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Comments
Dirty tricks get played by dealers and customers alike. I can't stand either.
Go to "Smart Shoppers" for interesting stories!
Can anybody respond?
Thanx a lot.
Thanks very much in advance
Thank you
Any thoughts and/or experiences? The '93 and '94 fit my price range, however, I don't want to buy a car with potential problems.
How is the reliability of such a car? I am not very sure about what changes make a regular Accord a ULEV. Does it mean that there may be some things to look out for in the engine?
Please advice.
Debu: THe change is to Catalytic Convertor & ULEC Accord has 148hp/148lb-ft instead of 150/152 of LEV accords. There should be no worry as such & getting an ULEV car is good when you can.(especially in Calif)
Debu: WHat the mileage on the car ? Get it throughly checked by amechanic (pre-purchase checkup) especially if it is out of warranty(no extended warranty)
I have been given an optional extended warranty of 7y/100K for $1200 or 5y/100K for $1000.
I only paid $80 over invoice on the car( bought fom Tameron Honda in Hoover,Al sales man David Murphy).
Thanks James Warren
Otherwise, my brother has an '98 Accord V6 and he has not had any major problems with it. He mentioned a couple of minor items -- the gas gauge was fixed under recall or TSB, and the dash lights mysterious blinked off once but never happened again. Although my brother didn't have any problem with the transmission, I think some of the '98 Accords had to have the auto transmission replaced. But those may have been limited to the V6 models.
One thing about the extended warranty offered to you. I assume it is a third-party warranty? Read the fine print to make sure there are no surprises such as high deductibles and other limitations. Also, would Honda dealers honour the warranty, if it is a third-party warranty?
It is a third party warranty, but the guy claimed that all Honda dealers would honor it. I do not know about the deductible. He is also giving a 6 month 6000 mile powertrain warranty for free.
And since the one I am considering is an automatic, I would greatly appreciate if you could give some more info on the Auto Transmission problems.
I can't comment specifically on EXV6 vs. a 4, but I am currently driving a 2000 Accord SE 4 cyl. manual (I'm up in Canada...don't think a 5sp SE was sold in US in 2000). I traded in a '98 Acura CL 3.0 which has the same engine / transmission etc. that the EX V6 does.
It really is a matter of trade offs. With my CL, you stepped on the gas and you were gone. And I mean gone. On the highway, if you wanted to pass, you stepped on the gas and it downshifted and you were gone again. With my 4 cyl manual, the responsivness isn't there compared to the 6. Its not snail like...but it definitely isn't the "rush" that the V6 gives you. And you definitely have to go above 4000 rpm (VTEC land) to get any real power out of it. On the highway, 5th gear is definitely an overdrive....any kind of moderate acceleration requires a downshift. It has taken time to get adjusted to the difference. On the plus side....I am getting 28/29 mpg (mostly highway at 75-80) compared to 21/22 with my CL.
My other comment is that you said you enjoy a manual. I'm not an expert, but I don't find my SE's manual to be very "slick"...in fact, its fairly notchy and the clutch is heavier than I've experienced on Honda's before. Before the CL, I had a '97 Acura 1.6 EL manual (sold only in Canada..basically a tarted up Civic EX). Its transmission was very slick and the clutch was very light.
I believe I read somewhere else (Consumer Reports?) that they felt that an LX-V6 was a better value than an EX-4 Cylinder for what that's worth.
All in all....go for the V-6.
Regarding emissions warranty...I don't know if any "extended" warranties apply, but I did have problems on my CL. The check engine light came on at 95,000 kms and it meant I had to replace a PCV valve ($600). I complained and Honda ended up covering it in the end. But at 108,000 kms, the engine light came on again. This time, a bad ECM module which fortunately, was covered by the emissions warranty. Would have been $1,000+ if I had to fork it out. A few days after that, actually, I received a recall notice from Honda for something emissions related as well which the dealer had actually already fixed when replacing the ECM.
Regarding colour...does Honda change their colour availabilty throughout a model year? I was sure that when I checked out Honda Canada's web site in September, Signet Silver was only available on LX and EX 4 cyl in Canada. Now it also shows available on V6-EX. Of the colours available when I bought, there was no contest & went with Signet Silver. Although the new "red" that they have out this year also would have been nice.
Other Canadian differences (I think) are that Cdn cars have seat heaters on EX-V6, heated mirrors on all, and I don't think you can get antilock brakes in the U.S. on a manual transmission sedan. I'm sure some marketing genius knows why that is!
Cheers
JJD
The car dashboard also started to make some werid noies while driving. It was just one thing after another. I recommend not buying the 98 Honda Accord, I would recommend trying to find a 99 or 2000 model, I was told alot of problems was work out by then, that i was having with my.
