Hello Fellow Accordians!
#1
03-20-2013, 07:41 PM
Hello Fellow Accordians!
I just wanted to say hello and tell the story of how I ended up owning and loving my Accord.
But first, I happened to see this on Facebook today... who knew?!
I joined a Honda Accord forum site and this appeared on my news feed the very next time I logged into Facebook. Quite a coincidence... or is it?
How I Became an Accord Enthusiast
In September of last year I was in my first ever car accident. Although I was fine, my 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer was totaled. In the years leading up to this, I had gone back to school and graduated into the worst job market I've ever experienced. I was unemployed with a brand new bachelors degree... for over a year! Needless to say, this set off my own financial disaster that I'll be digging out of for years to come. When the accident happened, I was just starting to get back on my feet and I was suddenly out a car. I only had liability insurance so I was faced with having to buy another car on an extremely small budget.
I spent a week getting rides to and from work and looking on Craigslist every day for a car in the $1200 to $1500 range that I felt was reliable enough to get me around for a year while I saved up for something a little nicer. I saw a 1995 Accord EX post for $1050 and I jumped on it immediately because I had learned that Accords sell very quickly. I replied to the seller and he called me about 5 minutes later saying that he still had the car. He said it ran great, it had been meticulously cared for, but it had 250k miles and some rust. I looked at it that evening, drove it, and bought it on the spot. I had test drove two other cars before this one (a Nissan Sentra, and a Toyota Corrola)- both higher priced but with less miles. I didn't feel like either of them were going to get me around for a year without some additional significant investment in repairs.
When I drove the Accord, I was astonished by how well it ran and how nicely it drove for the miles it had logged. It easily drove better than my Lancer, which had less than half the miles and half the years of the Accord. I had been having problem after problem with my Lancer and with my financial situation I had learned to live without luxuries like a blower motor... and I live in Minnesota! The only thing that doesn't work on the Accord is the speedometer. The sun roof, cruise control, power windows, stereo, and yes, the blower motor all work wonderfully. It truly felt like I had STEPPED UP into the Accord. I quickly fell in love with this car and vowed to put some TLC into making her look as good as she runs. Who knows, I may still be driving this car two or three years from now- maybe more if it remains cost effective to do so... which leads to why I'm here.
What I hope to get out of (and contribute to) this forum
I like to work on my cars myself when I can. I've changed oil, replaced brakes, starters, alternators, exhaust systems, etc. A lot of it I've learned on the fly. But I've also learned that probably the most valuable resources for gaining the proper knowledge to tackle new repairs are other owners of the same car who have done the repairs themselves. As I mentioned, I'm looking to do some rust repair and just started looking online to get an idea of prices and availability of certain body panels. I haven't done a lot of body work so this will be a learning experience for me. I hope that this site will be a good resource to learn from others' experience and to avoid major pitfalls. Conversely, I would be happy to share whatever experience I have that could help someone else facing the same issue. Since I've owned the Accord, I've only had to replace the resonator (the pipe that runs from the catalytic converter to just before the muffler). To be honest, it was kind of a bitch. (Seized bolts!!) But if I knew going into it what I know now, I could have done it in half the time and I'd be happy to share that and whatever else I learn with anyone here.
Sorry that got kind of long, but I look forward to meeting some fellow Accord owners and learning a little bit more about this amazing car.
Mike from Minneapolis
But first, I happened to see this on Facebook today... who knew?!
I joined a Honda Accord forum site and this appeared on my news feed the very next time I logged into Facebook. Quite a coincidence... or is it?
How I Became an Accord Enthusiast
In September of last year I was in my first ever car accident. Although I was fine, my 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer was totaled. In the years leading up to this, I had gone back to school and graduated into the worst job market I've ever experienced. I was unemployed with a brand new bachelors degree... for over a year! Needless to say, this set off my own financial disaster that I'll be digging out of for years to come. When the accident happened, I was just starting to get back on my feet and I was suddenly out a car. I only had liability insurance so I was faced with having to buy another car on an extremely small budget.
