1985 Honda Civic wagon on Kijiji - Mississauga, ON

Discussion in 'Station Wagon Auctions, Craigs List and Other Stat' started by jim535, Jan 5, 2022.

  1. jim535

    jim535 born in a Ford

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    Looked pretty OK until I zoomed in on the driver's side shock tower. Does this look like a really bad fibreglass/bondo repair? We can see it's a really crappy paint job.

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    Needing a diversion from this miserable winter, I thought I'd go see it - even if it's a 4 - 5 hour drive for me - and buy it if it looked decent, but the seller appears to be a dickhead and doesn't reply to messages.

    https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1599875848
     
  2. WagonTheDog

    WagonTheDog Well-Known Member

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    It's possible the seller has other people interested in the car, or the seller may just be busy with other things. While it's always good to send a courtesy message, sometimes sellers don't reply until the car is sold. Just be sure to follow up on it though. Sometimes it takes awhile to get a reply and from personal experience, it's about a 50/50 chance that it may still be available, so don't give up! Good luck to you!
     
  3. WagonTheDog

    WagonTheDog Well-Known Member

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    Jeez, I completely forgot to address your concerns about the shock tower! lol...

    Well, if you get ahold of the owner, be sure to ask about it and ask if the car and/or engine bay has been repainted or touched up. Also, if you go to have a look at the car, be sure to bring a magnet with you to test the area, but to be honest, I know there are shysters out there, but it would take an entirely different level of stupid to fiberglass/bondo a load bearing shock tower like that.

    However, I did a little Google image searching on that generation of Civic (the 3rd gen. from 1984-'87) and some of them have kind of lumpy, sloppy sheetmetal finishing in that area too. Not as bad as the car in the ad, but while Japanese cars were generally better built than American cars in the 80s, they still did some pretty sloppy work during that era too.

    I would take a chance on it, but ask the owner about it and have him/her send another pic or two of the shock tower in question. If he/she's unwilling to, I'd pass, but again, good luck to you!

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  4. WagonTheDog

    WagonTheDog Well-Known Member

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    ^^^

    ...And just to mention: while those shock towers are a different design than the one in the ad (the ones pictured above are from 2 door hatchbacks), they are from the same generation of Civic, which is an indication of the level of quality of work they were putting into those cars during that era of assembly.
     
  5. jim535

    jim535 born in a Ford

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    Thanks, WTD, I did a Google search for engine bays of Civics of that era too and noticed how some of the sheet metal looks oddly lumpy. The first picture that you show above looks to be the worst one. Strangely, I found a photo of a Civic wagon engine bay that looked different from the car for sale. But it might've just been a mis-labelled photo, or possibly a mistake on my part.

    The last time I bought a car on Kijiji was November 2019 (still have it, part of the growing fleet) and the seller was pretty quick to get back to me. I always think it's a bad sign if someone who has something for sale doesn't reply within 2-3 days. But I'll try to be patient. :)
     
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  6. WagonTheDog

    WagonTheDog Well-Known Member

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    Well, I have bought and sold literally hundreds of items on kijiji before, and I have seen it all. Some sellers are just different in how they communicate. Some go quiet like that and never get back to you, but some of them eventually do. I have even had replies from sellers weeks after my initial message(s). Again, some sellers can get caught up with life and get to busy to reply too. As a courtesy though, I always try to get back to any potential buyers of anything I have ever sold on kijiji, but not everyone is always so courteous. But I assure you non-replies are (unfortunately) pretty normal for online transactions.

    But just stick with it until the end though. Sometimes persistence really does pay off. As an example: sometimes a seller has someone who is interested in the car and won't reply to anyone else. However, sometimes that potential buyer will give the seller the run around until the seller gets fed up with the transaction and moves on to the next buyer. But sometimes your persistence shows a seller you really want the car, so you could wind up receiving a reply eventually. Not to say you will, but I have seen that kind of situation play out many times too. Just stay patient and remain courteous with any messages you send. You never know!

    Regardless, cheers, and again, best of luck to you!
     
  7. jim535

    jim535 born in a Ford

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    Update on this wagon: Alex, the seller, finally responded to my request to see the car, telling me that he wasn't in town to show the car (who lists a car for sale, then immediately leaves town?) and that he'd be back the week of Jan. 16. OK, told Alex I'd get back to him closer to next week when, apparently, Alex will return from his vacation/be on parole from jail/returned from fleeing from the mob.

    Notice now that the ad is gone from Kijiji. Lesson: when someone appears from their Kijiji ad to be an arsehole, chances are good that they're an arsehole.

    Looks like I will have to endure the rest of this winter with my usual diversion: alcohol. :cheers:
     
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