therest

My 94 Accord EX has 226,xxx miles and I’ve replaced a lot of things on it. I do the work so I save a ton. In the last 15 to 20k miles, I’ve changed the following:
Front and rear rotors and pads. ≈ $200
Clutch./Rear main seal ≈ $250
Starter ≈ $ 90
IM Gasket ≈ $40
Struts/springs ≈ $275
Ingalls Camber kit. ≈ $180
Battery ≈ $100
And a healthier engine (free)

Above prices are approximate at best and include a lot of time obviously on my end since I did the work.
Right now my alignment is wack. So I just know I rather replace all ball joints and tie rods to get it done right. I’ve estimated everything to be about $200, including alignment. Thankfully my a/c works and I don’t have any other issues really.

At what point do you guys say enough is enough? The car runs great to me. My springs are H&R sports springs with Truhart shocks, and handles considerable well all things considered. I’m worried my a/c going out and dumping another few bills on that and etc. Looking in to a 7G V6 sedan but worried the auto transmission going out on me.

user456101

My input - A new car is around $30,000 plus. Financially, doing what you're doing to keep it running, especially since you do the work yourself, is by far a better/the best financial decision, probably until you can't find parts for it anymore. In the days when car frames used to rot through, then a rotten frame was usually the end. If the frame is solid and you live in a place that doesn't salt the roads in the winter, your frame is probably not going to rust out, ever. For non Japanese cars, a blown engine or blown automatic transmission is usually the end for non diy folks, but as you've found, you can actually get used replacement engines and transmissions relatively cheaply for these Hondas, from JDM or otherwise. I intend to keep my 2000 accord, currently with 200k miles on it, running until I can't reasonably find parts anymore, at junkyards or new. I am guessing that is at least 10 and probably more like 20 years in the future.

jollyhonda

Just a thought...there are lots of people who make a very good living fixing cars under warranty that break down. Air conditioners quit working on newer cars...transmissions die, suspension parts wear out. How long has it taken you to spend that much repairing your car?

therest

user45101, I've basically had that train of thought since I got this particular 5th gen and we're right. I live in the south so there's no way this car is ever going to rot. I tell the wife that I wouldn't get rid of it unless it had major cosmetic issues, basically a total loss. There are hundreds of these cars everywhere and parts are so easily available. I've had 5th gens before, sold them and regretted it. I feel like it will be the same this time around. I look at cars for sale way more than I should and it's very tempting to get one. I'm not talking about a 30,000 cars but a bit newer than the 5th gen. The car has been good to me and it sucks how much time I've put in to it only to sell it. Mechanic work doesn't come easy to me so it's time consuming.

Jollyhonda, its hard to measure since all those things happened at different points. I for one wouldn't have bothered with the car had I known it had all those issues at once. Struts/springs took me two afternoons since it had been a while since I had that. I did these just because I wanted better handling, although the shock it did have we're shot it drove fine actually. Engine took about a weekend. IMG took a bout two afternoons. Front rotors suck suck suck on these cars. I should had done the conversion but I just didn't have the energy and money to be dealing with piecing one together by finding parts in the junkyard or money to just buy a kit since I was doing the engine swap at the same time. Starter, 30 mins. Ingalls like 2 hrs.

I just realized my toe is horrible so I know this car will drive a ton times better once it's fixed.

Fitz Williams

iTrader: (1)

Each year I rent a few cars for my long distance travels to see how I like the various brands. I just rented a Nissan Rogue and a Mazda 3. None of these cars impressed me at all. I don't like the electric steering and the drive-by-wire. The brakes have none of the feel mine do, and none of the response to the road. Now, for my wife and daughters, a car is just transportation. Nothing more. So I suppose they like the newer offerings, and that keeps me from having to do any work on their cars. But driving them is much like getting on a city bus. Of in a taxi. It is just a way to get from point A to point B. I plan to keep my 94 Accord, and keep it in very good repair. If something unfortunate should happen, like a wreck or a tree falling on it, then I plan to buy the best 95 Prelude I can find.

jollyhonda

I meant calendar time, not minutes and hours. If you spent that money over a year, not bad return for the amount you spent to drive for a year.

MAD_MIKE

They are fairly simple and cheap to fix it is still pretty economical to own. My '95 gets 29MPG w/317k miles. Comparing it to new car of the same size which is sadly the Civic, it's not much worse. EPA has them listed for 32/42 but real world shows ~31MPG. Only advantage a newer car has is better crash performance.

poorman212

Just my two cents......your age is going to be the deciding factor, not the age of the car.

I'm, lets just say "50 ish". So it is getting harder for me to do things on cars anymore. A new factor is in play, how much am I going to be hurting after I do "X". I let my last 5th gen go when the auto trans gave out. Why, I'm too old and worn out to replace it myself and the cost of paying someone to do it is not worth it. So it went away and got replaced by an 07 Accord.

EDIT: I should also add, what does the car mean to you/me. Example, the 66 and the 89 "mean" something to me so they are not going anywhere no matter what breaks down. I will either fix it myself or pay through the nose to have it fixed vs letting either of them go. The others that I own mean nothing to me besides a way to get from a to b.

GhostAccord

When the yearly cost of repair to keep it on the road is more expensive than a car payment would be. Add to that how much time you spend under your car vs living life. When those two things start adding up, time for a newer car. Don't get me wrong, I love working on my own cars. However, there is a difference when it's modifications vs necessity. I hated being under the gun to get the car up and running in time to get to work the next day. Major PITA! That's when I finally bought a newer car.

djkurious

Sitting at 499k original engine, 5-speed, lowered on FF2, and 02 TL Type-S wheels after 5-lug swap. Plan on keeping her till 1 million.