I have an old '86 jetta i want to unload and am considering either a honda accord or toyota camry...choice would be from 1996-2000, given i can only afford $6k or so and hope to keep it trouble free for at least another 5 or so yrs ...I drive 8-12k/yr but that could change upwards with a dependable car (ie i don't drive the jetta very much for fear of it breaking down, lol)...I do like stick vs auto..could be a coupe or 4 door....just for me and mostly city driving but also want something dependable for occasional long holiday drives (say from vancouver bc to calgary for a ski trip i'll do annually).

is there any link one could kindly point me to to find which models might be the better 'bang for the buck' yr wise?

thanks and cheers

 

Any particular reason you are sticking with '96?
IMO, the 94-97s are the best year of older Accords. They have their quirks like any car. The '96/'97 are OBD II and have better self diagnostics than the 94/95s. I would avoid any '98-'02 automatic Accord, the transmissions in those are hit or miss mileage doesn't matter either.

 

he's right i have a accord with 64,000 miles already changed transmission 3x about to be a fourth. My accord is a 1998, i dont want a car note which is only reason im sticking with accord, im driving it until it cant go anymore.

 

thanks for your reply....it's mostly price that i'm looking into those yrs i.e., not too old that they'll cause problems for next 3-5 yrs, and not too new and more expensive so out of my budget (5-6k, cdn) ..i do like to drive stick, btw.

 

Fwiw, I recently bought my 98dx 5sp for $2500.

No a/c or power anything, no vtec and no cruise control buts its perfect as an around the town car and the f23a5 engine mated to a 5speed is actually a very torquey setup for a 4 banger.

Even though the gen 6 dx is the red headed step child of the lot, it can be had for a good price and as it ages the lack of options will actually make it desirable as there's way less that can break, as an added bonus, these dx's prob have more space under the hood then any accord ever made so it makes it that much more easy to wrench on and might give you that extra boost of confidence to just dive into it yourself and save $$$.

Imo though, no a/c and cruise control make it worthless as a long trip car.
GL

 

I bought a 96 honda accord lx automatic 4 dr for $2800 back in aug of this year. This car looks brand new inside out except for the minor scuffs that is on the outside of the car since its 15 years old. This car has 340xxx miles when i bought it and has put 3xxx miles on it so far. Drive's with no problem. Engine doesn't shake, doesn't rattle, or any oil leak. Considering that this car has so many miles, it was well kept by an old man who never dog it and drove it like a champ, also remind you, garage kept as well. He even put in a sound system (amps for his mids only) and auto start so he didn't have to go outside to start his car. I got a pretty good damn deal for my bucks. The only thing about these honda's are their o2 sensors and catalytic converter which I had to change but since then it never gave me any problems. Hope you find your car for your money you want to spend.

 

You should be able to find a 6th gen ('98-'02) Accord manual in your price range pretty easily. I bought an '01 EX coupe MT in your price range. Seems like there aren't a lot of manual coupes on the market, but since you're open to 4dr, there should be plenty to choose from.