Good Luck,
I have 3 additional questions for the forum. (1) Low Fuel Light - Up to recently, this light came on when the gage showed 1/4, now it goes on & off around E. I know I still have 3 gallons approx. left at E, that the light works on a float mechanism and factors such as speed and slope come into play. The service advisor said that "it depends where in the tank the float happens to be, that determines when the light comes on". So it's normal (even though this wasn't the case before)?
(2) The bottom "inside" corner of my front license plate area on the bumper has a nick showing the dark plastic. Repeated paint touch ups don't seem to keep the spot covered. Is there any prep needed for this before using touch up paint here?
(3) Does the top 1/4 or so of the rear window heater "not work" because its actually the radio antenna?
Thanks.
But seriously, the problems you mention makes me wonder. Honda is not known for such troubles (according to the reading I have done), but how did you treat them ? What did your dealer say?
Canadiancl: How important is the warranty? I mean, is it imperative that I should take it? Shouldn't the Honda reputatation of quality ensure that I do not have any major problems? Moreover, the guy told me that factory warranty on the tranny was for 3 yrs from Honda. Is this True?
As to whether or not you should buy the extended warranty, that's a tough call. Are you buying from a dealer or a private individual? If you are buying from an individual, can you take a look at all his maintenance receipts. From that you can first determine if they are all for routine items, and secondly, where has he been servicing his car. If he's always gone to one place, then I would call up that place and ask for a history of the car. If from all that you can ascertain that the car has had a fairly healthy history, then you could probably save the $1000 or so for the extended warranty.
But you know, with any used car, it is always a bit of a crapshoot as to future reliability.
The unfortunate incident is that I cannot get the maintenance records at all
So I have to depend on external evaluation and help from people like you
And I did not get to see the literature, but I was told that the deductible was a $50.
I haven't seen the literature , so I do not know the fine print. HELP!!!!
I was unable to get all the problems resolved before i sold the car.
If you car is under 36000 miles i would get the extended warranty. When i check into the extented warranty here in Daphne, Alabama, Honday by the Bay told me that it would cost $900 for a 7year 100,000 mile extended waranty from Honda, so that i may go to any honda dealership and get warranty work done. At the time i felt i didn't need the warranty, that soon change right after the warranty went up.
Good LUck, I would go for a New one Myself
I have some thoughts that I would like to share with my readers regarding some posts in "HONDA ACCORD 4."
First of all - I want to thank the good people who service Honda cars and have taken the time to help us the Honda owners in this forum with one problem or another. mkirchner1 and auburn63 your time in this forum is appreciated by me and I am sure the other Honda owners who read these posts. Thank you and others like you as you go about your work every day conscientiously providing us the Honda customers with the best new car value at the dealers that you two fine car professionals work at.
POST #388
surfing19 states that the Honda dealer offered him $16,000 as a trade in for his 98 Accord EX 4 cyl.
I have had people tell me that they have tried buying a used Honda but the resale values are so high that they might as well pay just a little bit more and drive a new Honda with the full warranty and everything.
I received a trade-in value of about 36% on my GM's new purchase price after 53k miles and 47 months of ownership. (I negotiated for the trade-in AFTER I negotiated for the new Accord's price. The salesman told me that I am getting actual "cash value" and not the usual trade in allowance). When you factor in the money that I have recently spent on repairs then the "adjusted" trade-in value is about 27%. I regard either figure to be a disaster.
AS far as ssurfung19's specific offer of
$16,000 for his '98 Accord EX with 35k miles by the Honda dealer - I have learned to understand that when a dealer knows that you are walking out of the door to price other offers they will tend to low-ball you on the new purchase price and high-ball you on the trade-in allowance for the simple purpose of "taking you out of the market" or tiring you out knocking on other doors for a better offer that nobody else can even match. I know this because some people have told me this has happened to them. So until an offer is on paper and finalized with signatures and cash and/or financing then you simply can not go by "what I was offered by the dealer."
(One way to deal with this is to simply call the dealer's bluff. If you are armed with the dealer's incentive and customer rebate and % hold back and what your retail and wholesale is on your trade and you KNOW that it is too good to be true then just accept that deal. Can you hear the dealer's pathetic "we could not get our pet dog to approve this" excuse? This happened to my brother in Florida - he accepted a too good to be true offer and of course the dealer backed down.)
isellhondas:
I have a question for you. I negotiated the new car price for $ x amount. I then negotiated for my trade-in for $ y amount. So the difference is x - y = z. The Honda dealer typed up the sales invoice to reflect a sales price at MSRP, but the trade-in was also adjusted so that the difference was still the same ($ z amount). This was not done surreptitiously - the dealer told me up front that this is for my protection involving insurance. Well this never really made any sense to me. Can you explain what would motivate a dealer to do this? Thanx.
