Managed to get over my Wagovan funk!

MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
in General Civic Wagon Discussion
Got a shot in the arm when I managed to score some help today, expect to see lots of good news as it comes in.

As of right now I'm in desperate need of full lights all around, a new rear left window seal and piece of trim. I'm also after some front floor mats and want a reupholstering on my hard as wood rear bench. That ancient blue pleather has become rough and brittle in it's old age.

Comments

  • NZ-DB8RNZ-DB8R Moderator
    You dont need ANY specific wagon parts too make a Wagon LOOK good. Everything aftermarket on mine is from another model.

    As for mechanical, again, nothing I can think of is wagon specific, You just need to look through this site to find what you can mix and match.

    The only wagon specific parts that cant be swapped with another models parts are the panels and the interior really.

    Say for instance you wanted to lower your wagon, well its going to cost the same as a Civic Hatch as you use Civic Hatch suspension parts.
    New Wheels? Same as a Civic
    Front lip? Use a Civic Hatch one
    Rear Lip? Modify an Integra front one to fit.
    Got an engine problem? Lucky a Civic Hatch motor (depending on model) is the same
    Gearbox problem? Use a Civic one!

    I think you may have caught the gist of what Im saying :lol:
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    :lol: Yeah, although that sunfaded baby blue color wagovans came in inside isn't very pleasant to me :mrgreen: I don't really have anywhere to work on anything or get parts from locally. I mean everything works, but the lights on the outside are all in need of maintenance (cracked taillight, spiderwebbed stress fissures in other lights, etc.., etc...

    I'm also a small car fanatic too so that may be part of my mentality of love/hate for my current Wago. I made the cardinal sin of car buying and grabbed the first thing I saw which brought me here when I got home and was researching the thing.

    My thing is that I guess I'm looking at it as if it was a project because it needs some TLC here and there and I wasn't prepared for it when I got it. I was basically in the car and my buddy just kept going "GET IT GET IT GET IT" so I jumped on it and figured all the kinks would iron out fast.

    :oops: I know, I'm a genius. But I'm feeling as if I just ran into it too quickly without looking to find another to compare it with.
  • NZ-DB8RNZ-DB8R Moderator
    Sounds like you have made up your mind already then
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    NZ-DB8R wrote:
    Sounds like you have made up your mind already then
    Well yes and no, I love everything about it one minute and the next I'm cursing at myself for getting it thanks to something.

    It's the most expensive thing I've ever bought in my life so far so I'm honestly just all wound up too tight about it. It's hard to put it into perspective I guess.

    EDIT: Doesn't help either that my mom keeps berating me about it. She's never seen someone buy a car that old and start working on it personally. (she's the sheltered and overprotective type, so she thinks I went insane)
  • NZ-DB8RNZ-DB8R Moderator
    Put it in perspective.

    Does ANYTHING need immediate attention?

    You mention the lights have slight cracking in them, is it preventing you from driving it? Could the cause it to be unreliable? No. So its not going to be a problem if you have to wait a few weeks or a few months to find some better condition ones is it?

    Needs some TLC? Spend a day detailing it, Clean, ClayBar, Cut, Polish, Wax, Wax again. Black the tyres, clean the windows. Clean and Vacuum the interior, but on some seat covers if your fabric is a bit tired. Boom it looks a million bucks and cost you maybe $100. Most of that(the cleaning products) will be enough to use again and again. So really it cost you hardly anything.

    All old cars have their little problems, but rather the ones you know than the ones you dont.
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    NZ-DB8R wrote:
    Put it in persective.

    Does ANYTHING need immediate attention?

    You mention the lights have slight cracking in them, is it preventing you from driving it? Could the cause it to be unreliable? No. So its not going to be a problem if you have to wait a few weeks or a few months to find some better condition ones is it?

    All old cars have their little problems, but rather the ones you know than the ones you dont.
    Well I had a chip fall out of my taillight so that's got me concerned, the last thing I need right now is a $90 ticket. Water is getting into my taillights and the front blinkers as well which makes for them to not work at times when it's humid or rainy.

