Should I just get it now?

If you're wanting a cool-guy hipster hotrod/rat rod, and can get it cheap, I'd go for it. Though be aware that generally a car that ends up sitting it's for a reason.

When I got my first LT1 wagon, I overpaid I'm sure, but it looked so cool! Then I rebuilt the opti, brakes, fuel pump, suspension bushings and the usual fluid changes, custom exhaust and I was looking at a repaint within the now. It was already ratty but not enough for rat-rod duty. Was great for a daily driver but the mileage and bad paint hurt the resale. It ran awesome but I couldn't find the buyer I was looking for.

Long story short, it became my hotrod moneypit, and essentially I got out pretty easy at the end.

If you're looking for a step into wrenching on your own car, and can get a running, and driving car for around a grand, I'd say go for it. It's a terrible investment but most of these projects are. Don't lose your head and start with the $2000 repaint. Have fun with it, and don't sell your Honda until you know you're ready to deal with 15-19mpg (Mine got 22hwy, it had the 2.56gear, currently mine gets around 18mpghwy) and it's reliable.

They are simple cars to work on, and the community here knows a ton about making them go.

Also, sail panels are around 50 bucks a pop, and you have to paint them yourself generally. Don't trust the bolts or rivets. Get some 5200 marine cement to hold those suckers on. I've bought three for this car just because I trusted the 20+ year old plastic posts.

rauldelp wrote:

If you're wanting a cool-guy hipster hotrod/rat rod, and can get it cheap, I'd go for it. Though be aware that generally a car that ends up sitting it's for a reason.

[snip]

If you're looking for a step into wrenching on your own car, and can get a running, and driving car for around a grand, I'd say go for it. It's a terrible investment but most of these projects are. Don't lose your head and start with the $2000 repaint. Have fun with it, and don't sell your Honda until you know you're ready to deal with 15-19mpg (Mine got 22hwy, it had the 2.56gear, currently mine gets around 18mpghwy) and it's reliable.

[snip]

If I can actually get a chance to talk with the guy and negotiate it I might get it otherwise I'll pass on for now. I enjoy working on things and customizing things (my Honda has a lot of aftermarket mods lol) so the wagon could be a good project for me.

Also for the record my Honda never goes above 16mpg, my average even on the highway is always around 15.5 but I believe it's from the weight of my sound system in the back. Also I've seen the owner of the wagon driving it around on his property and it seems to run smoothly at least. I'll wait and see if I can negotiate it down a bit and go from there.