I am looking at buying a 1991 Honda Accord with 140K miles on it. It is a 4 cyl Automatic.

My main concern is that the automatic transmission has a hard shift wether going up or down.

Is this a standard symptom of these cars or should I be concerned with having to possibly replace a transmission in the not to distant future ?

 

CHECK your mounts and change the fluid if not done recently

 

Is a hard shifting automatic transmission a common trait on these cars ?

 

If the mounts are broken and or the tranny fluid needs to be changed, yes. The Honda dealer tells me that they have a "positive shift feel"

 

I don't think new mounts and trans fluid are going to cure an auto transmission that is bucking on up and down shifts. Could be clutch packs, solenoids etc. $$$$$$$$$$$$
Pay to have a shop check it ?

 

have the car diagnosed by a honda shop before you buy it,,,,,if it turns out that u need a tranny it will around 2000 to 2500 dollars