Newbie looking to buy a dc5

[s_barker@hotmail.co.uk]

Hi all I'm currently looking to buy a dc5. Just curious what to look out for. My main concern is rust as these cars are getting on now. Have there been any bad cases of cars being rotten or are they generally still half decent?

Ideally I'd like to spend 7k however would this get me a good example or am I being optimistic.

Cheers
Sean

 

[skengdR]

you can get a decent one for that money , id still inspect the underneath as its not always the exterior that is rotting

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

[C6MWX]

Arches are the main thing to look out for this is a good indication of condition

 

[s_barker@hotmail.co.uk]

you can get a decent one for that money , id still inspect the underneath as its not always the exterior that is rotting
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

Its the underside I'm concerned about. I have a civic Jordan sat in my drive which was gonna be my new project however the underside is to far gone for my liking. The body work it's self is very very clean and the cars been off the road for 7 years but I just can't get over the work that's required to get the thing on the road.

The plan with a dc5 will be to find the cleanest example possible then hopefully in the future either supercharge or turbo the car.

 

[carl hammond]

Main thing to do is buy one with a good history, build thread (so you can see the stages of it's work and progression) and never buy on condition over mileage, a higher mile car well maintained will be far better than a neglected low mile (or apparent low mile car).

Ideally buy from a forum member and remember to look at things like arches (rolled or not etc), I personally didn't want one with rolled arches and I have kept them original and rust free.

Under seal is fine and expected on one but be sure to just check everything you can and get a feel for the gearbox. Signs of issues getting into gear at high rev's is a sign of the clutch going, for example when my clutch went it was fine at low rev's up until about 7K then above this it was struggling going from 3rd to 4th.

There are reasonable ones within your budget but I would personally look at ones that are on here and have a history and build on here you can follow and see how the car's been looked after.

Where are you based as it maybe worth looking around a very good one before hand if you can just to get an idea of what you'd be looking for.

 

[JordanSuth]

Google "DC5 basic buyers guide". Someone did a thread on here years ago. I used it before I bought my DC5 in July. It details some common issues like back light seals perishing so water in the boot causing rust etc.

Personally I would spend the most you can afford to get a very clean example. They're starting to age now so you'll want something that's been looked after.

Good luck!

Jordan

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[s_barker@hotmail.co.uk]

Main thing to do is buy one with a good history, build thread (so you can see the stages of it's work and progression) and never buy on condition over mileage, a higher mile car well maintained will be far better than a neglected low mile (or apparent low mile car).Ideally buy from a forum member and remember to look at things like arches (rolled or not etc), I personally didn't want one with rolled arches and I have kept them original and rust free.Under seal is fine and expected on one but be sure to just check everything you can and get a feel for the gearbox. Signs of issues getting into gear at high rev's is a sign of the clutch going, for example when my clutch went it was fine at low rev's up until about 7K then above this it was struggling going from 3rd to 4th.There are reasonable ones within your budget but I would personally look at ones that are on here and have a history and build on here you can follow and see how the car's been looked after.Where are you based as it maybe worth looking around a very good one before hand if you can just to get an idea of what you'd be looking for.

Based in Fife. I've had 4 ep3's and my last one was running a rotrex charger putting out 390bhp. Had to rebuild the gearbox on it and between the 4 of them ive had to do the clutch a good few times as well.

The dc5 I seen in Glasgow had overspray on the inner arches and had signs of rust round the arches which put me off.

Another one I've been messaging someone about which is (claimed) low miles sounds like one to avoid as when I was messaging the guy he's telling me how good the car is and the more questions I ask the more vague he gets!

Anyway I'm not in any rush as I'd hate to buy one quick to later see a better one come up for sale. There was a white one down London that I liked but I didn't do nothing about as the plan was to do the jordan. I'm sure it was on about 70 or 80k and had the full spoon system manifold back with spoon baffled sump and a few other goodies. Think it was advertised for 7k or there abouts. It was that car that got me thinking I'm poss better going for something like that than plowing my money into the civic on the drive

 

[s_barker@hotmail.co.uk]

Thanks for the replise and info guys much appretiated.

Cheers
Sean

 

[carl hammond]

Based in Fife. I've had 4 ep3's and my last one was running a rotrex charger putting out 390bhp. Had to rebuild the gearbox on it and between the 4 of them ive had to do the clutch a good few times as well.

