Can I get some advice on 2002 honda civic si?

[blazer]

Hello, this is my first post on here. I am looking to purchase a 2002 Honda Civic si with 102,000 miles on it? I cannot find a whole lot of information on the SI online and I am wondering how reliable of a car it is. I have read in different places online that the transmission on civic's was not good in the early 2000's but I can not find anything online. The 2002 honda civic si I am looking at is at a dealership and looks to be stock. I am a broke college student so I do not want to buy the car if I am going to need to put any money into repairs. My last car was a toyota tacoma and I literally only did oil changes for 4 years and it ran like a top. If I take it on a test drive tomorrow are there certain things to look for? Any advice would be extremely appreciated. I will keep checking this thread tonight, tomorrow morning I have to have my mind made up if I want to buy the car. Thank you.

[R34L-St4tus]

Is it at a honda dealership or a third party? if its at a third party dealership and its got 102k on it i wouldn't get it. if your test driving it, i would suggest looking at how the car handles. meaning - 1.too bouncy, 2.pulls in a certain direction, 3.making clucking noise at lower speed, 4.idles crazy, 5.clutch to soft, 6.won't go into gear easy, 7.loud ticking noise. simple stuff like that. with the stuff i just explain it pretty expensive if those parts have to be replace.

1. shocks are blown - raceland coilover $308
2.alignment is wack - realignment $90
3.stuff aren't tight or you got more stuff to replace $$$
4.vac might be dirty - clean vac FREE
5.got air in the clutch line? - bleed clutch line FREE
6.clutch is shit after 90k - new clutch $200 - $500
7.axles needs repair - auto store retail price $30 - $100

hopes this help :)

[Tougeep3]

First I'd find out if the 100K service has been performed on the car, nothing is reliable if it was never maintained. I'd also ask about a clutch replacement.
I have an 02 with 97K on the clock, done nothing but modifications and maintenance. My only problem has been door lock acuators. I've had 3 fail, two D. side, one P. side. There only $30 so it's not a huge deal. and I literally broke the clutch at 62K, but the way I drive it was bound to happen. Other than that it's a civic, of course it's reliable.

[Tougeep3]

Is it at a honda dealership or a third party? if its at a third party dealership and its got 102k on it i wouldn't get it.

How is it better coming from honda, they'll screw you just as bad if not worse.

[R34L-St4tus]

also bring a flash light with you. pop the hood, open the oil cap and look inside. if it looks clean and pretty then that motor has been taken care of. but if its ugly and dull looking, someone hasn't been doing an oil change.

[R34L-St4tus]

How is it better coming from honda, they'll screw you just as bad if not worse.

i didn't say better or worse, but i wouldn't pick it up from some latino car sale. no racial intended.

[blazer]

Hi, The dealership that is selling it is a HUGE one. Like an AUTO MALL. It's a Toyota dealership selling it. It's not a weird little no name dealership. I thought that somewhere in the archives of this forum there was like a petition concerning the transmission's in the 02 si. Some people where saying they heard weird grinding noises and could not down shift or something like that. Just a question, but are the SI's notorious for having bad clutches, sylonoids (sp), or anything else mechanical?? Do you think the dealership could disguise these problems or any others the car might have? I am just very scared because I do not have all the money in the world and I do not want to buy a money trap.I have never owned a honda but usually they have good reputations. What types of stuff should have been done on the 100,000 mile mark?? Thank you to everybody helping me!

Do you all think that a 2002 si with 102k can be a reliable car that only will need minimal routine care (oil changes ect..)

[R34L-St4tus]

Hi, The dealership that is selling it is a HUGE one. Like an AUTO MALL. It's a Toyota dealership selling it. It's not a weird little no name dealership. I thought that somewhere in the archives of this forum there was like a petition concerning the transmission's in the 02 si. Some people where saying they heard weird grinding noises and could not down shift or something like that. Just a question, but are the SI's notorious for having bad clutches, sylonoids (sp), or anything else mechanical?? Do you think the dealership could disguise these problems or any others the car might have? I am just very scared because I do not have all the money in the world and I do not want to buy a money trap.I have never owned a honda but usually they have good reputations. What types of stuff should have been done on the 100,000 mile mark?? Thank you to everybody helping me!

Do you all think that a 2002 si with 102k can be a reliable car that only will need minimal routine care (oil changes ect..)

you'll certainly need a new clutch if it hasn't been changed. 02 with 102k has a very short life span depend on how the preivous owner drove it. n/a k20a3's life span is usually around 80k-90k depending on drivers.

[blazer]

Ok. If it has not been changed than there is no way I will buy it. I am literally putting everything I have into possibly buying this car and I cannot afford to put a new clutch in. What's crazy is my bro has a little '94 civic hatchback and the thing still is on it's same clutch. That car have like 150k and has had zero problems. Beside the clutch are these newer honda's that reliable?

