03 Accord 4cyl. Timing belt

I might replace the 98 Accord in below that needs paint and engine
work with another one. I've been looking around at used cars. I found
a 03 Accord LX 4 cyl. with 85K on it at the local dealer. It's clean,
a few minor surfaces scratches, gold on tan interior and a 1 local
owner. Traded for a new one. I have the name and called the previous
owner. He liked the 08s and bought one at the end of year. Guy always
garaged it and told me it is a safe bet. He said the 08s are even
nicer and got a great deal.

I'm worried I'll need to put a timing belt in it right away and that's
expensive. The sales guy told me no timing belt in 03, that the 4 cyl
went to a chain. Is that true? I couldn't find it in the FAQ. Although
I did find an excellent "how to" changing one. But I still might buy
the car regardless. I also found a private sale EX with a few less
miles but not as clean and I can get that for the same money, but am
then still stuck with the older car.

The dealer told me he was going to give me $800 below KBB. Then he
told me KBB was 11.8K for this car. I came home and checked KBB and
the book is 10.5 max if you call it outstanding condition. I do like
the car. We'll see what happens. It's impossible to find a low mileage
Accord older than 3 years, 85K seems to be as low mileage as I can
find. I know mileage isn't all that counts so I'm not too worried
about it, this car was owned by a "car guy" and he also gave me the
name number of his mechanic that did all the routine maintenance. He
also ran synthetic in it from first oil change on. (Yay!)

Any other hints on things to watch out for with this year? Carfax is
100% clean. No recalls or anything.

 

The guy told you correctly; the 4 cylinder has a timing chain.

Although you never know about a used car, this sounds like a good car.
In my opinion, $11K is a bit high, but possibly worth it. I have given
mine to my daughter, because it is the most reliable car I have owned.

Good luck.

RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Service manual says it has a chain with no replacement schedule.

There are 2 issues common to 03 Accords - rear brakes and radio/climate
control backlight. Some have required early (30K) rear brake service,
others have not.

A significant number had the backlight problem (goes completely out, mine
did) and Honda extended the warranty on it. You may be past the extended
warranty period, do not have the notice close at hand. Check to see if the
backlight has been replaced, have not heard of anyone having the replacement
burn out. If so, I would like to hear about it. The LCD display, radio and
climate control still work, just no backlight, need to use a flashlight to
see it.

Dave
03 Accord EX-L

 

Thanks Dave and Dave. One thing I noticed about this car was that the
interior light didn't come on when I opened the door to enter the car.
I had to fiddle to find the key slot for ignition. Tried to figure out
the interior lighting, but it seems I'll need the owners manual for
that.

Funky radio/fan heat control panel we got here. Not like the previous
generation. But it seems like something you must just get used to. Car
has more power than the older ones. The 08s must really fly with that
195hp motor.

What does thou run for synthetic oil? I'm guessing I wouldn't run
Mobil One 15W-50 like I do in my 6 cylinder Honda Valkyrie?

 

If I remember correctly, the 7th-gen DX and LX 4-cylinder versions don't
have that all-in-one display, and they also have drums on the rear brakes
instead of discs. So since the OP specified that this is an LX 4-banger, he
would not have to worry about these issues.

 

This dealer is a jerk. I know dealers today who follow
actual KBB values and do not pussyfoot around. Tell him
$10.4 not counting sales tax and let him call you back or
not. If he does KBB's price, agree. Tell him you will walk
if there are any add-ons. 10.4 (or KBB's price) out the door
w/o tax or else.

Gas prices are low. Even Honda is hurting big time for
business right now given the state of the economy. He has no
room like he is proposing.

Meanwhile, call all the Honda dealers in your area and let
them know you are looking for a recent year (auto
transmission?) Accord with under 100k miles. They will start
calling you as they are traded in. Many car dealerships also
put their used cars on their web sites, so check these too.

How did you get the prior owner's name?

I learned autocheck.com is a bit superior (and less
expensive) than carfax.com.

You can try craigslist.org for your area, too, but I would
get the VIN immediately and seek a one-owner car. It may
take some time to find one of your requirements on
Craigslist.

 

Exactly, I did just that this morning. Asked him "do I have sucker
written on my forehead" and said that I liked the idea of $800 off KBB
so he should be giving me the smae $800 of the right KBB and also he
should give me KBB for my 98 which is still 2K (not the 1K he insulted
me with).

