To buy or not to buy an '04 HCH with 116,000
 

Hi there,

I wanted to get the opinion of some hybrid experts on a purchase I'm considering. I saw a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid for sale that has 116,000 miles on it. It ran fine in a test drive but the car report shows the IMA battery has never been replaced. The price is about $7,000, which makes it a tempting deal, but my question is: Am I going to get soaked for another $4000 in a few weeks/months? Is this worth the risk??

Thanks,

Adam

Re: To buy or not to buy an '04 HCH with 116,000
 

As an addendum, I currently commute about 4 miles roundtrip each day to work (short, I know, but my work circumstances require driving) and would use the car for errands/trips as well as ferrying a soon-to-be infant hither and yon.

Re: To buy or not to buy an '04 HCH with 116,000
 

Does the car show a IMA problem? Or is the IMA showing no error and just never been replaced? I'm not sure what state you in, but I check Kelly Blue Book on that year and in Excellent condition it goes for $6585 from a private seller in California. If the car is reporting IMA problem I would stay away, but if it isn't showing a IMA error and the seller is willing to take the price down a bit it might be a ok deal.

I believe you can take the car to Honda and have them test the IMA battery for a price. I have never done this before, but I believe i have seen other posters on this board doing it. You could also check to see his this owner has her service record make sure it is all up to date