Honda Accord LX 1992

Hi,

I am currently looking into buying a used car, and came upon a very nice
Honda Accord, model 1992. I was surprised by how well it behaved on the
road, despite the years and the almost 140,000 miles. Everything seemed to
work fine, except the AC, which the dealer said he can repair, but that
would need a new condenser. I know nothing about it, and had to trust him
on that.

I will greatly appreciate, if it is worth going in for such a car. Once
again, it really felt great on the road, much better than any other car I
tried today (all of them newer). Do you know of any issues, and especially
since it is that old? The price is $2,700, so it is quite a purchase, but
it somehow seems too good to be true.

Any tips appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance,
Vince

 

Vince,
Visit the local Honda dealership and speak with the service manager. Ask
him or her how much they would charge to repair the AC--including the
price of the new condenser. Also, run a carfax.com report on the 92
Accord. If the report shows that it has ever been involved in a serious
accident--don't buy it since it's possible the frame may have been bent
during the accident. All of the above factors should be considered before
you buy it. The 92 Honda Accord vehicles were great. I once owned a 93
Accord which is very similar and had no problems with it. I almost
forgot--also ask to see the service records.
Jason

 

Thanks, Jason!

I ran the Carfax report, and it shows no problems. The dealer however was
pretty honest to tell me he didn't have any service records. The car is
being sold "as is".

Also, I noticed an indicator saying "maintenance required", which has 3
states - green, yellow and red. It was yellow when I got into the car, but
I could easily reset it to green with the key. I don't know if it being
yellow is a cause for alarm, or just means time for maintenance is coming
up.

I do like the idea of visiting a Honda dealership. I'm visiting
dealerships anyway.

Any other tips also appreciated!
Vince

 

It is tripped purely by the odometer.
The entire car except the instrument cluster could be rebuilt with new parts
from the dealer, and if you don't stick you key into the hole to reset the
light, it'll come on.

 

I have a '92 LX that I bought new. It has 225,000 miles on it, and I
love it.
I recently found a '93 LX on the web in Fredrick MD, and bought it for
$2500. My son is driving it.
If you are in a rust prone area, I can give you a heads up on the
problem parts of the body. My windshield recently cracked along the top
because of rust.
Sounds like you are on the right track. If I were you, I'd check
Cars.com for a 92 or 93 that is for sale by a private owner. You might
find one that has more maintenance info. bob

 

Hi,

I have a 92 LX which was purchased brand new, after 150K the car runs
super. You will probably have to due a brake job and get the timing
belt replaced to be on the safe side. The 92 honda is tuff on brakes.
Over the years the only maintaince out of the ordinary was to get air
conditioner over haul. One final thing the paint job is suspect, and
quite faded.

 

I deal with a small independent garage that specializes in Japanese cars.
When considering a used car, I bring it to them for an appraisal. They do
an end-to-end mechanical inspection, list the condition of major systems,
and prepare an estimate of service and repairs over the next year. They
don't look at the body very much, although if they notice something, they
will point it out. The estimates are no guarantee of repair costs, but they
reduce the risk. It's well worth the $100 they charge.

Dan

(This account is not used for email.)

 

Thanks for that tip. What can go with the breaks? I think the one I had a
look at had an ABS, and I tried to stop suddenly a few times to see how it
behaves. Even on gravel, it stopped without locking the wheels, which I
thought was impressive. How much would a break job cost - I am not quite
sure what it includes - just servicing, or total replacement?

Vince

 

If just the pads, it is the typical cost advertised in your area - usually a
shade under $100 US for the front and same for the rear. But if the front
rotors are going to have to be replaced, it is a pretty big job -
essentially the same as axle replacement but a bit more labor. In fact, it
would be money well spent to have the CV boots replaced while it is apart if
the discs have to be replaced. For this reason, I definitely recommend
against having the discs turned on the car when the pads are replaced - if
the discs aren't bad enough to replace, no sense in making them thinner.

Any reputable brake shop will do a free inspection (they get a lot of work
that way) and tell you the score, complete with firm estimates.

Mike

 

bought a 92 wagon last month with 125,000 and paid $2900 , i felt like
I got a fair deal,