Opinion on selecting a $15k used Sedan

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
My mistake. I thought I remembered them being quite a bit different. A quick search found about the only thing different is their insistent use of screws to hold the rotor down which is quite different than most's press fit method.


I think there was one generation of Accord many years ago (late '90s perhaps) which used an odd arrangement where the brake rotor was bolted to the hub or something like that. Anything made recently uses standard brake hardware.

The screws are only used (in my understanding) during assembly to keep the rotor in place before the rest of the brakes are installed. This is similar to how some use little locking "clips" that slip over a wheel bolt. Many Honda owners simply discard the screws at the first brake job; ultimately, the wheel retains the brake rotor anyway, like on most other cars. The screws do make servicing the pads slightly easier (because the rotor doesn't want to shift), so I keep them on mine. I just keep a good amount of anti-seize on them to ensure that they don't rust into place.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
The warranty I'm looking at is a 5 year/120,000 B2B through Honda Care.


Our CR-V's b2b warranty is a Honda Care warranty as well, and it is a true manufacturer's warranty...or at least one that is recognized at every Honda dealer nationwide. It probably is technically administered through a third party. But you never have to worry about paying something up front and trying to get reimbursed or anything like that. Simply roll into the dealer and let them fix it.

There are exclusions, as there are with nearly any extended warranty, but it is pretty comprehensive. I've used it a few times on our CR-V, but stupidly, the dealer never actually fixed the problem. The symptom was a dull rattle from the front suspension when on rough roads or going over rumble strips. Their first attempt was new stabilizer bar end links. That didn't solve it. I put on new stabilizer bar bushings myself. That didn't solve it. I found that if I dragged the brake, it wouldn't make the noise, so I took it back and suggested it may be in the front brakes somewhere. They decided to replace the front struts anyway. New struts didn't solve it. I pulled the brakes apart myself and found that the pads were simply rattling in the mount. I didn't even install new pads...just used some of the Honda brake assembly paste, and that worked like a charm.

So in the end, Honda Care gave me some nice new parts that we didn't really need. I do think I'll end up using it eventually. There's an HVAC motor under the dash that can get noisy sometimes, so I'll probably take it in for that at some point. But that's about it. It's been a very solid vehicle for us. I doubt you'll use the warranty, but if you can get it at a steep discount, that certainly reduces the risk that you'll lose all of that money and get nothing in return. As I recall, you can also sell it back to Honda if you decide you don't want it, at a pro-rated amount. So if you decide in 2 or 3 years that everything's going as planned, you may be able to get some of what you paid back.

 

[Phishin]

Thanks Hokiefyd.

The dealer that the car is at uses a 3rd party warranty company....Ethos perhaps? They swear by it.

I know I can buy the HondaCare 5 year/120K mile package for about $950 for this Accord. I like the no-hassle aspect of it.

But I do have a concern....on the CarFax, this car was a "leased" vehicle since new. And it appears that the owner basically changed the oil at 9k, 17.5k, 27k, and just recently at 34k miles. Should I be concerned about this? 10k OCI's...including leaving the factory fill in there?

 

[Phishin]

I just called the Honda dealer that the car was serviced at in Michigan while under leave, the car was receiving 5w20. Conventional. Ugh. It's bulk from Valvoline.

Do I have worries?

 

[surfstar]

From the oil? No. Maybe try and use it as a bargaining chip to get them down another $500. Act like you're anal about maintenance (just mention the website you belong to) and maybe they'll come down a little more to make the sale.

At least you have records. That engine is fine.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Accords from about 1989-90 to the body style change used a REALLY weird front hub-rotor design which was a royal pain to service.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
I just called the Honda dealer that the car was serviced at in Michigan while under leave, the car was receiving 5w20. Conventional. Ugh. It's bulk from Valvoline.

Do I have worries?


No. That's close to how our CR-V was serviced from 0-45,000 miles, which is when we bought it. It was a one-owner car, originally bought, serviced, and then traded in at Sanford Honda, which is where we bought it. So the dealer had the entire service history of the car. All maintenance was done by the book according to the MM. And with bulk Valvoline 5W-20 as well (Sanford Honda has a contract with Ashland for oil and filters).

You have nothing to worry about with that maintenance history. The fact that you have a documented maintenance history is a plus. Was the car originally sold or leased from the same dealership where it's at now?

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Was the car originally sold or leased from the same dealership where it's at now?


No, car was leased new and serviced a 150 miles from me in Michigan. Sold at auction to the Honda Dealership in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

SOLD! Just purchased it over the phone. Picking it up tonight. I'm pretty stoked.

I couldn't get a price break, but I was able to get the transmission serviced at the Honda dealer, along with new air filters. I just wanted something. I got it. I'm happy.

