Honda Car Forum

My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.

I think my old Accord is fine, they didn’t damage the car much. They
only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
get the laptop and items in the trunk.

I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
decision on which one to keep.

My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
2)

Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
the oil pump may be going out. I’ve had low oil pressure a few times,
then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?

I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
know if I could get laid off.

I’m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.

What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
continue to purr.

Thank you,

Kevin

Kevin wrote:
> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
> Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
> which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.
>
> I think my old Accord is fine, they didn’t damage the car much. They
> only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
> They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
> locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
> trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
> and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
> get the laptop and items in the trunk.
>
> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
> decision on which one to keep.
>
> My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
> months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
> 2)
>
> Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
> miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
> Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
> the oil pump may be going out. I’ve had low oil pressure a few times,
> then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
> main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?
>
> I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
> it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
> know if I could get laid off.
>
> I’m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
> alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.
>
> What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
> ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
> continue to purr.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Kevin


400k miles is the most you can reasonably expect without major
systems failures. In fact, it's nearly double what you should reasonably
have expected. You've already saved enough to pay for that Civic.

On 5/8/2009 10:15 PM Kevin spake these words of knowledge:

> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
> Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
> which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.
>
> I think my old Accord is fine, they didn’t damage the car much. They
> only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
> They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
> locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
> trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
> and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
> get the laptop and items in the trunk.
>
> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
> decision on which one to keep.
>
> My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
> months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
> 2)
>
> Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
> miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
> Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
> the oil pump may be going out. I’ve had low oil pressure a few times,
> then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
> main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?
>
> I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
> it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
> know if I could get laid off.
>
> I’m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
> alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.
>
> What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
> ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
> continue to purr.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Kevin

Kevin, I would not keep the old car if it cost me any money at all
(other than ordinary maintenance) at this point. Oil pressure dropping,
the general worn quality of the vehicle means potential breakdown.

On the other hand, it very well could go another 100,000 miles.
Personally, I have found that when I am forced in to spending money (as
you thought you were the day before you got your old car back) it
usually winds up being money well-spent.

I would keep the new car. In either event, congratulations on your car
running that long. You must have done a fine job with maintenance.

RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got
it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it
just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" -- Mark Twain

On May 8, 9:15 pm, Kevin <kev...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
> Honda Civic.

> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
> decision on which one to keep.
>
> My Accord has 400,000 miles,

[Applause]

A few questions:
How much did you pay for the 2001 Civic?
How much rust on the 92 Accord?
What miles per gallon are you getting on the 92 Accord? This by itself
is a decent indicator of how it is running. Though since you are
passing smog, I am optimistic about the MPG.

Is your Accord auto or manual? LX, EX?

Depending on the answers above, you may indeed want to do a
compression check. Harbor Freight sells an oil pressure check gage
with numerous fittings for $20; less fittings for $10. The shop manual
has a half-page description of the test you can do to check oil
pressure, and then two pages of steps to remove and inspect the oil
pump. If you care for junkyards, I expect you can easily find an OEM
oil pump with much less mileage for $20 or so. My local yard sells
them for $14.

Leftie wrote:
> Kevin wrote:
>> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
>> Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
>> which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.
>>
>> I think my old Accord is fine, they didn�t damage the car much. They
>> only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
>> They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
>> locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
>> trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
>> and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
>> get the laptop and items in the trunk.
>>
>> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
>> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
>> decision on which one to keep.
>>
>> My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
>> months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
>> 2)
>>
>> Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
>> miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
>> Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
>> the oil pump may be going out. I�ve had low oil pressure a few times,
>> then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
>> main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?
>>
>> I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
>> it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
>> know if I could get laid off.
>>
>> I�m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
>> alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.
>>
>> What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
>> ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
>> continue to purr.
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Kevin
>
>
> 400k miles is the most you can reasonably expect without major
> systems failures. In fact, it's nearly double what you should reasonably
> have expected.

are you familiar with high mileage hondas at all? [rhetorical]


> You've already saved enough to pay for that Civic.

bottom line - it depends on whether he's competent at diy repair and has
an appetite for such. you don't consider those points. you also don't
consider that the macpherson civic doesn't handle as well as the
wishbone accord. personally, i'd rank that right up there as a safety
consideration in favor of the accord.

