About to buy 2nd hand Honda Civic '09, need your advice on what to check/inspect.

[Ryan Bayona]

After 6 months of having my first car (City '08) I am now slightly "upgrading" to Civic 09 (because this is the only model my budget allows )

Questions:

• Ano po ba ang mga dapat kong i-check sa bibilhin kong Civic at ung mga questions na dapat ko itanong, aside sa usual na 'nabangga ba' or 'nabaha ba'?
• Ano-ano po ba ang mga issues ng Civic 09
• Ano ano rin po ba ang features ng Civic 09?

Thanks!

[Egan101]

Ask for a maintenance history of the car. If the car has been serviced exclusively by a Honda casa/dealer since it was bought, a detailed history of all services and parts replacement will be available from the casa/dealer.

Check the Honda Talks forum for discussion pertaining to the Civic FD (2006-2011) chassis.

[[archie]]

After 6 months of having my first car (City '08) I am now slightly "upgrading" to Civic 09 (because this is the only model my budget allows )

Questions:

• Ano po ba ang mga dapat kong i-check sa bibilhin kong Civic at ung mga questions na dapat ko itanong, aside sa usual na 'nabangga ba' or 'nabaha ba'?
• Ano-ano po ba ang mga issues ng Civic 09
• Ano ano rin po ba ang features ng Civic 09?

Thanks!

Ummm para sakin, lahat ng potential seller would lie about the car. Inspect everything, from the engine to leaks, chassis na walang tama, replacement parts like salamin, bumpers, etc. Check kung may masilya, all this would indicate collision. Check kung nabaha. Unusual rust like under the steering, iba na texture ng headliner, carpet etc. This would indicate na full detail dahil nalubog.

Issues, medyo meron issues like tensioner screw, a/c malfunction... Sa features naman, take the s variant para may air bag and better mags. Konti lang price difference ng v variant and s variant.

[Ryan Bayona]

Ummm para sakin, lahat ng potential seller would lie about the car. Inspect everything, from the engine to leaks, chassis na walang tama, replacement parts like salamin, bumpers, etc. Check kung may masilya, all this would indicate collision. Check kung nabaha. Unusual rust like under the steering, iba na texture ng headliner, carpet etc. This would indicate na full detail dahil nalubog.

Issues, medyo meron issues like tensioner screw, a/c malfunction... Sa features naman, take the s variant para may air bag and better mags. Konti lang price difference ng v variant and s variant.

Yes I really to intend to buy the S variant. As of now meron ako kausap na 2 sellers, ung isa Car dealer (Seller A) ung isa private individual (Seller B). Both S variant, here is the comparison :

Seller	Price	Mileage	Comments
Seller A (car dealer)	440K	40K	Did not specify if there are casa records
Seller B (private person)	480K	20K	With casa record

Budget wise, I will go with Seller A since the price difference with Seller B is around 40K. Although parang mas may peace of mind sa seller B kase nga very low mileage and with casa record kaya pwede ko iverify. Downside lang is parang di na kaya ng budget

[[archie]]

Sir try to stretch the budget, marami manloloko na car dealer. Yung 40k na extra is justifiable na kasi casa maintain and owner seller. Para sakin kasi seller b would be less of a risk than coming from a car dealer.

[Egan101]

Try to haggle a better price with Seller B. If he/she really wants to sell that car, he/she will not mind a discount. Sabi nga nila, may iba dyan na nagbebenta na parang ayaw naman ibenta.

Why not opt for an earlier model FD 2006-2008 (round tail lights and different wheel design)? Maybe you can find something with around the same mileage (though not as low mileage as that from Seller B) but at a lower price. At 450k, you can even find the TOTL 2.0S model.

[Ryan Bayona]

Try to haggle a better price with Seller B. If he/she really wants to sell that car, he/she will not mind a discount. Sabi nga nila, may iba dyan na nagbebenta na parang ayaw naman ibenta.

Yes I will definitely ask for a discount once I viewed the car this saturday. I hope he can go as low as 460K or even 450K.

Why not opt for an earlier model FD 2006-2008 (round tail lights and different wheel design)? Maybe you can find something with around the same mileage (though not as low mileage as that from Seller B) but at a lower price. At 450k, you can even find the TOTL 2.0S model.

I own a 2008 city so in my mind, getting a lesser year/model is not an upgrade. But that's just me. I am not familiar with the TOTL 2.0s model though. And as I last checked di naman nagkakalayo price ng 08 at 09 models.

I'll definitely go with Seller B for peace of mind and it might also save me some bucks in the long run kase casa maintained.

Maraming salamat!

[Egan101]

I own a 2008 city so in my mind, getting a lesser year/model is not an upgrade. But that's just me. I am not familiar with the TOTL 2.0s model though. And as I last checked di naman nagkakalayo price ng 08 at 09 models.

No offense, bro, but a Civic FD will always be an upgrade over a 2008 City GD. The Civic is a step higher in class over the City. I'd even pick a Civic FD over the current generation City. My 12-year-old Accord even drives better than the 2009 City 1.5E that I use once in a while.

