I’m Sitting in the Best Used Vehicle Ever Made (And I’m Buying One)

**The Reliability and Challenges of Old Honda Civics**

If you're looking for a reliable and affordable car to commute with, the old Honda Civic is an excellent choice. With only 130,000 miles on it, this baby still runs like a clock, making it perfect for daily driving. The engine and transmission are designed to last, and with proper maintenance, they can easily go beyond 500,000 miles. What's more, Honda engines are known for their durability, especially in comparison to other manufacturers.

However, it's essential to note that the car has two rotten spots, which could be fixed by Bondoing or cutting out the metal. But don't let that deter you - the rest of the car is in great condition, with plenty of tread on its tires. In fact, many places struggle to find cars as old and well-maintained as this one.

The Honda Civic's reliability makes it an excellent choice for a first car or a work vehicle. Many people choose them because they're easy to repair and maintain, making them perfect for beginners who are still learning how to drive. Additionally, the low cost of ownership and fuel efficiency make them an attractive option for commuters. So if you're looking for a reliable and affordable car, the old Honda Civic is definitely worth considering.

**Hybrid Cars: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly**

When it comes to hybrid cars, people often assume they're the best choice for the environment and efficiency. However, there are some downsides to consider. Hybrid engines can be complex and have their own set of problems. One major issue is that they start and stop frequently, which can lead to wear and tear on the engine.

Gasoline engines, on the other hand, are designed to operate at higher temperatures, making them more efficient when they're hot. However, this also means that they can be less efficient when cold, leading to problems like water build-up and fuel dilution. The constant start-and-stop cycle in hybrid cars can cause these issues, which can ultimately lead to premature wear and tear on the engine.

Another problem with hybrid engines is the thermal stress caused by starting and stopping frequently. This can lead to problems with the head gaskets, as was seen in some Toyota Priuses a few years ago. The head gasket blew at around 150,000 miles, which may seem like a lot, but it's still nowhere near the lifespan of a regular gasoline engine.

**The Quality of Hybrid Engines**

When it comes to hybrid engines, quality is crucial. Some manufacturers produce high-quality hybrids that can last for millions of miles without major issues. Toyota, in particular, seems to have figured out how to make reliable and efficient hybrids. Their Priuses, for example, are known for their durability and reliability.

However, other manufacturers like Ford seem to struggle with the same issues. The Fords use the same technology as Toyotas, but they just can't seem to replicate the quality. This is likely due to the difference in manufacturing processes and quality control between the two companies.

In summary, while hybrid cars have their benefits, they also come with their own set of challenges. It's essential to research and understand these issues before making a purchase. Additionally, choosing a high-quality manufacturer like Toyota can make all the difference in ensuring that your hybrid car lasts for many years without major problems.

**The Role of Water Vapor in Hybrid Engines**

Water vapor is an often-overlooked component of modern engines, but it plays a crucial role in their operation. When gasoline is burned in an engine, it produces water vapor as a byproduct. This water vapor helps to cool the engine and improve its efficiency.

In regular gasoline cars, this water vapor is released through the exhaust system, which has a small hole drilled into it to prevent water from accumulating and causing damage. However, hybrid engines often don't run at as high of temperatures as regular gasoline engines, which means that they can produce more water vapor.

This excess water vapor can cause problems for the engine, including corrosion and wear. As a result, many manufacturers design their hybrids with special cooling systems to mitigate this issue. However, even with these precautions, hybrid engines are still more prone to water-related problems than regular gasoline engines.

**The Importance of Quality Control**

When it comes to hybrid cars, quality control is crucial. Manufacturers like Toyota seem to have figured out how to produce reliable and efficient hybrids that can last for millions of miles without major issues. However, other manufacturers like Ford struggle with the same issues.

This is likely due to differences in manufacturing processes and quality control between the two companies. Toyota's rigorous testing and inspection procedures ensure that their hybrids meet high standards of performance and reliability. In contrast, Ford's lack of attention to detail and quality control has led to problems with their hybrid models.

