G'day all,

Looking to buy a 98 Accord Sedan, and I want to make sure my purchase is as 'informed' as possible. I know about the old saying you get what you pay for, but this seems to be about the best source out there!
I'm looking performance-wise at the 4cyl VTEC because of the compromise b/t get up and economy. The one's I'm looking at have around 100K miles. Other than the timing belt is there any particular item I should ask the owners about vis a vis maintenance - engine or otherwise?
Does the 98 in particular have any known gremlins I should be aware of?
Is there a particularly good year/model for the Accord based on resale or just a matter of they got it particularly right?! Looking pre-2000 because of da budget.
Should I look harder at the V6? What performance or other mods does the EX model have vice the LX or otherwise?
Sorry to ramble - any and all help gladly appreciated in advance!
Cheers, Kelly

 

If your not planning to keep the car forever, check on the trade-in value....Bring that car the highway, drive it up to 100mph...Park it and check the engine to see if theres any malfunctions...Make sures theres a warranty....Check the wears of the tires....Look under the car to make sure there isnt any oil or residue built up....Ask for emission papers.......Theres so much..

 

if you want leather, sunroof, rims, cd... go for EX

the i4 doesnt have the "oomph" the v6 has when accelerating to highway speeds

 

thx guys! I'll run it up on the I-5 for sure!

 

I have a 2000 V6 sedan fully loaded and I absolutely love it!! Like JaniVI was saying the "oomph" you get from the V6 is awesome. I would reccomend the V6 if you wanna spring for it. As far as engine mods there aren't to many that I am aware of as compared to the 4 cylinder. The only thing I could find to increase the horsepower was a supercharger and it only gives a max of 80hp. So the only advice I can give you as far as inspections go is check the timing belt like you said and the alternator if it has been replaced or not. That is really about it. Make sure to that the transmission fluid has been changed too!!
*If anyone knows anything else to tune the V6 with more horsepower like a turbo or what not to crank more than 100 horsies let me know*

 

I think one of these threads mentions trannys going on or about 100K miles and it's $2k and above to fix. Is this accurate to any of the viewing audience?

 

I havent had any troubles with my tranny yet (besides the dealership leaving the bolt off the top of my transmission when they changed the fluid) and i have 73k miles on my car. My borther has had his '91 prelude with 162k miles a while and the tranny is still running strong!!!

 

I read alot of threads about the tranny as well and it is popular on a 6th gen, but the question about how many people had problems with the tranny against how many didnt still remains. Its just that you only hear it when they have a problem but they dont tell you when its running fine.
What I personaly think what kills a tranny is when you drive like a NASCAR driver and try to go first on every light. Alot of my friends got Hondas and particularly Accords and none of them ever had any problems with the tranny. I used to have a 2000 which I totaled and now got an 03.
As far as your original questions, get a 98 or 99 and if you want to enjoy your ride, go with the EX and if possible, a V6 cause you will have to keep it for atleast 2 years so why not put a little bit more money and get a nice car so you can actualy enjoy it rather than thinking what if.

 

Any non-quality car might be a candidate for a transmission
problem around 100k miles.Most certainly Kia, Hyundai, American, VW,etc.

But the reason Toyota, Honda, Mercedes Benz, etc
have a reputation for quality is that you can avoid these
kind of problems as being normal for 100-150k miles.

So the answer is that it is not at all common.
In fact if you go for a manual transmission the chances
of it going bad go down dramatically and repair costs
are considerably less if it does.

 

Is the V6 VTEC by default, or do I need to ask owners if their 6 is a VTEC. The one I'm looking at on Saturday is a 4 banger VTEC. I understand from looking at the Civic forums that this baseline is a pretty great engine. How does the V6 stand on fuel economy? Almost 3 bucks a gallon in socal.
I'd so rather have a manual, but my wife who ironically is Japanese wants to drive this when I'm out to sea and she's getting used to left hand drive much less the manual - cest la vie I guess.
Appreciate the helpful hints and keep 'em comin'!