WTB: 94/95 Civic VX
 

Hi All,

I'm a noob looking to get one of these puppies as a commuter. I live in San Jose, CA so anything close would be great but its ok if its not.

Looking for a clean un-modded one (or one tastefullly done) with no rust and a straight body. Looking for white but if theres a clean one out there in another color, I'm game. Feel free to shoot me a PM. Willing to pay more for a better condition one.

Thanks,
John

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/465799827.html

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/464765312.html

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the quick reply. Saw both of those actually. One is close to 300k in miles and the other looks like its been modded out. And unfortunately I'm only looking for 94/95 for the airbags as well.

-John

In my '92 VX I indeed only hav the driverside airbag, which is fine with me anyway, since I usually drive in it alone or with my son on the backseat (in his carseat mind ya). It's nice to have it there, but I'll admit that I have my doubts about how functional it will stiil be after 15 years. isn't there a maximum time limit for the gas capsules to still be guaranteed to work?

Hi McPatrick,

That's a good question. A quick search on google couldn't get me the answer. However, in any case, I would rather have the option there than without. It's just one of those things where you hope you don't have to ever use it, but that its there.

-John

I checked online as well just now and it looks like most manufacturers in those years gave it a lifetime of 10 years. I guess it should probably be possible to have a dealer check out if the airbags are still okay. Might be worth the money before finding out for real during some mishap (which you never hope wil happen).
Hope you find what you're looking for. You should if you have enough time and patience :)

Thanks McPatrick.

The tough part is the patience. After awhile, my mind starts trying to make compromises... Maybe a CX is ok... or maybe a DX is ok... Or something else.... But for now, I'll try to hold out for what I'm looking for..

-John

John,
I moved this thread into the Wanted to Buy section for you. I hope you don't mind. Thanks and good luck on your quest for a VX!

I actually called on a CX right before I saw my VX. It was sold too.

on the front page there is a Frappr map of where many of the GasSavers members are located. You might want to search those areas and see if any of us can help you locate something.

I found one in SLC for $1200 with a gutted interior... and one in Vegas as well for about the same price.

Hi Tom - not at all. thanks! also, I created another post on here after I saw my mistake. Can you delete that one?

Matt - just added myself onto the frappr map. however, i do feel kind of awkward contacting people and asking them to keep an eye out for me. hopefully some see this post and is willing to do so.

On a side note, has anyone ever gotten a non-vx, like a CX, DX, or Si and swapped in a VX engine? And how hard would that be to do? Just wanting to find out just in case I come across a clean non-VX. I see shells being sold so once in a while and wonder if it would be too much of a task to drop in an engine.

Took care of that other post for you, John.

As far as swapping a VX drivetrain into a non-VX chassis, it can be done, it depends on your mechanical aptitude and wiring experience. It's really no more involved than a normal swap in a Civic, mainly extra wiring will be the big issue.

I was thinking more along the lines of YOU keeping an eye out in those areas as well... multiple craigslist searches, etc. if you found on in salt lake city, or nearby, I'd be willing to check it out and maybe even flip the bill up front (if it was affordable enough) until we could figure something out.

The one thing I know about VXs is that they sell quickly...

Oh. haa haa... It's all coming together now after I connected the dots. Great idea. Thanks Matt.

Limerence, dont settle for a CX, and definitely not a DX. Have you seen the mpg numbers on a Dx? not even close to a CX or VX. If a VX is what you really want, then hold out until you find one. And you will. I finally found mines. As you see under my name, I wanted a VX or a CX, but I really wanted a VX. I've been looking for one for about 3 months and finally found one with low miles, comfortale price, and great condition(no rust or dents). Just continue to look, especially on Craigslist. I found many CXs and VXs to choose from but I waited to find the right one.

smccall - thanks for the tip. i've been perusing different websites in search of one. hopefully a clean white one comes along that is pristine. if only we all get to find gems like this one:

https://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread/2009657

It was a CX but whoa... and he got it for only 3k.

My search continues....

wow, that a good deal. On autotrader, there is a Honda dealership that has a clean minty white CX for $5600. It has only 70k miles on it. Very very clean too. But I'd still go for the VX which has more horsepower and slightly better gas mileage. The CX only has 70hp.

yeh, few things in life are like that. more power AND better gas mileage. not sure why they discontinued it. i see CX's more frequently than VX's and as of late, with the post of VX engines, thought about buying a shell and swapping in the VX with auto tranny (i'm lazy). then i think about my wrenching skills and wake up to reality

I understand, but with the auto tranny, you're not gonna get the mpg numbers of the VX. You might be between the CX and DX numbers. I did see alot of CX's when I was looking and they were tempting. There's a white one in MD that I was going to buy. It has 133k miles and he only wanted 2k for it. Great condition, no rust, A/C, really clean. I saw it on www.cars.com.