Ultimately, choosing a manufacturer like Toyota can make all the difference in ensuring that your hybrid car lasts for many years without major problems. By doing your research and understanding the challenges of hybrid engines, you can make an informed decision when buying a new car.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engraev up your engines well if you want a good beater car maybe a 98 Honda Civic is for you God just bought it for 2500 brought it here from New York City but it's only got 122,000 Mi that's really low mileage when you consider how old it is it's one of these 1.6 L four cylinder engines with an automatic transmission basically these things can run forever I mean he doesn't know any history of it but I can tell it's lived most of his life up north cuz you can see all the superficial rust any damag it's hurting anything but when it's like this it probably spent most of its life in New York state but back in the day these things were simple it's still fuel injected but it is not GDI much simpler it's got a distribut in it and as you can see it's pretty new someone just replaced it they do wear out eventually it's got a new distributor so that's good oh that's the original compressor the AC still works so yeah there's a plus there now Honda has sold millions of these things because they can last so long it's Honda's version of the Toyota Corola Civic and the Corolla this is an older one so this isn't the one that the kids are always souping up the problem with buying a late model Civic is a lot of kids buy them soup them up and they're ready for the junkyard by the time you buy them used cuz they've beaten them all up these were more Transportation cars and with this low mileage of 120 for all those years there shouldn't be anything that's really worn out our computer will tell us that now somebody put this crazy fjp Edition and of course it's got steel wheels these are just plastic cob caps but other than a little rot here you're going to get rot in the wheel wells that's just what happens well look under the car it's still real solid it's not all rotten away down here you get a little rot you can cut that off do it over but these old ones since they're not GDI they're not turbo they don't have oil dilution problems I've seen Civics with 550,000 Mi and they're still running okay so let's get the old computer out and check this thing out so in we go do diagnostics see if it'll Auto detec the in it may or may not we might have to punch it in we look around hey look the dash is still solid no cracks it's got a Pioneer stereo added in the cloth seats you're much better with cloth seats in the little car are in good shape lot of room in the back it's a four-door as I said it won't scan it all I got my phone out here I took a picture and I'll type it in this one starts with the too so it was made in Canada cic 1998 as you can see it does a basic topology scan so here we go this is a four-speed automatic they are decent Transmissions like I say the AC still works on this a little loud the fan motor starting to go out if you don't like the noise you can change the fan motor our Windows they still all go up and down all car's got a real emergency brake like I like not of that electronic crap has f anything out yet but it's real slow look how long it's taking to go through cuz it is an old car it's a 98 so good it's 35% done no C Jet well what do you know went through everything and there's no codes amazing on something that's almost 30 years old so let's look at live data I say it's old car slow computers are awful slow in those days but hey it's going that'll probably take a while to come but I came up pretty fast Black's good Red's bad let's see what kind of shape this thing is in all this mileage and how old it is short-term fuel trim 1.09 1.05 that's not much good voltage alternator's working at 61% cuz it doesn't have to it's just idling fuel injector millisecond firing is good spark Advance is good pretty amazed automatic transmission data we look at the live data for the transmission oh good black good a good sh too so let's take it for a road test check it out even the power door locks still work it's amazing like I say doesn't have much mileage for AG it's only 123,000 Mi doesn't shake when it's on no backup camera course extremely smooth idle for this old car I mean power steering still works now we got this big lump here so I'm going slow it's a low car we don't want have knocked anything off it still looks to me like it's got the original struts on it now on these horrible roads here we'll see what happens not bad it actually rides better than my wife's Matrix the matress is only 18 years old this is 38 years old but still hey r better it's kind of amazing when you think about it these are really good Transportation cars get up to the L Corner take for spin it's not a race car by any stretch in the imagination we all know that got clear already here we go we'll Flor it good engine look how smooth the shifted gears he only paid 2500 bucks for this thing and it runs like a clock can hear a little wind whistle but I mean hey BS have a little J it needs front rotors you yet the brakes hard I can feel a little jutter but it's old it still stops and okay if you wanted it perfect you change the brake rotors and pants cuz they're somewhat warp they just have a little shake to them my transmission still shift's good a nice loud turn signal so old people can hear it and look it even has horn buttons