My civic was my grandfathers and today it has 33,000 miles. So it is possible.

By Keil Shepherd (Medicineman) (213.122.226.52) on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 10:52 am:

The auction was won by tiki*islands originally but didn't follow through with payment. It looks this guy could be related to Gus, check out that feedback! Wow, looks like a lot of people got stung real bad on those ipods.

By Ed (24.100.5.141) on Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - 10:45 pm:

what is going on here ???

newest listing - started June 29/04:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2483432695&category=6256

last listing - started June 18/04 (winning bidder / reserve met ):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2482522895

first listing - starte June 1/04 (reserve not met):

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2480891448

By Scott Lorandeau (Nightowl42) (143.166.226.17) on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 03:04 pm:

It's baaaack!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2482522895&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

He ended the auction early last time. I suspected he found a local buyer. Looks like that deal fell through.

By Dave (209.226.249.7) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 04:35 pm:

Regarding your comment there John... Like I said you guys just dont know how bad it is up here and what we have to do to keep our cars from rotting literaly into pieces. There are some wax type rustproofing that is sticky like mad and makes your engine compartment look like that after about 4 yrs. We have to wash our cars every week during the winter. The salt gets thick on the cars. You can not even see out your windows (hence the weekly wash). I have seen a few vehicles that had body panels replaced under warranty because there were holes in them the size of grape fruits, one being a Ford Aerostar and a Ford full size van. The mirrors fall into the doors or the door skin rots off at the bottom and flaps in the wind. I have seen cars where you have to watch how you step in or you would go through the floor and the carpet was covering holes the size of a Frizbee. We once had a little wagon in our wrecking yard that my brother and I were bombing around in and it made a big crack and reved out. The car was so rotten that it had broke inhalf. The engine reved because the drive shaft had pulled out of the tranny. Just on the news after the May 24 weekend they were showing a pickup that they had pulled off the road in a spot check and the entire floor was gone under the drivers feet. Even most of the door sill was gone. Enough horror stories for you? lol
With what we know of the cars here and life expectancy and experience in dealing with rot we would be drooling looking under a hood and just seeing it in that good of shape with the rust inhibitor on it. I envy you guys!
Dave

By John S. (205.188.117.9) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 10:51 am:

The condition of the engine compartment tells all here, and I would have doubts about it. (red car)

By Dave (209.226.248.57) on Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 06:33 pm:

Oh Ic what u mean.

By Keil Shepherd (Medicineman) (213.122.99.1) on Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 03:49 pm:

I mean the left side cowl trim. It's in a real mess. Either there's been a lot of feet chafing against it or someone's just been leaning their foot against it while whey've been driving. I think that's happened to mine. You get a mechanic wearing bovver boots who's normally drives manual and is used to using both feet..... Nasty business

By Kdbaker (Kdbaker) (24.110.10.80) on Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 10:09 am:

My car has 43,000 miles and it's a 73. So they do exist.

By Dave (64.228.15.92) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 06:10 pm:

LOL What you are calling a "liner on the footwell" is the standard here in Ontario to collect all the slush laced salt from our boots. In the winter most cars use em.

By jms (68.107.182.165) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 05:37 pm:

Ive been on both sides, I have a MINT rust free TX civic. Was truly a shock to see, and it has 80,000 miles. Bolts underneath still have paint!

Then I have my 37,000 mile rusted out NY car. Only reason it lasted that long was because it was only driven 37k, but it was driven in the winter. Cant turn one bolt without worrying it will break. I would never buy another rusted car again after being here, not worth the effort unless its some rare car. I would pay to ship from the south. Only thing is the rubber and interiors usually suck.

AND under the hood looked just like that red civic, I dont know what they use as undercoat on the cars in the rust belt back then, but its BAD stuff, its a dirt magnet and is VERY difficult to clean, so I do believe him on that.

By Keil Shepherd (Medicineman) (81.131.118.249) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 10:45 am:

Hey guys

Anybody noticed the liner in the driver's footwell? That car's been driven. Pedals look a bit scabby too. My question is why if the car's been waxed on the outside, why not clean the inside? The floor mats don't add up, it's wierd why there's only a cover on the passenger's seat and yes, the rust on the air cleaner case.

An interesting conundrum. I think you'd need to see it in the flesh before you could safely say whether or not it's original.

BTW, my mother's got a '92 Civic Lsi with only 14,000 miles on it!

By Zippy (Zippy) (12.106.14.107) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 06:25 am:

I don't think that that is lousy taping, but rather, car wax. That car is nearly brand-new.

