This car is in nearly flawless shape. There's hardly anything wrong with the body except for maybe a little ping or two. The interior is pretty flawless. The appearance of the car is great. It's runs great. It's been very well maintained and taken care of. All of the service records are there, which I still need to look in to. I know it can be kind of hard to say without looking at the car but does anyone think it is worth that price?

I know it wouldn't be to a lot of people, but let me explain my situation. I currently drive a 95 ford explorer with around 250,000 miles on it.

It's in poor shape. Dents and scratches on the body, cracked grill and winsdshield. The material on the seats is ripped, the liner on the interior roof is ripped very bad. It has no airbags, no heat. Worst of all the ball joints need to be replaced and the wheels need to be aligned. I got an estimate that said that would be around an 800 dollar repair. I really don't want to invest that kind of money into this thing. Because of the problem with the wheels I am always having to replace the tires, multiple times a year. Of course it doesn't help that I buy used tires but I was told not to buy new ones until I get the wheels fixed. I also get around 14 miles a gallon, which is terrible.

I might add that the car belongs to a friend who is willing to let me make payments on it, which financially really helps me out a lot. I don't have 2,000 dollars to pay up front.

Given my situation and the info I've supplied, does anyone have an opinion on whether or not I should do this? Or shoud i just keep driving my explorer until it dies on me? Thats what im afriad of, and if this honda isnt available when that happens im screwed. i wont be financially able to get something new. I need some advice. It would be appreciated.

 

It doesnt sound bad to me, you didn't mention how many miles on the car, or where you are located(Hondas seem to be worth more in the south than up north).

But $2,000 doesnt seem bad to me. Especially to get rid of a maintenance nightmare like a mid 90s ford explorer and pick up a reliable and cheap to repair honda.

 

I don't know how I forgot to mention that. It has 200,000 miles. I know that's a lot but I've heard a well maintained accord can last close to 300,000 miles. I don't drive very far either. So I wouldn't be putting that many miles on it. Oh yeah, I live in texas.

 

At 200K, if you know/confirm that the maint stuff has been done (Timing belt changes, fluids, tune up stuff, ect)....southern car, no rust in the rear tire "arch", 2k and simple paymets should do you well.

I would ask your friend if you can have it for a 1/2 day and take it somewhere and have them look at it. Many places offer a "buyers inspection" service.

 

Timing belt changes are big risk if they have not been done. This car should have had 3 timing belt changes by now, or at worst 2.

A timing belt change can costs $700-$1000, depending on your location.

Note, water pump should have been changed w/ timing belt at least once.

good luck

 

And that's the rest of the story..Welcome to the HAF.

 

Well now I know what to look for. If all the maintenance checks out then I just might buy the thing. I'm really wanting to replace my piece of crap explorer.

Thanks for the welcome.

 

200k on a '91 is low mileage. I have a 2000 with close to that. I would have the timing belt changed, just to start at zero and change the oil/filter every 5k and you should be good to go. If you look at some of the people on here, they have over 500k on a 2000 Accord with the same engine/clutch/transmission.

 

So it seems that the timing belt is an important thing to look for. I will definitely look into that. I know the oil has been changed every 3k miles.

 

I went to yahoo answers with the question before I came here and I got a few answers that said the car was worth 800 dollars or a thousand dollars tops. I've seen much worse cars than this one sell for 800. What do y'all think? Are these people wrong?