smooth.

ur thing says s california

so u dont have to worry about rust unless ur gettin it from the Mountain citys, which most of them drive 4x4 trucks n cars not civic's

but look for serious body damage... if u plan on doin a swap then i wouldnt worry about the motor alot

Yeah, i do live in S. Cali
so its impossible to get rust for SoCal car? unless it was in mountain?

Well i do looking for some engine swap, but i want it to be runs good till swap bcuz i cant swap right away. i wana do slowly.

and thx guys ^^^^^ any other stuff that i should worry about?

jkmskfk wrote:Yeah, i do live in S. Cali
so its impossible to get rust for SoCal car? unless it was in mountain?

Well i do looking for some engine swap, but i want it to be runs good till swap bcuz i cant swap right away. i wana do slowly.

and thx guys ^^^^^ any other stuff that i should worry about?

im sure u can find rusted cars but there more then likly from outta state.. or just poorly taken car of... or unless u get it from like big bear or citys up in the mountians where it actually snows here in socal

ah.... i hope i can find the EG that i want very soon.

mostly, listen for odd noises and look for smoke.

if you don't see that and the car responds like it's suppose to, you're golden. mileage isn't so much the issue with Japanese (ish) cars, but more-so the body and chassis. the more original and old it looks.. usually! the better it is. if the front clip is red but the rest of the car is yellow chances are it was in some sort of accident.


and NEVER be afraid to ask questions and do take your time while looking. if the owner is slow to answer questions and beats around the bush, walk away from it. it probably won't be worth your time in repairs.



^i learned all that the hard way. good luck!

Id also check for smaller things that may be rare or that the seller may not know about or realize is there. Things that will make your life easier not having to locate or pay for them later, Or even that you may not want and can sell later. Anything that may put you ahead on your build.

Some examples...

-Mud guards (rare and overly expensive, but easily overlooked)

-Full amber/clear corners (These are also easily overlooked)

-That little clip that holds your hood prop to the engine bay when the hood is closed (these are hard to find nowadays as they are ALWAYS broken)

-Rear window wiper block off (this little plug cost $30)

-Power Mirrors/Windows/Locks (I have power nothing and it sucks)

-Clock, Switches, Optional Interior Extras

-A working Speedometer (they go out ALOT on EG's. Ive already had 2 die on me, they tend to go around 160-180k and they aren't cheap and harder to find low mileage ones.)

-A Tachometer (always a plus)

-Seatbelts that ROLL BACK UP (when they don't it gets really old really fast. They get caught in the door ALL THE TIME and when they aren't they are out of reach and you cant find them...)

-A rear trunk hatch cover/carpet/spare tire cover (My hatch carpet was stolen...Need I say more?)

-The pedals (gas/break/clutch) make sure they have the little rubber pads still (Otherwise when it rains your gonna have some slippery pedals and after your shoes dry they stick to your shoe.)

-Check the carpet see how worn it is, does it come with mats? (my carpet was so worn you could see metal through the driver side floor, no mats.)

Little things like that, Go through and check and make sure none of the OEM interior parts are broken like the glove box, cup holders, any switches including the basic light/wiper switches, ect...Also if they can produce legitimate service receipts that's always a plus. TBH Id never pay more then 3k for a EG that had all of the above low miles and perfectly straight body, paint and minimal dings.

I think this has already been said, but don't be afraid to get down and look under the car, check the fender wells and always look for wet spots were something could've been leaking. Take your time and give the car a good once over and double or triple check any portions of your inspection that you have even the smallest concern over. Also always remember, when your buying somebodies car you could also be buying their problem and if something sounds to good to be true it more than likely is.

i'd recomend looking for a civic with decent body/paint, that runs decent.
the best builds start with a good base.