Challenge Budget Daily: Fix ZX2 vs Cheap Civic

My 190k ZX2 has been throwing serpentine belts, and after replacing the belt tensioner it looks like the actual issue is the water pump housing the tensioner is (kinda) bolted to. Replacement will mean practically doing a timing belt on an old car that only has a few more thousand left in it, but the car gets decent fuel economy, is fun, was cheap, and I know it. I just hate working on it. And the a/c system has got a leak. Rust and hail damage.

Option 1) Repair ZX2, $35 + 5-6 hours labor.

Option 2) Purchase a 1995-2000 Civic DX with somewhere around 140k for $1700. I've already looked at one in particular that was just inspected, never wrecked, but has got some decent sized dents in hood and fenders and felt like it needed some adjustments to the clutch, brakes, and shifter. Otherwise a perfectly fine car.

The Civic would get 3-4 miles better MPG, have less power, probably be easier to fix in the long run, easier to get replacement parts and "fun parts", and already has a head unit install, something I have yet to do on my ZX2.

I could afford a more expensive car (my budget is closer to $4k), but I don't think I'd get a car with significantly lower mileage, just a newer car. I don't need a "fun car" (my zx2 has 136hp, the Civic DX is at 106), I just need a car that cheaply gets me back in forth on my 65 mile daily commute.

Option 3) Buy Civic, Fix Escort, put both up for sale, sell whichever makes the most money.

Are there any VX trim Civics of the same vintage local to you? If I were looking for a DD Honda econobox that's where I'd start, they get shockingly good fuel mileage. 39 city, 49 highway, IIRC.

Failing that, if I were in your shoes, I'd take the boring route and fix the ZX2. It's a known quantity and already paid for.

For option 2, what do you do with the Escort? Donate it? May get more money doing that than selling a broken car.

I bought the ZX2 for $900, put brakes, an O2 Sensor, a Temp Sensor, Parking Brake Cable, and a Belt Tensioner on it.

I'd sell it for $900 inspected and repaired (with new water pump housing).

If donating it I could get a higher price, I might go that direction.

VX and HX are similar engines I think. VTEC-E, although the VX gets far better MPG than the later HX.

No local VXs, and the hatches are outrageously priced compared to the coupes and sedans.

Id rather dance with the devil i know than the devil i don't.

Fix the zx2. Beat it like it owes you money, because it does. Around 1200 or so.

I'd much rather drive the ZX2, personally. The BG chassis is superb and that engine is going to last a lot more than a few more thousand if you take care of it. Just don't look at the outside of the car and ZX2s are great.

A timing belt job will take you an evening in the driveway.

Fix the Ford and continue to drive it. Sounds like the Honda needs just as much, if not more work.

Gearheadotaku wrote: Fix the Ford and continue to drive it. Sounds like the Honda needs just as much, if not more work.

This. It's not a shiny new thing, but it's the devil you know.

PHeller wrote: I bought the ZX2 for $900, put brakes, an O2 Sensor, a Temp Sensor, Parking Brake Cable, and a Belt Tensioner on it. I'd sell it for $900 inspected and repaired (with new water pump housing). If donating it I could get a higher price, I might go that direction.

Now I'm confused. It sounds like both options you will repair the Escort. Which would make buying the second car for want only. Which is fine- since you can part with the Escort at even money.

But it sounds a lot like:

Fix the ZX2 and keep it

OR

Fix the ZX2 and swap for a Honda.

If that's the case, which car do you like better? Time to move on?

(and it's a "bad" time to sell the Escort for profit, thanks to lower gas prices... good challenge car, that's for sure)

The only long term concern I have with the ZX2 is it does use coolant at a slow rate, and it appears to be leaking a lot oil/coolant from the heads.

I just don't want to spend time and money fixing it only to have it die in a few months, especially when I could sell it now for what I paid.

It gets oil changes every 4,000 miles.

fix the Ford and rallyx it

buy the Honda and daily it and auto-x it.

Are the Hondas pretty easy to do most repairs, or do they have certain jobs that are major PITAs?

Pretty much anything on my ZX2 that is belt related is a pain because the pulleys are wedged up against he framerail.

Same as the Hondas I've worked on.