Hey Y'all. The family recently had to give our Mom over to the care of a nursing facility and she has given me her 1996 Honda Accord EX 2.2L. The car, miraculously, has 326,000 miles on it and her only recent complaint about the car was that the anti-theft component often will prevent it from starting. It would not start when I went to move it, but after pressing a 'reset button?' under the dash, the red light atop the steering column stopped its blinking and the car fired right up. I drove it for 2 hours without incident and left it at a friends house for now.

What concerns me the most is that no one can tell me how many miles are on the timing belt. I would really like to drive the car because my only ride is a '91 Dodge Dakota, so it would be nice to have a back up vehicle.

With that many miles on the car, would it be worth spending all that money to have the belt and maybe the water pump replaced or should I just sell or scrap the car?

Thanks in advance for any and all helpful input!

 

Not sure if the car was only serviced at the dealership, but you may want to call the dealership to find out if they have a record of when the timing belt was last replaced.

You should get some quotes on the cost to replace the timing belt and water pump from some shops then determine if it is worth the investment. It may be worth having a shop specializing in Hondas/foreign cars to do an inspection to identify any other repairs that you may need as well.

 

Should have mentioned that she def has never taken it to a dealership for repairs, only small town side job mechanics who've looked after her over the years. I've checked around best I can and feel it's time to replace, so thanks, I will get multiple quotes for the repair(s).

So are you at all concerned about the mileage? I wish it read way less

 

I wouldn't get rid of a working car when I want one as a backup. But i'd just drive it as received; if it breaks down, toss it. Some timing belt replacements include mileage sticker on TB cover top or engine compartment frame; look for it - a 1 x 2 inch sticker up top.

I had same car, '97 with same 315,000 miles, till 5 months ago. It kept running and had only two quirks.
1) heat and AC. never got as cold as other cars, didn't get as warm as other cars in the winter. Friend has the same car, I've ridden with him and that heat/AC was the same as mine - works, but not up to usual level. I'd guess design weakness having to do with flaps/doors not fully sealing off the outside air flow.
2) Front brake disks are more difficult remove for turning than other cars, so keep plenty of pad depth on front brakes to avoid needing the service. check front pads is what I'm saying.

 

We'll def look for a sticker; thanks! As little as I drive, heat and air are easily tolerated. We'll also check those brake pads and yes, drive it till it blows sounds like a plan Thank you