I bought a 1987 Honda Civic Wagovan (manual transmission, carburator)
yesterday. My other car was stolen from my gated apartment complex
last week, and since it was uninsured against theft, I was desperate
for a vehicle to get around. (I'm in Los Angeles, and it's
practically impossible to get around here without a car.) Now I'm
afraid I may have made an $1100 mistake.

This morning, when I turned on the Wagovan, there was a squeal as it
started up, and then it died within a few seconds. This happened
repeatedly, and the only way to keep it from dying was by stepping on
the accelerator.

There wasn't much fuel in the tank, so I rode my bike down to a
filling station, got a gallon of gas, and put it in. This time the
car started fine, except for the brief squeal. I started to back up,
and as soon as I slowed down, it died and the oil and battery lights
on the dash came on. I restarted it, backed up, started going
forward, and it died again as soon as I had to come to a stop. I
would have trouble getting it to respond when I tried to turn it on
again unless I turned it all the way off and then on again. And again
and again, it died every time I slowed down.

So I parked and ran the car for a while until it warmed up some. Then
I drove a short distance, started to slow down, and hit the
accelerator a bit every time I noticed the rpm dropping. That kept
the car from dying as I parked, and I turned it off.

I turned it on again, and it stayed on. I drove it a bit, and it
didn't die, even when I slowed or stopped. I was then able to drive
it without difficulty.

However, the car idles high (around 2000rpm), and I can feel a
vibration (like a silent rattling) coming through the accelerator
pedal when I am in second or third gear.

I haven't yet found a trustworthy mechanic in the area, and because of
my ignorance about automobiles, I invariably come out of a repair shop
feeling violated because I know that I've been taken advantage of.
And right now, I just can't afford that - I (stupidly, I'm now afraid)
spent almost all the money to my name on this car, and I don't know
what to do.

I'm hoping someone here can give me some information to arm myself
with before I try to get it fixed. Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Bad Luck Shleprock