Ok so i'm looking to upgrade cars from a 96 camry to a 98 accord i found at a honda dealership here.

Its a 98 EX v6 green sedan. Decent shape i like it with 84k miles on the clock. for about $7k

I never had any issues with the camry except for the lack of power so its one of the reasons why i'm upgrading. I love the fact that my camry is trusty and will start up everytime and get me to where i want. it was nice and smooth.

I've search around the forum and googled a lot just about 3 weeks. But still no idea what really is the problem areas of the accord. But i read somethings like the whole key issue not coming out. i assume honda will take care of that problem.

My biggest concern is the whole thing with trannys blowing at or about 100k. Is this really true. What is the problem really? I heard something about solenoids going bad but not too many good resources behind that. I know they extended warranty's on trannys to 100k so now would my accord come with that warranty or is it a 50/50 type deal where it depends on the previoius owner.

Those 2 are the biggest problems i've read about maybe their are more issues with the car that i dont know of. Please give me a hand so i can make a very imformative dicussion. thanks

 

I believe the tranny issues (and extended warranty) mostly pertain to 00-02 models (or 01-02, can't remember). Most people here will tell you to stay away from the auto trannies in general.

Personally, the first thing I would do is to test drive the car. Floor it, and see how the tranny shifts, especially in and out of second gear. If everything seems fine, I would then try to get a vehicle history using main't records, carfax, or whatever other ways there are to obtain it.

Among my friends and family, there are numerous auto-trannied Accords, both V6 and 4-cyls. None of them have had problems, and most are well over 100k miles.

 

The Accords had recalls on the igntion. Just check that out and have the dealership check it out.

As for the tranny, the warranty is only for the 00-02 Accord v6's. The 98-99 are SOL but they have been known to be stronger. I have mine at 97k and I bought it at 86k with no problems(*knocks on wood*). My cousin has a 02 that is pushing over 100k with no problems either. The tranny's just have a faulty build and Im not totally sure whats wrong with them.

If you head over to http://www.v6performance.net there are guys there that know more about the tranny's and whats wrong with them. One of the V6 owners actually had his Accord totalled due to the ignition defect.

Performance wise the accord is lacking. It isnt Honda's best engine so the gains are very minimal. There are a lot of things holding it back, tranny being the first and most crucial.

Thats a good price BTW for that accord.

 

Just stay with the Toyota Camry. Camry's are just better than Accords in just about all categories. That's not to say Accords are bad. They are just second to Camry. This is coming from someone who has driven and owned both for many years.

 

I like the style of the accord plus its easier to find accords w/ lower miles. All the camry's in my area are 115k miles and plus.

I think the car is a steal for that prices. its like fully loaded EX with fogs as well. Everywhere i go i get mixed reviews. I dunno. As far as modding a the car i wont be. Just maintaining this adding rims and tints and the most would be droping it 1.5 inches to suit the rims. Aside from that nothing.

is that the only common issue the tranny.

Seems to me its more of a 50/50 chance on the trannies.

Hopefully the salesperson wont mind me flooring the car. the last one freaked out when i floored it. I dont have access to carfax maybe someone can get that for me later on. 1HGCG1656WA022669 was the vin

anyways please give me more feedback on the accord. the more the merry. Any other common issues? Oil leaks? faulty seals?

Since i'm getting this car from a honda dealership from the used car depo. You think i'll get some kinda of warranty on it. Maybe it can be certifed or something.

 

Well if ur not performance oriented then the Accord is fine. The Camry's are nice too but I dont really like them. The interior is waaaaaaay smaller than the Accord by a long shot and the Toyota's seem to have a factory whine to them that I dislike. The Camry feels "cheaper" in build compared to that of the Honda to me. My mom owns a 02 Camry and I much rather prefer driving my 98 Accord. Road trip in that car is so horrible compared to the Accord IMO. Im a big guy and like my space.

Both the Camry and Accord are good but I just have my preference. My Accord does rattle like **** and have squeaky noises everywhere even though my opinion was that it feels better built than the Camry.

I think the tranny's might really be just 50/50. Its a 98 so it should be fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Among my friends and family, there are numerous auto-trannied Accords, both V6 and 4-cyls. None of them have had problems, and most are well over 100k miles.</TD></TR></TABLE>

add me to the list. 140k and smooth as silk.
of course, my car has been in a couple accidents prior to my ownership, so it might have a new tranny, but i doubt it.

