Civic & Accord @ High Miles -- Maint Issues?

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Mr_Incredible

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Good Morning, gentlemen.

I'll be in the market soon for a gas saving vehicle. The truck's 10mpg and the Z28's 20mpg aren't keeping me happy. Gas will go up evermore, and I've finally accepted it.

I'm leaning towards a used Civic or Accord. I'd like to get 30mpg city and upwards to 40mpg on the highway. Manual transmission is likely the only answer.

The question is: Other than the cam belt at 100k mile intervals, what other maintenance issues should I be concerned about? Most of the cars in the price range I'm looking at have 150k to 250k miles. What goes bad to that point and what will go bad at that point and beyond?

Thanks.
 
150k might be OK but at 250k it's a krapshoot. Random parts may be fatigued at that time and break down. The highest I have gone is 190k in an Accord and at that point I did not have any mechanical issues.

You won't get 40 mpg in an Accord - 31 mpg max on highway. You may get 37 mpg on highway with a Civic. But the Accord is a better car; as always, you have trade-offs.
 
If you have a long commute, I'd opt for the larger, more comfy Accord. If it's just a few miles around town, the Civic will do, too. But upwards of 40 mpg? Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. A VW TDI might come close to those fuel economy requirements, but then again, statistically it may not be as bullet-proof as a Honda.
 
The Honda 4 bangers are all metal timing chains, shouldn't be an issue. The V6 engines have the dreaded timing belt. But, that is the price you pay for the advantages it offers. Belt changes are now RECOMMENDED at 105K. I took our 02 Accord in and had them show me the old belt and I have to tell you, it looked brand new. I pulled the Honda tech advisor to the side and he said that with all the highway miles that we drive, he'd let it run out to 150K, easy. You know the engineers put a redundancy factor in that belt frequency to begin with also. With the V6, most of us go ahead and have the water pump replaced because you have to take all that apart anyway just to get to it and since your already in there.....plus the pumps like about 90 bucks. I kept that one too and it looked really, really good. No build up, no pithing, no leaks. I could probably clean it up and re-sell it as a used pump, it's that clean looking. I own two Accords, an 02 and an 07, and they have been really good cars. Would I buy a Civic, heck yeah, but I got a 4 year old and need the room. Also, as others mentioned here, there is a lot more cushiness with the Accord that I particulary like while I'm sitting in traffic along with the extra horsepower if I need it.
 
Honda switched to chains in the Accord L4 in 2003. Anything before that has a belt. I don't know about the Civic belt/chain configuration.

What year vehicles have you looked at so far?
 
I have looked at all years, but haven't been searching for any year in particular. Whether I bought a specific vehicle would depend on its condition and the deal I worked on it.

I know the Accord generally thought of as a 40mpg car, but high 30's might mollify me. I've heard of them making that much.

The Civic is more of a probability, but since I'm 6'3" & 250lbs, size DOES matter...

But, I haven't gotten to the kick-the-tire/light-the-fire stage yet so I haven't sat in one to see if I fit. I haven't had a small car since 1986 when I got rid of a Dodge 2.2L Charger. Nice car, but tiny.
 
I drove my '84 Accord until 217K, at which point emissions failure killed it off for good. Recently purchased a cheapo '88 Accord with 153K to replace.

Watch for CV boots, rust, auto trans. Not sure what issues Honda had with their 90's vehicles. I would not worry too much about the mileage too much if the price is decent and, most important, it's had consistent maintenance.
 
If you don't mind a two door, get a Civic HX - they're the high economy ones and rated over 40mpg for highway. Just be sure to find a manual, as their autos were CVTs and not too reliable.
 
rust and rubber parts are sure to be an issue. OE anti-rust and rubber parts seem to be exceptionally poor in honda products like our integra. but at 186k, the engine is tight as can be.

JMH
 
I think it might be possible to get 40mpg in an Accord with synthetic in the transmission, and sane driving habits and all highway driving. I've gotten up to 40mpg in my Integra before, on the highway of course. It's only rated for 30mpg. That's odd about your rubber parts, JHZ. I haven't had any problems with them on my car, is your car garaged?
 
my 94 accord is so-so, it has 140k miles, it leaks oil into the spark plugs (changed the valve cover gasket so thats not it), it needs pretty much a new suspension, almost every component down there needs to be changed, it takes 4 or 5 turns to start, I think the alternator needs to be replaced soon (the light has been flickering, gonna test tommorow), and I think it needs a new exhaust manifold.