I think its gone because I don't see it on there now.

Yeah you're right. I dont see it on there anymore. There was a 92 VX for $1895 in Michigan, but it has 295k on it. Probably too many miles, but you could talk them down. Michael Chevrolet is the dealership that has it.

Someone called in on Car Talk once with this question. I think the car talk guys basically said they are probably designed to last 20 years. I think they were saying that Volvo warranted them to 15 years and that they'd probably last much longer than that. I guess there's only one real way to find out. :D

As I'm going through the process of looking for a VX, I'm finding of postings of how people flew over to get a car or what not. My question is, just from pics alone, how can you guys tell of the condition to commit to buying?

If aesthetics looks good, what mechanically do you guys typically look for? Note that I have no wrenching skills.

Thanks,
John

I'm flying to Philly to get mines. I asked for many pics and asked alot of questions about maintenance. Main ones were, "When was the timing belt and water pump last changed?, Any leaks of any kind?, Does the A/C work?, Has the car had a tune up lately?, Any rust?. You want something that is stock and has not been modified in any way. Its really a trust thing and if you feel comfortable with the seller, sometimes you can tell if a person is being honest with you. Pictures are the main thing. Getting photos of main areas like the engine bay, rear wheel arches, interior pics showing mileage, all 4 views of the car, and close ups of the bumpers to see if they are lined up with the rest of the car (if crooked, could have been in an accident). This is pretty much all you can go by and its a trust and honesty thing. Also, when you find one, and you go to get it, if you don't like it, then you dont have to buy it unlike with ebay when you buy a car and go get it, its pretty much yours unless you didn't pay for it fully before getting it.

nice... good luck with the sale. my cousin knew i was looking for one and got me a month membership to carfax. its no guarantee but its a nice to have. will keep your points in mind when i find a good candidate.

Thats good. I'll have to shoot you the VIN when I get it next week so you can check it for me.

why don't you get it from the seller right now? not saying that it is, but should the title not be clean, at least it saves you a trip. just PM me.

yeah you're right. I'll get it today and PM you the number.

just missed this one...

https://home.pacbell.net/jvlai/vx1.jpg

180K and sold for $3500. high miles but... man... from the pics it looked mint. emailed seller an hour or two after he posted but no response. 3 days later he said its sold. just my luck.

wow, that looks clean. Sorry you missed it. Where did you find it? I'll get that VIN for you to check for me tomorrow.

looking at that car makes me want to paint mine white.

i found it on craigslist. but unfortunately, from what the seller said, so did everyone else. =*(

matt - white just looks so clean to me. not a high maintenance color either.

but back to the main point... anyone willing to part with there white clean VX? PM me!

Hi Guys,

Might go look at a civic that is for sale but the owner says that two things that do need to be replace is the exhaust recirculating valve and catalytic converter. Are these hard things to replace and repair?

Thanks,
John

CC, any good muffler shop will take care of that for you. The egr valve is something you can pick up from the parts store for cheap and replace yourself.

im about to do that. i have an '88 crx si that im about to swap. the only thing is i don't want to mess up the si harness because i might want to go performance later and make my teggy a mpg queen. but all i have to do is buy another harness and send it in to rywire.com and they can do pretty much anything. the only difference between the trims is weight and commodities. the si i believe is the heaviest? and the hf the lightest. i'd try and find an hf if you want a straight gas saver without any commodities and a light chassis. i would deffinitely try and reinforce the structure of the car as it is a weak. as for the si i have, im going to strip it down to the bone and take out all sound deadening and put just the carpet and seats back. not much of a weight savings but every bit counts :D

Limerence, I just PM'ed the VIN to you. Send me the report as soon as you have it.

Check your PM.

-John

PM'ed

wow, thanks for running that report for me. Just when I thought I found a clean VX for a low price, its got a salvage title, and its a CA emissions car. Not sure if it makes a difference being a CA emissions car.
thanks limerence

No worries. Glad I could help. Just goes to show that you can never really tell with pics. I encountered a similar problem this weekend. Guy contacted me that he has an excellent VX for sale. Drove 2.5 hours and I would say that its in fair condition. Started to disclose more info once I got there about all the mechanical issues.

But yeah, hopefully you can refund that plane ticket and buy me a nice xmas present. =)

haha you definitely deserve it. Is this the civic you were asking about the CC and egr valve?