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Buying My First Car - Need Advice - M4RK881902

Hey guys I have a really low budget at the moment of about £1500 and I needed a quick run around/work horse for local city driving and shopping. Car prices at the moment are crazy and I have been struggling to find anything I think would last me 12 months, I found the following car on facebook marketplace that I am interested in, the car is:



MODEL: HONDA CIVIC (COUPE)

ENGINE SIZE: 1.6

TRANSMISSION: AUTOMATIC

FUEL TYPE: PETROL

YEAR: 2003

MILEAGE: 96,000 MILES

PRICE: £1495 | $1919



I am not a mechanic and have very basic knowledge about cars if any. I know oil leaks are usually a instant no go.. the engine cap having a mayo like substance usually means the head gasket has gone etc.



If the car runs fine and has no knocks or bangs coming from the engine, no smoking and seems completely mechanically sound.. then how much do you guys think I should realistically pay?.. seller has it listed at £1495.



I checked the MOT history and it passed it's last MOT with the following advisorys:


Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):

Front Windscreen wiper blade defective Both. (3.4 (b) (i))

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

Parking brake has slight reserve travel.

Front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))

Rear Direction indicator slightly discoloured Both. (4.4.3 (a))

Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Rear Brake disc worn, but not excessively Both. (1.1.14 (a) (i))

Brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule All. (1.1.12 (f) (i))

Rear Coil spring corroded Both. (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

All suspension components slightly corroded.




Will she last a year or so with the advisories on the MOT or is she not worth buying? Any advice would really be appreciated.



Thanks

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - Xileno

Impossible to say. You might want to keep an eye on the tyre. Price seems a stiff for a car nearing twenty years but I'm sure you've done your research. Might be worth looking on Gumtree.

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - Topdude

You are looking at the bottom end of the used car market but you are checking the right things .

No mention of rust on the MOT so that's good.

Don't buy unless the MOT was done fairly recently and there is evidence of servicing / oil changes as Honda engines need regular oil.

Also make sure there is a spare key, handbook, and radio code if it needs one.

And must have a V5 in sellers name at that address.

Good luck.

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - Bolt

You are looking at the bottom end of the used car market but you are checking the right things .

No mention of rust on the MOT so that's good.

Don't buy unless the MOT was done fairly recently and there is evidence of servicing / oil changes as Honda engines need regular oil.

Also make sure there is a spare key, handbook, and radio code if it needs one.

And must have a V5 in sellers name at that address.

Good luck.

And ask if the transmission fluid has been changed as I think it should be changed between 60k and 100k, if left can cause transmission slip, engine oil filter should be done 10k or 12k around that mileage or 12months, some do it 6 monthly

if engine is looked after can do 500k plus with regular oil/filter changes, they are pretty solid units

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - Theophilus

Don't forget to check insurance quotes before you decide on a vehicle - they may add a significant addition to your budget.

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - badbusdriver

Don't forget to check insurance quotes before you decide on a vehicle - they may add a significant addition to your budget.

Wise words.

As a first car, buying any kind of coupe is probably going to cost a lot more. The Honda in question is a 1.7 (rather than 1.6) and has 125bhp, which is quite a lot for a first car.

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - FoxyJukebox
Watch the brakes!…brake discs and hoses(??) spell £trouble on the way
Buying My First Car - Need Advice - sammy1

£1500 buys a lot of Taxi rides. You are letting a new MOT cloud your judgement If you really want a cheap car you should be looking at a Fiesta or Corsa and even then I would advise against with this budget

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - Andrew-T

As well as what others have advised, DON'T buy without having a good look first. I assume this car is fairly near you ? Almost any car can look good on a web picture. On the plus side Civics have a good reputation and you may well be lucky - as it's a private sale you can ask all sorts of questions and hope to get good answers.

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - S40 Man

Check out shed of the week on PistonHeads website. The author Shed picks out a new £1500 car every week. Have a look through the back issues to see what matters and models are available for that budget.

Buying My First Car - Need Advice - barney100

Mate of mine buys cheap....£400 to £900. He must be a lucky so and so as he seems to have little trouble. He's had a Meriva, an S series Jag...think it was the S....a Mercedes E class estate 320 petrol, a Vauxhall 2004 little van, now he has a Freelander which runs fine. Annoying thing is he does nothing to them except the Mot. They seem to last three or four years then when the Mot man says it'll cast a bit this time he scraps them or sells the parts and loses very little. Most of the cars he gets I'd run a mile from, he got the Freelander after seeing it with a sticker on a drive, had cash and beat the price down. Sneaking admiration have I.