I drive a '99 Honda Accord LX. 4 Door, Manual Transmission. Around 160K miles on it.
Up until Saturday afternoon it was running fine. We went shopping and probably drove it for about 40 miles... no issues.
Then Sat. evening I got in it and it just won't start. All I heard was a little "click" when I turned the ignition but nothing else. Lights and radio were running great so probably not a battery issue.
I let it sit overnight and tried again Sunday morning but still didn't start. So I called a tow-truck. The tow-truck got there and the driver tried starting it AND surprise surprise.. it STARTED! Then I tried it and it worked and I drove around and tried again and it worked again.
Then last night it again quit starting (same issue, just clicking) but after I waited for about 15 min., it started back up again!
This morning also it started at first go.
I am really confused. Any help is appreciated.

 

So far from your description, sounds like starter related. The clicking when it doesn't start is probably the starter contacts clicking, which means there is power to the starter; but, no resulting action.

Next time it doesn't start, if you have someone available, while someone is trying to start the car, lightly bang/tap on the starter (with a hammer or stick) several times to see if it starts. If it does, probably starter.

Are you as DIYer? If the starter is a Denso brand, it usually is possible to replace certain parts in the starter relatively easy once you remove the starter. Otherwise, if you are not a DIYer, then let someone else replace the unit or parts.

 

Thanks. I am not much of a DIYer, but I can try the first part. Where is the starter located?

 

Sometimes people just replace the starter contacts and plunger on the Denso starter and it is good to go. The starter contacts and plunger are not too expensive and relatively easy to change.

If you're a DIYer, these are instructions for starter removal.

 

You posted right before my last reply.

The starter is located as shown on in the attached pictures. A little bit hard to reach though.

 

I just checked again, it looks like the Denso starter on your car can just have a few parts like the contacts and plunger replaced. The Denso starters were actually pretty good, so it usually was the contacts getting worn.

In this link, it shows just the contacts replaced and the plunger cleaned. Many DIY kits include the plunger if you want. The earlier Denso starters were very much the same for different makes of cars.

Rebuild your starter for less than $20 - Team Integra Forums - Team Integra

I know you said you're not a DIY'er; but, this is info. just in case the person replacing the starter might consider replacing the parts instead.

 

Finally got this fixed. Turns out it was the clutch start switch (or something similar). When I was pressing the clutch to start the car, this switch was not closing and hence no juice to the starter. I was able to start the car by pushing it downhill and then popping the clutch.
First I took it to Firestone and they had it for a whole day and still couldn't figure out the cause. Then I took it to an independent mechanic and he figured out that it was the clutch switch.

 

Thanks for coming back to tell what the problem was. It will help others in the future with possible similar situations.