Any specific problem areas common to these years? I am very experienced with cars in general (mostly performance domestic stuff) but figured there are some common issues to look at; common failures, expenses, etc.

There is a '92 5-spd here that I'm going to look at Wednesday. All I know is its an LX with about 100K miles.

 

look for cracked springs in the front..

lift the carpet on the driver side near the pedals and look for rot on the metal

look for cracked and dried bushings

check the oil level..

check the flex pipe make sure its good.. this is expensive to fix

make sure the car doesn't smell like India

check for camber wear on the tires

etc...

 

cant think of nothing major in terms of common failures. just keep an eye out for normal wear-and-tear. just make sure the tranny shifts smoothly, suspension is in good working condition (shocks arent blown, no weird squeaks), rusted underbody, etc. for some reason (in my area anyway) 4th gen accprd are commonly abused so just keep an eye out...especially if the owner is some young punk or rocking one of those "FWD beast" t-shirts with the anime honda on the front hahahaha

 

mine has camber wear in the front with the stock suspension....I havent had the time or money to take it into a tire shop to check the alignment and everything...is there a common problem that I might expect to be faced with when I finally do decide to take it in? or do you think it just needs new struts and an alignment?

 

not to thread crap but i will answer your question based on my experiences.. my car was pulling hard to the left when i let the wheel go.. i was fine with it but i figured i should check things out since i got new tires.. anyways i discovered my driver side coil spring was cracked at the top and at the bottom.. (maybe i should loose some weight.. lol 190 pounds i be!) anyways I replaced the spring and the car drives stright as an arrow now.. and aparently talking with other 4thgen owners they have had the same problem as me.. I feel if i did not replace the spring that camber wear on the tires would have been bound to happen.. just take a wheel off and insepct ****.. look at the bushings and stuff make sure they arent dry and cracked

 

theres a relay under the dash on drive side u need to replace if its hard to start the car in the summer. its the pg something relay....check for wear boots, camber wears..ects..other then that..very reliable car.

 

Take some quick hard turns back and forth. My 91 wouldn't do this. Every turn had to be slow. Also listen for knocking or clicking in the turns.

Take it up a hill with turns too. Listen for sqeaking while turning.

Ask about recent work....timing belt, H2o pump, spark plugs, cap/rotor, brakes, etc.

And always ask why they're selling it and if it has ever been in an accident.

 

2 things I've noticed that were problematic on my old cb7 was the oil pan gasket (leaked oil) and also the power steering rack leaking. Aside from that, I'm looking to buy another for a DD...that's how much I loved my cb7.

 

I bought mine not really knowing what all to look for. I have a friend tho that is a Honda tech and looked over the car for me and told me what I needed to fix. Since buying it I've had to have my power steering pump resealed, rear main replaced just to be safe, new crank pulley (broke early one morning going to work... very odd, but the power steering belt was chopped, so who knows), new entire distributor assembly, plugs and wires, new seals under the valve cover, transmission fluid changed, suspension is great, etc. Brakes have been done, regular oil changes, regular maintenance, EGR ports have recently been cleaned, etc. I bought the car 2 1/2 years ago with 207,336 miles. It currently has about 253,000 miles and runs great. The belts, timing belt, and water pump are also due in about 14,000 miles.