8th Generation Honda Accord

[lancerplayer]

I have the opportunity to purchase a loaded 2009 Honda Accord with 60K miles for a very good price. The owner has all maintenance records and is the single owner since purchasing the car brand new in 2008.

Besides the rear brake squealing issue, is there anything else this generation Accord is known for?

This would be a car I keep for the long haul and want to make sure I am not setting myself up for a money pit.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Never cared for the interior, but they are well designed cars. Honda had the A/T issues sorted out by then.

If it's a V6, the VCM 3.5s did have issues with front camshafts due to the VCM system.

But just a reliable, well built and fun to drive (v6) car otherwise.

 

[JHZR2]

Loaded bothers me. More stupid things to go wrong in thje long haul. But if you have all records and trust that the driving style of the owner was OK, and you like the deal, why not?

It is a big car, but gets good MPGs, which is good. As I understand, they still are less of a sofa than say, a camry.

 

[redhat]

The Accords came with the K24 in the 4 cyls.

So I'm assuming this is at least an EX model?

This would make the engine either a K24Z3 for a 4 cylinder or a J35 for a V6.

The automatics like their drain and fills. There was a VTC actuator TSB on all of the 2008's and certain VINs of the 2009s. The car would exhibit a very loud grind on an extended cold start (sitting for 6+ hours).

Sedan or coupe? Might this be a beautiful 6-6 coupe.

Also to note, the 2009 MY was the last year you could get leather interior with a manual transmission in a Sedan Accord.

Overall they're good cars. Don't run them low on oil, the timing chain is lubed by the engine oil -- those that have to replace the timing chain in the K24's... I'd expect it to be directly related to running the engine low on oil.

 

[Hounds]

Lancer, the issue with the rear brakes on the '08, '09 and, to a certain extent, the '10 Accords isn't brake squealing, it's brake wear. More specifically, depending on how the car is driven, the rear pads will require replacement often -- every 20k miles, if abused. The good thing (relatively speaking, of course) is that pads are cheap -- OEMs are $60 if purchased online and even less if purchased elsewhere -- and equally important, they are very easy to replace, even for a novice. Similarly, the other maintenace requirements, such as changing transmission fluid, are easily accomplished, and there's a ton of solid online advice available. See, for example, www.driveaccord.net. In short, unless the car has been abused or neglected, it's hard to go wrong with any Honda Accord.

 

[gofast182]

Expect it to be an extremely reliable, safe car that's reasonably satisfying to drive. That's really all that needs to be said about it no matter which engine it has.

However I will add that the interior quality is not what the 7th gen was or the 9th generation is. I had a '10 Accord and the clicks and rattles were enough to cloud my experience with the car (although I'm very sensitive to that stuff).

Good luck and enjoy it without worry!

 

[SatinSilver]

Four or 6 cylinder? I think I'd prefer the I4 since there's no timing belt to change at 7yrs/120k I think it is. Don't really care for the extra complexity of the V6 with vcm either. Earlier generations seemed to have more issues with the 6 cylinder models as they age.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: gofast182
Expect it to be an extremely reliable, safe car that's reasonably satisfying to drive. That's really all that needs to be said about it no matter which engine it has.

However I will add that the interior quality is not what the 7th gen was or the 9th generation is. I had a '10 Accord and the clicks and rattles were enough to cloud my experience with the car (although I'm very sensitive to that stuff).

Good luck and enjoy it without worry!


I've been in (and drove) a few V6 accord and they are a rocket! A friend had a 2011 Accord 3.5 that was one of the fastest stock vehicles I've ever been in. When he would punch it, you would be pinned in your seat!

 

[Brybo86]

if it is the 2.4 I ha e the same car... I had a few things fixed by the dealer under warranty, there is a big list of all the tsb's. mordor Rutgers.edu I think...
oil pump replaced , vtc actuator, driver power seat rail, I would look up the tsb a lot ofthem you ccould fix yourself, other than eating rear brakes my car has been trouble free...

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Expect it to be an extremely reliable, safe car that's reasonably satisfying to drive. That's really all that needs to be said about it no matter which engine it has.