    Mechanically it's good and nothing needs any work anytime soon that I can tell from just driving it around and daily checkups. The worst thing it seems to need is maybe tires sometime soon in a few months.
  • NZ-DB8RNZ-DB8R Moderator
    -Remove all lights, seal with silicon in the mean time. Or drill holes in the bottom to drain water out.
    -Replace broken light, someone in the exchange is bound to have one
    -Find a set of alloy wheels with decent tyres second hand for cheap. I find that the cheapest way to get "new" tyres and as a bonus your car gets a new look.

    Sorted
  • JDMWago666JDMWago666 Senior Wagonist
    You just have buyers remorse. Your mentallity is off because of how much you spent on it. If you want to keep it than it's a good car to have. Don't look at it as a project but as a daily. You'll find the little things when you have the money. Who knows, maybe that hatch is going to have more problems than you think. Might be "better" for you cosmetically but probably not mechanically. You're wagon doesn't need immediate attention, as long as it runs good than you're set. Than again, I read through the entire thread and see you going against everything NZ-DB8R is saying. Making up excuses on why you should get rid of it. Sounds to me like you already made up your mind and you don't want the wagon. Whatever it is you're going to do, just do it. Follow your instinct not what everyone else wants you to do. IMO
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    JDMWago666 wrote:
    You just have buyers remorse. Your mentallity is off because of how much you spent on it. If you want to keep it than it's a good car to have. Don't look at it as a project but as a daily. You'll find the little things when you have the money. Who knows, maybe that hatch is going to have more problems than you think. Might be "better" for you cosmetically but probably not mechanically. You're wagon doesn't need immediate attention, as long as it runs good than you're set. Than again, I read through the entire thread and see you going against everything NZ-DB8R is saying. Making up excuses on why you should get rid of it. Sounds to me like you already made up your mind and you don't want the wagon. Whatever it is you're going to do, just do it. Follow your instinct not what everyone else wants you to do. IMO
    I guess that's what I needed to hear. My attitude about it has flip flopped too constantly and I've just kept second guessing myself about it when my mentality about it was too much as if it were a project.

    As a heads up to anyone who may want it I'm going to be putting it up for sale here soon.
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    I'm proud of you peeps.They all really gave great answers to your situation.You'd have the same probs if you bought the other Civic with repairs & maintence.Treat it like a "daily"(JDMWago666) and research wgn, till you get a better one.That's what I did .I got one like yours.It took me a week just to clean out the interior(last owner had kids(& a dog).I started getting wheels,modding the rear spoiler,blacking out the rear hatch,etc. and just getting to know the ins & outs of the wgn.At the same time I kept looking for another wgn. eventually trading up to a 4WD.I just transfered all the upgrades to the new wgn.Sold the last Wgn for about the same price I bought it for.Sold off misc. parts like the pass. mirror,jail bar,muds,roof rack for $$$.My battery has gone through 4 Civics.

    As far as your Mom.Take it from a OG like me.Women in general don't like old cars.Just maintain it.You're starting with a good car.A friend of mine keeps buying crappy cars & has gone through 4 cars so far & still counting(not to mention all the $$$ he's put in each) vs. me 1 Wgn.With the $$$ he put in I could've done a K20A swap.

    As far as mods.That's why this forum is here to give you ideas. :lol: I get a laugh all the time with the number of things we've turn into a front spoiler(upside down bumpers,spoilers from 4+ different cars(or wgn),wall mouldings,lawn edgings,etc.). :lol:

    I pretty much did my Wgn. as a 1 man show that included putting in a tranny.Most of us are on a low budget.

    What may sway you is look far a NON-Wagovan(not knockin you Wagovan peeps) like a DX or 4WD(if you don't mind the gas mileage).The later has cloth interior & split rear seats.
  • JDMWago666JDMWago666 Senior Wagonist
    As far as your Mom.Take it from a OG like me.Women in general don't like old cars.Just maintain it.You're starting with a good car.A friend of mine keeps buying crappy cars & has gone through 4 cars so far & still counting(not to mention all the $$$ he's put in each) vs. me 1 Wgn.With the $$$ he put in I could've done a K20A swap.

