An acquaintance reached out to me with the following question: “My neighbor gave me a 2001 Honda Civic with only 90,000 miles. It runs and we drove it home. But it’s been parked for seven years. What should I do to a car that’s been sitting for so long?” I love this question because it really made me think. An old car with high mileage presents certain challenges and will need some work. While a low mileage car that’s been parked is in many ways a good investment, it presents its own unique challenge.

The long and short of it is: People often make cars that have been parked for decades roadworthy again. But these “classics” often requires a full bumper-to-bumper restoration. And my acquaintance was looking for budget-friendly transportation. So the real question is, “What do I need to address to safely and comfortably drive a car that’s been parked.”

Obviously, there’s a whole article in how to inspect a car without buying it. But here I’ll focus on a running project you’ve already bought. Without any further ado, here’s the list I wrote up: “De-mothballing a car parked for 7 years.”

1 – Gas gone bad

First and foremost, you don’t want to try and start it up with gas that’s been in the tank seven years. You’ll want to have the tank drained, pour fresh fuel in, and swap the fuel filter. If you want to know if it runs, a professional mechanic might be able to bring another tank of fuel and run it off the second tank. But it’s a bad idea for an amateur to try this.

2 – Oil isn’t immortal either

Engine oil also breaks down over time, so it would be wise to do a change before running the car. Check the fluid level in the transmission too (and rear differential if it’s a RWD), and consider swapping these out soon.

3 – Pump the brakes

I would also urge you to invest in a full brake job (pads and rotors), and consider replacing all the brake lines. These are metal lines that could have rusted considerably while the car was parked, and they always seem to fail under pressure—or when you are stomping the brakes hard in a dangerous situation. Having the car stop running is annoying. But losing your brakes could be deadly for you and others.

4 – Wear & tear

Inspect every wear item. A car parked for 7 years will at least need a battery and tires. But you’ll want to check out windshield wipers, all headlight and signal light bulbs, shock absorbers, powertrain universal joints, wheel bearings, and fuses. While parked, cabin and engine air filters could have been clogged by rodents or debris. And of course the aforementioned fuel filter and even fuel pump.

5 – Mouse house?

Now we graduate to the systems that might have been impacted because the car was parked for seven years. Search thoroughly for rodent nests and have a mechanic look over the wiring for anywhere that’s been chewed.

6 – Lights out

Take a look at the headlight housings: with even a small leak they could have filled with water and be nearly opaque. You can buy a new housing or attempt to drain and then “polish” the old one.

7 – Redecorating

What to do about an interior that’s been growing mold and mildew for seven years? You may find it simplest to locate a “parts car,” or another car from the same model generation in a junkyard, then swap the entire interior. But if you want to take a run at making that ripe old interior livable, here are some thoughts: When it comes to mold and mildew, fresh air and sunlight are powerful tools. A vacuum extractor is another powerful tool: it sucks contaminants such as mold out of the foam in the seat cushions and the upholstery while also shampooing them clean. These are used by auto detailers, but you can rent one. An even more powerful tool is a car odor eliminator “bomb” such as the “Auto Shocker” ($22). When a used car dealership gets a smoker’s car, they’ll throw one of these inside, roll up all the windows, and let it work its magic for a couple days.

To the new owner of an old Honda Civic

Whatever car you are working on, it may be worth your time to poke around for an enthusiast community. (In this case, Google “7th generation Honda Civic owners”). Whether it’s on forums, Reddit, or Facebook groups, you may find folks nearby who are thrilled you’re saving an abandoned automobile. If you’re polite, they are often generous with their expertise and leads on cheap parts.

Let me also say, congrats on your new (to you) car. An older model year car with low mileage can be a real deal. It’s also better for the environment to save an old car from the crusher than have a new one manufactured. And you can’t do much better than a 2001 Honda Civic. You mentioned your car is still covered in dirt and mold. If you just rent a pressure washer for a half day and clean it up, you may be shocked by how much fresher it looks. I suspect you’re in for a very gratifying journey.

You may need to invest some work into this car. But I’ll add that you’ll struggle to buy a used 90k mile car under $4k. And with that kind of repair budget, I’ll bet you can make this car reliable and safe.

Next, read about more ways to refresh an older car. Or if you want some inspiration–and knowledge–you can watch two enthusiasts revive a Mustang parked for 25 years in the video below: