Honda: 98 honda civic, toyota tercel, death throes

Question
I am thinking about buying a 1998 Honda Civic EX which has 124,000 miles on it.  Someone just told me about a case of a Civic's transmission going out at 150,000 miles and that a mechanic said that is frequent with late-90s Civics.  I am wondering if you know anything about that.  (I have beens spoiled by a 94 Toyota Tercel that now has 323000 miles on it and is just now in its death throes; I thought the Civic might give me similar lifespan, until hearing this ...)

Answer
Hi Mark,

The biggest advice I give folks when shopping for a used Honda Civic in particular is to make sure they buy it from an individual who is older - Like in their 30's and up, the reason being is that the Civic is the most modifiable car out there and extremely popular amongst the younger generation who like to drive it like a sports car- hence the higher transmission failure rate. Its not that the car was made wrong, rather is driven/abused by their owners, I can vouch for this having so many friends who own them.

I would be more concerned about the timing belt, make sure that it has been replaced. I personally will not buy a used Honda with over 100K, without any proof that the timing belt has been replaced. Smarter owners go ahead and have the water pump replaced with the timing belt.