    As far as mods.That's why this forum is here to give you ideas. :lol: I get a laugh all the time with the number of things we've turn into a front spoiler(upside down bumpers,spoilers from 4+ different cars(or wgn),wall mouldings,lawn edgings,etc.). :lol:
    I pretty much did my Wgn. as a 1 man show that included putting in a tranny.Most of us are on a low budget.
    X2 on all of that. I did all my wagon stuff myself. Bought it on instinct and regretted it at first but now can't see myself driving anything else other than my "Jefee" :lol: at the lip thing, I've tried the home depot lip(garden and door seal), DA lip, 1st gen integra lip, legend lip, accord and now the volvo lip. Half the fun is being creative with this stuff. As much as I hated doing it, I love how my seats came out(took them apart and washed them in the washer) Hope all of this helps you out in your decision making.
  • simplyhondasimplyhonda Council Member
    KEEP IT!!!! Like has been said - all older cars are going to have their problems and need repair. Just take it one step at a time! You don't need a lot of money. Just use your brain and figure things out. You can go to the junk yard, spend as little as $20 and come out with a pile of parts. They may not be wagon specific, but you can make them work with a little work. My buddy and I spent a while at the yard the other day tryinng to figure out how to make a set of Audi seats fit in his wagon. We left them there, but it could have been done with a little work. Sorry I have been too busy to come help out lately, I just have alot on my plate. I Will help you! I may have some parts too. Just drive it for now and we will work out the problems along the way. My tail lights have water in them too. My fix is not to fix! Let em' have water in them. I'll get around to them some day. Rome wasn't built in a day and your wagon won't either. KEEP IT! DRIVE IT! DON'T SWEAT IT!! It's still a good car!
  • 503Wagon503Wagon moderator
    if you have to think about wether or not you want to keep your wagon. Then you should sell it to someone who will love it without question.
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    Finally had a few friends over to get me and my ass out of the stupid rut I've been in. So far I've got all my seats out along with my rear carpet and sub trunk door.

    Everything seems to be a lot better when I'm not sitting in front of it twiddling my fingers wondering what to do. Expect good news shortly.
  • leWolfleWolf Senior Wagonist
    :lol: You sound like i did a few months ago, It's tough to keep your headup when you come on here and see some sick wagons. I will say though I just had to bite the bullet and do at least one thing a week to keep my project rolling.

    By know means is it easy, but by ALL means it is worth it!
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    AlexanderleWolf wrote:
    :lol: You sound like i did a few months ago, It's tough to keep your headup when you come on here and see some sick wagons. I will say though I just had to bite the bullet and do at least one thing a week to keep my project rolling.

    By know means is it easy, but by ALL means it is worth it!
    :lol: Yeah, some of the ones on here are insanely well done.

    At this point my main goal is to make it black and gray inside and red outside by May at the very latest. I've got some automotive dye set up for the interior fabric parts (IE carpets), all I need is a parts wagon or to raid a junkyard for some 88-89 gray and black wagon interior trim as the interior plastics are hell to get dyed properly or always come out a very dark shade that doesn't look right.
  • cthomaspanamacthomaspanama Band Wagon
    Based on what I have read....I would SELL IT.

    If you want a car with a different color interior and exterior you might as well sell this one and find one that meets your requirements. That being said these cars are not the easiest to find.

    I just bought a 1991 CIVIC RT4WD Blue/blue and the paint was faded. No rust.

    I thought about it after having for a week and decided I would rather find a really clean one and start with that. I know it may take some time to source one and maybe more expensive than the car I just sold. But I would rather have a really clean car in the color combination that I like.

    Just my 2 cents.......
  • MOD_MAN_EXTREMEMOD_MAN_EXTREME Wagonist
    I'm good with mine. The color is annoying to me personally, but not the end of the world. Plus considering just how immaculate the exterior and interior are with a perfect driving record and zero dings or scratches I'll be hard pressed to find another in this shape.

    Plus if I feel wacky I might just keep it white and deck out the exterior in Safari Rally trim:
    3U2V3671%20copy.jpg

    Then again mine's not 4WD so I can't exactly play real Life Sega Rally without a 4WD conversion. :wink:
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    ST205 Celica GT-FOUR... very nice cars.
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