Hey All,

New member here, but avid Honda lover. Have owned 98 civic EX and a 92 Prelude SI. Sold both cars prior to attending college in Boston, and now that I am graduating and got a job offer that requires a little commute, I am searching for another Honda.

Here is the deal: This car is a 1994 accord EX coupe (automatic). 120K, supposedly factory maintained, and papers will be provided wednesday when I view the car. This is a private seller though, so I do feel I need to be cautious.

I already inquired about the timing belt, which I believe he said was changed around 75 or 80K. He didnt seem to know much regarding the suspension and that sort of thing, and that concerns me because I know that the struts and joints can be expensive to deal with......so I guess I am asking you guys a general question....

What issues might I be looking for from a 94 accord with 120K. Just out of college, I dont have much money after this purchase, so it might be a year until I can afford to dump another $1000 in maintenance into the car.

Whats the verdict? Right now I am deciding between this or a 97 civic EX with 193K for $2300.

Does anyone have a copy of the 94 accord maintenance chart they be willing to email me?

 

look for rust, check the transmission fluid, pull spark plug to see how they look and are burning, check window seals, knock around the car and listen for places that have a hard or hollow tone these are tell tale signs of body damage, drive straight through a puddle and see if all 4 tires line up being you should have 2 semmetrical lines...and yeah be cautious you should always do a basic check...oh n1 more thing have him sit iun the car and you stand behing by the exhaust have him hold it close to redline 6000 rpms for 15-20 seconds and see if alot of smoke comes out this is a sign of the motor burning oil...oh and dont get a civic accords are cooler

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by I got the CD5 Jeebies! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">look for rust, oh and dont get a civic accords are cooler </TD></TR></TABLE>

lol....quoted for truth.

 

I am pretty sure if you hold a 13 yearold f22 at redline for 15-20 seconds, it is gonna blow out a hell of a lot of smoke. Especially in an auto, who takes an auto to redline?

 

I would take the car to a reputable shop, preferably a dealer, and pay for a safety inspection BEFORE you buy the car. If the seller won't let you do that, you DON'T want the car. Unfortunately, I have checked out a bunch of cars that someone just bought and end up finding thousands of dollars in actual needed repairs, not just flatrater gravy. The point is, it's better to know you did not buy a car that needed a lot of work than find out that you just bought a car that needed a lot of work.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Touche Phoot.

 

Thanks a lot everyone. You all have been extremely helpful. I checked that car out last night, and met with the current owner...an attorney in Boston. What fun.

Anyway, the car is in amazing condition, minus some scratching on the bumpers, which is very common in Boston traffic. The engine sounded great, produced no smoke, and the owner produced a glovebox full of Honda maintenance records, including the timing belt.

 

Here is a good one. I am looking at a 1997 Accord LX 5 speed for $1500. The car has about 213K on it. At about 185K, the timing belt broke. A whole new engine was put in BY HONDA. So here is the question....

Are all those miles really an issue now? Obviously, the body and suspension has seen it, but those are things I can take care of easily, and for the price, Im ok with that.


What do you guys think? What does a new engine mean for the life of the car? The body is in amazing shape...

 

depends.... how many miles are on the engine thats in the car?

 

It seems to be actually pretty rare that a brand new engine is put in a car that isn't under warranty. Typically, the "new" engine came from a junkyard and no guarantee can be placed on it's quality.

I still recommend taking the car to someone with plenty of experience for an inspection. Test drive, check out on rack etc.

 

glad we could help...a 1997 lx speed running?! for 1500 sounds like a good investment to buy and sell. motors are cheep and if the bodys in good condition get it. But as stated get it checked out

 

I picked up my 94 accord at ex for 500 bucks. Near perfect condition. 217k with 5 Tbelt jobs... Pretty lucky find.

 

$1500 to $2300 dollars will get you what you pay for, a car that's probebly going to need some work! Sounds like you want a new car!