Synchro problems is another one I am concerned about. any info on that? thank u

[R34L-St4tus]

Ok. If it has not been changed than there is no way I will buy it. I am literally putting everything I have into possibly buying this car and I cannot afford to put a new clutch in. What's crazy is my bro has a little '94 civic hatchback and the thing still is on it's same clutch. That car have like 150k and has had zero problems. Beside the clutch are these newer honda's that reliable?

they are reliable, well my is. it just needs more loving then the older civic do. :)

[blazer]

So kinds of things should I ask the dealership in regards to 100k service?? What types of things would need to be done?

Ok I have a dumb question. I have read online that regular 02 civics have had problems with there tranny's and stuff. Is the SI tranny completely different that like a 02 honda civic lx. Also does the SI and an LX have different motors. I guess what r they main differences between SI's and regular civics?? Do you all think the SI can go for 200k miles with minor matience (sp)??

[R34L-St4tus]

ask em that since its got about 102k, has the clutch been changed whats the background on the car.

if your getting this from wikipedia stop reading, half the stuff on there are sometime false. anyone can access it and changed it to their liking. the civic si HATCHBACK was release from 2002-2005, so was the civic ex lx COUPE. the 02-05 civic si started with the k-series, the 01-05 civic coupe still have d series. so yeah different motor, different tranny. all you have to worry about is the clutch being changed, the tranny itself should be fine. as for reaching the 200k life span mark, your chances are really low.

[blazer]

ok sounds good. i am calling the dealership in morning to ask about clutch. i will not even go look at it if it is original clutch. thank u for ur help. if anybody thinks of anything else let me know. thanks!

[All4Honda]

i have an 02 also with 130k miles and am still on factory clutch, but its pretty much time for a new one. I had a friend recently trade his in with around 240k miles on it and he was hell on that car but it still running

[emsep]

i have an 02 with 194,xxx miles on it right now. its my only car and i drive it everywhere. all i dont to it was change the oil on time and vavle adjustments.

[omgheyitskenny]

A3 tranny's are notorious for having the shiftfork shoot thru ;)

[Polish Thug]

My 04 has 135k miles, stock clutch still grabs fine no problem. Most of the time I can get it to chirp through 3rd gear :). It all depends on the previous owner and how the car was driven. I got my car with 99k miles 1.5 years ago and the only thing I have done maintenance wise is change the brakes, transmission fluid, and regular oil changes.

[BeaterEP]

Just thought I should chime in.
My 03 is at about 202,000 miles now, original motor.
Didn't have to replace the clutch until about 165,000 miles.

Ask about a service record for the vehicle. If it was granny-driven, there will probably be service records.

[BeaterEP]

A3 tranny's are notorious for having the shiftfork shoot thru ;)

According to what source/sources?

[blazer]

Well a little update.... I went and seen the SI and it was beautiful. When I got to dealership I was told that somebody was trying to buy it but could not get financing so the car was fair game. Test drive was amazing. I fell in love with the car instantly. I began to have mental ownership of the car. Than we were about 2.5 seconds away from the dealership on the way back from the test drive and the salesman phone keeps ringing. He eventually answers and mutters, "OK" to the person on the other end. He gets off the phone and informs me the person trying to buy the car just successfully got financed. I was so upset, still am actually. So now I just keep looking for another one. After reading this post I would not be afraid to buy a SI with around 100k miles, so long as it ran nice. The problem is, is that that's seems to be like very hard to accomplish. I will keep looking. I do not want to settle for any old car, I really want an SI.

[BeaterEP]

Aw that sucks man, personal opinions aside, I'm sorry to hear that!
At least you know what you're looking for, though, and you got a feel for the car (at least a little bit), so the next time around, you should have a better idea what to look out for.

Good luck with your search man! :thumbu:
Keep an eye on the auto sales here, too. You never know, something might come up!

[McTaggart34]

When you get one you will want to keep it for ever. :D

[SIisaLowRydaEP3]

When you get one you will want to keep it for ever. :D:yeahthat: i wasnt a fan until i saw 1 lowered then i went on my mission to get a unmolested 1 now i dont think i could let her go

[McTaggart34]

I molest mine ever night.. what the

[cleanep3]

Honda = Reliability .. my hatch jus passed 100k miles still pulls like a champ and no maintainece issues for now!!

[BeaterEP]

200k+ crew.
:mcool:

[omgheyitskenny]

According to what source/sources?

lets see there was a 3rd gear recall about 2 years back. Many A3 trannys out of EP go thru honda for replacements. LKQ sells them to shops and dealships as soon as they stock due to this.