The dc5 I seen in Glasgow had overspray on the inner arches and had signs of rust round the arches which put me off.

Another one I've been messaging someone about which is (claimed) low miles sounds like one to avoid as when I was messaging the guy he's telling me how good the car is and the more questions I ask the more vague he gets!

Anyway I'm not in any rush as I'd hate to buy one quick to later see a better one come up for sale. There was a white one down London that I liked but I didn't do nothing about as the plan was to do the jordan. I'm sure it was on about 70 or 80k and had the full spoon system manifold back with spoon baffled sump and a few other goodies. Think it was advertised for 7k or there abouts. It was that car that got me thinking I'm poss better going for something like that than plowing my money into the civic on the drive

You should be able to find a good one for your budget. For reference if you look through my build thread my car was recently advertised for £8500 in OEM form and £10,750 modified and I had 15 people wanting it, I had to hold off on the sale originally as the new windscreen was delayed and took an age to arrive and be fitted then my circumstances changed meaning I could keep it to turn into an outright track only car over the next year or so.

If there are any in or around Kent you want viewed for you let me know as I am in the South East and happy to check some out if local enough for you mate

 

[daniel-cmyk]

Agree with Carl.

Defiantly base it on condition and quality over mileage, as it's a Honda. 100k on these are like 50k in another form of engine haha. (being maintained obviously)

Some people don't use the forum for a build thread like me, but we're on it and use it for great advise. I log my build with some pictures and invoices on my computer which I can then pass onto the new owner if there ever will be one. I don't have the time to upload on here.

I personally think for 7k, you'll be buying something with potential 'issues' like rust or something that's rustless but just rough.. I've noticed 8k+ are the rust free examples, CW & black interior and 8.5k+ for CW & red interior.

 

[carl hammond]

I personally think for 7k, you'll be buying something with potential 'issues' like rust or something that's rustless but just rough.. I've noticed 8k+ are the rust free examples, CW & black interior and 8.5k+ for CW & red interior.

This is a good point as I was not letting mine go for less than £8500 in complete OEM form based on the market and the other's I had seen, however this time of year is the hardest time to sell so he maybe lucky enough to get a deal or an £8K or circa this figure car for mid 7's etc

But as with anything, the more you spend the more you'll get for your money

 

[daniel-cmyk]

This is a good point as I was not letting mine go for less than £8500 in complete OEM form based on the market and the other's I had seen, however this time of year is the hardest time to sell so he maybe lucky enough to get a deal or an £8K or circa this figure car for mid 7's etc

But as with anything, the more you spend the more you'll get for your money

Defiantly!

I love the Teg and if I ever was to purchase again, it'd be March-September time. I would personally avoid this time of the year and just wait, unless it's evident the car has been undersealed before winter - I think that'd be the main issue buying through winter.

Defiantly agree with not letting go for lower than £8,500. If I ever come to selling mine, I wouldn't let go for less than that OEM form.

 

[Lemons]

I learnt with my DC2, it would have been a lot cheaper to take a small loan and buy a car in good condition. The car I bought was at the lower end of the market and needed a lot of money spent on it due to lack of maintenance.

In my opinion, good DC5's hold their value and cheaper ones can be difficult to sell.

 

[daniel-cmyk]

I learnt with my DC2, it would have been a lot cheaper to take a small loan and buy a car in good condition. The car I bought was at the lower end of the market and needed a lot of money spent on it due to lack of maintenance.

In my opinion, good DC5's hold their value and cheaper ones can be difficult to sell.

Couldn't agree more.

I've seen DC5's for sale at 9k and sell after a couple weeks (as long as it maintained well with evidence), whilst the one's that are for sale at 6k and are still on eBay, even after 6 months.

For E.g, there's a silver one on eBay for less than 6k but it's been on there for ages!!

Edit: The silver one actually has just been sold within the past few days haha. But probably sold for like 5k.

 

[2ndy]

Undersealed or not get underneath it and have a good poke about it. So many people Underseal cars incorrectly and the car can be rotting in behind it.

Check the end of the sills in the rear arch, the floor just in front of the fuel tank, and in behind the rear brake pipes bends where they meet the flexis. That's where I have seen them rot first hand.

 

[Crackfox]

Pop off the boot seal and check for rust around there. Also if you can slip your hand under the carpet and check it's not wet.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk