Fixing A/C?

i'm looking to pick up a used 99 civic ex for 3k from a friend... new motor put it around 180k.

anyway, only issue is the a/c isn't working. how much to fix it? also... does 3k sounds like a good price? i'm gonna use it as my DD and save on gas.

 

Well, if you know exactly what is wrong, some of the AC work can be done yourself, but you really should get a pro to do the evac first and later to recharge it. If for no other reason than to avoid getting in trouble. Its really not that expensive and you can easily harm items by over charging the system. Also, if you dont evac the system (and just let it all out into the air), it'll end up costing a whole lot more for a complete fill up.

There really are a lot of components to an AC system though (condenser, evaporator, compressor, blower, pressurized lines, lots of sensors, switches, values, and servos, and even a belt.) Most of which are pretty expensive pieces, so if you dont know what you're doing exactly, a pro is the best and cheapest option.

It just depends what the problem is as there's too many pieces to even begin to give a price estimate. It could be something really simple, like he didn't put a belt on when he put it together, to something very costly. There really isn't any way to know with the information given.

3k for a 99 Civic with a rebuilt engine isn't exactly a fantastic deal, but its not a rip off either. I'd say thats about avg, assuming good condition. With the AC broken and unknown what it'll take to fix it, I'd expect the car to be in excel condition otherwise. See if he'll split the cost to repair the AC and anything else that needs to be done and I think you'll come out ok.