I used to work at Honda and some of my friends still work at Honda you wouldn't believe how many of these problems there were along with bad rear main seals.

[BeaterEP]

Was it just certain batches? Never heard anything about a recall, :shrug:

[omgheyitskenny]

Was it just certain batches? Never heard anything about a recall, :shrug:

Well I got my EP end of 08 and about 3 months ago the rear main seal went bad I thought it to be weird since car only had 60k miles but many of the other techs said that it was pretty common on the EPs and I read the same on H-T, K20a.org, and ClubEp3 back then. Now after I replaced the rear main seal I drove it around the block to make sure everything was fine didn't even go past 3k RPMs only any gear. There was a loud whinning noise almost sounded like a supercharger when I was in 5th gear. I pulled it back into the shop and put it on the lift now at that time there was Tranny fluid all over the floor. Took the tranny out of the car and the inside of the casing was cracked.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1681/20101030170750740.jpg

We checked and saw a recall on 3rd gear a while back and using that I got a Tranny from LKQ unfortunatly since a lot of the EP's trannys were having that problem LKQ had a shortage and now there is a RSX tranny in my EP

[Drew1d]

I'm at 180k and haven't had any problems like that. I change my trans fluid once a year. Oil changes at regular intervals. Car runs great. I still hold that these are great little cars.

[omgheyitskenny]

Was it just certain batches? Never heard anything about a recall, :shrug:

Most of LKQ's rebuilds are of 02-03

[Grookes]

'02 original owner, 99,000 miles. Runs great, very reliable.
Make sure the low-beams work - I dropped $500 on a new headlight switch and rewiring when my lowbeams would not turn on any more. There was a recall on some models (not mine).
Good luck with your search.

[Kibble Fat]

I bought my 2002 a year and a half ago at 114k. After 2 months of searching for one online, I finally found one on craigslist in Ohio so I drove 4 hours south to test drive the thing and it was in great condition. 100% garage kept by both owners. I picked it up for $6300 which included a winter wheel set (great buy!).

I replaced/repaired:

motor oil
oil filter
trans fluid
spark plugs
cabin air ilter
intake air filter
rear discs & pads
alignment
cat. heat shied

So not too bad, just a few hundred to get it back on track as far as maintenance goes.

On the horizon:

1) clutch is original (rule of thumb for replacement?)
2) clutch pedal needs to have some slack taken out (is that possible?)
3) driver side door developing small rattles; the window is starting to scare me
4) shifter is pretty sloppy with nearly an inch of play at the knob. I examined the mechanism with the cover removed and decided aluminum bushings wouldn't do much. The main delrin-looking (white) plastic ball joint has a substantial gap (1.5mm?) that is responsible for maybe 80% of the slop. Has anyone replaced this?

So far, no regrets approaching 140k. I love this car!

[Tokin_Buds]

Here is one to look out for. . make sure the key glides in easily on all locks. . our door lock mechanisms are absolute garbage.

well. . mine are anyway.. Ive had my key completely "stuck" in the door and had to drive around like that with the key in the door. wtf? lol embarresing no one even tried to steal it.. can you believe it..our cars really must be invisible to thieves.

[Kis4KEN]

ask em that since its got about 102k, has the clutch been changed whats the background on the car.

if your getting this from wikipedia stop reading, half the stuff on there are sometime false. anyone can access it and changed it to their liking. the civic si HATCHBACK was release from 2002-2005, so was the civic ex lx COUPE. the 02-05 civic si started with the k-series, the 01-05 civic coupe still have d series. so yeah different motor, different tranny. all you have to worry about is the clutch being changed, the tranny itself should be fine. as for reaching the 200k life span mark, your chances are really low.


you'll certainly need a new clutch if it hasn't been changed. 02 with 102k has a very short life span depend on how the preivous owner drove it. n/a k20a3's life span is usually around 80k-90k depending on drivers.

What are you talking about man!? I drive my EP effing hard most of the time. I have 135k miles on my motor... on top of that, I barely change my oil.

[goldEp]

chevy and honda is all i rock.. i once owned a 98 honda civic lx. ran that bad boy in the city of colorado to 350,000 miles.. i never did timing belt nor clutch.. this is true.. just did filters,plugs changes and oil changes every 3,500... when the motor gave out it was due to low compression from amount of miles.. and it was burning alot of oil... the car still ran for 2hr with less then 1qt of oil.. i had donor motor in the garage.. popped that motor at 350,000 miles intalled newer motor with only 56,000 miles and the car is still runing hitting half a million..lol true story... i love honda. so a clutch at 120,000 not a big deal on hondas.. i drove 3hr to go get my 2002 ep3 and ive owned her for 6 years now.. i will never sale her..!