Hi Ray,

I contacted you about 2 weeks ago through allexperts.com and asked for advice buying a car in the SF bay area. Now that I'm here I tried to find out more about good car deals. Based on that, I learned that buying a Honda Civic would make most sense to me, because it's a reliable car and sells fast. I found an offer that I think is fair and I'd like to ask you to check it:

- Model: 2003 Honda Civic LX Coupe 2D
- Price: 6500$
- Transmission: 5 speed manual
- Engine: 4-Cyl, 1.7l
- Mileage: 88757
- Included: FWD, Air Con, Power Steering, AM/FM Stereo, Dual Front Air Bags
- Extras: Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Tilt Wheel, Cruise Control, Single Compact Disc, ABS (4 Wheel)
- History: Seller is private, it's the original owner, has records

What I don't like about it is that it's a manual transmission, because this is probably more difficult to sell (although I like driving it personally). I had the chance to make a 1 hour test drive today. It was really good to drive. The transmission was good, the car made a stable, good sound, the advertised features worked. However, there was a somewhat strange, deep sound at higher speeds on the highway, which I need to google. The next would be to take it to a mechanic to have it tested, which the owner allows me to do. However, as this costs money, I'm asking for your advice.
I also saw the same make but with automatic transmission and 120000 miles for the same price. Would that be a better offer?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards
Simon

Answered via email - Good luck