92 dx, the headaches that are mine
 

Long story and no before shots.

here goes....

I bought ( september 2nd ) a 92 dx civic hatch from the night operations manager @ my workplace ( big mistake right off the bat. )

the long list of money invested started with holes in the wheel well, disgustingly rusted quarter panels, bottom of doors rusted to holy hell and cannot pass safety the way it was.

The same day i put it in the body shop. 2 weeks and 2500$ later I get it back. Few short days later, my driver side lock ( the spring in the unit snapped, rendered the unit useless - thus i replaced it 200$.

recap

Paint - new Metal - 2900
New lock - 200 after labor/parts

THEN, the upper and lower control arms rusted out ( mechanic showed me - not only was my front end wheels on 45 degree angles but the wheel was shaking like there was no tomorrow ) So, oil change + brand new control arms = 950 after labour and parts.

Not done, ha. Magnoflow exhaust ( older gentleman owned the car before me, the kid he had gotten it from had done everything it has on it now. ) the tail pipe rusted to hell snaped off the exhaust tip. 130 fix.

If i included my deck, current mods-in-progress, I've dumped over 5grand and its still climbing. HOW CAN I WIN? Frustration is the least of my worries.

What do you all think? Pics coming soon!

if you had dealt with this yesterday you I belive, and may be wrong but legally have 30 days to claim he sold you a lemon and get your money back. in the future I hope you've learnd from this tuition priced experience. did you not ever look at the car? quarters rusted, sure common and not to hard to fix, but open the door look at the rocker top and bottom. bring a magnet and look for spots where it doesn't stick = BONDO. when you brought it to be safetied you should have had it looked at better around the suspension. it's a 16 year old japanese car you gotta look for these things. ball joints can sieze if the car sat and they'll seem solid but then you drive the car a while the rust comes off and the ball joint breaks.

Buyer beware. Like olDusty mentioned, the car is pretty old and I personally wouldn't have expected too much. That generation of Civic is known for rust problems and mechanical components like the lock and suspension parts are bound to be worn on such an old car.

How much did you pay for it anyway?

damn man sounds like you're paying ppl to do work for you. old cars are a mechanics dream and the owners nighmare... unless they are one and the same. if you can't do the work yourself, it's totally entirely not worth owning an old car. get out while you can and get yourself the newest car you can afford (not a domestic older than 5 years).

I've done way more work on my car (mechanically, not body work - the body isn't as bad as yours) on my 90 Civic, and I only have like $2500 in the car and have been driving it for almost 4 years. it's also never let me down cuz i did the work before anything ever went wrong. and i got a lotta new parts, battery, alternator, rad and hoses, thermostat, waterpump, all belts, tires, all new brakes, tie rods, ball joints, axles, full new exhaust and O2 sensor, stereo (Clarion, Infinity, MTX, Boston Acoustics), cap, rotor, wires, spark plugs, valve cover gasket set, distributor seal oring ... prolly more I forgot...all still under $2500. edit: I forgot that includes replacement of 3 windows that were broken by vandals on various occasions, and a new windshield trim installed as well cuz mine was starting to come off, and i've got an alarm in that price also. oh and new rear rebar when i got rear ended.

I think you should of had the car looked over before you bought it.

yup

That sucks!
You spent over 5'Gs and climbing and I'm guessing you still have the stock motor in it??
That money could have got you a decent civic certified and with a Dohc swap in it.

civic's pwn

pics or gtfo

You bought a car, put money into it and hopefuly you come out with a car you like. Define win.

+1

Sure the cheapest thing to do it sell it and start over with a car that doesn't have as much problems to begin with.

On the other hand, you've already invested a lot to make this car, your car. I say keep goingitg this car.

Why did you buy a car with holes in the wheel wells? lol

YOU wasted sooo much money!! you my friend are a mechanic dream... did you buy any headlight fluid as well? like others said, egs are for the DIY ppl. I say at this point just keep going it sound like you have a pretty mint civic now. the cost of the car and paint was not wasted but the rest was a waste you coud have done the door handle and uppers for 100 $ if you just took the time to look at it.

Since I join this forum and began driving my eg. I have replaced just about everything on my car transmission, motor, UCA and rear LCA, suspension, door handles, windows hell I even install power windows, changed the dash and somehow rig GTI seats in the front among many things. none of this stuff is hard but you gotta be willing to get your hands dirty and trust yourself to able to do the work.

You can't get your money out so keep putting it in and build a nice hatch

well, the lock unit is a hard call...they go without warning. however, the balljoints/suspension items could have been seen earlier on. i'm assuming you took the gentleman's word for it and accepted the car as is. Did you have to do the safety yourself or did he provide it for you? balljoints and such are requirements in a safety inspection and in order to pass, they must be free of play and excessive wear. The rust is nothing. you knew it was rusted so, scratch that. The exhaust tip is also nothing cause that's just wear and tear - rusted so, you can't argue there and it's just the tip...that's only cosmetic...if it was the actual canister then it's another story. So, the only thing you can really complain about are the balljoints etc. When was the safety certificate issued and did you get it safetied or did the previous owner?

hey all,

In response :

The car was supposedly safetied. When I go back ( after sale ) to ask for the yellow paper he doesnt have it - hence, its not. Ok, thats fine. Straight from there I bring it to the shop to get it done. the body work I THOUGHT I could let go, just for the time being ( I budgeted money for it but was going to wait for after summer ) Then I get kicked in the ass

TO ALL :

You are right. Mechanics dream - owners nightmare. I have taken it upon myself to start getting my hands dirty. I'll do what I have to do ( with help from family and friends - friends father being a mechanic ) and learn it on my own. I WANT to, just needed the guidance. Time to get dirty:yo:

PICS being uploaded right now.

Sorry, no before shots

I started small, got the dash ripped out ( the dash vents and cluster trim was painted red - hated it so i painted it ) and cluster led conversion

Where did you get the bodywork done before I even see the pics?

pat @ colosus autobody. Dufferin and davenport