I'd be hard pressed to buy a car that has, in all likelihood been jumping curbs, plowing through medians and chasing bad guys (and hauling their filthy butts to jail) for most of its life. That sounds like more of a maintenance / repair nightmare than a '90 Accord.
Bought a 1990 Honda Accord
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Originally Posted By: ViragoBry
I'd be hard pressed to buy a car that has, in all likelihood been jumping curbs, plowing through medians and chasing bad guys (and hauling their filthy butts to jail) for most of its life. That sounds like more of a maintenance / repair nightmare than a '90 Accord.
The take home Highway Patrol cars [which they were formally] are well maintained and do not jump curbs like the city cars. They are better maintained then a lot of privately owned cars.
The only Police Interceptors that are worth buying are the take home highway patrol cars. I know of several other people who bought them and have no issues with them. If you buy a pool car that everyone uses or a city car it most likely will be a nightmare.
The 20 year old Honda Accord will be a maintenance nightmare unlike the my kids Interceptors. My kids have had their Interceptors for close to year now and they are doing just fine.
If the front end does get damaged crossing medians it goes to the service center immediately and gets fixed. So far the front end in both Interceptors have been just fine.
Those cars are the best deals out there.
I'd be hard pressed to buy a car that has, in all likelihood been jumping curbs, plowing through medians and chasing bad guys (and hauling their filthy butts to jail) for most of its life. That sounds like more of a maintenance / repair nightmare than a '90 Accord.
The take home Highway Patrol cars [which they were formally] are well maintained and do not jump curbs like the city cars. They are better maintained then a lot of privately owned cars.
The only Police Interceptors that are worth buying are the take home highway patrol cars. I know of several other people who bought them and have no issues with them. If you buy a pool car that everyone uses or a city car it most likely will be a nightmare.
The 20 year old Honda Accord will be a maintenance nightmare unlike the my kids Interceptors. My kids have had their Interceptors for close to year now and they are doing just fine.
If the front end does get damaged crossing medians it goes to the service center immediately and gets fixed. So far the front end in both Interceptors have been just fine.
Those cars are the best deals out there.
Ford4ife, Can i ask how many Honda's have you owned? How do you know that the car he bought is going to be a maintenance nightmare?
Joe
Joe
when i bought my 1994 accord it needed some work, but after a little tlc it has never let me down. One of the best cars i have ever owned.
Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Pablo with all due respect how can you recommend this 1990 Honda Accord with 190K miles on it with it needing so much work. This car is going to be nothing more then a money pit for your daughter.
My daughter 11 months ago bought a 2000 Ford Police Interceptor.....
That's hilarious!!! What works for you doesn't work for me. Thanks though.
Pablo with all due respect how can you recommend this 1990 Honda Accord with 190K miles on it with it needing so much work. This car is going to be nothing more then a money pit for your daughter.
My daughter 11 months ago bought a 2000 Ford Police Interceptor.....
That's hilarious!!! What works for you doesn't work for me. Thanks though.
Originally Posted By: jmb106
Ford4ife, Can i ask how many Honda's have you owned? How do you know that the car he bought is going to be a maintenance nightmare?
Joe
No I never owned a Honda or any foreign car for that matter. A close friend of mine owns a 98 Accord. He bought it back in 99 with only 10K mils on it. It now has 200K miles on it. It has been overall a great car. All major things like transmission is still original. Besides regular maintenance it has only needed some front end work,starter,minor a/c work and some other small issues [windows] but nothing major. It has been always reliable. I will admit they are excellent reliable cars.
Since this Accord is already 20 years old I figure a lot of things could go wrong with it more quickly.
I hope things work out well with the Accord and I hope I am 100% wrong.
Ford4ife, Can i ask how many Honda's have you owned? How do you know that the car he bought is going to be a maintenance nightmare?
Joe
No I never owned a Honda or any foreign car for that matter. A close friend of mine owns a 98 Accord. He bought it back in 99 with only 10K mils on it. It now has 200K miles on it. It has been overall a great car. All major things like transmission is still original. Besides regular maintenance it has only needed some front end work,starter,minor a/c work and some other small issues [windows] but nothing major. It has been always reliable. I will admit they are excellent reliable cars.
Since this Accord is already 20 years old I figure a lot of things could go wrong with it more quickly.
I hope things work out well with the Accord and I hope I am 100% wrong.
Originally Posted By: Pablo
Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Pablo with all due respect how can you recommend this 1990 Honda Accord with 190K miles on it with it needing so much work. This car is going to be nothing more then a money pit for your daughter.
My daughter 11 months ago bought a 2000 Ford Police Interceptor.....
That's hilarious!!! What works for you doesn't work for me. Thanks though.
OK Pablo. Good luck to your daughter with the Accord! I know the Accord has a good home!
Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Pablo with all due respect how can you recommend this 1990 Honda Accord with 190K miles on it with it needing so much work. This car is going to be nothing more then a money pit for your daughter.
My daughter 11 months ago bought a 2000 Ford Police Interceptor.....
That's hilarious!!! What works for you doesn't work for me. Thanks though.
OK Pablo. Good luck to your daughter with the Accord! I know the Accord has a good home!
For the life of me, I can't see paying $1500 for a sound Accord as anything other than a good deal. Worst case will have Pablo paying another ~$700 for fresh belts, hoses and widgets. (This would be significantly less if he wasn't too lazy to do the work himself.
)
At that point, the car will be set for another 50~100K.
The items I listed in my prior post are the majority of the repairs I've performed in the last 4 years of ownership. (I haven't needed to change the cam belt yet.) Throwing in a few accessory belts, coolant hoses, and a fan temp sensor, covers every significant repair required to date. This sort of maintenance is normal for any used car and can scarcely be considered a 'nightmare.' My total maintenance cost, including oil changes and a set of decent tires, is running somewhere around a dollar a day.
At that point, the car will be set for another 50~100K.
The items I listed in my prior post are the majority of the repairs I've performed in the last 4 years of ownership. (I haven't needed to change the cam belt yet.) Throwing in a few accessory belts, coolant hoses, and a fan temp sensor, covers every significant repair required to date. This sort of maintenance is normal for any used car and can scarcely be considered a 'nightmare.' My total maintenance cost, including oil changes and a set of decent tires, is running somewhere around a dollar a day.
You know it'll be full of amsoil. That thing will never break! A Honda full of Amsoil? 190K is just getting toward the end of the break-in phase!
Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Dude, do you seriously you expect a 16-17 year old girl in high school to drive a police interceptor?
My kids have no problem with it.
My friend had a '97 P71 in high school. Great car, but the stuff we did with it was just stupid. We probably would not have driven a 1990 Accord through fields, or done 120 MPH on the interstate, or destroyed the tires...you get the point.
An early '90s Accord is a good first car. As long as it's not rotted and has been reasonably well cared for, it's probably a good choice.
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Dude, do you seriously you expect a 16-17 year old girl in high school to drive a police interceptor?
My kids have no problem with it.
My friend had a '97 P71 in high school. Great car, but the stuff we did with it was just stupid. We probably would not have driven a 1990 Accord through fields, or done 120 MPH on the interstate, or destroyed the tires...you get the point.
An early '90s Accord is a good first car. As long as it's not rotted and has been reasonably well cared for, it's probably a good choice.
Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Since this Accord is already 20 years old I figure a lot of things could go wrong with it more quickly.
I hope things work out well with the Accord and I hope I am 100% wrong.
It really depends on the condition. My 95 Corolla is now 14 years old and it is more reliable than my 01 Taurus. Hard to believe but Honda/Toyota did very well in early to mid 90s, but go downhill since late 90s. Domestic didn't start catching up until near 2005, before that you either have to get a old RWD like the CV or a truck in very old platform.
Whatever works, I guess. All of my friend's early to mid 90s Accord are still running fine, but the late 90s one have tranny problems.
Since this Accord is already 20 years old I figure a lot of things could go wrong with it more quickly.
I hope things work out well with the Accord and I hope I am 100% wrong.
It really depends on the condition. My 95 Corolla is now 14 years old and it is more reliable than my 01 Taurus. Hard to believe but Honda/Toyota did very well in early to mid 90s, but go downhill since late 90s. Domestic didn't start catching up until near 2005, before that you either have to get a old RWD like the CV or a truck in very old platform.
Whatever works, I guess. All of my friend's early to mid 90s Accord are still running fine, but the late 90s one have tranny problems.
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My father bought a 91 Lumina that was used by Paterson NJ PD for various functions. He bought it at auction for 800 bucks with only 50k miles on it. Drove it for 6 years and only recently bought a 2009 Camry and doesn't drive it! He pre-paid his insurance is refuses to let the POS Lumina die(its upper IM gasket is leaking Anti-Freeze), shocks/struts are shot, thing was probably leaking a butt load of oil as the whole underside fo the engine was covered in it last I looked at it.
He wants it to last until January, meanwhile the Camry just sits there looking pretty lol.
Oh, Lumina now has like 150k on it or a bit more, so for $800 my father made out. I say for $2000 or less a Police Interceptor of any usage would be good. If it took a beating for the PD, it will take a beating from your kids.
The Accord is a good deal, I've said it in several threads before. Honda's in the 90's were build so well they can last forever. It's the early 2000-2005 Honda's that are prone to several issues that are very costly.
Do the maintenance on the vehicle as if it were never performed then let your daughter have at it.
He wants it to last until January, meanwhile the Camry just sits there looking pretty lol.