The TOTL Civic FD has a 2.0L engine compared to the 1.8L of the S and V models. It is the same engine they use on the 2.0L 7th gen Accords (2003-2007). The 2.0L Civic FD MT is a bit rare as there were only a few units sold. The 2.0L Civic FD AT has paddle shifters to give you the option to switch gears manually, similar to the 8th gen Accord (2008-2012) and TOTL 1.5E City (2009-present).

[chuboy]

After 6 months of having my first car (City '08) I am now slightly "upgrading" to Civic 09 (because this is the only model my budget allows )

Questions:

• Ano po ba ang mga dapat kong i-check sa bibilhin kong Civic at ung mga questions na dapat ko itanong, aside sa usual na 'nabangga ba' or 'nabaha ba'?
• Ano-ano po ba ang mga issues ng Civic 09
• Ano ano rin po ba ang features ng Civic 09?

Thanks!

everytime i sell my car, i always make it a point to bring it to the casa along with the buyer for a thorough check of the vehicle at my cost. by doing this, iwas hassle sa buyer and it will surely clear out any doubts from the buyer. mura lang naman yun around 3k-4k, awitan mo nalang yung seller na sagutin yun. good luck with your new purchase.

[vinj]

Usually, i prefer buying from a private seller, 1st owner (actual owner with his name on the papers). Some things i look at are:
- Original paint all around, and no accessories/borloloy.
- Complete service records (not necessarily CASA serviced)
- I check how many cars the owner has in his garage and how his other cars look to get an idea on how he cares for his rides.

[dr. d]

you're "upgrading" after only 6 months? isn't that a little too hasty? may i inquire, what type of driving do you do, that beehoves you to "upgrade"?
and i prefer to buy from real owners, the ones with their names on the CR. ask for a hefty but decent discount. i like to believe that these persons are not after the money when they sell their cars. and you know how much they like their cars, the way they intelligently show it off to potential buyers.

[Ryan Bayona]

you're "upgrading" after only 6 months? isn't that a little too hasty? may i inquire, what type of driving do you do, that beehoves you to "upgrade"?

The City is our first and only car. I use it everyday from pasay to buendia-makati and vice-versa. Anong naisip ko bakit ako mag upgrade? Well, first my friend let me inside his Civic and talagang may wow factor ung interior compared sa City 08. Second siguro the budget finally allows me

and i prefer to buy from real owners, the ones with their names on the CR. ask for a hefty but decent discount. i like to believe that these persons are not after the money when they sell their cars. and you know how much they like their cars, the way they intelligently show it off to potential buyers.

I went around the Car dealers here in metro and try to get a good deal. Sad to say napaka-babarat talaga nila :D

[dr. d]

[QUOTE=Ryan Bayona;2259163]The City is our first and only car. I use it everyday from pasay to buendia-makati and vice-versa. Anong naisip ko bakit ako mag upgrade? Well, first my friend let me inside his Civic and talagang may wow factor ung interior compared sa City 08. Second siguro the budget finally allow

ah yes...
"the grass is always greener on the other side of the lake" syndrome. but are you willing to be reminded of it everytime you drive into the gas station?
chew on it for a while, say, 1 month. the FD isn't going anywhere, anyway..

[Ryan Bayona]

everytime i sell my car, i always make it a point to bring it to the casa along with the buyer for a thorough check of the vehicle at my cost. by doing this, iwas hassle sa buyer and it will surely clear out any doubts from the buyer. mura lang naman yun around 3k-4k, awitan mo nalang yung seller na sagutin yun. good luck with your new purchase.

Ah yes, I bought the City to Honda Cars Makati last September for tune-up / check-up / change-oil / engine-wash. As per them, in very good condition pa daw ung sasakyan pero of course may mga findings sila. Sobrang mahal lang kase sila sumingil kaya sa labas ko na lang pina-service. Just last week I replaced the PCV hose, spark plugs (8 pieces), rotor disk (break) and break pads as recommended by Honda. And pina-repaint ko ung front and rear bumpers para mawala ung minor scratches. So all in all I think this car is a good buy. Para rin sa next owner nya

Thanks!

[Egan101]

Don't expect the same fuel expense when moving up to a Civic FD from a City GD (IDSI). The IDSI cars (City and Jazz) have been known to offer great FC (even better than the i-VTEC City/Jazz). The Civic FD still offers decent FC for a 1.8L car. The 2.0L Civic FD has a stronger engine but higher FC.

[Ryan Bayona]

Don't expect the same fuel expense when moving up to a Civic FD from a City GD (IDSI). The IDSI cars (City and Jazz) have been known to offer great FC (even better than the i-VTEC City/Jazz). The Civic FD still offers decent FC for a 1.8L car. The 2.0L Civic FD has a stronger engine but higher FC.

Yes I really expect the Civic FD to be not as economical as the City iDSi fuel-wise.

[rukawa11]

ok naman CITY 08 bakit mo pa kaylangan mag upgrade sa CIVIC 09? kung subok mo na honda city mo para sa akin ok na yan, pag lumipat ka sa civic mamya baka sakit lang sa ulo yan, hirap na makahanap ng 2nd hand car na walang defect , kung upgrade ang gusto mo, bkit 1 year upgrade lang? pati malakas sa gas ang civic compare sa city. in short TS naghahanap kalang ng pagkakagastusan hehe.. kung mag upgrade ka dapat 2011 pataas na