- Check the overall condition of the body. Have there been any repairs made to the body of the car? Check for rust at the rear quarter panel where it meets the rear bumper cover.
- Find out if/when the Oxygen Sensor was replaced. It can be a bargaining chip since it costs at least $170 to get a replacement L1H1.
- Be sure to check the condition of the 3 grounds in the engine bay: The negative cable of the battery to the passenger shock tower. The transmission case to the chassis on the passenger side. The driver's side of the valve cover to the chassis behind the driver's side headlight. Make sure there is no fraying or heavy corrosion on the exposed wires.
- Check the condition of the CV shafts and boots. They typically are a weak point and often need replacing every 80K miles. Check for any tears or holes on the boots. Check for any grease splatter on the inside of the front rims (from the outer boot) or on the under side of the subframe of the car (from the inner boot).
- Make sure correct spark plugs are installed (The VX uses NGK V-Power Spark Plugs No. ZFR4F-11).
- Check the condition of the exhaust system. Typically the OEM muffler likes to rust out on the pipe near the last flange. The mid pipe also likes to rust out on either end of the resonator (the smooth bulge near the rear of the doors).
- Open and close the rear tailgate a few times. Sometimes the rear tailgate hinges seize up from non use.
- Check to see if the car burns any oil on startup (a sign of worn valve stem seals) or if the car burns oil during acceleration or right after shifting gears (a sign of worn piston rings).
- Look at the radiator closely for any leaks or crack along the top tank and at the upper and lower hose connections. Check for any dried antifeeze that would indicate a slow leak. Also check the level of the antifeeze in the radiator and the overflow tank.
- Give the suspension a quick check by pushing down on the car above each wheel. The car should only bounce once and come to a rest. If the car bounces three or more times the shocks will need to be replaced. Also take a look at the springs to check for excessive rust. Sometimes, in severe cases, the OEM springs can crack from excessive rust and neglect.
Get a feel for the car's aceleration and braking characteristics. Feel for any pulsing or pulling while braking. Pulsing in the brake pedal is a sign of warped rotors or out of round drums in the rear. Pulling to one side or the other druing hard braking can be an indicator of a sticking caliper or mis-adjusted rear brakes. Be aware of the road surface during the braking as ruts in the road tend to cause a pulling under hard braking.
Some typical problems with the interior involve the driver's side bolster on the seat. They tend to wear/tear from the driver entering/exiting the vehicle. A seat cover can be a cheap/easy fix. Finding OEM replacements with no tears can be hard but a worthwile endeavor. Another option is to swap in seats from a 1993 to 1997 Honda Del Sol. the seats can be installed after swaping seat rails from your old seats to the Del Sol seats.
More additions will be made to this page as time allows.