On 3/30/06 11:38 AM, in article
1143740311.572839.161260@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups. com,
"jmattis@attglobal.net" <jmattis@attglobal.net> wrote:

> This car spent its entire life on the highway; a very good sign. If it
> has had the waterpump replaced along with manufacturer's required fluid
> changes, it could go another 147,000 miles with various parts replaced
> along the way. This is a 2.4 liter engine that has a timing chain
> rather than a fabric belt, which is good for lower maintenance, but
> they may have skipped the pump replacement which is expensive (normally
> on Honda you do fabric belt & pump replacement at about 100,000 miles
> as part of the maintenance).

A '95 Accord 2.4 does NOT have a timing chain. It has a belt, due for
change every 90k miles.


>
> I'd get the engine compression checked to see if they changed the oil
> regularly or the rings could be shot. (First take the oil cap off the
> engine while running and see if blow-by wants to rush out of the
> crankcase; excessive blowby indicates the rings are going. Also look
> at the inside of the cap and down into the engine for sludge buildup
> (not changing oil) or jelly-like gunk (coolant leaking into the engine
> due to gasket failure) Check the transmission fluid if it is an
> automatic; if it is dark and smells burned instead of a nice pink with
> an oily smell, that would signal a problem. These are simple checks
> that can tell you a lot for free before you bother to hire a mechanic's
> expertise.) Look for paint mismatch or areas around body fasteners
> under the hood or trunk that show removal -- signs the car's been
> wrecked. Check the doors, body panels and tire wear for alignment
> problems, again the car could have been wrecked if these show up.
>
> The problem is, the car is still not very old and you still won't get a
> really huge, huge discount for all the miles. Personally, I'd shoot
> for a 4 or 5 year old honda. It is financially a wiser choice. The
> 2005 has seen a lot of use, and it will not be more reliable than a
> 2000 model with similar mileage, but will be much more expensive.
> Depends on how much you love the look of the newer generation.
>