04 Accord auto trans 180k miles

[GON]

Wagon wheel, will do. I wonder if you being the original owner of your 03 Accord might play a big role in the great reliability results you have experienced!! Properly maintained cars seem to be so much more reliable....

Below is a picture of the northern big city urban driven 2005 Camry XLE with 100,000 miles that they are asking 5k for, but I sense they will sell for 4k. I passed on this one as the engine bay showed a lot of corrosion, and I sense the underneath of the car is very corroded, although only 100k miles.

I am seeing a lot of Gen 8 Accords with 150k-175k miles priced around 6500, well above my budget but interesting price point.

 

[WagonWheel]

Honestly I think it's more luck. Preventive maintenance is not much on the Gen7 4 cyl and there's no timing belt to change. I did all the oil changes close to the "severe" schedule and still have oil consumption (PCV valve was replaced too but no effect). For me $2.50/qt for SuperTech top off oil isn't braking the bank, but you do need to check the oil frequently.

Have you looked at other options, such as having your son rent a car for the long haul trips back home? Might be more cost effective over the long run than having to budget $$ on repairs. Every situation is different.

BTW, about half the time on my Accord was when I lived up in Chicago. I had the underbody rust proofing applied when I bought it but the factory rustproofing greatly improved in the early 2000s. No major rust issues but the catalytic convertor lower heat shield did dislodge itself while I was driving on the freeway in CA. Looked like a piece of space junk by the time I yanked it off!

 

[dareo]

Accords and Camrys are high quality cars and everyone knows it. So you have pay too much in the used market to get one. Know a guy who's 04 Accord was odometer rolled back to make it look like the best deal at the time. It still works fine even though it has a TON of miles on it. His trans does make some rattle noise in drive and we are expecting it to die soon, but he keeps driving.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted by GON
Wagon wheel, will do. I wonder if you being the original owner of your 03 Accord might play a big role in the great reliability results you have experienced!! Properly maintained cars seem to be so much more reliable....

Below is a picture of the northern big city urban driven 2005 Camry XLE with 100,000 miles that they are asking 5k for, but I sense they will sell for 4k. I passed on this one as the engine bay showed a lot of corrosion, and I sense the underneath of the car is very corroded, although only 100k miles.

I am seeing a lot of Gen 8 Accords with 150k-175k miles priced around 6500, well above my budget but interesting price point.





Ouch! I expect to see a pristine engine bay when I buy a car.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted by GON
I took the Vibe/ Matric out of the search after identifying that they have a huge blind sport, and the 4 cylinder often go through a quart of oil every 1,000 miles.


An 03-08 Vibe/Matrix is the first gen and I've never noticed a blind spot with the 05 that I have. It also has the 1.8 liter engine that doesn't consume oil like the second gen 2.4 engine. Might be worth a second look. Pretty durable car with a lot of space inside. I think the 09+ second gen has the blind spot. So maybe look for an 07-08 Matrix/Vibe.