What to look for in a CRX

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Well, I've finally convinced my parents to allow me to purchase a CRX. There are 2 locally that look pretty good which I want to check out first. What type of problems should I be looking for? Anything electrical? Any particular areas that I should watch out for rust other than the rear panels, fenders, and sunroof?



PS - I have searched and browsed for a bit on this, but its hard to search on here for CRXs because it is too short of a word.
 
Check for rust on the rear quarter panels around the rear of the wheel wells. Also, if it is an Si model, Open up the sun roof and get a good look in and around there, make sure it is somewhat clean (Dusty/dirty is ok, but bunch of crap built up or rust inside is not). Check the sunroof itself as well. Check along the plastic at the bottom and check the bottoms of the doors for rust. This is all very common in CRXs.

The rest should be normal car buying stuff. Check the suspension points for bending/welding. Check the tires for abnormal wear, check over the engine and brake system, blah blah blah.
 
Google up "used car buying guide" too. That will help you check out cars in general.

One major thing to look for in CRXs is rust spots around the hatch. Open up the hatch and look at the rails inside. Check for damage or rust at the bottom edge where the rear slopes down towards the taillights, and also check for any funny spots at the top corners. These aren't dealbreakers, but they're problem areas that should be addressed if you buy the car. They cause leaks into the cabin.
 
Thought of a few more things. Check around the windsheld for rust.. The 1988 HF is the lightest of the CRXs, the 1991 Si is the heaviest. The HF is a weenie mobile stock, very slow but great on gas mileage. The Si is fun like a go-cart.. The DX is a little behind the Si in power and has a different transmission that makes it slower. The Si's have disk brakes in the rear, huge plus (the 90-91s do for certain, I think the 88-89s have drums out back, not 100% sure there)

So, If you are looking for a quick vehicle to jump in and drive, get the 90-91 Si for sure. Better trans, more power, better brakes. If you are wanting the fastest car after a swap, get an HF and swap the motor out.
 
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