Hello,
I'm sure you all have seen this sort of post many times before, but I would appreciate any advice that you could give me.

I am looking for a small four cylinder car to drive back and forth to work. My old Chevy truck is costing me almost $400 a month in fuel.

Anyway, I have pretty much decided on a mid 90's Honda Accord. I found one like I want and I just wanted to ask if the price is about right and if there is anything else that I should look at.

I've attached a pic to this post. Car's Description: 95 Accord EX four door, 4 cylinder, 5-speed, 173,000 miles, power windows, locks, moon roof, aftermarket CD player, alloy wheels, one owner, clean Carfax and clean title. It is now on a small car lot. I went and looked at it and this is what I found. Car is in very good condition overall. Interior is very clean. Exterior is very clean except for a small rust hole on the right rear quarter panel (which is apparently common to these cars). Engine compartment had just been detailed, but I didn't find evidence of any leaks. I pulled the plug wires and they were all dry. The car drives and rides great. I was actually shocked at how tight it was after 173,000 miles.Everything works. Even the ABS still works. Front power windows are slow, but I understand that is also a common problem. Engine runs great. I pulled the oil cap and looked under the valve cover as best I could and everything looked fairly clean. There was some tarnish, but no sludge. I didn't see any blue smoke coming from the tailpipe. The tranny shifted great and the clutch has plenty of life left. Tires are fairly new. Unfortunately, there were no maintenance records so I don't know if the clutch has been replaced, or the timing belt has been replaced. I am fairly confident that this car has plenty more life in it. Are there any other areas that I need to look at? Are there any other common problems that I should be aware of?

My main question is on price. I know its hard to judge the value of a car without seeing it and I understand that any reply that I get will be a guess. I can get this car for $3000, but this sounds a little high to me. That is under book price, but I've never put alot of faith into book prices. I might be able to get it for a little less than $3000 since I am paying with cash. Does price sound high, about right, or cheap to everyone here? Maybe rising gas prices have driven the value of these older small cars up more than I thought.

Thanks,
Cameron




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I paid $3000 for my 95 LX in 9/06 and it was a complete pig with a non-functioning driver side window. I probably paid too much but I needed something fast. Anyway, I think that price sounds good. The rust is definitely common and wouldn't stop me. The car will need a timing belt at 180,000 regardless so plan on that. The going rate for timing belt service is $700 to $750.

 

Well...

I bought a 95LX with 123K for $3K last month. Everything works and it had a new paint job. A detailer had gone through it with a comb. But, I've already spent $600 for all belts (including timing belt), water-pump, all seals (crank, cam and balancer), valve gasket and spark-plug seals, new spark-plugs, spark plug wires, air filter... I am planning to change the trans-fluid. New coolant, break fluid. In all $3900 (including tax).

Basically, I mean, this is a GREAT car

 

That's a very good price. Look around on craigslist in your area (and others) and you'll get a feel for what these are selling for. I just sold an '84 with 228,000 miles on it for $850. I "stole" a 93 from a guy for $1800.

 

idk, it seems about right to me.
blue book values are actually usually a little low for accords, although i got my 96 LX with 87k miles for 2700. I got a deal.

 

If you whip out a wad of cash it is always a very good negotiator for a used car dealer. I got $1500 knocked off of my 2000 LX since I had a fat roll of cash with me.
Offer him $2500 cash, then negotiate from there. The worst that could happen is you pay $3,000 - which is not a bad price at all for an EX (top of the line 4cyl 5th gen accord.)

 

Also, don't go alone with a big wad of cash like that. Always have someone covering your 6.

 

Ive been driving a 95 EX for at least 6-7 years. It's been a great car.

I agree with a prior poster. Get the timing belt/water pump replaced ASAP. Whether or not it was replaced prior,it should be done every 90,000 miles or so (so you are due). Price varies from location to location ....but i would stick with genuine honda parts (for the high quality pump and belt). It doesnt matter who installs them as long as they know what they are doing.

Brakes are often a problem with these cars. Pads are simple to do yourself or anyone who has done brakes before. Front rotors require machine pressing. If the front rotors need replacing, you are looking a somewhat costly repairs. Rear rotors are simple to replace.

My windows move up and down slow. It's not that big of a deal for me but i've heard some silicone on the rubber window seal will help free their movement. I'm not familiar with manual transmissions since i drive an automatic. I assume the clutch has been replaced if at 170,000 miles.

I've run Mobil 1 fully synthetic since the car had about 40,000 miles (i currently have 145,000). I change the oil every 7000 miles.

If it seems solid, i would say $2000-$3000 is fair. They are good cars when taken care of.

 

Wow, for 3K you even get a moon-roof visor!95's (Gen 5) are just the best lookingAccord models of all time IMHO.

Kidding aside, I have had one from day 1 and love it.It hasn't been trouble free by any strech of imagination (Alternator/ABS Modulator/ SRS Control unit). But except for ABS modulator the car has been easy to work on and fix.

 

Aw man did I pay too much for my car then? Paid 5.5k cash for it last July. Its a 97 LX with sunroof with 90k miles at the time. Car looked extremely well kept for its age. Needed a timing belt change and the 90k service so that was another $500. The main reason I got it was because everything checked out with the mechanic my dad brought and owner had a complete service record of the car at the local honda dealer.