 

[sciphi]

Glad to hear you got what you wanted!

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Honda dealers are a pain to deal with when it comes to price. The one here has their heads up in their rear.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Which one did you end up getting?

Around here the Japanese car dealers won't budge a dime. It's funny - because you can walk into a Honda dealer and not get $.10 off ... then walk to the dealer's Ford Franchise and get $5K off instantly.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
SOLD! Just purchased it over the phone. Picking it up tonight. I'm pretty stoked.


Congratulations. There are few things more fun to a car guy than picking up a new-to-you car and driving home and getting to know it. Be sure to post pictures and let us know how you like it after spending some time in it.

 

[KitaCam]

Parked next to one this morning...looked nice...good running to ya!

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Which one did you end up getting?


I was being so budget minded, that I didn't even spring for the one with alloy wheels. They wanted an extra $500-$1000 for the three cars similar to this, but they were LX-P's....alloy wheels and power seats.

I can't believe I had the self-control. Purchased for $14.3k

 

[Vikas]

Quote:
I'm thinking of purchasing a bumper-to-bumper 100K mile warranty. ...maybe she can give me a deal on this. We'll see.

There is no such thing. You can NOT get true new car warranty to 100K for ANY amount of money. There will always be exclusion and weasel words in it.

Secondly, the 5yr/120K miles means 5 year from the in-service date and NOT from the day you purchase the vehicle.

In general, extended warranty even from the manufacturer rarely are what you (mistakenly) believe they should be.

Bank the money yourself.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Phishin, nice self control. You could pick up a set of the OEM alloys any time between now and when you need tires next, and just use them when it comes time to replace the tires...if you do indeed prefer the alloy wheels. I did that with my '07 Corolla. Came with steelies and wheel covers, and I replaced those with wheels from a 2nd generation Prius. It's amazing how much that in itself woke the car up (reducing the unsprung mass). I installed Yokohama Avid TRZ tires on the OEM steelies and then swapped for the Prius wheels a few thousand miles later. Both made an equally dramatic difference in how the car drove and handled.

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Quote:
I'm thinking of purchasing a bumper-to-bumper 100K mile warranty. ...maybe she can give me a deal on this. We'll see.

There is no such thing. You can NOT get true new car warranty to 100K for ANY amount of money. There will always be exclusion and weasel words in it.

Secondly, the 5yr/120K miles means 5 year from the in-service date and NOT from the day you purchase the vehicle.


Yeah, the warranty is 7 year/100k from Honda. It's called Honda Care. And today, when I picked up the car, we went over the specifics. There was a huge list of things that could break on the car. All of them were marked on the "new car" warranty. About 2/3-3/4 were marked for "extended warranty coverage"....which is what I'm thinking about buying.

The price for the 7 year/100k extended warranty was $735. The 8 year/120k mile warranty was $1095. I would pay $350 extra for that year of coverage.

And since this is a 2010 car, the car would be covered until March, 2017. That's 4 years, and for me, that would be about 80k miles. So, the date would void the warranty for me since the car already has 34k miles on it. That also comes with a $0 deductible. I don't think it's that bad of an insurance policy for the price.

 

[Phishin]

So, far my only disappointment with the car has been the varnish I see in the fill cap.

But that's gonna happen when you run Valvoline bulk for 10k mile OCI's.....I'll let this conventional oil, which was just changed, go for 4k miles....and then she is going on a diet of Pennzoil Ultra 5w20. I want to see what cleaning the oil can provide. Probably do a few 4k OCI's with Pennzoil Ultra, just to get any residual film out of this engine.

 

[UNC164]

Difficult to go wrong with a Honda Accord. Good luck with your new car. Very disciplined and smart of you not to buy new and take typical huge depreciation hit of buying new cars.

Most folks who insist on getting new cars are on the "easy payment plan" thread mill for life - and that path almost always leads to the poorhouse.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: cashmoney
Difficult to go wrong with a Honda Accord. Good luck with your new car. Very disciplined and smart of you not to buy new and take typical huge depreciation hit of buying new cars.

Most folks who insist on getting new cars are on the "easy payment plan" thread mill for life - and that path almost always leads to the poorhouse.


Today's used car market has the occasional diamond with a lot of mud. In some ways, it's better to buy new with a short-term loan if needed and keep it for a long time, keeping up on the maintenance from new in order to have a reliable older car in good shape. My wife and I did this, and have two late-model cars in good shape that are paid for. We're planning on keeping both until the wheels rot off. The OP found a diamond. We saw a lot of mud while car shopping, and found new cars to offer a better value than used cars for what we wanted when we were in the market.