Hey all! 22, male, long walks on the beach.

Found this 85 manual four door Accord for $550 on CL. Says the only thing wron is ball joints going out. I emailed and asked how they went out, and he said the person he bought it from "used it in the fields as a work car." So with this information, what else should I look for? He didn't say how many ball joints are out or how many miles on the car. I assume the front ball joints are out. Found em for $87 each at CFL Honda (cflhonda dot com) and prolly much less at local yard.

Here's my questions:
1) Can this car drive reliably without the ball joints for a while?
2) What else should I look for besides oil cap and other fluids?
3) Should I offer less than $550?

On my 84 Lude, I replaced two CV joints. That was quite a while ago. Five years. This Accord would be replacing my 07 Honda Fit as my daily driver (elminating debt).

Thanks so much, everyone!

 

Welcome & read the rules about links to selling sites.

I'd be afraid to drive without the balljoint. At the age of this car, I'd be suspicious that the balljoints are ready to actually fall apart.

 

Crap I thought I read the rules thuroughly. Sorry.

Mkay so unless I can fix it immediately, I shouldn't be looking at it?

 

Ball joints "going out" could mean that they are only just beginning to get loose, or it could mean they're about 10 miles away from completely separating. When you look at any car this old, you have to be careful.

Is the car so far away that you can't look at it in person & then walk away if it's bad?

 

Welcome to the forums..

My idea is this, if you cant see , touch or drive it 1st..leave it alone

 

Ya it's in Ontario, OR and I'm in Boise, ID. Don't want to drve that far for a car like that.

Thanks anyways tho!