As I've posted a few times, I've been in the market for a commuter car given my 100 mile a day r/t commute. Nothing wrong with the Silverado and to be honest I was getting close to 20 mpg at about 65-70...but still..not the ideal vehicle to commute in.
Anyways I was getting a little discouraged as just about everything I looked at on CL was either a pos that someone was trying to unload or they were not being very truthful about it's history or condition. I saw a 03 Accord and sent the seller an email asking about it. He said someone had put money down but would let me know if something happened.
Well Thursday night I got an email saying the woman was having issues with coming up with the rest of the money and if I wanted to take a look I could if still interested. I went Friday morning and checked it out.
It was exactly what I was looking for, a fairly low mileage Honda (111k) with a decent body (no rust except for some chips on the hood)and docs on the work that had been done. The seller was the second owner (this car had an extremely detailed CarFax report that looks like the first owner had it serviced every 3 to 4K miles) and he had a binder full of all the work he had done in the last 2 years. New brakes all around, new serpentine belt, heat shields around exhaust, coolant change and flush, power steering flush, new battery, brake fluid flush, fuel system service (BG?), fuel filter and the A/C condenser and compressor replaced. That's just from skimming through some receipts he gave me. He has put at least 3000 dollars into this car in maintenance in the last 2 years. When I brought it in for an oil change at a local Honda dealer the tech remarked that there were a lot of new parts on this Accord.
It is the EX model so it is power everything except for NAV. It is a 5 speed which I'm psyched about. Also has the sunroof and no leaks I can detect after running it through the wash. Nice heated leather seats, a/c and heat work great. The radio still lights up but he had some issue with the CD player. Instead of sinking $$ into replacing it, he put a Sony Bluetooth receiver in where the storage bin was down below the OEM radio. It works great and the steering wheel controls work with it too. Plus the BlueTooth works just fine with my new Nano. I imagine it will work with my Iphone as well.
I've sunk a few dollars into the last day or so. Friday I swung by the Honda dealer to have them do an oil change (was crunched for time and daylight hours)and today I put new rubber all the way around (Goodyear Assurance ComfortTred, V Rated) and also an alignment and inspection sticker.
Couple things I need to keep an eye on. In reading about this year it appears that these 2.4's like to eat a bit of oil. It was really low on the stick when I checked it out Saturday. NO blue smoke from the exhaust. I'll check again in a few weeks to see if the level has dropped at all. The clutch seems like it sticks sometimes and at times makes a creaking noise..then after a few shifts it goes away. Seems a little low to me as well but that could also be because I haven't had a stick as a DD since back in 2003 so it has been awhile.
Other than that it is fantastic. I see in the manual that it may be do for a tuneup at 110K and also a valve adjustment. The valves do sound a little chatty under acceleration but maybe normal on a Honda? I know they sound the same in my wife's 2010 Fit.
It has it's parking lot dings and scrapes and also ice scraper marks but I'm ok with that..less worrying when I park it now lol.
I took it out to Westover yesterday and staying with traffic (65-80 at times)I avg 32.2 mpg out and back. Not too bad at all. I replaced the cabin filter today and will put in a new Air Filter tomorrow.
Overall I'm very pleased with the car, it is an absolute blast to drive and I'm amazed at the top end power this engine puts out while in 5th gear. I'm really glad it is stick vs an auto.
The quality of the interior is fantastic. I want to say it is nicer quality and has less rattles than my 2011 Silverado.
Ok I've went on and on, sorry 'bout that! Here are a few pics I've snapped
I paid 5500 which I think was a fair price for this car
Goose
Anyways I was getting a little discouraged as just about everything I looked at on CL was either a pos that someone was trying to unload or they were not being very truthful about it's history or condition. I saw a 03 Accord and sent the seller an email asking about it. He said someone had put money down but would let me know if something happened.
Well Thursday night I got an email saying the woman was having issues with coming up with the rest of the money and if I wanted to take a look I could if still interested. I went Friday morning and checked it out.
It was exactly what I was looking for, a fairly low mileage Honda (111k) with a decent body (no rust except for some chips on the hood)and docs on the work that had been done. The seller was the second owner (this car had an extremely detailed CarFax report that looks like the first owner had it serviced every 3 to 4K miles) and he had a binder full of all the work he had done in the last 2 years. New brakes all around, new serpentine belt, heat shields around exhaust, coolant change and flush, power steering flush, new battery, brake fluid flush, fuel system service (BG?), fuel filter and the A/C condenser and compressor replaced. That's just from skimming through some receipts he gave me. He has put at least 3000 dollars into this car in maintenance in the last 2 years. When I brought it in for an oil change at a local Honda dealer the tech remarked that there were a lot of new parts on this Accord.
It is the EX model so it is power everything except for NAV. It is a 5 speed which I'm psyched about. Also has the sunroof and no leaks I can detect after running it through the wash. Nice heated leather seats, a/c and heat work great. The radio still lights up but he had some issue with the CD player. Instead of sinking $$ into replacing it, he put a Sony Bluetooth receiver in where the storage bin was down below the OEM radio. It works great and the steering wheel controls work with it too. Plus the BlueTooth works just fine with my new Nano. I imagine it will work with my Iphone as well.
I've sunk a few dollars into the last day or so. Friday I swung by the Honda dealer to have them do an oil change (was crunched for time and daylight hours)and today I put new rubber all the way around (Goodyear Assurance ComfortTred, V Rated) and also an alignment and inspection sticker.
Couple things I need to keep an eye on. In reading about this year it appears that these 2.4's like to eat a bit of oil. It was really low on the stick when I checked it out Saturday. NO blue smoke from the exhaust. I'll check again in a few weeks to see if the level has dropped at all. The clutch seems like it sticks sometimes and at times makes a creaking noise..then after a few shifts it goes away. Seems a little low to me as well but that could also be because I haven't had a stick as a DD since back in 2003 so it has been awhile.
Other than that it is fantastic. I see in the manual that it may be do for a tuneup at 110K and also a valve adjustment. The valves do sound a little chatty under acceleration but maybe normal on a Honda? I know they sound the same in my wife's 2010 Fit.
It has it's parking lot dings and scrapes and also ice scraper marks but I'm ok with that..less worrying when I park it now lol.
I took it out to Westover yesterday and staying with traffic (65-80 at times)I avg 32.2 mpg out and back. Not too bad at all. I replaced the cabin filter today and will put in a new Air Filter tomorrow.
Overall I'm very pleased with the car, it is an absolute blast to drive and I'm amazed at the top end power this engine puts out while in 5th gear. I'm really glad it is stick vs an auto.
The quality of the interior is fantastic. I want to say it is nicer quality and has less rattles than my 2011 Silverado.
Ok I've went on and on, sorry 'bout that! Here are a few pics I've snapped
I paid 5500 which I think was a fair price for this car
Goose
