Tell me about Honda cars

Depends on the snow. I've been driving a little 5 speed beater this winter and it will climb snowy/icy hills as well as any truck. FWD puts the weight over the wheels, air your front tires up to sidewall max to punch through crust and you have got good traction with a light vehicle. Goes anywhere the snow is shallow. Mines not a Honda but all cars these days are the same.

Where it loses is on ground clearance when the drifts get big. Fortunately once out of the driveway that is rarely an issue here.

__________________
Check out my farm/ranch blog - www.evansranch.ca

Wow...that car sounds like a bargain.

I do have one concern, which is true for any make or model: How long has the car been sitting?

If it is an '09, it may have been built in '08. Has it been sitting since then?

I have met many people who have found spectacular cars, which really were 'little old lady cars', but sat for a great deal of time before it was offered up for sale. Sometimes, the long term sitting is hard on a car.

Many years ago, I bought a true 'little old lady car.' It was bought new, and the owner died with the car only having 8,000 miles on it. The car sat for over 3 years while the estate was being settled. The car was owned by my uncle, who then sold it to one of my aunts, and then I bought it from her.

My aunt had a ton of trouble with that car, and after I bought it...I got to spend some hard earned cash on repairs too.

I have met many others who have owned cars that sat for very long periods of time, without ever being run, at all, and they had problems with sensors, gaskets, electrical, and transmissions.

I'm not trying to scare you off...just trying to caution you a little.

Can you find out how long the car has been sitting, if at all???

It's no 4x4, and TRellis is correct...they are not good in the snow. They are too light. However, our winters are way, way worse than yours and I've gone through some seriously nasty stuff with studded winter tires on my Civic. In fact, at times I've pushed snow over my hood in it.

__________________
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.

Friedrich August von Hayek

2001 Honda Accord w 100,000 on it and I paid 7k. It was immaculate.
2007 Honda Fit w 90K on it and I paid 7k. It was immaculate
Still have both cars.....they are AMAZING.

2001 Honda Van. Bought it off the lot and put 350,000 miles on it.
1995 Honda Accord. Bought it off the lot and put 375,000 miles on it.
Resold the van for 1k and the Accord for 1k.

Owned a 1989 CRX......LOVED it.
Owned a 1987 Hatchback......LOVED IT!!

(( Had to sell CRX as it was a 2 seater and I was preggo ))
(( Traded the hatchback for the CRX ))

Honda cars are worth every penny.
And I live in central IN where winter sucks like a black hole in space......

__________________
I am sure of two things: There is a God, and I am not Him.
The movie Rudy

Willow, I think you'll be fine in the snow if you get good snow tires. (Actual SNOW tires, not all season tires.) We had a civic when we lived in Montana, and it went through snow on the unplowed streets as well as my Scout. You just have to remember that you won't have the ground clearance as you do in your 4x4. Like Gravytrain, we also pushed snow in our civic (though only over the bumper, not the hood; and only going through drifts). We loved the car, and Honda has a great reputation. As long as you have someone that can work on it, I'd highly recommend it. It's a GREAT price! Good luck! Curt

I think this is a no-brainer.

The cars are great. Maybe the best the Japanese make.

If you find you don't like it after a couple of months, you should at least get all of your money back on the open market.

I have a 2008 Honda Fit with 198000 miles on it. Averages 40 mpg and have had no problem with winter driving. Fours years worth of driving to Florence, Ky every week and back for work. Some nasty snow and ice events but the car never gave me any trouble. Only thing to watch out for is raccoons! Hit 2 of them and the low fit doesn't do well with them. $3000 repair twice for raccoon damage. Would buy another in a instant!

If you don't get it, let me know, because I will!

__________________
Roger

Per Edmunds Automotive, Honda quit using belts on their 4cyl cars in 2006. They now use a chain so periodic replacement is no longer required.

Had a 1985 Accord 5 speed, which were smaller then, like civics now.

Many memories.

Raised 3 kids in it - who needs a minivan? Did winters in Illinois, Fairbanks Alaska, and Eastern Washington. Had a hitch put on so pulled a small boat and small utility trailer.

Hauled two jersey calves in the back seat with my girls (got a few stares going through the city).

Hauled a lot of feed, lumber, pipe (from trunk through back seat).

Went through some record snow years here, with no problems with good snow tires. 4X4's are overrated, you can't stop or turn quicker with them. Most the rollovers I see on the highway are 4WD suv's. I assume they are top heavy. Spend the extra money on good tires.

I would not recommend trying to pull out bushes with it, fried the clutch on that one, though was about due for replacement.

Never checked the oil as it never used ANY between oil changes.

Went out in the dark to move it and forgot I had a trailer attached, jackknifed and put hole in side.

Eventually with those kind of body issues, etc, gave it up to the graveyard after 240,000. Engine would be last thing to go.

Honestly, regardless of brand, I would be really hesitant of a 6 year old car with that few miles… I haven't had very good luck with the "little old lady only drove it to church" type cars.

They tend to…I dunno…rot?

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Depending from were you come from you could see this car as one that gave you a poor mileage … We have a 01 civic manual transmission and I get 33 miles per gallon, we bought a 2009 civic DX automatic transmission with 27000 k and my wife get 26 27 mpg doing the same kind of driving I do… but the price is not too shabby we bought ours in 2013 for 13.5 k, granted the market here is crazy ….

I have a 1997 Honda Accord wagon. I bought it with 85000 miles on it, it does have a salvage title, the rear had been hit some time ago. It was well repaired though and the care is pretty clean. We had the timing belt done when we bought it, the mechanic said it was a "cream puff". I love my car, so comfortable, 30 mpg little wagon. It runs great, is good in the snow (but not as good as our SUV, its smaller, lighter and not 4wd) and I could probably sell it for what I paid.

That said, its not a civic. I'd say if you want an economy car, get it checked out and jump on the chance if its clean and runs well. Even if you drive something else in the bad snow, you should get many miles and good economy from it, along with good resale. Do check to see if the title is clean though.

__________________
~ Carol

'92 civic hatchback - 285,000 miles on it -- 42mpg on back roads and no issues except rust! Hubby drives it 38 miles to/from work daily

'95 civic hatchback - 174,000 miles on it -- 46!!! mpg on back roads runs great! I drive it 44 miles to/from work daily

As far as wintertime driving... I drive mine everywhere and all types of weather with the exception of snow over 3 inches. The ground clearance is the real issue. Otherwise I don't have any problems in snow.

This has been my experience with cars in general.
Front wheel drive will take me everywhere 4WD will, the only limitation is the clearance.

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

We own 3 Honda Accords - well, 2 now because our 1996 with 275,800 miles sold yesterday within 3 hours of putting it on Craigslist. Except for recalls, DH does all of our maintenance. The 97 has 140K, the 2002 has 132K.

The timing belt for these models OEM cost is $45. The six hours to replace it...another $600 at a dealer. At a good local repair shop, probably under 500. I would grab that CRV in a flash. If you have to update some belts, hoses, and tires, still a good deal.

Key to our car success? Change the oil every 2,500 - 3,000 miles. Improve your success by also doing the coolant flush and tranny oil now and then.

__________________
Chixarecute...and tasty, too!

The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.

Thanks for all the input. The bid is up to $8,750 now, so I think I'm gonna pass.

I gave it a lot of thought, and decided I really need 4x4 in the winter. If I'm going to sink around $10K into a vehicle (with tax, title, etc.) I might as well get what I want.

So it will be someone else's good deal.

__________________
"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.