Kevin wrote:
> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
> Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
> which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.
>
> I think my old Accord is fine, they didn�t damage the car much. They
> only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
> They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
> locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
> trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
> and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
> get the laptop and items in the trunk.
>
> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
> decision on which one to keep.
>
> My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
> months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
> 2)
>
> Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
> miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
> Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
> the oil pump may be going out. I�ve had low oil pressure a few times,
> then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
> main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?
>
> I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
> it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
> know if I could get laid off.
>
> I�m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
> alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.
>
> What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
> ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
> continue to purr.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Kevin


how much do you like fixing stuff yourself? hondas are designed to be
easily maintainable and require very few special tools. you can
probably build a very decent tool kit and maintain this vehicle for some
considerable time on the same money as you'll be losing on depreciation
of the civic. and that civic doesn't handle as well.

as for the engine, if it works ok, doesn't burn too much oil and passes
smog, it'll probably keep on running. honda engines are incredibly well
designed and work excellently provided you don't cook them by waiting
for the radiator to crack and lose coolant. if there is one piece of
preventive maintenance that you need to keep an eye on, cracking of the
plastic radiator is it.

Leftie wrote:
> jim beam wrote:
>> Leftie wrote:
>>> Kevin wrote:
>>>> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
>>>> Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
>>>> which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.
>>>>
>>>> I think my old Accord is fine, they didn�t damage the car much. They
>>>> only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
>>>> They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
>>>> locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
>>>> trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
>>>> and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
>>>> get the laptop and items in the trunk.
>>>>
>>>> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
>>>> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
>>>> decision on which one to keep.
>>>>
>>>> My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
>>>> months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
>>>> 2)
>>>>
>>>> Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
>>>> miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
>>>> Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
>>>> the oil pump may be going out. I�ve had low oil pressure a few times,
>>>> then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
>>>> main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?
>>>>
>>>> I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
>>>> it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
>>>> know if I could get laid off.
>>>>
>>>> I�m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
>>>> alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.
>>>>
>>>> What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
>>>> ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
>>>> continue to purr.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you,
>>>>
>>>> Kevin
>>>
>>>
>>> 400k miles is the most you can reasonably expect without major
>>> systems failures. In fact, it's nearly double what you should
>>> reasonably have expected.
>>
>> are you familiar with high mileage hondas at all? [rhetorical]
>
>
> Rhetorical or not, I have some knowledge of high mileage vehicles -
> Volvos, Toyotas, and I kept a Civic Si for 23 years. It only had 146k on
> it when I sold it, but age matters as much as mileage. Unfortunately,
> this guy's Accord is both extremely high mileage *and* old. A few
> vehicles do get past the half-million mark, but very few of them are on
> the original internals. Fewer still have the original accessory drives.
> His odds of getting another 100k miles without a major overhaul are
> about the same as they are of winning a brand new car by entering a few
> drawings.
>
>
> (...)

get some high mileage honda experience, then get back to us. thanks.

