How could I tell if the engine of a used car is in good shape ?

Question

I'm buying my first car, I have at most 4,000 to spend,

I only want a honda accord or civic.

I saw a 3,200$ 1994 Honda Accord, 84,000 miles, so I wanted to know if there was a way to tell if the Engine is doing fine.

Answer 1

Do a compression check.

This will tell you is what mechanical condition the pistons rings, valves etc are in. It will tell you if there is leakage from the piston rings, defective valves and seats or a blown head gasket.

Buy a compression gauge. Get the kind that screws into the spark plug holes and not the kind you hold in place. It should cost maybe $35 or $40.

Look at the instructions at http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/compt...

and at http://www.superhonda.com/forum/f55/how-...

Also read the explanation at http://www.superhonda.com/forum/f55/how-...

If you don't want to do this yourself, ask a local independent mechanic about doing it for you, and what he'd charge the checkout the car for you.

A '94 Accord in really good condition will sell for a lot more than $4000. Go to http://www.google.com/base, and click on 'vehicles', and when that opens put in the car you're looking at: Honda, Accord, 1994, Used, 84000 miles etc. and you can see comparables within so many miles of your zip code.

Good luck.

Answer 2

You have to check the oil and make sure it doesn't appear dirty and smell it for burning odors. Other than that, ask to see the last smog or maintenance paperwork.

Answer 3

about the best way to tell, is to arainge to take to a TRUSTED mechanic or a Honda dealership when you take it out for a test drive. If this is that important to you, pay for the evaluation. Sometimes its real cheep insurance.