93 Accord - Should I trade it off

I have a 93 accord with 175,000 miles and I can't decide if I should
trade it off or keep it forever. How many miles can I expect it to
run? I just had the timing belt changed for the second time and the
brakes replaced. It still runs good and drives great. Any thoughts?

 

If you have any kids, keep it for them to drive when they get old
enough.

 

have a compression check done. if its still near the specs and all
cylinders are roughly even? keep driving it. its a really nice
generation of accord, and still very popular. you wont get shit for it
as a trade-in, but if its *that* clean, you can get a few grand for it
sold private party.

personally, id start setting aside money so when the time comes, you can
buy a new/newer used car outright or have a decent amount down. or for a
repair fund

 

One question you must honestly ask yourself before making the decision
about keeping the car is how well has it been maintained, how hard it
has been driven, and if it has been in any accidents or the like that
have screwed up vital and expensive components. Did you drive it a
little too far when it overheated one time to make it off the freeway,
for instance? Having owned the car for a while, you should know the
answers. Try not to let what you have recently spent to repair the car
influence your judgement. If you have just spent a grand on tires,
brakes, a timing belt, and some suspension work, if you dump the car at
this point you may well be giving the new owner a set of inexpensive
wheels that are in top shape that he is unlikely to love or appreciate
as much as you do. If on the other hand, you have spent this money, but
the transmission is making ominous noises and shakes, the steering
growls, and there is a rust hole in the floorboard, while it might not
have been a good idea to dump money into this car in the first place, it
might not make sense to dump anymore into it either. Try to keep emotion
out of the decision. This is where you have a leg up over buying
another used car from a stranger. If it has been maintained well and not
seen too much abuse, then doing repairs to fix current problems will
result in a vehicle that for at least a few more years should give you
better service than many newer used cars out there for sale. Many of the
used cars out there for sale have poorly repaired or covered up problems
just waiting to burn their new owners.

In addition to a compression check, I would also take a good, critical
look underneath, with an attitude like you were considering buying it.
Assuming the timing belt and brakes will set you up for the next 75,000
miles or so, I would take a critical look at the rest of the car
concentrating on these items:

Exhaust System Rotten pipes and mufflers can cost several hundred bucks
to replace. Not replacing them can result in tickets or carbon monoxide
poisoning. A coworker of mine had been pale and sickly for months, and
nearly got himself killed when he blacked out behind the wheel and
sideswiped a guardrail. I suggested he look for an exhaust leak on a
hunch, and sure enough, there was a leak. After getting the leak fixed
(but not the fender and door) he has been more alert and energetic, and
a much better driver and worker.

Engine or Tranny: Oil Leaks are generally expensive to repair, but minor
leaks are cheap to feed. Even so, leaks may be a sign of more serious
problems brewing, and can make maintenance a messy proposition. Any sign
of serious engine or transmission trouble is a cue to pass the car off
to someone who won't know better, at least for a while. If you can find
a good used engine or tranny for less than a grand, and a brother in law
or a good neighbor who owes you a favor who can help you install it,
then it might make some sense to do an engine or tranny swap. If it has
a clutch, figure on $500 - $700 for replacement, unless you or you
brother in law is up to the job.

Burning Oil: If it is burning more than a quart every 1,500 miles and
not leaking, then either your rings are worn or valve seals are shot.
Rings = Engine overhaul = $$$$. Change the PCV valve before doing
anything though. Valve seals can be done for around $500 or less. If it
runs well and has good compression, I would bet on valve seals being
responsible for most of the excess oil consumption. If this is the case,
you will not save in extra oil what it would cost to replace the valve
seals. My old 91 Civic had this problem, it burned about a quart every
1,500 miles at 170,000 miles when I brought it, a quart every 400 at
225,000 when I swapped out the motor. It still ran when I swapped it,
but #2 cylinder was starting to go south on me by then and the clutch
was starting to slip. I sold it to a friend 4 years ago and he is still
driving it everyday, and it is pushing 300,000 miles.

