Hey guys,
I'm a poor student, and after having a relatively new and low mileage Hyundai die way too early on me and having mechanic after mechanic tell me to get a Honda, I am looking for an Accord. I'm pretty broke and I'm looking for something under 4500 with 140k or under, because I've been told they'll easily last above 200k.

My question is this: What should I look at/for when buying an Accord?

I will immediately change the water pump and timing belt, but what else causes problems on an Accord?

Are there any particular years/models I should look for or avoid?

What are the secrets of making a Honda last?

Any info to help me would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Get a really nice 5th gen (94-97) accord (auto or manual)

Nothing really, general maintenance, oil change, tranny fluid change, tbelt, waterpump, etc

6th gen (98-02) are known to have bad auto transmissions

Just oil changes and general maintenance

 

Good to know! Thanks.

Do I need to use any certain kind of tranny fluid? Also I shouldn't FLUSH the fluid, right?

 

I would go with Honda MTF or ATF (depending on which you snag) and correct, it's drain and refill 3 times NOT flushing.

 

use Honda fluid only when it comes to the transmission ... you'll regret it if you dont

 

You should be able to get a 94-97 Accord within your price range. Be sure to put aside the money for the initial maintenance. If you are mechanically inclined, you can do a lot of things yourself and save yourself some money. Make sure that a mechanic looks over any car that you finally decide on though. You want to make sure that you are not buying junk. Try to get one with millage under 120k if you can. Obviously, the lower the better. Just search craigslist in your area a lot.
Oil changes, fluid changes and treating your car mechanically good are ways to make your Honda last. Just keep it tuned up and have a schedule for checking the things on the millage schedule recommendation charts.

If you can drive a stick any at all or willing to learn, I would go with a stick shift. They last a lot longer in the hands of a capable driver. I have seen people who burn out their clutch every time they move off or change gear. If you do get a stick, read up on proper driving techniques, gear changing techniques and so on. I try to keep my RPMs as low as possible by shifting early, thus reducing my engine's revolutions per minute as much as I can so that my engine is working less.

 

Thanks PM,
The lowest I've found in my price range so far is a '95 with 129k.

What do you mean when you say initial maintenance? What all should I do/replace?

 

Basically, do a full tuneup, check everything. When I just get a car, the first things I do are:
-Oil + filter Change
-air filter
-spark plugs change
-check or change spark plug wires, distributer cap + rotor
-Tranny fluid change
-Check brake pads
-rotate tires
-Check tire pressure including spare
-Check CV Axle boots and any under car boots/components for leak or signs of wear indicating they need to be changed soon.
-Fuel injector cleaner in full gas tank


on the list of things that can be done yourself over the next few weekends of owning your car:
-radiator fluid flush
-Thermostat change
-Brake fluid change
-ABS brake fluid (if you have ABS)
-Clutch fluid (if you have a clutch)
-Fuel filter (might be a bit complicated)
-Install kill switch (to prevent theft $12-$20)

Things which require more skill (Mechanic)
-Timing Belt + Balancer Belt
-Water Pump
-Timing Belt retainer (updated part to prevent damage to the belt)
-There are a number of seals required to be changed. I don't remember the exact ones. I think Rear main seal, balancer shaft seal, I don't remember. Call the Honda dealership and ask what is involved in the 90k mile tune up. Ask them specifically everything that they recommended.


(NB. Use ONLY honda power steering fluid to top up fluid). I do not think this needs to be changed, and the only want to change it is to siphon it out and put in new fluid.

Those are what I can think about off the top of my head.

 

So did you buy one yet?

I bought a '94 Honda Accord LX automatic with 250K miles on it for $1,000. It still runs perfect, I have friends with Accords with more than 300K miles and still run good. I'm going to buy a used F22B Vtec engine for $700.00 with 30K miles. Unless anyone can PM a good place to buy a faster engine

All in all, good deals are out there, just gotta look. Ask friends, meet people, and drive to supermarkets where people leave their cars for sale in the parking lots. My walmart has 5-10 new cars every few weeks, even an older Supra. If I had the money I would have bought it. Good luck!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Johnisriot Accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I'm going to buy a used F22B Vtec engine for $700.00 with 30K miles. Unless anyone can PM a good place to buy a faster engine
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A H22A engine is going to run you $1,500-$2000, so it might be out of your budget. For reliability, definitely get the F22B though. The H22A is a high reving engine, and the lifespan is much much shorter than the F22B. I do not see that many high milage preludes.

 

I just picked up a 97 EX V6 with 116K leather loaded Sedan for $2K, just had a quicky Maaco Paint job on it. so far spent $200 on a good Tune-up. Timing-belt/water pump, plugs, wires, cap/rotor, still have a few more things to do, until I actually drive it.

 

Ahh. You are in FL. Land of the cheap finds.

 

make a lower offer. people put cars out there and ask way too much so that someone will offer them what they expect to get anyway. if someone is asking 6k. offer 4k.

bought a 98 super nice accord. 5spd. guy wanted 6k and i gave him 4k and drove it home......made me happy