2005 Civic Hybrid Sat for Four Years
Hello all! I am looking at used Civic Hybrids and found one that belonged to an older gentleman who only put 40K miles on his 2005, then let it sit from 2012 until now.
I am going to see the car tomorrow, but I have been told the following: 1. The hybrid battery seems to be dead 2. The 12V battery needs a jump. Once jumped, one can drive the car. 3. Tires replaced My questions are: 1. What problems can I expect from a hybrid that sat unused for about 5 years? 2. Especially, is this battery possibly salvageable with a grid charger? 3. Anything else I should be asking, or should know? Thanks! |
Re: 2005 Civic Hybrid Sat for Four Years
1) all the usual problems with any car that sits for 5 years.
2) Possibly. Extended self-discharge of the Honda cells has been shown to improve performance at least temporarily. 3) Any amount offered needs to factor in a potential $2200 battery purchase in the very near future. If you're not comfortable with that, then walk away. |
Re: 2005 Civic Hybrid Sat for Four Years
Thanks Steve! I was hoping you would answer. I have been reading different forum topics for the last few days and have seen you in many of the threads.
Per some of those threads, I am figuring in a $2220 Bumblebee Battery in my offer, as well as another $500 of likely necessary repairs after the extended sit, and a $400 grid charger. His initial price is $1500, which puts this at $2.4k-$4.6k. I was going to see if I could get him down a few hundred more. Given those prices, and your experience with Honda hybrids, would you recommend this to a friend? To be honest, my preconceptions about hybrids were firmly shattered by reading around this site. I can't believe Honda was allowed to sell these with such terrible batteries. |
Re: 2005 Civic Hybrid Sat for Four Years
As someone who has owned four, I would never recommend a used Honda IMA to a friend unless it was still under warranty. I'm probably a little jaded from living in AZ though.
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Re: 2005 Civic Hybrid Sat for Four Years
Hah, OK. Thanks for the reply. I am in SoCal, so it does get plenty hot here.
Perhaps I'll just find a very uneventful non-hybrid Civic for the same total price instead. |
Re: 2005 Civic Hybrid Sat for Four Years
There's also the complication of selling a car w/o smog cert. You're not supposed to.
I know I sound negative, but used hybrids really make no sense if you want reliability. You have a small four cylinder car with a whole complex system bolted on... MORE failure potential, and one of them is a consumable (battery - they are going to wear out - period, especially in heat). It MAY be a great deal even at $1500. You just need to be okay with it eventually costing you the $4600. |
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