 

Legendaryyaj - what kinda of squeaky noise and/or rattling. are you getting?

i always liked accords, i never got problems with my camry but i just wanting something a little more nicer and have a cleaner look. But i dont want to loose out on the reliablity and a safe of mind that my car will work and drive for aleast 2-3 years

 

Since it got cold my dash rattles somewhere up by the windshield. Well it creaks too but my car is dropped so that could play a role in it. When I roll up my driver side window it makes a loud "CRACK" noise. I swear that when i first did i thought the glass broke inside the door panel.

Ohhhhhhh... cant believe I forgot this. The alternators are REALLLLLLLLLY crappy. If you plan on adding a bumpin system you better switch that out. Mine is so weak that my lights flicker when I use the power doors or roll up my window. My door panel also moves in and out as I roll up/down my window. I think it moves in when going down and moves out when rolling up. The Clock lights are usually burnt out or burns out fast as well.

As of right now though, I have all those problems, with the exception of the dead clock light, and my gas gauge is not reading right nor is the needle lit up. So many problems with my car. I still love it though!

 

I have the same rattles near the windshield, and in between the dash and doors. Every 6th gen Accord I've been in, the door panels move in and out when you roll the windows up and down. As for a cracking noise when you roll the window up, it kinda sounds like the window is a little off track, but I'd have to hear it to make a better judgement.

There were 2 different alternators... one made by Denso, and one by GM (can't think of the brand in my current drunken state). The Denso ones are relatively trouble-free, while the GM ones crap out easliy.

Although I myself have not had the clock light burn out, I've noticed a few people that have. It should just be one light bulb behind the clock that needs to be replaced, so it's a fairly quick and easy fix.

Anyway, just like Legenaryyaj, I love my Accord. My previous car was an Accord, and my next car will probably be another Accord...

 

1. To correct an earlier post, the trans warranty extension is only for the '00 - '01 model years. There have been posts on different sites about Honda "helping out" with repair costs on other 6th gen replacements, but no solid evidence.

2. I drove only Camrys from 1986 through 2003 (6 different cars), and they were solid in every way. Repairs and breakdowns were non-existent in the first 60k miles. I have since bought 3 Accords (2 - '00's and and '04) and I will never go back to a Camry. The reliability factor is the same, but the fun, styling, comfort, mod-ability are so much better on Accords. It's like going from black-and-white to color...

On your '98 V6, you are right to worry about the trans. I suggest the following:
-- Hard test drive, especially when cold
-- Listen VERY carefully for metal on metal sounds when shifting
-- Listen VERY carefully for a high-pitched whine that goes up and down with RPM's
-- Make sure the a/c works (another expensive repair if it doesn't - and tough to check in the winter)
-- Try to get at least 30 days warranty from the dealer - they won't certify because it doesn't meet the criteria

Hope it works out for you...

 

I have a 98 LX (4cyl) with over 125,000mi and the transmission seems fine. I do notice a little bit of slippage when it is very cold out. I haven't had any major issues with the car (I bought when it had 40,000mi).


Modified by BigBadBiologist at 6:29 PM 2/17/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Pairallel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1. To correct an earlier post, the trans warranty extension is only for the '00 - '01 model years. There have been posts on different sites about Honda "helping out" with repair costs on other 6th gen replacements, but no solid evidence.

2. I drove only Camrys from 1986 through 2003 (6 different cars), and they were solid in every way. Repairs and breakdowns were non-existent in the first 60k miles. I have since bought 3 Accords (2 - '00's and and '04) and I will never go back to a Camry. The reliability factor is the same, but the fun, styling, comfort, mod-ability are so much better on Accords. It's like going from black-and-white to color...

On your '98 V6, you are right to worry about the trans. I suggest the following:
-- Hard test drive, especially when cold
-- Listen VERY carefully for metal on metal sounds when shifting
-- Listen VERY carefully for a high-pitched whine that goes up and down with RPM's
-- Make sure the a/c works (another expensive repair if it doesn't - and tough to check in the winter)
-- Try to get at least 30 days warranty from the dealer - they won't certify because it doesn't meet the criteria

Hope it works out for you... </TD></TR></TABLE>

Do you know why the 02 was excluded? I could have swore the 02 was included on the warranty as well. I never saw the warranty papers but everyone said the 02 was on there too. Some new info for me.

Theres no better way to explain the Camry/ Accord difference than the way you just put it.

 

Don't know why the '02's were not included, but i have to say that I regularly read postings at 6 different Honda sites and I don't think I have seen more than 1 or 2 '02 trans failures. This may be just an age/mileage factor, since there have been quite a few '98 - '01 failures discussed. The general assumption is thet Honda solved the problem for '02...who really knows the truth???

 

no matter what the problem.... i will always keep my accord. regardless of trans issues.