Hey guys,
I am looking around at accords after driving one with just abasic suspension setup and loving it. I have some plans for the suspension but the motor will be left basically stock. My questions is did the V6 model ever come in a 5 speed in 95 or so when they first came out? Would you recommend the V6? The car will definitely see many track days so Reliabilaty is key. Any other suggestions or basic accord shopping would be much appreciated. Oh yeah and the other thing is that I want a coupe not the sedan. Oh also, if you swap in an H22 can you keep AC? Thanks for all the help guys!
~Matt

 

the 5th gen V6 accords did not come with 5 speed transmissions. You can do a manual swap from a Acura/Honda Legend with a 5speed.

 

This year is the first year ever to buy a V6 Accord with a manual -- unless you count the coupe which had that setup in 2003.

The 5th gens (94-97) you are talking about are really great cars and very dependable. I've driven both the V6 and the 4-banger. The V-6 is a sweet engine (came from the original Acura Legend) but it's a very compact narrow angle six. If you are good with a manual I would recommend getting the 4-cyl. with 5-speed. That engine is the most dependable and only 0.6 seconds slower to 60 than the V-6. Look for an EX model since those are the only ones that came with the 145hp VTEC engine.

Hope this helps.

Slats

 

For general buying, take a look at the 6th generation LX or EX. 150 horsepower for the 4-banger, very peppy if you get manual transmission. The DX has 135 horse, avoid any DX’s you run across if you can.

For comparison, the 5th generation LX had 130 hp and the 5th generation EX had 145 horse.

The main complaints about the 6th generation Accord are that the automatic transmission is sluggish (which I assume is true, I’ve never driven an Accord with automatic transmission); and the automatic transmission tends to break leaving the owner with a $2,000 or $3,000 repair bill. So get a manual transmission and avoid both of these problems.

I can't imagine a 6th generation Accord at the track, but I suppose some people do it.

 

the repair bill on a 6th gen is anywhere from 2.1K to 5K most are in the 3K range.

 

Sadly, the V6 never came with a manual transmission But, you can swap the H22 and keep all the amenities.

 

THe 5th generation (94-97) V6 was only 170 hp. No manual trans unless you do the Legend swap $$$ and almost no aftermarket support. If you want a 5th gen Accord, definitely get a 4 cylinder. It has tons of aftermarket support and/or you can easily swap in an H22A with even more aftermarket support. And of course you can have manual transmissions on either 4 banger.