By Shea Laking (Sheaman71) (66.185.85.79) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 12:08 am:

Hmm, I looked at this auction with some interest a few days ago when I first saw it. Here's my thoughts.

1. What Ed sez, the little paint "masking" marks-wonder if this car "may" have had some SMALL repairs done in the past, like a dent fixed, etc.

2. Randy and Al B brought up good points about clues to originality, i.e. underhood, etc.

3. Dave, a Vega with only 2100 miles!?! Wow, I'd love to have one of those in nice shape to hack up! I've still got the GT instruments I bought for my first one. Tha Amphicar has been on loan to Oshawa Auto museum for as long as I can remember-I bet it's been there well over 30 years. They've got a BEAUTY Oldsmobile torpedo 2-door sedan (1949?) as well with only about 6,000 original lil' ol' lady miles on it.

4. Final point....I agree TOTALLY with what Colin said about you folks from the Southlands. You guys don't realise just how lucky you are, rust free cars "everywhere," being driven around, but "they're just cars." Here in the rustbelt, anything and I do mean ANYTHING, over 5 years old has MAJOR rust problems unless the owner is EXTREMELY careful about rust prevention/maintenance-and I mean careful to the point of ANAL!

But of course, all of us Ontarians are a bunch of evil, stupid liars who will pay (or expect TO BE PAID) WAY too much for an old vehicle and wouldn't recognise a good one if it bit us on the nose. 'Nuff said, rant mode shut down for tonight.

Shea

By Max (Max) (67.162.184.219) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 08:24 pm:

lol!
cvcc were one of those guys!!!
were in texas, and in around 1999 we bought a running 1978 1200 for $100!
bad paint but hardly any rust(no fender or under carage rust)
sorry
i had to throw that in to go with your last post


max

By CVCC x 2 (64.229.119.165) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 08:13 pm:

You guys from the sunny, rust free climates just don't get it, the rust killed these cars at a very early age. Any Civic still around in this area is a miracle. For the guys who can buy these cars for $50 and drive them home, I/we envy you, they just don't exist here, consider yourselves lucky!! Ted, your car rocks, but we haven't seen one here of that age in 25 years, no ••••!!! 73-77 model Civics were lucky to see their 5th birthday in this area. 78-79 models were better, but were still lucky to see 7 years service. Whine all you want about prices, where they are scarce, they will collect more $$$$$

By Max (Max) (67.162.184.219) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 08:02 pm:

is that a dent in the drivers front fender?
im just trying to get my first civic but did honda make a headliner with that little single round light in the middle?
thats kind of nice if you took the light out (for like a show car)

By Jonathan (68.193.10.141) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 07:59 pm:

Low mileage cars (Really low mileage, like under 100 miles) are great references for trying to do a restoration. Like this car:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6164&item=2478354770&rd=1

About 4-5 years ago I saw a '79 CVCC for sale in Hemmings Motor News that was advertised at 1500 miles. If I had a place to keep it, or the funds to buy it at the time, I think it would have found a new home

I wonder why the guy selling this Honda didn't clean up the engine bay first? He'd probably get some more bids if the whole car looked clean. I'd kinda wonder why there's a cover on the passenger seat too. Maybe the seats were switched from one side to another at some point?

By Ted (24.21.44.39) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 07:52 pm:

While there are cars out there with low miles, this red civic is no young chicken. Just look at the engine bay, the rust on the air filter cover, etc. The exterior looks great, but then why was not the same attention given to the engine bay. Looks just like the crud you see on old cars. If the seller doesn't back up that claim with some type of documentation, I'd say he's lying, and if he's lying about this, buyer beware.

By Ed (66.185.85.79) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 07:10 pm:

my 2 cents:

I think the car has been painted... at least once.

The front driver's side marker light looks like it was poorly masked before the paint job.

The driver's tailight looks like it too was poorly masked before the paint job.

The driver's fender, where it bolts to the body, looks like it has new paint on half of it (where the overspray would go if the hood was closed during paint) and dirt on the rest of it (where the engine bay and rust inhibitor is). The rust inhibitor stuff used in Ontario does make the engine bay look like crap.

Randy is right. When I painted my 76 civic (my mom's car... but I always drove it, so I called it mine!) in 1982, with only 25,000 miles.... the side marker light bolts had rusted off. SO... off to the wreckers I went to get another..... none there... SO.... off to the dealers I went to get a new one, at least they were available in 1982.

He says it is original enamel paint. I painted mine in 82 with enamel paint and it still looked "original" 5 years later. But I removed all the bits to avoid poor masking or overspray.

AND...

remember that you can buy rechromed bumpers, and replacement grills pretty cheap.

AND....

