frankly speaking, from my experience with the 1.7 ES, there are not many issues abound, except for the knocking damper/coil sound. and the relative lack of power
this particular car has been thoroughly driven, and judging from the issue u stated, is a case of accelerated wear and tear.
it can all be fixed. warranty issues aside, there are many channels to source parts.
a tempered meter? in what way? is the ES ur referring to one of the earlier models? (pre-Suave)
a simple PGM/HIM tester will tell all u need to know about the history of the car.
so if anyone wants to buy a used Honda, bring it to an authorised Honda Service Centre for a thorough check. It wont cost u more than RM100
better be safe then never
cheers