Although my 02 Civic is an Si and completely different platform, you can't go wrong with a Civic. Civics have had their highs and lows with performance and styling, but they are rather bulletproof mechanically.

My Si has 173K miles (got it with 22K in 2009!) and has the original AC system and refrigerant.

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
Only add transmission fluid. DO NOT have it flushed. The crap in there is the only thing holding it together.

To be more accurate, drain/fill.

On the J-series V6, it is a 3x3. Drain , add same qty back, drive & go through all gears. Repeat 3x.

Some great advice here much appreciated!
I've talked with a buddy who works in the service department at a local Honda dealer and their computer shows the car is all caught up on items as of now and any recall issues. I ran the VIN past our insurance agent and she said adding the car with me driving it wouldn't change my premium at all (its a 3rd car) till we are ready for my son to drive it should be great for short trips around town.
I added a can of freon and wow it gave some cold AC fast! I'll see if that holds or leaks off.

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
At 148K, it's likely the AC needs more than a recharge. If the compressor isn't already dead, it probably doesn't have much life left in it.

That model Civic I wouldn’t be surprised to see the compressor last to 250-300,000 miles.

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
At 148K, it's likely the AC needs more than a recharge. If the compressor isn't already dead, it probably doesn't have much life left in it. Replacement is in the $800-1200 range, unless you do your own wrenching.

Huh?

I have an 07 Civic with 218,000 on it and have only had to do one charge on it since I've had it and the AC runs just fine.

Hard to imagine a better first car for a teenage boy. I wish I'd had something like that when I was a teen (1970s), i.e., not a piece of shit. Not being a sports, or even a sporty, car, it will also show up in the insurance rate. As for the A/C, it only holds a pound, or a little more, of refrigerant to start with, so a quarter pound loss is a 25% undercharge. Evacuate and recharge it with a known, measured amount. Don't just hook up a "grenade" can to it, or it could easily be overcharged.

Good choice. I had a 2002 that I drove over 225k miles before some uninsured asshole totalled it.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
At 148K, it's likely the AC needs more than a recharge. If the compressor isn't already dead, it probably doesn't have much life left in it. Replacement is in the $800-1200 range, unless you do your own wrenching.

Huh?

I have an 07 Civic with 218,000 on it and have only had to do one charge on it since I've had it and the AC runs just fine.

I'm glad some of you have had much better luck than I have. I like Hondas, but...

1997 CR-V
2003 Accord
2004 Civic
2007 CR-V

All had their air compressors fail before 150K. Granted I live in a very hot part of the country that takes its toll on AC systems, but still...

I have a 2003 with 201k miles on it. I have replaced the starter and battery but those were easy to do. The little pad behind the brake pedal lever disintegrated, it was rubber, kind of expected over the course of years and stepping on the brake pedal thousands of times. You should also check the top of the fuel tank, access is through the cushions on the rear seats. The top ends up cracking and there might be some very small seepage of fuel.

I’ll be getting rid of mine soon for a newer Civic or Accord. KBB valued trade in at only around $500.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
I have a 2003 with 201k miles on it. I have replaced the starter and battery but those were easy to do. The little pad behind the brake pedal lever disintegrated, it was rubber, kind of expected over the course of years and stepping on the brake pedal thousands of times. You should also check the top of the fuel tank, access is through the cushions on the rear seats. The top ends up cracking and there might be some very small seepage of fuel.

I’ll be getting rid of mine soon for a newer Civic or Accord. KBB valued trade in at only around $500.

Look at craigslist and see what asking prices are for yours. You’ll get a lot more than 500 bucks I promise you.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
I have a 2003 with 201k miles on it. I have replaced the starter and battery but those were easy to do. The little pad behind the brake pedal lever disintegrated, it was rubber, kind of expected over the course of years and stepping on the brake pedal thousands of times. You should also check the top of the fuel tank, access is through the cushions on the rear seats. The top ends up cracking and there might be some very small seepage of fuel.

I’ll be getting rid of mine soon for a newer Civic or Accord. KBB valued trade in at only around $500.

Look at craigslist and see what asking prices are for yours. You’ll get a lot more than 500 bucks I promise you.

I agree, a scrap person would probably give you $4-500 to take it to a junkyard. If it's half way decent looking, you should be able to get $1500-2000 for any decent running/driving car that's daily driveable without any major investment.

^^^^. In the ATL he’d easily get 2500 bucks for it as long as it looks decent.

My 2003 had transmission issues and eventually failed. I bought it from the original owner with 56k, the original owner used it to commute back and forth to work (he was a doctor at MD Anderson in Houston) and maintained it well. Until it fully warmed up it wouldn’t shift right from first to second, the shift would be delayed. It got progressively worse and I sold it to a coworker for $500 (with about 80k on it). He rebuilt the transmission and makes his hour drive back and forth to work in it.

The a/c was problematic too and never cooled well, even after replacing the condenser. It did get very good fuel mileage.

My 2001 Civic EX had the AC compressor fail around 165,000 miles. When I went online I noticed I was not the only one experiencing a compressor failure on their Honda.

All in all though I believe that is a solid car and an excellent choice for a first car. The manual versions will last longer but my wife’s Automatic civic lasted a damn long time too.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
At 148K, it's likely the AC needs more than a recharge. If the compressor isn't already dead, it probably doesn't have much life left in it. Replacement is in the $800-1200 range, unless you do your own wrenching.

Huh?

I have an 07 Civic with 218,000 on it and have only had to do one charge on it since I've had it and the AC runs just fine.

And you likely run the A/C 3-4 months out of the year? 5-6 if it's really hot?

Try 8-11 months out of the year and you'll understand. Or just do the simple math...

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
^^^^. In the ATL he’d easily get 2500 bucks for it as long as it looks decent.

Yeah, lots of wide exhaust systems and neon lights just waiting for that thing...

I like civics..but here is another opinion about the 2002 model...I wish I used this site before buying my kid a Sentra - they were spot on about head gasket issue...

https://www.carcomplaints.com/...c/2002/transmission/

^^^^. The car complaints website is a joke. If you go on that site you’ll leave thinking the Toyota Corolla is the worst car ever made. Lol

The older the car, the more ‘complaints’ you’re going to have. We are talking about an 18 year old Civic.

The site may be a joke? My experience has shown it to be a good resource to at least be aware of issues going in. It clearly showed the “avoid this clunker” for the Sentra I purchased, It was a 1 model year issue with head gaskets. It also nailed the Chevy equinox (a friends) issues with excessive oil consumption.

Your thoughts that the number of complaints goes up as time passes likely has some truth to it - doesn’t explain why civics pre-2001 have very few complaints..I’ll have to think about this some more.

Anyway...not arguing. It was meant to give some insight to areas the OP might want to check.

Teach him to change the brakes, oil, fluids, plugs/wires/igniters and the timing belt/water pump.

Even pull the alternator. A man should be able to do the simple jobs at a minimum.

My assistant at work is completely mechanically clueless and I ma having to teach him basic man skills.