Buy or Walk Away?

[jae]

Need a cheap car to get to work.. ~40 miles each way (95% expressway miles). I can get a 99 Honda Accord v6 with 110k miles, in great condition for $2200. Only thing it needs is new brakes.

Yay or Nay?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Have you had someone you trust look it over or are you going on the word of the seller that it only needs new brakes. By the way, new brakes for any car could end up costing you well over a grand if they are bad enough.

 

[jae]

Inspected by someone trusted

 

[jlee]

Have you had someone you trust look it over or are you going on the word of the seller that it only needs new brakes. By the way, new brakes for any car could end up costing you well over a grand if they are bad enough.

Depends how bad, but I highly doubt he'll need calipers and lines. Pads and rotors for all four corners are under $100 + shipping from RockAuto.

 

[styrafoam]

This generation of v6 accord have a bad reputation for failing transmissions IIRC. Ask if it has been serviced and have your person doing the inspection look for the signs. If it hasn't yet been repaired it will probably need to be in the future.

 

[kitatech]

As already said here and elsewhere...if you have to ask US you need to have the car inspected by an independent shop...best $50-100 you'll ever spend.

 

[ino uno soweno]

As already said here and elsewhere...if you have to ask US you need to have the car inspected by an independent shop...best $50-100 you'll ever spend.

Words of wisdom, ()🙂 worth the money,

 

[Jimzz]

This generation of v6 accord have a bad reputation for failing transmissions IIRC. Ask if it has been serviced and have your person doing the inspection look for the signs. If it hasn't yet been repaired it will probably need to be in the future.

Came in to point this out as well. Its it a auto trans?
Check the fluid level and quality. If you do buy do a drain and fill at the same time you do the brakes. You can use valvoline maxlife trans fluid.

 

[Tweak155]

If its getting to WORK and back, why not spend a little more? Even if you require a loan it is probably worth the safety net if you're not sure about this vehicle.

 

[xeledon20005]

nay.

 

[Vdubchaos]

a) Honda V6s are notorious for Transmission issues.....I would say shoot for 4cyl, stay away from 6
b) make sure the seller has ALL service records, if they don't, DO NOT even consider!!!
c) get it inspected

 

[SearchMaster]

I have a 4cyl 98 Accord that I don't drive that much any more but it's a great car. That is a phenomenal price FWIW as the Honda tax should put it about double that price.

As said before, the automatic transmissions (particularly on the V6) were troublesome. The transmission on my 4cyl had to be rebuilt at 150K (before I bought it). Other than that, the biggest issue is with the ignition switches. If the car shuts off randomly (even while moving) or won't turn over the starter, it's probably the ignition switch. I recently replaced mine, it was maybe 45 minutes of work and a $50 part. It currently has 250K miles, I bought it at 180K, and beside the ignition switch I've replaced a fuel pump relay ($40 I think), an O2 sensor ($60), and all four rotors/pads (cheap). I'm not a mechanic but all the repairs were easy.

 

[ballmode]

I'd stay away from the V6 because of the transmission. If that was a 4 cylinder go for it

 

[SearchMaster]

I'd stay away from the V6 because of the transmission. If that was a 4 cylinder go for it

At that price he has $1500-$2000 of equity to start with, which would pay for a rebuilt transmission should the need arise. It wasn't 100% of them that had problems but it was a relatively high failure rate.

 

[nerp]

Yes. If transmission is concern, buy the v6 and set aside a little here and there — much less than a car payment —*and suddenly you'll realize you have $2,500 set aside for a rebuilt one and installation.

 

[Black2na]

Run that generation of accord is pretty bad spend the little bit extra for an 03+ accord those are super nice cars

 

[SpatiallyAware]

99 accord was known for a 'glass transmission'.


Apparently there is no fix, period. Even the rebuilt units are lucky to get 100k out of them.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Brakes are cheap, probably ~$100 for rotors and pads for the front, and not too difficult to install, though tools are required.

The tranny though, is what bothers me. Check the fluid levels, and take a quick whiff. If the fluid smells burnt, there's a very high possibility something is going wrong. Barring that, check for transmission (and motor oil) service records. Such a transmission will be more likely to fail if servicing has not been done. Go for a test drive, and feel how it shifts. Auto transmissions should be shifting smoothly, but abrupt, jarring shifts can be a sign of trouble as well. In terms of noises, a buzzing, or out-of-place whirring sound is also suspect, though harder to pin down on an unfamiliar car. Just had a tranny go out on my car last Thursday, and god, my wallet cries at night.

Next, I'd definitely take a look at various odds and ends, just to get an idea of maintenance that may need to be done in the future. Are the tires good? Are the CV boots intact? Leaks? etc.

And finally, be aware that even if the car has pristine service records. there's still a chance of something really bad going wrong. That's just luck of the draw.

 

[tortillasoup]

FWIW, I know a handful of people with cars that are equipped with these "glass transmissions" and they're all still driving them. The only thing I can suggest is that the transmission fluid is changed like every 30K miles, the car is driven almost exclusively on the highway, it's not beaten on and to avoid 3rd gear since that clutch pack goes bad. Yes the transmissions in the vehicles of people I know have had metal shavings in it and they don't feel like they're new transmission (loud clunk when shift into drive) but I think what has let these cars last so long is that so much of their life is cruising on the highway in 4th gear with torque converter lockup for long distances.

I don't know op, maybe you could "rent" the car from the guy and see if you're comfortable with it. Check the color of the transmission fluid to get an idea if the guy ever changed it. I mean yes you're taking a risk cause these cars do have faulty transmissions but your kind of driving may be suitable for these kinds of vehicles. That these transmissions may last a lot longer than you'd expect due to driving habit.