Does it pay to keep a 91 Accord?

I bought it used and it now has 92,000 miles and it got somewhat
flooded a few weeks back (about 3" of water in the driver side) from
sitting in a flooded parking lot for a few hourse. I replaced the
computer and it is now fine but there are lots of nagging little
problems. There is quite a bit of rust around the wheel wells; I
haven't seen an Accord of this year without rust in the same places.

The shift (automatic) is sometimes balky being pulled out of park but
otherwise appears to be fine. I have no complaints about the engine.
I've done pretty regular oil changes.

The front end shakes at 55-60mph, which I guess means it needs to be
aligned. There is clicking during left turns, axle perhaps? The CV
boots are ok. Those are the mechanical problems that I know of. And
it's due for a big Honda checkup, likely around $300 or so.

Water leaks into the trunk when I open it up, flowing down from the
driver side taillight. The locks need to be re-keyed to fit the
ignition lock or someday the Viper clicky will die and I won't be able
to get in (I have changed the battery). The radio is still a cassette.
The antenna valiently tries to lower but no longer does so.

I was thinking that perhaps $1000 - $1500 might fix all the problems,
but I'd hate to do that and find out that there is something major
coming up. Timing belt was done around 60,000 or so.

Perhaps it's just time to sell it to my mechanic and get a Fit or used
Civic or something? It's been so reliable that I hate giving it up.

 

Somewhere around twelve to fourteen years I figure tons of little
stuff is going to go continuously wrong from then on, and it's maybe
better to pass the old dog onto someone for a grand or two and let
them deal with it, while you can still get even that much in good
faith.

Sounds like you don't do a lot of miles, so yeah, a three year old
Civic coming off of lease, might be ideal for the next ten years or
so! Or a low-mile older car in good shape, owned by grandma who was
also a good shadetree mechanic, ...

J.

 

My 90 has nearly 300,000 miles and is still dependable enough to drive
daily. It too leaks like yours. The clutch is a little balky and will
prolly be the downfall. Still it burns no oil and starts easily.
If money isn't much of an issue then you could do away with the
annoyances. But a Honda that old with that few miles?? You've got a
treasure there!!

 

I'd get that seeming transmission stutter checked out and
estimated, then report back. That might make this decision
easy.

Otherwise, the flooding seems to me to be such a big
question mark. It seems hard to say what other damage it
caused, or how it will accelerate body rust.

But for the flooding, which is potentially the other
dealbreaker, I think your estimate that around $1500 would
fix it up sounds right. The $1500 would be money well spent,
in the overall scheme of car costs, if the flooding could be
known to have done no other serious damage, and if the
trannie is okay. But for the flooding, and assuming the
trannnie is okay, you should easily get two more years out
of the car. A cost of around $750 a year to own a car (not
counting gas) is pretty cheap.

That clicking is likely the CV joint needing replacement.
Few hundred bucks to have it repaired by a shop, if memory
serves. Tegger's site has good discussion on it, IIRC.

Because of the shaking at higher speeds, get your suspension
inspected by someone who knows Hondas. They might find, say,
a lot of bad ball joints which might also make this decision
easy.

 

Thanks. A very tough decision. It wasn't very flooded, just up to the
bottom of the car. That part really should be made to resist water
since the spray from the wheels should be pretty wet.

I think I bring it to Lee Myles or some transmission place for a
checkup, and get the ball joints checked. If all goes well, I keep it
until the Fit is redesigned in a few years.

I really don't put much mileage on it. For that reason, gas
consumption is that big a deal compared to other folks.

 

Redesigned, available, and at invoice or so! Reports here
indicate they are hard to come by and so the dealers are
getting top dollar for them.

 

No, I have a dealer more than willing to take an order at price. I
think I would like to have a trunk though.