POST #38
broncodave posts concerning his previous ownership of "2 junky Pontiacs;" a Grand Prix and a Sunfire. Also, his profile has links regarding his letters to GM.
No Comment.
POST #92
jrct9454 posts that as the decade wears on look for Honda to start offering 6spd gearboxes.
I find this very disturbing.
It is understandable that a racing car would have 6 speeds since after all they have to be able to go from zero to over 200 mph. This is why I question why we even need 5 speeds - I mean the most that I will ever do under any circumstances is zero to 75 mph. I just cannot see rowing through 6 gears - 5 gears is all ready to many. This would be the most outrageous thing ever perpetrated on consumers by manufacturers since the 1970's when they put 15 speeds in bicycles and 20 speeds in kitchen blenders.
PS: I am a Monday, Wednesday, Friday driver. I go from zero to 75 mph in first, third, and then fifth gear :-)
POSTS # 142, 143, 147, 154, and about 409-418
Various posts concerning "notchy" shifters with Accords. I have not experienced this problem with my Accord's gearbox but I will maintain a serious look out for this since so many different people have posted. So far all of my shifts have been silky-smooth but I only have about 600 miles on my Honda. Also - "notchy" compared to what? my GM trade? My trade's gearbox was ragged out from day one when it was brand new.
POSTS #466, 572
jwankel posted that a telescoping feature for the steering wheel would be desirable, and ulkarim posted that the Accord is "designed for apes: Creatures with long arms and short legs."
I definately feel that the ergonomics of the steering wheel with respect to the pedals is seriously flawed. I have unusually long arms. Even though I am not very tall (5' 10") I do tend to shop for shirts that are sized men's medium-tall. Even I cannot seem to get a good compromise for a comfortable seating position for both the leg to pedal reach and arm to steering wheel reach. Honda are you listening?
I also have a very difficult time getting out of this vehicle because the door pillar is in the way of my shoulders and back. Is anybody else having these ergonomic problems?
POSTS #199, 204
Bred and trip3 discuss the agonizing decision about the 4 Cyl 5spd Accord Vs. the 6 Cyl VW Passat 5spd and 6 Cyl Camry 5spd.
Well this decision was made very easy for me because:
a) The Accord is so much more affordable,
b) there is no dealer holdback on VW's so it would be very difficult to negotiate what is all ready a very high price to begin with,
b) The Accord runs great on just regular gasoline - not premium,
c) You get much better mileage out of the 4 Cyl,
e) the EX 4 Cyl has a very respectable 150 horses as long as you are willing to go over 4k rpm to get 'em all (see POSTS #656, 662, 663),
d) since the EX has so many luxury features (loaded) it is much easier for a Honda dealer to run a "locate" and find a 5 spd Accord EX (and deliver it in a few days) than a "loaded" Passat or Camry 5spd. It may even be impossible to find a "loaded" 5 spd Passat or Camry,
f) the smaller 4 Cyl means less weight (about 200 lbs or so) directly over the two front wheels,
g) Accord EX can be had without the leather seats for those drivers (like me) who feel that leather is not a practical choice for a car's seats.
I have some thoughts of my own:
There seems to be many people who have posted and are concerned about the origins of the Honda Accord. For the record - I do not share these concerns But if you could pick up my Accord a
My Accord is equipped with Michelin Energy MXV4 plus 195/65R15's. Does anybody know if there is a better aftermarket tire that offers less road noise?
I am curious if the Yokohama Avid touring tires have given anybody good results?
The two Honda dealers that I visited both suggested emphatically that the 7500 mile oil change interval is for pristine driving conditions and nobody drives like that in America, so the oil changes should be performed at the "severe Conditions" service intervals of 3750. Any thoughts about that? Does anybody know if Honda has ever voided anybody's drivetrain warranty even after following the Honda manual's 7500 mile service intervals?
I know tht his has been a long post but thank you for reading it and I will be looking forward to reading the responses.
Regarding ergonomics--I have always driven Accords because I am so short, and the fit is good in an Accord--at least my feet reach the pedals. But I notice in the new EX that I have to use the electronic seat adjuster to move my seat backwards before I can get out of the car. I never had to do any seat adjustment changes in my LX in order to exit the car. It just seems strange.
a few questions:
1) is there any difference in reliability between LX and EX engines?
2) i live in LA but occassionally go up to the moutains. Would an LX with an automatic
be able to do this easily or should i look for a 5 speed? How about an Ex with an
automatic, would that be ok?
3) how many miles can i expect to get out of an automatic? (assuming it hasn't been
abused). are there any problems with either auto's or sticks?
4) anything i should look out for on the 94 to 96 models?
