I currently have a 99 Pontiac Grand Am GT with 120k miles that just had the alternator, Second Lower Intake Manifold gasket go out, fuel gauge sensor go out, and now a emissions fuel tank leak. I think that I am having a lot of problems.

I am thinking on trading it in on a 2004 Honda Accord. Will I expect to see the same problems on a Accord? I want to buy a car that will last 10 years or 200k miles with little problems. Can anyone convince me that Honda is the way to go?

 

Comparing a Honda to a Pontiac is like putting gloves on a 4 year old school girl and throwing her in the ring with Mike Tyson in his prime.

Here's a story I'll share with you that's got some age on it now, but I think the principals are as true today as they were in the late 80's when I heard the following statements made from someone that should know.

I'm a CPA. When I first came out of college, I went to work for a national firm that specializes in automotive accounting. They had clients from coast to coast and represented a very broad array of dealerships. One of my jobs took me to Arizona to work on a very successful Cadillac and Buick dealership. One day while working at the dealership, the dealer invited all of the CPAs out to lunch. Naturally, the topic of discussion was cars. I'll never forget something he said at lunch that day about Hondas. Here's a paraphrase of what he said:

Three weeks later, I bought my first new car, a 1986 Honda Prelude SI. I put 300,000 miles on that car and sold it running in 1998.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I have heard that they were reliable, but how reliable? Will I have gaskets and sensors go out at 100k? That LIM gasket on the GA cost me $900 to replace! What are the issues on Hondas right now? What did you have to fix during the impressive 300K journey? Sell Me!

I have noticed that this board is not littered with as many complaint-issues as the GA forum.

 

They are tanks!

I put 300k on the '86 Prelude using just Catrol GTX 10W-40 in the winter and 20W-50 in the summer. Outside of the normal stuff (oil change, flushing the radiator, brake pads, etc.), the only thing I ever did to that car was a water pump around 140k, a timing belt at around 125k, and a water pump very late in the game. I sold that car running great. The guy that bought it from me drove it for another year before the tranny (5 speed manual) gave way.

Before the '86 Prelude, my parents gave me a 1984 Honda Accord which I drove from '84 until buying my Prelude. My mom sold it in 1994 with just over 120k on it and absolutely nothing was ever done to it outside of normal maintenance.

I now have a '98 Accord EX that I bought used. It's got 95k on it now. I'm getting ready to replace the timing belt as a normal thing and safety measure. This thing drives like a dream and is rock solid.

 

Thanks for the feedback! I like to do the regular maintenance....I don't trust mechanics. I was very disappointed in the GA after all my hard work. I am worried about the dex cool coolant eating through the coolant system..radiator etc. The dex coolant ate through both gaskets! Hopefully Honda does not use that coolant.

I have an internet quote on a 2005 Honda Accord 4dr Sedan 3.0 EX w/Leather/XM for $23,913 with free oil and tires for life. Are there pro's or cons for the 6 cyl versus the 4? Are any features or accesories that you would steer me towards or from? Thanks again for your advise.

 

From Car & Driver:

Accords come in two distinct flavors: the sportier coupe, which includes the option of a six-speed manual transmission with the V-6, and the more sedate sedans. Either way, Accords continue to dominate an intensely competitive segment, a tradition that dates to the beginning of these awards. This year marks the 23rd renewal of 10Best. In all but four of those 23 years, there’s been a Honda Accord on the list. No other car has come close.

 

Son of GM:

My old Prelude was a four cylinder. It was peppy, but about what I expect from a 4 cyl. engine. My current Accord is the 6 cyl. version. It's got good pickup and acceleration. I'm getting around 24 mpg. in a good mix of city/highway mileage. Personally, I prefer a stick, but settled for the automatic since I bought the Accord used.
Since my car is a '98, I better let someone else give you the lowdown on the current accessories.

 

Thanks, RTexasF. Yeah, I have noticed that Honda's are always ranked high. I thought that it was just anti-American made bais until I went through two straight American cars that were stinkers.

If I buy a Honda, I may be written out of the will. My dad retired from GM and is very pro american. Personally, I think that the American worker is not to blame, its the greedy corporation that is using subpar components.

I have been bouncing between the 4 cyl and 6. I want great gas milage due to the high gas prices, but I still want some performance. I love a manual transmission, but I gotta have an Automatic to drive in Atlanta's horrible traffic.

 

The Honda Accord your looking at is manufactured in Marysville, Ohio. Let your dad know that and maybe you can keep the peace and stay in the will.

 

Hi Son of GM..
Most of us who own Honda cars will tell you that they are one of the very best auto's on the streets.

The car is put together very , very well and of course the engine is also one of the best engineered hunks of metal made by (Man and Machine).

A Honda Car that is 10 years or older that is still running after 200,000 miles will still take care of you as long as you have taken care of your car like you should do anyways.

I've owned GM cars before and can't remember getting 100,000 miles on them before I hade to retire them to the Junk Yard, even with good care they only seemed to last me up to 100,000 miles.

I also own 2 Hyundai Sonata's 1998 and
2004 and they are well built like our Honda car and one has almost 85,000 miles on it already.

So Yes! Honda cars are Great , but as in most cars-you must take care of them.

Later New Member...and Thanks for joining our forum...one of the beat on the Net..

WheelBrokerAng..


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