New 1st Gen Civic Buyer Guide
Civic1200 Discussion Board: : New 1st Gen Civic Buyer Guide
Thank you very very much for the support and warm welcome. I myself is a very handson guy and would love to see what I can do with these cars. I do agree that I need to know what to do with it before purchasing it. I would like to set it up as a commuter that can save on gas and also a weekend racer. I was wondering if anyone have put in other engine in such a small engine bay before? As this car I am lookin at had a brew head gasket, I would like to replace the engine that would fit and give her a little bit more horse power at the same time by fixing the engine.
Also, I like knowing new friends who love working on cars around the area, wonder if there is someone in the San Jose, CA area would like to get together and learn more as I take apart this 1200 engine? send me email at hotimportshow2004@yahoo.com!!
Thanks again for the support, I hope can gather more information here as I been reading all the posting for the past week.
1,
Welcome to our little corner of the internet. First off, I'd have to agree with what both Sue and Zippy have already said. Get a HONDA KNOWLEDGEABLE mechanic to help you out with a pre purchase inspection. Second, parts ARE somewhat hard to come by, which is why if you're seriously interested in one of these things, you need to belong to a community of enthusiasts (like this one) 
. When I bought my '76 from Colin, it was with an eye towards a "cheap fixer-upper." As with most projects of an automotive nature, mine will likely snowball over time as I learn of different modifications and my tastes change.
The first, best thing to do is set out a plan for your expected use of this car, as mentioned above (below?) . Then go from there with your decision making.
As Zippy said, these aren't a car, but rather a lifestyle. If you do become involved with the early Civics, you'll find yourself scrounging every local backwoods wrecking yard you can find, looking for those elusive parts, then coming home and gluing yourself to your computer screen waiting for the next post here on the board. Stick with it and you'll probably meet other people close by that share the same interests and even maybe make some new friends. I wish you the best of luck with your decisions.
Regards,
Shea
The answer is that in a 25+ year old car everything will be broken and need fixing. If it hasen't been fixed you will have to fix it yourself. As you drive, things will break and fall off. That should tell you when a specific item is in need of repair.
In terms of parts: Honda dosen't make any and NOS are getting hard to find. No aftermatket stuff is made for us, there simply aren't enough of us for anybody to care. In my area there are NONE in any junkyard, if I want used parts someone on the board has to get them for me. Actually, when I need a part I generally make it myself. Everyone on the board is doing their own stuff. We are all running different engines so there is no "general" market for engine parts. When things need fixing, most peeps on the board do a custom thing, to make it better or cooler or mabye just because they can't find the sock part to use for a replacement. First gen isn't a car its a lifestyle.
The real question is what do you want to do with your car? Daily driver, weekender, racer, showcar? With each car type you will have different starting requirements. If you tell us what you want to do we will help you. But, you can't leave open ended questions like you did. Do your homework and figure it out for yourself.
If you can find a car someone else started customizing that would be a good place to start.
If you want to put in your own engine get a CVCC they have a bigger engine bay. If you want to race in a club get a 1200 with a trunk.
Good luck and enjoy!
If you don't know much about these cars you should find a good mechanic, someone that knows these cars, and have them look it over before you buy it. We do pre-purchase inspections all the time and find things the buyer would never have noticed.
Sue
It is not a joke, I really want to find out what I should look for, for example, 1. normal oil leaks on the oil pan is normal. 2. Watch out for the ...... as it cost a fortune to fix. 3. It is ok to have ..... as it is common problem which cost only $... to fix.
Things like that can help a soon to be owner out purchasing a good running 1st Gen Civic.
But if you guys don't know much either or don't want to help. That's ok too. Thanks.
This is a joke yes?
I am planning to purchase my first 1st Gen Civic and I don't know much about them. How do I know if it is in good running order and will last? What things should I look at just to make sure? Any good idea how I can get more information on this wonderful machine? Any help would be greatly appericated. This is also a vault that we can pass along the wisdom to new soon to be owners about 1st Gen Honda Civics. Please reply with any ideas. Thanks.