Quote (Malevolent @ 28 Jul 2013 07:29)
Had an 00 SC1.
They burn alot of oil, this is due mainly to a design flaw as they didn't put oil drainback holes in the pistons, so shit builds up around the oil control rings and they become stuck. Essentially the only way to alleviate this was to have done regular synthetic oil changes since the car was new, which alot never did...Just stay on top of the oil and the engine will last forever.
Auto or manual? The 4-spd autos in these cars suck.....You're eventually going to need a rebuilt valve body as they get gummed up. If it starts doing the "reverse-slam" I'd look into getting a rebuilt vb as repeated slams will eventually loosen the input shaft nut to the tranny and make it slip in all gears.
What's the mileage on it? Make sure your radiator and water pump are still good. The water pumps start leaking around the shaft at around 100k, and usually fail catastrophically at some point, i.e. you'll wake up to a puddle of coolant in your driveway. Also, the radiator will usually blow out @ around 100k as the plastic tanks can only withstand so much thermal cycling before they crack, typically right where they meet the aluminum portion of the radiator. If you need to replace the radiator only go Delphi or Silla, all other aftermarkets will be pieces of shit.
The main thing you're going to need to check for is the ECTS, the cars are very oriented around this sensor, look it up. Alot of weird issues can be traced back to a faulty ECTS. For whatever reason they decided to use plastic instead of brass for the sensor tip, over time this part would fail and cause weird issues. Ensure the sensor is brass, if not replace it with a brass one which can be found at any parts store for under $12.
Don't let these things above dissuade you. These little cars actually have quite the cult following, and alot of support exists for them. Also there's alot of interchangeability between model years, even though body styles changed the mechanics remained essentially the same. Aftermarket parts are cheap as well as used parts.....expect to find good-running engine/tranny combos for $500 or less if you're in a pinch. These cars are incredibly easy to work on as well, and youtube tutorials exist for nearly every possible repair that you may need to perform. Plus the fucking things are made out of plastic, the ultimate beater; before mine got totaled it was going on 14 years old and it still looked fresh, not a single dent in that thing.
If it's a 5 spd the mileage can't be fucked with. I was averaging upper 30s at all times, even broke into the low 40's on good weeks highway.
Edit: And yeah, $1400 is a little steep unless the car is pristine with low mileage.......It's almost a 20 year old car made by a now-defunct manufacturer.....
nice very helpful tips
my uncle says its in pristine condition.
-paint still very good condition
-interior is all very good, except for a minor mark on the top from a sticker thing
-i think he said its 130k miles
-5 speed
-new tires
would it help to use synthetic oil right away? or would it not matter at this point in the cars lifetime?
ty car bros
This post was edited by Josiah on Jul 29 2013 01:38am