jim beam wrote:
> Leftie wrote:
>> Kevin wrote:
>>> My 1992 Honda Accord got stolen. I waited a week, then bought a 2001
>>> Honda Civic. They found my car the next day. Now I'm trying to decide
>>> which one to keep and I would like to ask people's opinions on this.
>>>
>>> I think my old Accord is fine, they didn�t damage the car much. They
>>> only stole items in the car and in the trunk, my laptop, iPod, etc.
>>> They damaged the trunk opener, on the lower, front floor, it was
>>> locked, so they destroyed it and pulled the cable to get into the
>>> trunk. The windows are not broken, the igntion is not damaged, tires
>>> and all parts are still there. I think these theives stole the car to
>>> get the laptop and items in the trunk.
>>>
>>> I like my new Civic, but it costs too much. I think I want to keep my
>>> old car and sell the new car. I'm trying to think thru this and make a
>>> decision on which one to keep.
>>>
>>> My Accord has 400,000 miles, but it's working fine, passed smog 6
>>> months ago and I can't see or hear any problems. (other than a dent or
>>> 2)
>>>
>>> Question: I'd like to ask what could be checked in a car with 400,000
>>> miles, to do what we can to make sure the motor is still working fine.
>>> Should I do a compression check, on all cylinders? I'm concerned that
>>> the oil pump may be going out. I�ve had low oil pressure a few times,
>>> then it went away. Can the oil pump be checked? What else, for the
>>> main engine, could be checked? What could go wrong?
>>>
>>> I know 400,000 miles is a lot, but it could last another 100,000 and
>>> it's not a good time to spend all my savings on a car, when I never
>>> know if I could get laid off.
>>>
>>> I�m not so concerned about "accessories" going out (power steering,
>>> alternator, etc) because they can be replaced at reasonable cost.
>>>
>>> What would be your advice on what I should have a mechanic check to
>>> ensure the motor is currently working normally and hopefully would
>>> continue to purr.
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> Kevin
>>
>>
>> 400k miles is the most you can reasonably expect without major
>> systems failures. In fact, it's nearly double what you should
>> reasonably have expected.
>
> are you familiar with high mileage hondas at all? [rhetorical]


Rhetorical or not, I have some knowledge of high mileage vehicles
- Volvos, Toyotas, and I kept a Civic Si for 23 years. It only had 146k
on it when I sold it, but age matters as much as mileage. Unfortunately,
this guy's Accord is both extremely high mileage *and* old. A few
vehicles do get past the half-million mark, but very few of them are on
the original internals. Fewer still have the original accessory drives.
His odds of getting another 100k miles without a major overhaul are
about the same as they are of winning a brand new car by entering a few
drawings.


(...)

In article <t6WdnVkTkIeRG5jXnZ2dnUVZ_jadnZ2d@speakeasy.net> ,
jim beam <me@privacy.net> wrote:

> how much do you like fixing stuff yourself? hondas are designed to be
> easily maintainable and require very few special tools.

Although I do have to say, it seems that with Honda, if the part costs
60 cents, it takes 6 hours to do the work. If you can do the work in 10
minutes, the part costs $600.

Or have I just had bad luck?



> as for the engine, if it works ok, doesn't burn too much oil and passes
> smog, it'll probably keep on running. honda engines are incredibly well
> designed and work excellently

Honda 4 cylinder auto engines are absolute jewels. Hook it to a manual
tranny and have a car that'll run until you die.

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article <t6WdnVkTkIeRG5jXnZ2dnUVZ_jadnZ2d@speakeasy.net> ,
> jim beam <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>> how much do you like fixing stuff yourself? hondas are designed to be
>> easily maintainable and require very few special tools.
>
> Although I do have to say, it seems that with Honda, if the part costs
> 60 cents, it takes 6 hours to do the work. If you can do the work in 10
> minutes, the part costs $600.
>
> Or have I just had bad luck?

i think you're just still pissed about your cabin filter. what they
don't need, unless you have a vtec head, is any special tools for the
engine except the pulley holder. that's most unusual. same for a lot
of the suspension/transmission stuff. you need some know-how, but
that's not the same thing.


>
>
>
>> as for the engine, if it works ok, doesn't burn too much oil and passes
>> smog, it'll probably keep on running. honda engines are incredibly well
>> designed and work excellently
>
> Honda 4 cylinder auto engines are absolute jewels. Hook it to a manual
> tranny and have a car that'll run until you die.

the auto transmissions on the older hondas aren't too bad either.