Jayography

Hey everyone,

Back in May I bought my first car, a 1996 Honda Accord 25th Anniversary Edition with a 2.2L VTEC, AUTO TRANS.

As of today it's pushing 144,000 miles on an engine and trans that was put in back in 2004, and the odometer reflects the mileage on this newer engine and trans. I bought her for $1200 cash, and the appraised value on my registration says $1250 and that's with them assuming that there was an odometer rollback and not a engine and trans swap.

The guy I got it from was pretty handy and took care of her under the hood.
I just switched to fully synthetic, but I'm leaking around my gaskets and plan to get that corrected next week.

Since getting the car I've been planning to go all out with her and make her everything that I want.

In a few weeks I'm gonna take her to Honda to get a Full Diagnostic on her so that I can solidify some of my plans with her. Before any of my other plans get put into action, I'm going to make sure everything that I need to get done get's done (Under the hood, brake work etc.)

If everything works out and the diagnostic doesn't reveal any outrageous issues, here's what I'm planning: (In order of desire)

Paint Job (Quoted at $435 for same champagne color and trim restoration + Price of junkyard deck lid and two fenders)

Aftermarket Power Door Lock Conversion
(Need advice as to what the best option is for this)

Remote Start + Antitheft (Planned on having BestBuy/Geeksquad do it, need ideas as to what kit I should buy)

Upgraded system: I'm already wired for one, the guy I got it from had a pretty thumping system in there, but removed it before I got the car. I'm not looking for anything like what he had, just something where I can get a good quality sound and maybe some decent sized kickers (I don't need anything that's going to blow my trunk open)

Manual to Power Window Conversion (I don't mind keeping my cranks, but I'd like to know what the best option for this is as well. I'm not super pressed to get this done, but it'd be great if I could.)

If I can get a return on the investment and it will hold it's value, I'm prepared to put in a decent amount of money into my car.

As you all can see I'm pretty new to the car scene, but I just want the best out of my car. I plan to sell before hitting 200 and I'll probably keep her for another 3 years depending on whether or not I can get a second car to play around in and learn to drive stick.

I'd appreciate your tips and advice.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

None of that stuff is worth it IMO.

I wanted to get power locks and windows too, and you know what? It didn't make sense financially. Why would anyone spend money on a car with aftermarket locks, windows, etc when they could spend literally the same (or less in some cases) and get them from the factory? You're going to have a hack job install - unless you're buying all new door linings + OEM switches it's going to look ghetto.

A full repaint for $435 is ridiculously **** - I paid $300 *just* to paint my trunk/wing on the S2000. Seriously, what quality of paint/prep do you think you're going to get for $400?

Remote Start + Anti-theft installed by Best Buy? Garbage. They don't know your car, they aren't going to install it properly and it's not going to add much value. I purchased and installed my own alarm system in my '96 Accord - I spent 3 full days doing the install and ~$600 or so for parts. BestBuy is going to bundle up everything in a big zip-tied bundle and stuff it up under the dashboard. Any thief will take 10 seconds and it'll be removed.

Speakers are probably the only thing you have that might be worthwhile since you'll get some enjoyment out of it. I wouldn't go crazy though and buy the best of everything. Personally I'd hit up Crutchfield and see what they've got for the car and get yourself a decent headunit and some decent speakers.

I'd probably recommend you not do any aftermarket parts though and would stick to getting the maintenance stuff up 100%.

How's the suspension? (Endlinks, balljoints, struts, springs, etc)
How's the interior? (Maybe pay to have it fully detailed/shampooed?)
How's the engine? (sensors, filters, fluids, etc)
How's the brakes/wheels/tires/alignment?
etc


The maintenance items are going to get you a far better return on investment than any aftermarket mods.

Jayography

Thanks,

The final outcome with all of the aftermarket parts looking top notch was wishful thinking.

There are a lot of EX/LX models at the junkyard and I had contemplated ripping the doors. regulators, wires and motors out of those and putting them on to mine but I figured I'd have a hard time finding someone willing to help me with that or even do a good job of that. Much harder than finding someone of good quality who would put the aftermarket stuff on anyway, but I agree, you're right.



The $435 paint job quote was if I brought a new deck lid and two front fenders, I have seen a lot of this particular shop's work because I pass it just about everyday and receive generally positive reviews from those who have used his service. I also caught the quote on sale, but if I'd get a better quality, I'll just suck it up and go over to MAACO.

I'm surprised that you said GeekSquad would do a crap job because just about everyone I know, even my car enthusiast, moonlight mechanic chums said that they were my best bet. The antitheft/ remote start was more so for convenience and piece of mind than anything. I also have a serious doubt about my ability to install one myself, I'd feel like I'd mess something up without proper supervision and guidance.

The sound system would be extremely enjoyable and I absolutely do not plan on getting the best of the best, just something that would make me happy. Out of everything I mentioned, this one seemed to be the most possible one, probably a weekend project when my Dad comes to visit.

I also plan to get it detailed once I get some more money together.

The car rides very well, and my struts, ball joints, springs and everything are in pretty good condition. I'm getting a full diagnostic on her next week when I head to my local Honda dealer.

Under the hood she's fine, except for some oil leaking around the gaskets. I'm going to have that all corrected right after my diagnostic next week and until then I won't be driving much.

My speedometer and gas meter seem to be a little off, and hopefully Honda can help me take the necessary steps to have all of that corrected as well.

My alignment is great, my tires only have about 3500 miles on them, and my wheels are great. My uncle's giving me some 18s to put on them once he finds some new tires to go with them.

I'm gonna have my lines bled and I'll probably replace my pads and maybe even my rotors too. With that being said, my brakes aren't awful, they're actually pretty decent, but I want them to be perfect.

I plan to have everything maintenance wise good by the middle of August since I'll have enough money to go all out with making sure she's running her best.
As far as everything else goes, they're all stretch plans, but I'll be working two and half jobs this year, with more than enough money left over after saving 50% of my income, personal expenses and any other surprises to have fun with.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll consider it. You definitely changed my perspective on after market, especially GeekSquad. Anymore details or advice?

MAD_MIKE

It would be far cheaper to locate a LX or EX with power bits.

Anniversary/Special Edition type vehicles tend to have several unique(pricey) components. Usually you find out about such uniqness when you try to locate a part. Avoid these types unless you have some kind of fetish for the label.

Odometer readings are to reflect the mileage of the car/hull. Not the drivetrain. No need to ever 'rollback' the mileage.

Jayography

Forgot to mention, my odometer actually doesn't reflect the mileage of my car. The first owner put a new 2.2L VTEC and Transmission in the car back in '04, he had the odometer rolled back to reflect the mileage of the newer/current engine.

On the carfax it looks like WTF, but when you see the engine in person it makes perfect sense. I still don't know why he would've had the odometer rolled back though.