Is high mileage Honda reliable?

Does a '93+ Honda Accord/Civic with 100k-120k miles still have much reliable
life in it?

Meaning the following will last for another 75k miles:
CV joints
motor mounts
motor
transmission
knobs in car
muffler

Are there certain parts I should expect to replace beside tires?

Thanks,
Brett

 

the CV boots will be pretty worn at 100K, so if they are original, they
should be replaced. The joints should be okay as long as the boots are
okay.
the motor mounts should be good
the motor should be good at least until 150K if the car has a good
maintenence record
ditto for the tranny
the muffler depends on where the car lives. I live in Boston, mufflers are
expendable items, they fail all the time (snow + salt = rust!), but they are
pretty cheap and easy to replace, so I wouldn't turn down a car based on the
condition of the muffler.

 

What all has he replace and at what mileage?

Thanks,
Brett

 

Absolutely YES!

Inspect the CV boots. Depending on how har the car has been driven, these
may still be ok--but will have to be replaced in the next 75k miles. Look
for deep cracks or tears. The outers will fail before the inner boots, they
take most of the wear.

Replace when they fail. If the car is still running smoothly they are
probably ok.

If properly maintained (oil, and did I say oil? Try synthetic, change it
and the filter, twice a year regardless of the mileage) it could run for
another few hundred thousand miles.

see above

which ones? what did you have in mind? are you a fidgeter?

my honda mufflers seem to last about 70k miles (mixed city & highway)

In addition to standard maintenance:
Battery (sometime--they don't last forever). Timing belt, if it wasn't done
at the 90K (or so) mark--if not, do it NOW. Springs, yes springs, if you
live in a northern climate with snow and SALT, they have been known to rot
out. Shock absorbers: these wear slowly and you probably don't realize how
much the ride quality has diminished. If they have not yet been replaced,
you're due. Don't wait for them to start leaking, that may never
happen--it's ride quality that counts. Alternator: change the brushes as
you get closer to 175K. Brakes: new pads and shoes as required, watch for a
sticky caliper if you live in a northern climate. Hand tighten the lug nuts
or ensure the shop uses a torque stick when the tire are rotated or changed;
you will never need to replace a rotor.

The car will run longer than you want to keep it if you look after it!

 

At 100k to 120k miles, CV boots are probably newly replaced or will
soon need replacement. If sharp parking lot turns give grinding noises,
the CV joints have gotten damaged by dirt getting in past the boots.

The lifetime of most of these are highly dependent on the previous
owner's maintenance and care habits.

 

I'd consider the weather conditions under which the car has been driven, and
whether it's been garaged.

My 1991 Honda Civic is doing great at 143k miles, but because it's been
driven mostly up North, such that salt and moisture have bounced up into the
chassis and onto the now seriously rusted-around-the-gills chassis, I am
anticipating not getting the life from it that some southern drivers get
from their Hondas.

I agree with what others say about CV joints and mufflers here. They're
relatively regularly replaced, anyway, so I wouldn't make this a big
criteria for my purchase, except to knock off a few hundred bucks from the
price for CV joints that, when inspected, look bad, and maybe a hundred
bucks off for a noisy or rattly (thus needs to be replaced) muffler.

 

| The joints should be okay as long as the boots are okay.
Not if front wheels are not balanced & worble @ high speed, CV
joints will wear out in ½ hr, then give noise during full left / right
turns.

| mufflers are expendable items, they fail all the time
not if they're costlier stainless steel

| > motor mounts
engine is not motor, twit

 

I live in Montreal (Canada) and in the winter they put salt on the road to
melt the ice and snow. This salt eats away at your car very quickly. When I
was last down in California I saw tons of cars that were 10,15,20 years old
driving around looking like new. You won't see that up here, that's for
sure.

 

What he said.

I meant Northern states like New York, Maine, Vermont, and Michigan. Driving
on snowy or slushy roads laced with salt kicking up underneath the car eats
it (and then the rust spreads through further chemical action), if you're
not careful about washing under the car now and then. It's not a big deal,
but I'm certain I'll either by driving a rustbucket at 200,000 miles (albeit
maybe one with a sound engine), or something else will give (the floor?) and
I'll choose to give it up. Right now, the only serious rust I can see is on
the left and right sides of the body, just forward of the rear wheels. But
as I suggested, this is cosmetic.

I suppose the salt from the ocean really doesn't accumulate underneath or on
a car in the same way, even when it rains. Or the salt concentration is
pretty low. Or it doesn't stick to a car the way rock salt does.

 

I live in Minnesota where it snows a lot and a lot of ice goes on the
roads. I'm pretty impressed with later model cars. They simply do not
seem to rust like the old ones. I sold an '89 Dodge Caravan a few
years ago when it was 11 years old. That car was a piece of junk, I
mean everything broke constantly. However, after living its whole life
in Minnesota, it really had no rust.