1988 CRX Si

All

Sadly my unmodified car won't pass inspection until it gets $2500 worth
of body work done to its rocker panels; nevertheless,the car runs great!

I feel it's worth more than the $50 the guy at the body shop is offering
me to unload it.

What would you do?

 

If you did $2500 worth of work to the car would the car be worth more
than $2550? If yes do the work, but I don't think so. With a dealer
retail of less than $1000 it does not pay to do the work.

 

the true value is what it would cost to obtain another "great running" car
in similar condition,but that would pass inspection.

Why can't you pop-rivet on some new rocker panels yourself?
cut away as much of the rusty metal as possible,sand and paint what's
left,then rivet the new panels to the remaining sheet metal. Then paint
them to match. Get underneath and spray on some undercoating.

 

If you spend the $2500, it'll either be worth $1,000 or be priceless
(to you)...... And pop-riveting on new sheetmetal?? I'm assuming the
rockers are structural, so that doesn't sound like a real good
solution.

OTOH, there aren't any more CRX's being made, and they are cool little
cars. You haven't said anything about the rest of the car's condition.
If you spend the $2500 and it's not in great shape, it could be worth
it to a ricer.

Dan D
'07 Ody EX
Central NJ USA

 

I think any solution here is going to be an annoyance, so
you have to be motivated.

Honda-tech.com has a fair amount of discussion of folks
trying to fix these panels with riveting, various putties
and epoxies, and welding. See for example:
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=881836&page=1 .
OTOH, the rocker panel areas may be structurally unsound
(may fail when a jack is placed underneath). Hence, as you
probably know, the inspection failure. I am not so sure a
cheap fix would let me sleep at night, besides.

To get more money for it, I think your best option would be
Ebay. I see a lot of CRX's going for parts there, typically
for a few hundred dollars. Certainly shop around there for
some idea of what you might be able to make on the car.

You could also considering purchasing a "shell" for yourself
(body only; no engine) and swapping your CRX's engine into
it. Shells seem to go for under a thousand dollars.

Of course, finding a buyer or seller near you is always
tricky. Still, the turnover seems high at Ebay.

Check your yellow pages for auto wreckers, then call and see
if they have a lot of imports. See how much they would give
you for your car. Or: I often run into a few CRXs (tops) at
any large wrecker yard. Chances of finding a complete shell
are slim-to-none. But you might be able to coordinate with
the body shop to cut out parts of an old shell and use them
on your CRX. Again, see honda-tech.com for examples.

For the record, how many miles are on your CRX?

Updates welcome! As others say, these are popular little
cars.

 

good points.I was thinking of some states that fail cars if they have rust
holes in the bodywork. Even patching them with metal tape gets them past
the inspection.

I know Florida and the southern states still have a lot of CRX's running
around. We don't get much rust here,unless you live near the seashore.
Here,the paint,plastic and cloth goes first.

 

I read you about how little fixes to improve appearance are
possible. Yet right now, for example, I do have concerns
about the jacking points on my own 1991 Civic. It was driven
in the Northern U.S. for about half its life, and the jack
points are corroded/ing. I have to start getting used to
jacking at the control arms or front and rear points.

I am annoyed that my Civic's sills (the equivalent to rocker
panels?) cannot really be replaced properly except by
welding. Tegger talked to me about it, along with some posts
at Honda-tech.com . So I contemplate (dream, really) of
buying a shell and switching engines or similar. (Plus I
have this wild idea that I must switch at least one engine
out before I die or get too old to be able to handle it
physically, or my life will be incomplete. ) ) I think
if I happen upon something at a wrecker yard or in the local
used car ads, I might go for it. 'Cause I like knowing my
Honda's engine, suspension, brakes, and electrical system so
well. It seems a pretty easy car to keep running. Knock on
wood one day the engine (rings first?) will fail.

 

My very first car was built from two Triumph Heralds(4 seat 2dr sedan),one
whose motor had broken a rod and went thru the block.I had to swap the
motor with Dad's help and guidance,and then the driver's door,convertible
top and trunk lid.
1200cc's and slower than a VW,but a fun car that I drove all the way out to
Denver(from Buffalo).It really didn't have enough power for the mountains
and high altitude of Denver.USAF auto hobby shops were a valued asset!
I've also pulled motors on a Cadillac and an English Ford Anglia.

 

Ha, a USAF auto hobby shop is what I need.

I shall continue to consider swapping engines/bodies.

 

Gimme a friggin break. The fucking piece of shit car is 20 goddam years
old, dimwit! Get rid of it and drive something decent fer chrissakes.

Take the $50 before he reduces it to $25.

 

troll.

 

Buy a high mileage Texas car, drive it to your location and use your's
as a parts car...

JT

 

or california - couldn't agree more! you have to go a /loooong/ way to
find anything that handles as well as a crx, even for a /lot/ more
money. i think it's worth a little effort.

 

I have indeed noted a number of Civics for sale in Texas in
the recent past, and it is indeed in the realm of
possibility for a purchase. Perhaps my next major tool
purchase will be an engine crane. Looks like Ebay has new
ones, but shipping/handling is more expensive than the basic
price for most.

 

perhaps RENT one?
A crane isn't something you would use very often....unless you're planning
on doing a lot of motor swaps.;-)

 

Good suggestion, though I do technical/engineering work with
what I think is inordinate preparation and care, plus
knowing me, I'd probably want to repeat the procedure a few
times to master it (more or less). None of that "See it, do
it, teach it" bullshit from medicine for me and my beloved
Honda. ;-) So the rental fees might add up to the cost of
purchasing one. I will look for well cared for used ones,
perhaps. I should probably find myself a shell first.

No doubt I will have a long report on this if and when it
happens. So far it remains only a dream. Fact is reports
here show I have been contemplating replacing (one way or
another) my 91 Civic for something like five years or more.
Love the engine; annoyed with the body etc. rust.

 

Well, speaking of available CRXes in Texas, there's this one, but you
probably wouldn't want to use it for a parts car:

http://www.chemikdesigns.com/crx/

;-)

My own 1990 CRX Si is, I fear, bound for retirement - as of last week,
it has been supplanted by an electron blue pearl 2000 Civic Si with only
53K miles. Not sure if I can bring myself to sell the CRX after 15
years, but at this point it's almost a project car that was masquerading
as a daily driver, and I don't really have the time or space for such a
project.

Dave

 

Ha, ya right. Around half the CRX's on Ebay at any given
time are highly modified--different engine, muffler,
whatever. I wish the used car sites would break down cars by
"riced" vs. "OEM (or maybe Autozone) parts only." My upper
limit for a parts car is $1500, as well. My interest is fuel
economy, not racing like a 17-year-old teenage boy.

Happy "new" Civic!

 

The only drawback with Texas cars are usually the interior is shot
including the dash. OTOH, the dash in most rust belt cars is the only
component that may be still perfect!

I'll never deal with a rust belt car again... Never!

JT

 

Watch Craig's list for cars in the Austin/San Antonio metro area. Avoid
vehicles from Houston. Other cities could include DFW and maybe El Paso.

You probably could by a drivable shell to take back to you current
location for a swap out. Might even be able to do it piecemeal so that
nothing is tied up for too long.

JT

(Who will never own a new car)