History:
My wifes car had some problems so we bought a 2006 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. We test drove a V6 of same year and I liked it a lot. Her car has about 130K on it. We are first time Honda owners; not necessarily believe the stories yet.

Last week my daily driver, gas saver, 97 Saturn SW2 puked all over so I decided to replace it. Work was on me about not being there (shopping for cars) so the pressure was on to get one.

I found a 2004 Accord EXL with 4 cylinder that is, in my opinion, in awesome shape. The paint has some pits on the hood (expected), could use a couple tires, the interior is in better shape than my wife's car. So I test drove it.

The engine idles smooth, no smoking, no burnt fluid smells, quiet, no leaks, clean. The transmission is quiet, shifts right like my wife's car does, acceleration is just like my wife's car, suspension has no rattles (sounds solid and correct when bumps are encountered).

So I bought it.

Catch is, it has 258,xxx miles on it. Compared to the cars we had before the Accords this car is in way better shape. Compared to other cars I test drove with less miles this car is in way better shape. Car fax shows first owner drove 43,xxx miles per year for 3 years and second owner drove nearly 17,000 a year for the rest. Sounds like a lot of highway driving.

So did I screw up or are my friends and coworkers (honda/toyota owners) correct when they say don't worry, change the oil, do the maintenance, you'll get 350K?

Thanks for experienced replies.

 

I have a '92 w/ 215,000 - new to me last year and I'm planning to keep it a while.
PAssed a '93 to my son and he has ~240,000 and is happy.
Both of these are in very nice shape except for some paint things.
You're where I am, so keep the maintenance up and you'll be good to go.

About 3 yrs ago there was a news story of an insurance adjuster in Maine who took his '93 accord to 1,000,000 miles,
and Honda gave him a new Accord as thanks for the publicity.

 

i'd just make sure all the maintenance has been done on it at the correct intervals. unless you're absolutely positive, i'd change the oil (5W20, i use synthetic) slap some spark plugs in it and drain and fill the transmission with Honda fluid (3qts.) did you get any service records?

 

1,000,000 miles! Holy caca!

Guess I have a few left on this one then eh? sheesh!

I was not able to obtain maintenance records. I do know it was inspected by the dealer (their cheesy 140 some point inspection) and only thing that had to be dealt with was oxygen sensor.

I was looking under the hood at lunch (checking oil) and after I shut the hood I thought that I saw that the anti-freeze is green. I'll have to check it when I get home but the manual says anti-freeze for aluminum only and I thought the green stuff was for non-aluminum.

Brake fluid looks a bit dark.

I think I'll just replace all the fluids. With that many miles I'm not sure I should do a transmission flush or not: My toyota buddies say not to with my Land Cruiser. Maybe this is different?

 

Regarding transmission flushes, just say "No!" Just have filter replaced and have the tranny fluid topped off.

Regarding the brake fluid, I recommend a brake fluid replacement schedule of every three to four years regardless of miles driven; it's a pretty good bet your brake fluid is long since due for replacement.

 

I'm pretty new to Honda AT cars, but the comments / advice I've read here say to do the drain-n-fill rather than the AT flush.
In your model year this might be the same as changing an AT filter.
So I've done this drain-n-fill twice (and Honda AT still works) and just wipe down the magnetic drain plug.

 

I haven't searched yet but what brand fluids are the one's recommended for these cars?

For instance, is dextron anti-freeze recommended (the red) or do I need to buy the Honda stuff?

User's manual says synthetic oil isn't necessary but a lot of people are using it and getting great results. I'm assuming this vehicle isn't any different and Mobil 1 is the preferred?

What is the consensus on ATF? Dextron III or use what the user manual recommends? Which brand?

Which brand brake fluid seems to hold up best to the heat?

 

Uhhh, it seems you're mixing your fluids, ATF stands for "Automatic Transmission Fluid", and Dextron is in fact one flavor of ATF; neither should EVER be used as an antifreeze.

If you adhere to short oil change intervals then you'd be wasting your money to use synthetic oil, however, if you run the factory interval or longer, then I'd recommend synthetic oil.

Regarding brake fluid, I believe your car calls for DOT-3, pretty much any brand will perform the same as any other brand.

 

Suggest keep using whatever oil you think has been in it before.
I switched to syn oil at 185,000 and rapidly got an oil leak into distributor, stopping '93 Accord at roadside.

Generally, syn oil known for being more prone to start leaks.

 

I highly suggest to only use Honda Trans fluid in this car.