Buying an Ek9


denward

ex '00 Silver ek9 Rx
Joined
Feb 24, 2007
Messages
923
Hi all

It’s been quite a while since I have bought / owned an ek9 and am currently looking at buying one again.

Could you please give me a few hints and tips as to what to look out for cosmetically and otherwise ?

I’m sure a few have had a hard life.

Cheers
Denis
 
Rear arches, Arch lips, at bottom where skirt meets and where bumpers attach on corners. Aim here would be no damage, ripples, all spot welds on arch lip visible and a good bumper fitment.

Front end panel alignment (Lights, bumpers, bonnet...) Not a massive concern as most have been taken apart at some point but larger gaps and bad headlight fitment are a concern.

Front slam panel may have signs of surface rust if been in country a while, But mainly look for creases here especially where it connects to front wing area.

Boot floor and underneath for rust, Especially up where rear toe arms connect to body. Won't be a concern on a fresh import generally.

Engine and gearbox, Normal crunching at high RPM and smoke from exhaust.

Many other things, But these would be first on my list. Car's are getting old so can't be too fussy I guess.
 
+1 on all of the above...

I guess it depends on your budget and whats around at the time you are looking to buy, do you have a preference for face lift or pre face lift?

I'd definitely recommend contacting someone who has a solid one to take you for a run so you have a good/fresh idea what it feels like to be in a good car vs an old beater! One other feature to look for that's a good tell of a crash is the windscreen, even on low impact accidents they will generally crack shortly afterwords due to how stiff the chassis is and where it displaces the force of the shunt - also the glass on an ek9 is thinner to keep the weight down so won't take as much stress. If they don't crack on impact they generally go not long after and need to be replaced. Not always a 100% accurate as the screen could have been changed due to chips/cracks from other means but its something to look out for and ask the question.

Also look hard for differences in the paint fade, if its been partially resprayed at any point it will notice to an original panel and possibly be another sign that its not quite original. Paintwork is often a big giveaway as to what you're going to find hidden underneath.

One last thing with regards to engines and smoke... if it smokes black/blue going up the revs (in VTEC) its most likely needing a set of rings (expensive) could be that its running very rich for some reason but 9/10 its the rings or the cylinder walls are oval. If its just blue smoke on the over run coming back down the revs its just a set of valve stem seals (quite a cheap fix).

Good luck and let us now how you get on :)
 
Back
Top