Hi everyone! This is my first post here...I was so excited to find this site.
We just sold our 2005 GMC Yukon (yay! that thing got 18mpg...it was horrible!) and are looking for a small used car for me to drive around town (I'm a stay-at-home mom to our 1-year-old son).
We would like to pay cash, and I found an '03 Honda Civic Hybrid for $9,995, which is in our budget. It's the 4-door automatic with CVT and has 45,137 miles. Body and interior are in great condition, and the ride is very smooth (my husband and I both drove it, since I don't know much about cars). We're going back Thursday to speak with the dealer again and may go ahead and purchase it if everything is to our liking.
I know there are other threads about this here, but I'm wondering what exactly I need to ask the dealer about how the car has been maintained.
- I know that I need to ask about the transmission fluid changes (should have had one at 30K and will need another at 60K, correct?).
- Tell me about the EGR valve thing (in layman's terms, please - I'm a car dummy!). Should the dealer know if they have been cleaned properly? Is there any way I can tell? Should I just go ahead and clean them right away if I buy it? Can I do this myself (where would I find instructions)? Or should I bring it to a Honda shop? How much would it cost? How often should it be done?
- About how much will the 60K service cost at a Honda shop? (I'm in Louisiana, if that matters.)
- I read that there were a couple of recalls with the '03 HCH...what's that about, and how will I know if they've been taken care of?
- Do I need to ask/know anything special about the batteries?
- Are oil changes any different on a hybrid? My husband changes our oil now...can he continue to do this with the HCH? What oil should I use?
- Anything else I should ask the dealer or have checked out?
- Anything else I should know about HCH maintenance?
Thank you so much in advance for any help you can give me. I'm new to hybrids and don't know much about cars, but I really did like this vehicle and hope it works out for us.