and cruise control on no radio controls on the steering wheel but it's got a few buttons on it it's still a fun Zippy little car to driver there an amazing car to run around as an everyday work car now J you're going to be leery on a car like this that's pushing 30 years old and only it's got like 130,000 miles on it but this is a New York City Car people in New York City don't put that many miles in their cars lot them I see many cars in New York City that don't have that many miles every year because they don't drive long distances New York City has a relatively small place Geographic a lot of people crammed on a small it's not like you're driving from Dallas to San Antonio to Houston all the time right you got a smaller distance to drive and it's totally believable that's the real mileage by how the engine runs and the transmission shifts I can tell that's the real mileage if it would have had four or 500,000 and somebody would have reset the speedometer or put a dash from a used car in it it wouldn't be shifting and running like this cuz it still shifts and runs perfectly now still in pretty good shape except for the two rotten spots here which you could Bondo off or cut the metal out in here it's not outrageous the rest of the car is actually in really good shape still have a lot of tread on them so if you were looking for a good commuting work car you would not turn this baby down now most places it's not that easy to find a car this old that's only got 130,000 miles and that's nothing for a Honda engine and transmission especially these older ones that don't have gasoline direct injection they don't have turbochargers they can basically run forever and this one still runs like a clock so now you know a little bit more about these old Civics and why they can be a great Knockaround car or a first car for your teenager learning how to drive cuz you know guess what they're probably going to only smash it up anyways and here's some bonus questions and answers well people are voting more and more with their money to buy hybrid cars but realize hybrid cars also have a downside they complexity of using the electric motor to drive it but the gasoline engine ultimately runs the thing and runs the generator that creates electricity has problems that a normal car doesn't have now hybrid engines start and stop all the time can often lower the temperature of an engine that it operates on and if you don't know gasoline engines are made to operate at higher temperatures they're more efficient if they don't get hot enough they're inefficient and you can get water build up and fuel dilution because the engines do cold and some of the fuel gets the piston rings when they're colder and dilutes the oil and of course even further causes more wear and tear in the engine going between running the electric motor to drive it by itself with the engine turned off and then the electric runs lower on battery power or you need more acceleration than it turns on the regular engine all the starting and stopping is not good for any particular engine back a few years ago I saw a lot of Toyota Priuses where the head gaskets would blow they do it 150,000 Mi you might think well that's okay well no it's not cuz there's Toyota it'll go four or 500,000 Mi the engines are still never touched and everything works fine but with the hybrid version of their engines no they did have problems with the head gaskets blowing and a lot of it's because of the thermal it's on it's off it's on and off engines aren't made to be turned on and off all the time and since of course the hybrid have gasoline engines that don't run all the time regular cars run all the time they're hot they evaporate the water and it doesn't do damage to the engine here's the thing you might not understand that when you burn gasoline in Earth's atmosphere one of the big byproducts is water Vapor that's why if you have a regular gasoline car take it back all on your car look at the muffler you'll see there's a hole drilled in the back you say why is there a hole in the muffler that's the water drain if you didn't have that the water would rot out your mu Muffler so there's always a little bit of water coming out that's just how they're designed they have to be made that way and if they don't have that hole the whole exhaust system would fill up with water and rot now once it gets the operating temperature all the water vapor just evaporates cuz it's hot but in a Hybrid engine it often doesn't run as hot and it will get a buildup of water and water is death to an engine with hybrid vehicles Numero Uno is you got to get a high quality made one there's no way I would buy an Italian hybrid that quality's garbage Right Toyota really makes the best hybrids they seem to last the absolute longest and they don't seem to have that many problems they've seen the problems they originally their generators overheated melted when they had 160 80,000 a Priuses but they fixed that years ago but take the Fords that use the same kind of hybrid technology they got problems with theirs though bearings go out and the transmissions on them you can hear them homing Toyotas don't do that because the Toyotas even though they're the same technology are built by Toyota and the Fords build by Ford and their quality isn't as good at Ford it's just the way that it goes so there's interesting things with hybrids but they also have their downfalls too so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that Bell n\n"