-thanx slp77
If you live in LA, you've got to really really **REALLY** be a die-hard stick shift lover to drive one there - too much traffic. You'll get sick of it real soon otherwise, so I'd go with an EX and automatic transmission.
I can't tell you what the mileage was on those models, but at least upper 20's for mpg should be what you would expect on strictly highway, and probably lower 20's for your typical LA "fast city" driving.
Avoid the V6 model 5th gen Accords (94-97) They only had a little more power than the EX VTEC 4-cyl while sucking much more gas and being much noiser as well. So avoid 94-97 V6's. The 6th Gen Accord V6 (98-02) is much better.
Speaking of which, why not check out a 98 Accord LX V6 or EX V6? If it's in your price range definitely check one out. They have plenty of power in the V6 models, especially for hilly areas, and they all come with an automatic tranny.
I have recently bought a 92 Honda Accord LX. The transmission went bad on the person I bought it from so he had it replaced with a newer model transmission. The "D" light now starts blinking after the transmission goes into about 3rd gear.
This is a consistent blink like a error code or something. The transmission operates fine but just a little shakey while in reverse. The transmission fluid is filled to normal and not leaking anywhere.
Are there any Honda Techs on here who might know how this can be fixed?
Thanks,
Russ
Thanks for the vote of confidence and kind words, glad to try and help out.
Jrmga,
How much newer of a model trans was put in? If it was a 93 then there was no differance and you simply have a failure of a sensor or solenoid. If it is like a 94 then there are differances and that may be the reason for the light.Have some one pull the trans code and tell you what it is.
bidandsell,
I don't do much trading parts except from like models so I don't really know however I don't see any reason that they shouldn't. I will look at them if I remember and see..
Thanks, I appreciate reading your many informative replies.
at a complete stop for several seconds... foot firmly on brake... all of a sudden car seems to "burp" forward. car doesn't actually move, since foot is on brake, but it is definitely noticeable and weird.
didn't happen at all on the '00 accord LX 5-speed i owned for a year.
on a different topic: anyone other new ('98 - '01) accord owners frustrated that the climate control system's strength is too dependent on engine speed? have it set at a certain temperature when on interstate for a while, then get off interstate onto lower-speed roads, and all of a sudden it's not cranking out the same amount of heat and/or cooling. fan speed wasn't any different, just the temperature of what was coming out of the vents. i guess it must have something to do with honda wanting to make its cars as environmentally efficient as possible (which i laud), but it just seems too wussy and low-budget.
Is my tranny going or is this normal?
The difference number is the only think that's important. This has NOTHING to do with insurance rates...what a joke!
Also...quit skipping gears! This accomplishes nothing and may be causing your engine to "lug". The five speed was designed to use all of your gears.
Also, the automatics are VERY reliable and will work just fine in the mountains.
I was going to look for the trans code and got totally side tracked when I found a cv-joint boot split wide open.
I was even further side-tracked when I couldn't get the spindle nut off with a socket, a 1/2 in drive breaker bar and with pipe on the end for leverage(yes I knocked the little lip up on the nut). I know it supposed to be torqued to 180 lbs but this thing feels more like 500. Whoever the idiot was that tightened the nut on needs to be banned from ever picking up another tool.
Anyway, do you know what sensor or solenoid might be causing this thing to blink?
Sorry...I had to vent for awhile.
Thks,
I want to thank you for your response to my rather long-winded POST #686. You obviously do not earn a sales commission by answering people's questions in this forum - so I want to thank you for your generosity and desire to inform folks like us who proudly drive our HONDAS. I welcome your and everybody else's response to my post.
No there was no negative equity in question here because there was no lien on my trade-in. I paid off the GMAC loan on that car about a year ago.
Also, there is no loan or lien holder on my new HONDA either. So there are no loan considerations in regards to my particular case.
I am still bewildered why they did the sales paperwork that way.
Also, as far as my Monday Tuesday Friday driving style - I think this is ok as long as I can shift into the higher gears with the engine turning at a high rpm. Lugging refers to a miss-match between the engine rpm's and gear - but if I can shift out of a low gear at high rpm's and into a higher gear at a minimum of 2k rpm's then I think this will be ok as long as I do not exceed the tach's redline of 6.25k rpms. I am not now shifting this way but will start once the engine is good and broke-in after about 5k miles.
I do not think that the routine of driving in the 4k - 6k rpm band is bad on this vehicle since after all the VTEC engine feature doesn't kick in until about 4k rpms. HONDAs are rev-happy cars and they will reward the high-reving drivers with the additional VTEC horses - and believe me I will be getting every last one of them.
But now I think that this high-rev discussion has also answered my own question in my original post #686 about the proper maintenance schedule. I will most definately change the oil every 3,750 miles :-)