I'm jealous. Cousin just bought a 1995 VX. lotsa pics.

[XyKo]

He bought it from a friend who works at a dealer. The original owner traded it in for a Fit. These pictures are of it in the yard.

1995 Civic VX.
Original owner.
Working AC!!
175K Miles.

I think there is an oil leak from picture 4. Probably valve cover gasket. The car seems to drive very smooth, but will have a new o2 sensor with a tune-up. Came with brand new michelin tires. Just need to fix the rust area and tighten up the screws of the rear bumper at the wheel well and it should be good. Also is anything look out of place in the engine bay? Thanks

[Jay2TheRescue]

Looks like it still has the original radiator hoses. I'd change the coolant and replace the hoses before it leaves you on the side of the road. That happened when we took my great aunt's 88 Lincoln Town Car down from Pennsylvania. Dad drove it down with no problems. A week later he took it out to the grocery store and a radiator hose blew. I had to go pick him up from the grocery store, and take him to the auto parts store to pick a hose so he could drive it home.

-Jay

[mrmad]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

Looks like it still has the original radiator hoses. I'd change the coolant and replace the hoses before it leaves you on the side of the road. That happened when we took my great aunt's 88 Lincoln Town Car down from Pennsylvania. Dad drove it down with no problems. A week later he took it out to the grocery store and a radiator hose blew. I had to go pick him up from the grocery store, and take him to the auto parts store to pick a hose so he could drive it home.

-Jay

I agree, but don't forget the small bypass hose on the thermostat housing as well. I managed to blow the bypass hose on both my Integra and CRX within the first few months of owning them.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by mrmad

I agree, but don't forget the small bypass hose on the thermostat housing as well. I managed to blow the bypass hose on both my Integra and CRX within the first few months of owning them.

That's what went out on the Town Car...

[jadziasman]

Looks pretty good but repairing that rear quarter panel rust will be a challenge.

The oil leak seems to be coming from the valve cover. There shouldn't be any oil at the bottom of the cover - unless the rubber gasket is bad or the screws were not tightened enough - which is my guess. It's pretty easy NOT to tighten them enough. Problem is those little screws break easily too - I know because I have had to remove a couple of busted screws from both of my VX's over the years. Kind of a PITA to do also.

Otherwise the engine compartment looks like it should. The exhaust manifold cover looks great - it hasn't rusted around the bolts yet like mine and it's silver not painted black like the 92 VX was.

How much did you cousin pay for this VX?

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

Looks like it still has the original radiator hoses. I'd change the coolant and replace the hoses before it leaves you on the side of the road. That happened when we took my great aunt's 88 Lincoln Town Car down from Pennsylvania. Dad drove it down with no problems. A week later he took it out to the grocery store and a radiator hose blew. I had to go pick him up from the grocery store, and take him to the auto parts store to pick a hose so he could drive it home.

-Jay

Don't forget the heater hoses. I've had those blow up on me at inopportune times...

[smccall]

Defintely valve cover gasket. After you clean out the engibe bay, fix the rust, it should be a great looking VX.

[1cheap1]

Don't forget to replace battery terminals. Just replace as many of the hoses, clamps as you can. Check the torque on the exhaust manifold bolts as well. Tighten and check all bolts. Fuel filter also. I did all this on an old 89 240sx and its running great after some basic items. Bought it with 171k and it has 183k on it now with no problems.

[XyKo]

Well, I'm not jealous anymore. Cousin found a bike that he really wants, so he sold it to me for the price he got it for, cough 1500. Going to change everything next weekend after I come back from vacation.

1. F+R Brakes
2. Tune-up
3. o2 Sensor
4. Hoses and clamps
5. Rear panel rust. Hopefully my dad's friend can give me a deal.

[jadziasman]

For $1500, that's a good deal. I paid the same amount for my 92 VX three years ago but with 125K miles on it (but I'm fairly sure its odometer was rolled back because in Michigan if the vehicle is more than 10 years old the seller is not held responsible if the odometer reading is not true - buyer beware!). Still not a big deal since it's pretty easy to make it to 250K with the VX. I've put 60K on mine without having to do major engine work on it or having to spend an excessive amount to repair it. DIY is the only way for me.

The rear quarter panel rust on my 92 VX was not as bad when I bought it 3 years ago as your "new" 95 VX has currently. You might just want to buy replacement panels and have them welded in.

Another thing you should consider is the OEM wheel well splash guards. I think they helped my VX from rusting worse than it has.

Check that the front LCAs and UCAs for worn bushings. My VX needed these worked on because its tires were wearing out prematurely. Also check the rear camber, I needed to correct this as well. I did this work myself and it didn't cost too much - just my time.

Inspect the timing belt and valve lash. Honda engines get noisy when the valve clearance increases.

Check the tranny axle seals for leakage. If they leak, the tranny oil level will be low and one or more of the mainshaft bearings will get trashed. It only takes a small leak and oil will probably not drip on the ground. You will be able to see oil stains on the frame behind the axles if the seals are leaking. They're not too difficult to replace but changing out halfshafts can be hard to do without the proper tools.

Have I scared you enough so far with the "likely" care and feeding of your VX?

It's worth every hour and penny though. I have been driving VX's for 13 years and enjoy the ride and mpg daily.