Oh, Lumina now has like 150k on it or a bit more, so for $800 my father made out. I say for $2000 or less a Police Interceptor of any usage would be good. If it took a beating for the PD, it will take a beating from your kids.
The Accord is a good deal, I've said it in several threads before. Honda's in the 90's were build so well they can last forever. It's the early 2000-2005 Honda's that are prone to several issues that are very costly.
Do the maintenance on the vehicle as if it were never performed then let your daughter have at it.
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Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Using aftermarket T belts or water pumps on a Honda is flipping a coin. It's just not worth the risk. In this instance the aftermarket parts are simply not as good as the originals. Sometimes cheap is not cheap.
I think it really depends on what you buy. I would use only OEM on some parts but rubber products from top tier producers are all about the same (i.e. Gates, Mitsuboshi, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Yasaki, etc) for the identical application. OEM Honda is just a rebrand of these because they don't have a rubber factory.
Heck, the aftermarket gasket from Felpro is better than the one from Toyota, rubber vs cork only.
Now if you are talking about some no name Chinese knock off, well, that's a gamble.
I'm fortunate in that I have a friend that is a Master Honda and Acura tech. Some of the stories I have heard when folks went cheap on timing belt & water pump are quite amazing in their failure rate. Back when he did side work he would refuse to do the work if non Honda parts(T Belt & water pump)were offered up by the car owner. You stick with cheap, I'll go with Honda parts in this area especially if someone I care about is driving the car.
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Using aftermarket T belts or water pumps on a Honda is flipping a coin. It's just not worth the risk. In this instance the aftermarket parts are simply not as good as the originals. Sometimes cheap is not cheap.
I think it really depends on what you buy. I would use only OEM on some parts but rubber products from top tier producers are all about the same (i.e. Gates, Mitsuboshi, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Yasaki, etc) for the identical application. OEM Honda is just a rebrand of these because they don't have a rubber factory.
Heck, the aftermarket gasket from Felpro is better than the one from Toyota, rubber vs cork only.
Now if you are talking about some no name Chinese knock off, well, that's a gamble.
I'm fortunate in that I have a friend that is a Master Honda and Acura tech. Some of the stories I have heard when folks went cheap on timing belt & water pump are quite amazing in their failure rate. Back when he did side work he would refuse to do the work if non Honda parts(T Belt & water pump)were offered up by the car owner. You stick with cheap, I'll go with Honda parts in this area especially if someone I care about is driving the car.
Trying to go cheap on my CR-V cost me around a extra $500 when I went to change out my catalytic converter and o2 sensors.
That vintage accord is very reliable. I started college in 94 and a few kids I knew were sent to school in those. I've seen them raced like drag racers and put through deep mud holes (and subsequently towed out) but the cars never missed a lick.
CrownVic4Life-funny what you said about picking your Interceptor wisely. I had a friend who was a city cop and took his out to a local airport runway to see how fast it would go. He ran it off the edge, damaging the radiator and continued to drive it until the engine blew. Tried to tell his patrol captain he was chasing a suspect. He wasn't a cop anymore after that...
That vintage accord is very reliable. I started college in 94 and a few kids I knew were sent to school in those. I've seen them raced like drag racers and put through deep mud holes (and subsequently towed out) but the cars never missed a lick.
CrownVic4Life-funny what you said about picking your Interceptor wisely. I had a friend who was a city cop and took his out to a local airport runway to see how fast it would go. He ran it off the edge, damaging the radiator and continued to drive it until the engine blew. Tried to tell his patrol captain he was chasing a suspect. He wasn't a cop anymore after that...
We got the car. I think you are correct - at least the front mount is el shotto. The car is really quite problem free. Goes like a savaged ape.
Daughter needs car to get to school. She works, she's paying for it. She's learning a car is a tool.
Now I need to get my order of PI in (I'm out!). Will change to PYB then maybe do ARx or MMO after the oil change. Then XL 5W-30 for a couple changes and MMO prior to changing, and finally to an Amsoil XW-30 with 10-15K OCI's.
Daughter needs car to get to school. She works, she's paying for it. She's learning a car is a tool.
Now I need to get my order of PI in (I'm out!). Will change to PYB then maybe do ARx or MMO after the oil change. Then XL 5W-30 for a couple changes and MMO prior to changing, and finally to an Amsoil XW-30 with 10-15K OCI's.
That front mount shouldn't be bad to change. The rear one is the more difficult and expensive as I believe it's hydraulic and actuated by engine RPM, though that may not have been the case until the later models.
Give that MMO a shot and take it for a few long drives. Italian tune ups and all, your daughter should like those! You won't regret the results and if you do - well you're only out $3.
Give that MMO a shot and take it for a few long drives. Italian tune ups and all, your daughter should like those! You won't regret the results and if you do - well you're only out $3.
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