newbie buying honda civic esi, need help frm bros here!

jadedguy SG

hey all bros here, im a newbie driver who just got his class 3 recently.
passed in sept and im actively looking for a ride cuz i need a mode of transport to camp and to uni after i ord! Very Happy

im currently lookin at coe cars, esp, the honda civic esi auto models cuz im paying at least 80% of the car, with my dad topping up the rest. ive been researching around, calling, checking out the classifieds.

so far, i realised that selling price range from 27.8k to 30k, reasonable?

and how much downpayment should i put down? $500 for the 'paperwork'?

ive test drive some of the cars and noted their performance and other technical aspects. does any of the bros here have any tips to further 'confirm' to see whether the car is a junk or a gem?

and any bros got any good workshops to recommend to replace wear and tear parts? thanks!
Very Happy

david3305 SG

My advise is not to go for the Civic ESI. That model(what's left on the road) has mostly been mod and you really can't find a gem. Either they have been so mod that egine got problem or accident car. Maintenance is also jialat.

Why go for COEd cars? You should go for cars that still have scrap value. 4-6 years cars are worth buying. They are all selling at or near scrap value, about $32-36K and they are in much better condition all round. You will save on maintenace and FC. I would recommend you go for the Nissan Sunny N15(one model before the present Sunny) or Sunny VIP model(cost abit more). Mitsubishi Lancer is also a good choice but I heard some adverse comments on its reliability at 4 yrs and above.

Take your time and don't rush. Used markets are pretty dead now and customers are king now. Go to Upper Thomson Used Car. Cars there are cheaper by 1-2k. Avoid Turf City and Car Mart Mega Mall. Many has bad experience there.

Praetorian111 SG

u r getting the 3 door or 4 door version...
when you are test driving try to drive a longer distance. try to take notice of the overall chasis of the car. WEll why not go for VTI or SIR versions instead??

jadedguy SG

im getting the 4-dr one, but some dealers dont allow test drive on the road man, only around the bloody car park..how to force them to test drive on the road?

rabiz SG

Simple.. dun buy from them... 2 yrs back when i bought the esi (it's now scrapped already), test drive expressway for 15 min..ido so hard braking, hard turns, try the revving of the engine...t's a must, if u buy a lemon, u're gonna regret it.

i really enjoyed my esi, (decentpower from the VTEC engine... FC is not the worst, good handling with low body and good stock suspension) even though it was only for 2 yrs and it failed me twice....(once the radiator, once some electronics in the engine), common problem in the esi (from what i have heard), hard to start if the engine is still hot and i had the same problem too... so mybe u wanna try to try it out when u test the car....

I was in the same situation as u 2 years back.. as a newbie, u r scared to have knocks on the new car... my suggestion is get a car about 8 or 9 yrs... have 1+ year to go before time to scrap it... though now it's quite hard to find the '95, '96 cars... maybe u can try the SIR and EXI... or maybe the older version of Mits

The problem with COE cars is that u'd have to stick with it till the end or u find yourself losing a lot of money...

SeeTees SG

Hello Jadedguy,

This is the 3rd time I'm offering my advice to pple interested in COE-ed ESi. Same advise. Dun buy. My previous experience with an 8 year old ESi was nightmare. Don't follow my footsteps by buying an even older ESi. Overheats easily and best thing is you cannot spot this problem easily during test drive. A thorough wash of the radiator can suppress the overheat problem for up to 3 months so even if the dealer gives you 2 week warranty after sale, you won't experience the problem so soon... But when it comes, you are stucked in a situation which you faced selling the car at almost no value due to the current sitaution of the 2nd hand car market. Heed the advise of the guys, go for younger Civics if you must really own a Civic. And yes, you can definitely find a car that suits your taste with the depressed 2nd hand car market now.

All said, I must still give credits to the ESi. Powerful, spacious and quite good FC despite its power. I enjoyed the power as much as I dreaded the experience of seeing the temp needle shoot up while cruising. If the dealer says no to test driving on highways then really no point buying. Surely something is wrong and they are trying to hide it. Since your main aim is to get from point A to point B just for classes, get a more decent car that suits your budget in the long run. If you are able to provide the 80% of the cost, I don't see why you can't pay the showroom a visit...

As a new driver you got to balance between paying more for the insurance for a new car or paying more for the road tax for a COE-ed car. That's why we recommend you go for "middle-aged" car of 4~5 years origin. Not so siong on road tax and insurance; kinda like a compromise between 2 extremes. Styling may be important but ultimately, proper budgeting and not burning a hole in the pocket should be the final factor in your decision.

rabiz SG

Yeap agreed.. after those 2 years of becoming good frens with my mechanic... haha my dad was his dad's good fren... now i became his good fren... went for a new, realiable, cheap to maintain car... Toyota Altis....

Imagine your radiator leaking and engine overheating on AYE while goin to NUS to take an exam... trust me, my Esi did it to me once.. and it was only 8 years old then

Budget and reliability to me is the most impt after that cfirst car... so u have to decide ur priorities...

Bloop... SG

Why ESi? Why not an EG9 VTi? Looks the same except it has a sunroof and a DOHC engine. More power.

sv3n SG

overheating it quite irritating..and it make u feel so insecure when u cruise..keepin yr eyes on the temp meter..and i can tell u tt engine that over heat cannot be detected by short test drives..and most prob they did some repair work to temp suppress it..not advisable in yr case to get coed cars..

michibichi SG

dun buy such a old car dude... whats a common advise. if u are looking for something that is affordable and realible i would say .. go for the Mitsubishi Lancer Mx . which i'm currently driving and in already in the midst of a change. u can ask the dealers for these cars .. its a 1.5L DOHC engine . With its Twin cam .. it can own any GLX , GDI , GLXI on the road currently .. of course cars that havent been mod. at the price of about $48k . with 6 yrs left. its worth buying.. u will never experience the car breaking down when u need it so badly .. cos it hasnt even broke down/ overheat on me for 2 whole years ( my 1st car since got my licence ) . I barely serviced it and normal servicing only cost $60 - $120 depends on what u wish to change etc etc. and i do that like only once every 4-5 mths . in the 1.5 L class this is the best pick up i can find as the max torque is @ 3000rpm . i might be wrong but i have tried with friends who owns sunnys , corollas , civics , newer lancers , subaru imprezzas .. and each time i own. so i think its a good buy without any mods. okie cheers. pardon me if im wrong.. but its thru experience Smile

EvolutionMR SG

Hi,

Do not buy a ESI now. Personally I drove one for 2 yrs and the experience was not too good as the car is old. The wear and tear issues are bad and every 1 or 2 months I had to send the car to workshop for repairs. The radiator is a real headache. The reason is that ESI parts usually last abt 5 years before they start to break apart. So what do you think the durability of a COE ESI car? Smile
If you are looking for a old car for driving experience, get a car within 10 yrs as it still has scrap value.
Or why dun you save up a bit more and get a brand new car? The prices now are relatively cheap Smile

Theatre Of Dreams SG

the one which is the base model of evo6? pie-shaped rear lights?

LittleTiger SG

hmm... you shall listen to them no getting an Civic ESI....

I also dont know that this model civic will overheat like proton Saga or Iswara.
Never heard other Jap cars got overheating problem not even more than 10yrs corollas and nissan.
For lancer, old old version does but not the 90's version.
Even Volvo has corrected this heating problem at late 80's.

ESI shall have some design problem or the OEM manufacturer problem.