However I will add that the interior quality is not what the 7th gen was or the 9th generation is. I had a '10 Accord and the clicks and rattles were enough to cloud my experience with the car (although I'm very sensitive to that stuff).

Good luck and enjoy it without worry!


I've been in (and drove) a few V6 accord and they are a rocket! A friend had a 2011 Accord 3.5 that was one of the fastest stock vehicles I've ever been in. When he would punch it, you would be pinned in your seat!

Without getting into my whole car history, before my '10 Accord I had an '07 EX-L V6 6MT sedan. That thing pulled like a freakin' freight train. It could chirp the tires going into 3rd gear if I got the shift right!
In my wife's MDX we have a J37 which pulls real hard but just as impressive is the WOT sound, this thing sounds like a mean little V8!

 

[SatinSilver]

I remember once I had a service loaner from the Honda dealer which was a new black loaded Accord coupe V6. I had a fun day with that. Except when I went to refill the gas tank. Sheesh!

 

[MajorCavalry]

I owned a 2008 EX-L v6 for 60K miles. With the exception of the rear brakes, it was a delightful, trouble free car. The V6 is quite powerful and smooth. The cabin was quiet with the exception of tire noise on certain roads. Honda finally developed a new generation brake pad so the premature wear problem should be a thing of the past.

Although I never had a problem with it, there is a thread on vcm equipped Honda 3.5 motors. Seems they can be VERY hard on oil if driven a high percentage on the highway where cylinders are deactivated. The recommendation seems to be synthetic oil only and change at 5K intervals regardless of oil life monitor.

I sold it only because I moved to an area that really required me to have all wheel drive. Got an Acura TL.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Loaded bothers me. More stupid things to go wrong in thje long haul. But if you have all records and trust that the driving style of the owner was OK, and you like the deal, why not?

It is a big car, but gets good MPGs, which is good. As I understand, they still are less of a sofa than say, a camry.


I owned a "loaded" early 2000's Acura which is akin to a 2009 Accord loaded. Nothing really went wrong with the extra features. Honda/Acura seems to have a good grip on power equipment/doodads in the Accord/TSX/TL family. It now has 300k+ with next owner (high schooler) and it all works!

Honda's are rarely money pits but that is pure bad luck. Hopefully it is a I4 over the v6 for maintenance reasons.

 

[fdcg27]

We have the last year of this generation and while it's still pretty young, it appears to be a solid car.
The K24 is not as smooth as earlier Honda fours, but it actually has some low end torque. It does have decent power and fuel economy is very good in this supersized Accord.
The interior is not as nice as that of our fifth or sixth generation Accords, although the seats are comfortable and the car is quiet and rides well in the firm manner Accords are known for.
Cornering is good, although the understeer will remind you that this is a FWD car.
Earlier 1.5 liter Civvcs were pretty neutral, and we did have a few of those.
The car has tons of interior room and a large if narrow trunk.
Overall, if you can buy this '09 with 60K and good records for a good price, I'd tell you to go ahead and do the deal.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Honda/Acura seems to have a good grip on power equipment/doodads in the Accord/TSX/TL family.


There's not a thing wrong with our MDX either; though it's young in miles (nearing 100k), it's 8-9 years old now. The touch screen works, the rear DVD screen works, each of the three disc drives work (a 6-disc changer in radio, a 1-disc DVD drive under the radio, and a 1-disc navigation drive under the front seat), the heated seats work, all electrical doodads work, etc. It just works.

I've actually not owned any car where we had a lot of electrical problems. Our Chrysler Town & Country minivan was not reliable in some ways, but man, all of the gizmos worked. The navigation, the rear seat video, the power/heated seats, the power doors and liftgate. Those all worked fine. 'Course, it was still very young when we traded it, but all the accessories seemed solid.

I think the fear of new technology simply goes along with...new technology. Some people today, for example, shun touch screens in cars for the simpler VF display of a normal radio. I remember a time when people didn't want those very same new-fangled VF displays and preferred the mechanical radio with mechanical tuning knob. You know, less stuff to break. It's all relative, really.