119,000 km is only 74,000 miles.

I sold my (mom's) 76 civic in 1985 with 76,000 miles, and one paint job... and it looked just as good if not better.

The chrome strip on the door handle could have been replaced when the grill... or the bumper was replaced

just a thought or two.

thanks
Ed

By Dave (64.228.15.121) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 06:54 pm:

It just goes to show that you guys dont understand what we have to deal with in a road salt area like Ontario. This car is def low milage. The rust free body speaks for its self. My Civic was driven only one winter and it has its share of rust.
I saw a Vega with 2100 miles on it and in the Oshawa Car Musem there was/is a Amphicar with I think only 29 origional miles on it. Thats not 29 thousand thats just 29. Its on loan from a private owner.

By Al B (66.222.252.147) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 05:22 pm:

True low mileage cars are out there. I work in a bodyshop and they do come out at some point. It is usually quite a treat to see these cars. Like stepping back in time. We once had a 31 Cadillac come into the shop. It had 24000 original miles on it. You can tell that it was original just by looking at it. The whole car had two dents on it. We had paintless dent repair done to the two dents and then the whole car was stripped of it's original paint. Not so much as a speck of rust. This civic would have to be looked at in person to really see if it is original. There are tell tale signs of being original. Randy has pointed out some good points about this car. It's the small details. If the car was restored, then the engine bay would be a little more cleaner. The car's interior and engine bay reflect that of the mileage claimed (in my opinion anyway).

By jms (68.107.182.165) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 04:22 pm:

Usually many classic cars have low mileage, thats the only reason they are still here though. So its not remarkable. My 37,000 orig mile car looked th same way (from NY). I even have the "rust coat" documents and warranty.

I thought it was flipped at first look too, and it very well could be but...and I wouldnt pay the $ its bidding up to, especially for the hondamatic trans-ew.

By CVCC x 2 (64.229.119.165) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 04:11 pm:

Actually, it shows only 19,000 km, which would be approx 12,000 miles. Low mile cars are out there, I picked up my 82 Civic wagon in 2001 with just 21,600 documented km.
I also live in Southern Ontario, and I can tell you these cars were rust buckets here, so much so in fact, that Honda bought back thousands of early Civics, Accords and Preludes because most became unroadworthy within 5 years of being put into service.
THe 77 listed on ebay is nice, however, he wants WAY too much for it.

By Randy (24.112.121.191) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 03:39 pm:

I would not want to call anyone a liar here, but I would let the facts speak some truth.
First of all I owned a 76 new and lived in the Toronto area and within 1-1/2 years of ownership the side marker lights fell inside the fenders from rust.
If you look at the bottom of the doors they look really good for a Toronto car. Next look at the front lip of the under side of the hood and the support. To me they look perfect, Unless the car has been restored I would say it is a low milage car, and has not seen any winters.
how many of you have the chrome strip in the door handle? Look at this on, it is in really good shape. The silver pait is still on the grille, how many of us have had to repait that. I know mine has been done. The chrome bumpers look great for for a 77 Toront car.
Look at this thread and you will see the fron hood support at 91,192km, pretty rusty. and that one is in good shape for a Totonto car too.
Just my two cents worth.
Ask anyone from Ontario Canada and you will find there is going to be some truth that it is not a high milage car.

By Jonathan (66.252.173.251) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 11:53 am:

Eh, it's really low mileage, but it's happened. A few months back I saw a MINT AMC Gremlin with a little over 6,000 miles, and the guy had the documentation to back it up. When my dad was growing up, his neighbors were an elderly couple who bought a ~'53 Buick brand-new, drove it home, and 20+ years later the car hadn't moved since. Still had the window sticker on from when it was purchased. It's not common that a car will last as long as that with low mileage, but it does happen. If he has documentation (service receipts, inspection certificates, etc.) to back up the claim, I'd say it's legit. My Civic still has barely over 50k original miles on it, and since it's been in my family since new, I can say that it hasn't gone over.

By butlerea (24.16.132.52) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 11:39 am:

Check out this eBay auction for a Red Civic Hondamatic:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2480891448

...now check out the mileage on the info sheet eBay provides at top. 19,000 miles? For a car that's nearly 30 years old? C'mon!

I emailed the guy and told thim that all Civics from back then had no 100,000 digit in their odometers and more than likely this car was at least 119,000 (and possibly 219,000). He won't listen to me.

Now, I have a '79 Civic and when I bought it in '97 at 18 years old, it had 65,000 miles on it and now's it's 25 years old with 123,000. The original owners were the classic 'old people who only drove it the store'... but still, the car was way over the 50,000 mark.