Hi everyone. I'm currently the owner of a 1997 Saab 900 SE Turbo. I'm tired of it breaking down all the time and am paranoid of driving it now (several smoke filled incidents and one shutdown at 75mph...).

My question is pretty simple. Are Accord's reliable cars, and are they inexpensive to fix? Can anyone list any major repair's they've had done and the prices on a 98-00 Accord?

The repair costs have been huge on my Saab - $900 AC compressor, $450 re-torqued head bolts, $400 serpentine belt/pulleys, $150 coolant hose, $350 crankshaft sensor, $450 ignition switch (that shut the car and power steering/brakes off at 75mph) and tons of little stuff every few weeks, in the year I've had the car.

Thanks guys... looking forward to hearing you're opinions and maybe picking out a 98-00 Accord in the next few weeks .

 

Hey a local guy! If you get an accord you gotta hang out w/ the rest of us that are around.

My accord has been pretty reliable. It's a 98 Auto coupe. They're fairly inexpensive to fix. Only major repair I've had is rebuilding the tranny which I still don't know why it went. I think it's on its way out again too

Tranny problems seem to be the thing, especially the V6's. Good luck finding one, see ya around.

 

That sucks... how much did it cost to rebuild? That might be the kind of thing to keep me from buying one, if the tranny is anywhere near a major thing with these models... ><.

Out of curiosity - where do you take it in Cuyahoga falls for repairs? I used to take the saab to Fischer's foreign auto whenever it wasn't something major I felt the dealer needed to do.

See ya . Thanks for the reply.

 

I drive an 1998 Accord 4 DR LX 4 Cyl. and I haven't had any major problems out of her yet. Although she has been broken into and the aftermarket head unit stolen out of her, she has been good to me.

 

I have 2 - 2000 Accords (4 cyl), one with 110k+ miles and one with 69k miles. I lost the trans in the lower mileage one, and received a free replacement from Honda due to the 100k extended warranty on the 2000 and 2001 Accords.

The engines have been great on both of them, with no problems and easy, affordable maintenance.

My advice - stick with a mid-mileage 2000 or 2001 to get the trans warranty extension; or get a certified used Accord from a dealer with the 100k powertrain warranty.

 

Another local guy... I've had good luck with our Saabs.

My $0.02 to the tranny business, I think the issue is with automatics. Honda manual transmissions seem to be excellent.

Unless you get a 2003+ Accord, a Honda will have a timing belt, unlike the chain in your Saab. MAKE SURE you get that changed every 90k miles or you'll find out that Hondas can get expensive too.

 

Nah, the Saab 900 Turbo has a timing belt too, needs changed in a few k, so I'm ready for that .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TriOptimum &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Nah, the Saab 900 Turbo has a timing belt too, needs changed in a few k, so I'm ready for that .</TD></TR></TABLE>Nope. It's got a chain.
Their gm V-6 had a belt, but they didn't put a turbo on that engine in the 900.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TriOptimum &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That sucks... how much did it cost to rebuild? That might be the kind of thing to keep me from buying one, if the tranny is anywhere near a major thing with these models... &gt;&lt;.

Out of curiosity - where do you take it in Cuyahoga falls for repairs? I used to take the saab to Fischer's foreign auto whenever it wasn't something major I felt the dealer needed to do.

See ya . Thanks for the reply.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I took it to Cottman transmisson which is like 1/2 a block from my house. They rebuilt it, total cost was $1800, wouldn't give me a warranty for it b/c of the mods I have, *******, their major thing was the nitrous. I guess they did a good job but I'll never take it back to their shop after what I went through w/ them. Mine's a 4cyl and you dont really hear too much of anything going wrong w/ them so I guess mine's just a freak. I do all repairs myself unless it's something major. Haha, fishers foreign auto...I pass that place everyday. I wanna get one of the FC RX7's from their lot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlkChryKord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey a local guy! If you get an accord you gotta hang out w/ the rest of us that are around.

My accord has been pretty reliable. It's a 98 Auto coupe. They're fairly inexpensive to fix. Only major repair I've had is rebuilding the tranny which I still don't know why it went. I think it's on its way out again too

Tranny problems seem to be the thing, especially the V6's. Good luck finding one, see ya around. </TD></TR></TABLE>

my trannys been golden from the time ive bought it. shifts nice and smooth like it always has. i guess its true that the majority of the trannies are bad, but there some out there that are smooooth operators.

trioptimum, how much you looking to spend on a 6th gen? modified or stock?

 

98 accord. 211k. no probs at all ever.

 

I have a 99 V6 coupe FOR SALE

 

I have a '99 Accord, 4cyl, auto, ~150k miles.

Repair costs:
alternator - $40 from a junkyard (has worked fine for last ~105k miles)
passenger side door lock works intermittently - haven't bothered to fix it yet.

Auto tranny hasn't given me any problems, even though it's seen a lot of abuse.

 

The parental unit has a 98 Accord Ex V-6 with leather. Alternator is a POS. It went around 70K. Transmisision made it to 120,000 before it went completely insane, got that completely rebuilt, only original part is the case, and it cost 1,700 bucks. And it shifts better now than it did when it was new. Other than that, not one problem. She did have front shocks done, but she drives in Philly for work so that explains that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by briq4 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The parental unit has a 98 Accord Ex V-6 with leather. Alternator is a POS. It went around 70K. Transmisision made it to 120,000 before it went completely insane, got that completely rebuilt, only original part is the case, and it cost 1,700 bucks. And it shifts better now than it did when it was new. Other than that, not one problem. She did have front shocks done, but she drives in Philly for work so that explains that. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Who rebuilt your parents tranny? A local shop or Honda? How long of a warranty would a shop or dealership offer? Im looking for a 100,000 mile warranty if my tranny would go out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TriOptimum &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...reliable cars, and are they inexpensive to fix? Can anyone list any major repair's they've had done and the prices on a 98-00 Accord?...</TD></TR></TABLE>To answer your question, my '99 Accord, now with 72,000 miles, has never left me stranded (unlike my '93 Volvo). In fact, the only problem I've had has been with the locks, though I replaced an actuator in the door about 6 months ago which seems to help.

As mentioned above, the main problem with this generation seems to be the automatic transmission. I have a 5-speed manual and haven't had any problems with that, and I've got two friends with '99 Accords with automatic transmissions who haven't had any troubles with theirs.