Civic VX for sale on craigslist

[monroe74]

12k miles. $9,500. Wow.

http://fresno.craigslist.org/car/652187397.html

Those numbers are so unusual I thought someone else might be interested in seeing them. I wonder what the car will actually sell for.

A listing with more normal numbers here:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/car/651481527.html

These aren't my listings. Just some things I noticed while browsing around.

[Project84]

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/car/648510768.html

here's one in my area... is it worth it?

[monroe74]

Interesting listing. Here's my opinion.

105k is obviously low miles, so that's attractive. After looking at a zillion ads, I've seen very few that low.

37 mpg sounds wrong. Few owners report FE that low, even for city. I think that means either the car is being driven hard, or it needs an O2 sensor. Or both. But maybe it's just the latter. And maybe you can scrounge one for $200, so it's not a big deal.

If "some blemishes on body" means a few nicks and scratches, then so what. But it could be a euphemism for 'typical bubbling around rear wheel wells,' which could be a sign that major rot is about to break out. Since the car is in Ohio, I think most likely it's not truly rust-free. Then again, maybe you're handy with body work and you can save it from further rot.

If I were looking for a VX, and I wasn't far away, I would definitely go look at it. It might be in really good shape. If so, I think the price is fair.

[Project84]

I appreciate the input, sorry for stealing the thread...

I can do body work but don't have a garage to work out of, so thats halts things. Even so, I used the cost of ownership calculator and compared my Saturn at 26mpg to a vx at 38 mpg and the break even date is 6 years. I've only got roughly $1k wrapped up in purchase price and parts in my Saturn, to buy a gas savers, even as low as $3300, 6 years is a long time, and I'd be 28 years old and who knows where the technology would be by then. Not sure I want to make that kind of change just yet.

Thinking about it though....

[monroe74]

"compared my Saturn at 26mpg to a vx at 38 mpg"

As I suggested earlier, a VX that's only getting 38 mpg is a VX with a problem. 45-50 seems very attainable for many people, and some folks manage to beat 60 or even 70.

"the break even date is 6 years"

I think you're making the assumption that the price of gas is not going to keep going up. Who knows, you could be right.

"I've only got roughly $1k wrapped up in purchase price and parts in my Saturn"

That's what's known as sunk cost, which means it's not relevant to the analysis (except when we're being emotional instead of rational). Only cash-flows (in and out) going forward are relevant.

"6 years is a long time"

Here's something else to think about: which car will do a better job of retaining its resale value.

I'm not trying to sell you something. I'm just trying to provide an alternate perspective.

On the other hand, the Saturn and the VX are a very different driving experience. You would be giving up some things that some drivers might find indispensable (like automatic trans and four doors).

[Project84]

I'm actually looking to get rid of the Saturn for a 2 door 5sp. car.... lol

Sunk cost; perhaps. I had to put some kind of value in for the car to make the comparison, purchase price was $500, after thinking about it, I've put an additional $800 into it after that, but I'm expecting/planning to rebuild the engine at any given minute due to OEM rings being JUNK on these cars... mine is using a quart of oil every 2 weeks or every 400 miles (yes, that's all I drive).

I like your perspective, I'm not an import guy so I casually put them down and ignore them, but I'm into hypermiling, and now its looking like I'm gonna make the switch at some point although I'm not looking forward to it.

Kinda like, I know whats best for me isn't always what I like best... sucks though.

[monroe74]

"I'm actually looking to get rid of the Saturn for a 2 door 5sp. car"

After I posted my comment I noticed what you said in your garage, that you were interested in a stick, and considering a 2-dr!

For many years I've been driving fairly large vehicles (4 doors, 6 cyl, automatic, 3000-4000 pounds), and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed driving little cars. My favorite car ever was a Fiat 124 Spyder (I actually had three of them, many years ago). I just looked up some specs and was interested to notice how similar it is to the VX. The weight is the same, within one pound. The VX is 4 inches longer. The Fiat has 4 extra hp, but 15% less torque. It revved to 6800, but was weak at low rpm. I think on a dragstrip the two cars would be closely matched.

I won't say the VX is more fun to drive than the Fiat, but it comes much closer than most of the other cars I've driven in the interim. I also once greatly enjoyed owning a '78 Civic.

"I'm not an import guy"

The VX was built less than 300 miles from Detroit, so if you really want to you can think of it as not that much of an 'import.'

[Wyldesoul]

The Fiat, though, has one very, very big advantage when it comes to "performance". It's RWD. Better balance, better handling, and better grip in hard acceleration. (Not that it would matter much with such low HP.)

[monroe74]

I absolutely agree. The RWD makes a big difference in handling. And the Fiat had enough power that if you downshift and kept the revs up, cornering could be fun. Even if you weren't going that fast, it was entertaining and the motor sounded nice.

Speaking of comparisons, both cars have the same puny wheels and tires: 13x5, 165-13.

Another technical comparison: the Hondas have 4-wheel independent suspension. The Fiat did not. It was a solid axle in the back, but it was still a great design that handled well.

I think that Fiat motor was the first cheap mass-production motor with DOHC that used a timing belt, instead of a chain (or gears, I guess). Of course that later became a very popular design and was adopted by many, including Honda. (But I realize the VX is SOHC, not DOHC.)

My Fiats were always broken, though. The name is an acronym for 'fix it again Tony.' Or 'failed Italian attempt at transportation.'