Besides that it's a smooth car, never got over 30mpg on all highway driving, and pulls well. Thats just mine though, I never met the original owner and I think he was an idiot. All the interior stuff works, the A/C doesnt blow cold though.

You wont get much over 30mpg in the accord, but i'd still keep it over a civic that runs 100%. Auto transmissions were a problem, from what i've heard (mines a manual), and there were a couple of other trouble spots. But you can get 200k out of them, it aint no toyota but it does the job, and I do stick by me saying toyota is the most reliable, but I like honda better, they have better build quality.
 
Hondas 4s have metal timing chains???
A true expert has spoken!

Either pay more for a newer vehicle, or EXPECT to replace/fix all sorts of things for the life of the 'new' high mileage car.
The list would include almost every moving part.
 
Quote:

...it leaks oil into the spark plugs (changed the valve cover gasket so thats not it), it needs....

Click to expand...


I've had this problem in my 91 civic twice. Valve cover gaskets kits and the O-rings that they come with typically don't fit if bought from pep boys or napa (for civics anyway). I've had these new gaskets leak oil at least twice. But when i had them replaced with gaskets frome the Honda Dealer the leak was fixed.

good luck
 
Quote:

I'm leaning towards a used Civic or Accord....
what other maintenance issues should I be concerned about? Most of the cars in the price range I'm looking at have 150k to 250k miles. What goes bad to that point and what will go bad at that point and beyond?

Click to expand...


I swapped out the transmission from my car. It's my understanding that mechanics frequently put the wrong transmission oil into hondas. Meaning that the manual trannys take what's basically high detergent motor oil. It's my understanding that honda trannies often poop out early because they've been running with the wrong type of fluid. I believe Iffy Lube was once required to pay damages for screwing up a honda tranny.

My honda has been burning oil since i bought it 7 years ago. I believe that one of the previous owners neglected the oil changes.


I've found a boatload of info on my honda by searching this site:

http://www.honda-tech.com/zeromain
 
Only the last gen of the Civic has a timing chain. The rest all have belts.

So unless you going to by a 2 year old civic, your going to get a belt.

I'm 6 foot 5 inch tall and drive a Corolla that gets WELL over 40 mpg with ease. My tanks over the last 3 months all have been 44mpg plus.

I drive a lot and the extra mpg counts. Going from 30 to 44 is a big savings.

The best I got with my accord (2.4l 5 speed manual) was 32mpg. We really never liked the car and sold it 18 months after buying it. (and it was one of the cars I did not do my homework with)
pat2.gif


Sold it for $400 more than I paid for it! Loved that..

Take care, Bill
patriot.gif
 
Like you, I also came to the conclusion that travel costs are going up and up and up; so began to scout around as well. My suggestion, based on your requirements, would be the VW TDI. I have an 06 Jetta, and am very impressed with my (so far) 50mpg+-. By the +-, I mean that one time, if I boost the turbo, I tend to get a bit less than 50. Other times, if I just drive for mileage, I get 50.

True, the belt situation is of concern; but so are other things as well, no matter which car you get. Regarding comfortability, I have no problem with my Jetta, and I have a fused spinal column, along with lots of arthritis.

Driving and handeling, according to the dw, is in the same league as our former BMWs. She drove them daily, and used to be sort of a heavy foot, so I value her analysis.

Oil changes and other service items are spaced more than other cars; 10k for example on the oil change versus 3-5k for others. So in the long run, this tends to save some $$; IMO.

You might want to scan thru the TDIClub.com web site. There is tons of information, and lots of advice, for which model year to get; along with models as well. Plus you will see many 'gurus' across the country that are willing to assist members with things as adjustments, modification installing, fine tuning, Vag-Com usage.

Just my .02 comments...
 
I had the leaking spark plug tubes as well. I purchased my replacement o-rings from the Acura dealership. I don't remember how expensive they were, but they're really easy to change. You don't have to buy the whole Valve Cover Gasket kit to get them.
 
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