I have a 1997 Accord with 150,000 miles on it. Every year (sometimes multiple times a year), I'll take it to the dealer or mechanic to have things fixed and to get an oil change. I'm on my third timing belt already.

I've had some repair guys tell me the car is in good condition, and a few years ago some guys said "This car only has 130,000 miles on it?! It's still a baby!'

Recently I had a problem with gasoline leaking from the car, and my mechanic said the whole fuel line had rusted as well as one of the brake lines. So he replaced those, but he had to order the parts from Japan because he said nobody in the US carried them anymore.

I read somewhere that if the fuel and brake lines have rusted, then the car probably won't last much longer. I do hear a little bit of squeaking if I go over speed bumps - not sure if I should be concerned about that. How much longer do you guys think my car can last?

 

There is no way anybody can answer that question without getting the car up on a lift and giving it a close inspection. The fact is, brake and fuel lines rusting out is pretty normal in Gen 5 and Gen 6 Accords, however, it is a definite maybe as to whether the rest of the car is in similar condition.

 

That started happening on my 95 Integra in the winter of 2004/05 but it depends on where you live (snow, salt).

 

My '97 A/T Accord has about 280,000 miles and is still going strong enough. Little oil use, but mine does have a weak A/C system, and it does squeak over speed bumps, like yours; not a concern for me. I just put a new exhaust system on it, so in my view is it's not dead yet. I'd look at it from a repair cost vs. replacement cost in your particular location.

Plan B: If you want a fun summer vacation, drive out to Rocky Mtns and west of there. Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, etc. These states use almost no salt on winter roads (sand instead) so the cars have little body rust and you could maybe pick up a decent less rusty newer car while you're having a good time as a tourist. Have some fun ...

 

I live in the Mid-Atlantic where they definitely put a lot of salt on the roads when it snows.

 

The engine/transmission life are hard to predict. Routine maintenance helps prolong the engine life. The 94-97 engines can get over 300K miles.

The condition of your accord's body is easier to inspect for rust specifically the sub-frame and suspension components.

 

My 97 Accord has 235,000 miles on it when I sold it at the end of summer in 2018. My wife's 2000 Accord got both fuel lines and brake lines back in 2015. Since I live in the "salt belt", I try to keep an eye on them. But, even then, the car had 220,000 miles on it then. She's put another 18,000 miles on it since, and it's still going strong at 238,000+ miles. In my case, I fabricated the lines from 25 ft rolls, and flared the ends, as it was a cheaper way out for me. It's also not the first time I've done lines on a car before either, as my 92 Geo Prizm got lines replaced in 2010 (yes, I still have it too).