Then I haven't tol him yet, but once he gives me those figures, (or I
walk) I'll let him know it is going to be a cash transaction and there
won't be any finacing in charge. I am also interested in getting the 2
year extended warranty, which thye want $1300 for. I'm thinking
telling them I'll pay $650 for that and then settling on about $800,
does that sound right? I'm guessing they have 100% margin on that
stuff?

 

do the math on financing, then paying it off once you're out the door
rather than just cash.

sales dudes don't care for cash because if you finance, they get
commission on the sale /and/ the finance, not just the sale. if there
is no pre-payment penalty, or just a small one, your discount can exceed
your "finance" costs.

 

Ha, excellent response above.

I do think it will pay to call a few other dealers and see
what they have right now. Get two with Accords you like, and
play them off each other, with discretion.

I am not a fan of extended warranties, especially on cars as
reliable as Hondas. So I do not know what is reasonable when
negotiating them.

Not to be too nosy, but for normal drivers, destroying a
wheel bearing is mighty rare on Hondas, even old ones. The
folks at Honda-tech.com report failed wheel bearings from
time to time, but my take is these are "ricers" and they
tend to drive their cars hard. Posters at honda-tech.com are
overwhelmingly under age 30. I cannot remember reading about
a failed wheel bearing ever in the five years I have been
reading here at the Honda usenet newsgroups, where those who
post are normal drivers. With the oil pan getting a gash in
it (I cannot remember reading about one of those here,
either), your best warranty may be informing your son he
buys half this new used Accord and telling him he breaks it,
he pays for it. I think it is fair to conclude he is driving
the car in a manner unsafe to property and life.

 

The 98 Accord trades-in for about $2k in fair condition. 1K
is fair given that it is not in reasonable running
condition. The oil leak by itself is enough to rule the
latter out. Throw in that the engine may be damaged and it
has a bad wheel bearing, and I would hesitate to pay even
$1000 by private party. Your 98's been abused.

 

good to know. I'll do the math. I know letting them think they're
getting the financing is good, because then they may build some of
their planned profit margin into that.

 

It hasn't been abused as much as it hasn't had any maintenance.

He's not a ricer.. he's a book-worm, but the problem is he doesn't see
a car as anything more than an appliance. Anything more than adding
gas seems to be a problem.

Still, you're right, I'm not stuck on getting KBB for it, but if the
dealer hangs they're hat on that, then turn-around is fairplay. I hate
playing games, but when they play them with me, even after I asked
them not to, it's annoying.

 

I am not sure exactly what you mean by "turn-around." I
would not waste time arguing with them about what condition
they think your old Honda is in. Consider the input here and
at KBB, reject it or not, then stand firm on whatever price
you want. After the first round if they do not seem to
respond with reasonableness, then walk. Being able to walk
is your biggest bargaining chip, especially in tough
financial times. Do not get attached to this one Accord.
Becoming unreasonably attached is the biggest trip-up to
getting a fair price.

Your bookworm does not know how to drive. You gotta dig deep
and ask how on earth he could cause a gash in the oil pan.
This just does not happen without major abuse. 1.5 cents.

 

I have used Mobil-1 (5W-20) since I bought the car new in January 2003.
I change every 10,000 miles as recommended in the owner's manual, but
I have done many highway miles, and pay attention to my car. Your
comfort zone may be different.

I replaced the interior light switch (the one in the pillar, that
activates when the door is open) on my 2003. It was a simple fix.

Good luck.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Do not get attached to this one Accord.

Okay.. it wasn't a gash, it was a dent. I don't know much about wheel
bearings, but he had one fail on the other side a couple years ago..??

We live in a rural area of New England, lot's of nasty pot holes and
rocks sticking up out of dirt roads and pretty rough conditions for
cars. He's not a rice and he's not a racer. Thanks for you opinion
though.

 

got my car towed once, and the nimrods that towed it dented up the oil
pan among other things. car worked fine, regardless.

[p.s. city tow doesn't like to deal with stuff like this, but once you
file in small claims court and they figure out you're serious, it'll
astound how anxious they are to pay you and make you go away.]

 

that's good to know.