Heavy rust or rust through on major suspension components, floorpans, or
gusseting indicates that it is time to put money towards newer wheels,
unless you or your brother in law is handy with a welding torch. If it
is running well, and the rust isn't too bad, you might try to scrape and
repaint the rusted areas well, and plan on getting a couple more years
out of it, particularly if you intend to put a lot of miles on it in a
short time. If you have a periodic inspection and it won't pass because
of rust, pop rivets and scrap sheet metal might get you by for a while,
but if the structure is compromised seriously, it is time to donate it
to charity, part it out, or call the junk man. I have a sad story about
an '87 Prelude you don't want to hear related to rust.

General shape of the cooling system: Is the radiator sound, or are the
fins starting to rot, and does it keep its cool on a hot day? What
about the belts and hoses, these are minor things that can be easily
overlooked, then fail suddenly, causing more serious problems like
engine overheating, which most modern engines don't tolerate very well.

Suspension components/driveline stuff. CV Joints are pretty much doomed
if the grease seals fail, even if they aren't complaining quite yet.
Figure a couple hundred per side to install a rebuilt half-shaft. Don't
bother with trying to put a new boot on if the old one splits. Also
check the struts for leakage. Figure a couple hundred per pair, installed.

Brake Lines: On a 10-12 year old vehicle, they should be checked. ...
Particularly if it is a Ford (ask me how I know)

Electrical: How much stuff is broken? So you might not mind that the
cruise control is flakey, but what about the A/C, power windows, radio,
and turn signals? Fixing a lot of electrical problems can be an
expensive and frustrating experience.

If most of the above items are sound or have been fairly recently
serviced, then I would say doing the necessary work to keep the car
reliable is a better bet than buying new, provided the body is sound. A
10 or 12 year old bread and butter sedan like an Accord isn't worth
sinking several thousand dollars into, but a grand will buy a lot of
repairs and won't even cover the sales tax and tags on an '04 Accord (at
least here in MD), or make 3 payments on a 4 year loan. I have done a
bit of digging around in a few junkyards in my time, and typically most
mid to late 1980's vintage Accords/Civics/Camries seem to expire around
the 250,000 mile mark, though even among them there was strong evidence
that many even in that mileage range died suddenly and violently. I have
also ridden in a 90 Civic that my mechanic owned, which had 342,000 on
the original motor. I will try to get 300K out of my 2000 model.

Finally, you need to ask yourself what you are asking the car to do over
the next few years. If you are in the pizza delivery business, you will
probably run the mechanicals into the ground before the body rots, but
if you are retired and only drive it locally a couple hundred miles a
week, then you should concentrate on making sure the body stays fit if
it currently runs well. If you want to be able to rely on it to make
biweekly runs to see the grandkids or your girlfriend attending college
in the next state, then make sure things like tires, brakes, belts and
hoses, and the charging system are up to snuff, and won't leave you
stranded.

 

I have a 1990 accord exr with 260,000 its just starting to show fatigue.
I would say hold on to it, perfect second car!

 

This is a dynamite post. It frames well and completely the thought
process in deciding whether to keep a ten to twelve year old Accord
and moreover the points to consider in determining whether to buy one
or even a different make of similar age. Great direction, thanks.

Are you available to perform an auto inspection? ;-)

 

I would bank on the high resale value. Consider that you're the original
owner and car's probably in good condition, it should go for about $4000
USD. That money could go toward a smarter and more fuel efficient car
like the Corolla LE.

Assuming you drove your existing Accord for another 100k miles, it would
probably cost about $4000 USD in additional expenses when compared to a
new Corolla. Reason being, $2000 for additional repairs and an another
$2000 in fuel consumption, when compared to the more fuel efficient
Toyota. If the monthly on a new car is going to be a problem, then it's
probably better to gamble on the existing car. But, if you have the $$$,
going down to a newer economy car is perhaps the better deal (which are
better equipped then older mid range cars).

Pars

 

Tough question.. and I am in the same boat.

I have a 1992 Accord with 306,000 miles. It is in good condition and has
been well maintained, I would like to keep it for another 50,000. I would
say if it runs well, keep it., you should be able to get at least another
150K.