Honda Car Forum

Hello Everyone,

I am planning to purchase a 1995 Honda Accord EX (Sedan, 4 Door). Here
are the CarFax Details:

Year/Make/Model: 1995 HONDA ACCORD EX

Body Style: SEDAN 4 DR
Engine: 2.2L L4 SOHC PFI 16V
Fuel: GASOLINE
Driveline: FRONT WHEEL DRIVE
Safety Equipment: 4 wheel ABS, Dual front air bags/active (manual)
belts
Standard Equipment: Power Windows, Power Steering, Air Conditioning, AM
/ FM Cassette, Power Brakes, Power sun / moon roof, Tilt Wheel, 6-digit
Odometer


Now I am a car novice (this is my first car) and do not know much about
the internals. I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on how the
above car with 147,000 miles on it could drive (till how many miles do
Hondas drive reliably anyway?).

Also the CarFax history has two items that caught my eyes:

1 ) First owner Registered as corporate lease vehicle.
2 ) Offered for sale at dealership.

I dont really know what corporate leasing is all about. If anyone could
tell me if it's bad for a vehicle to be on a corporate fleet? and how
about it being on a dealership?

Thanks,
Hemant

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).

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.

<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

On a 1995? www.hondaautomotiveparts.com says it's a belt,
from my reading.

snip otherwise good stuff.

To the OP: If you need pricing guidance, www.edmunds.com
offers good info for used cars.

Nope, it's a chain now. the 2.4 is state of the art.

I meant yes, your right, the new 2.4 engine is very advanced with the
chain.

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.
>