I spent a week getting rides to and from work and looking on Craigslist every day for a car in the $1200 to $1500 range that I felt was reliable enough to get me around for a year while I saved up for something a little nicer. I saw a 1995 Accord EX post for $1050 and I jumped on it immediately because I had learned that Accords sell very quickly. I replied to the seller and he called me about 5 minutes later saying that he still had the car. He said it ran great, it had been meticulously cared for, but it had 250k miles and some rust. I looked at it that evening, drove it, and bought it on the spot. I had test drove two other cars before this one (a Nissan Sentra, and a Toyota Corrola)- both higher priced but with less miles. I didn't feel like either of them were going to get me around for a year without some additional significant investment in repairs.
When I drove the Accord, I was astonished by how well it ran and how nicely it drove for the miles it had logged. It easily drove better than my Lancer, which had less than half the miles and half the years of the Accord. I had been having problem after problem with my Lancer and with my financial situation I had learned to live without luxuries like a blower motor... and I live in Minnesota! The only thing that doesn't work on the Accord is the speedometer. The sun roof, cruise control, power windows, stereo, and yes, the blower motor all work wonderfully. It truly felt like I had STEPPED UP into the Accord. I quickly fell in love with this car and vowed to put some TLC into making her look as good as she runs. Who knows, I may still be driving this car two or three years from now- maybe more if it remains cost effective to do so... which leads to why I'm here.
What I hope to get out of (and contribute to) this forum
I like to work on my cars myself when I can. I've changed oil, replaced brakes, starters, alternators, exhaust systems, etc. A lot of it I've learned on the fly. But I've also learned that probably the most valuable resources for gaining the proper knowledge to tackle new repairs are other owners of the same car who have done the repairs themselves. As I mentioned, I'm looking to do some rust repair and just started looking online to get an idea of prices and availability of certain body panels. I haven't done a lot of body work so this will be a learning experience for me. I hope that this site will be a good resource to learn from others' experience and to avoid major pitfalls. Conversely, I would be happy to share whatever experience I have that could help someone else facing the same issue. Since I've owned the Accord, I've only had to replace the resonator (the pipe that runs from the catalytic converter to just before the muffler). To be honest, it was kind of a bitch. (Seized bolts!!) But if I knew going into it what I know now, I could have done it in half the time and I'd be happy to share that and whatever else I learn with anyone here.
Sorry that got kind of long, but I look forward to meeting some fellow Accord owners and learning a little bit more about this amazing car.
Mike from Minneapolis
#2
03-20-2013, 08:18 PM
Welcome and thank you for joining.
The 95 - 5th gen 94-97 Accord - is a very nice car. IMO, a very solid car if taken care of.
I'd bet it has the rust in the rear wheel "humps".....yes it happens.
The 95 - 5th gen 94-97 Accord - is a very nice car. IMO, a very solid car if taken care of.
I'd bet it has the rust in the rear wheel "humps".....yes it happens.
Last edited by poorman212; 03-20-2013 at 08:21 PM.
#3
03-20-2013, 10:03 PM
You called it, man... the rear quarter panels above the wheels are by far the worst spots on the car. It's funny, since I've owned the car I started noticing how many '94-'97 Accords are still on the road. I see them all over the place- but I've yet to see one without at least a little rust in that same spot. Again, I live in Minnesota- so the salt in the winter wreaks havoc on all cars over time... but when you've got a car that's susceptible to rust in certain areas and add salt and 18 years to the equation... yeah, it's bad! I'm here in large part to hopefully get some insight on the rust repair. Thanks for the welcome!
#4
03-21-2013, 01:44 AM
Administrator
Welcome to the HAF new member..I think you musta photo-shopped that picture..You did -didn't you 
WheelBrokerAng
WheelBrokerAng
#5
03-22-2013, 09:51 AM
I actually just came across the photo on facebook, but I suspect it was photoshopped as well... jesus would have had custom wheels.
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