Some of the early 6th generation accords had some transmission problems was alot better on the late models like 01 and 02. It all depends on how you drive it and how you take care of it. Nobody I know whithin my friends circle had problem with 6th generation.

I used to have a 99 accord V6 but was totaled, front tire blew at 90 Mph and hit the pavement in the construction zone, believe me it was not pretty. It circled twice and flipped 3 times before it stopped and I only had some minor scratches, nothing broken except my laptop, the 5 star crach rating is right I guess. Now I have an 03 EX-V6 cause Iam in love with the Accords after that.

Another friend of mine got a 96 Accord with 235K miles and everything still works great. He replaced the radiator once but the Engine and transmission is in good shape so far.

Anyways If you are going to drive it for a little while but not for like 6 or 7 years I say go for a V6. It ride very smooth and good performance. Take good care of it and it will never give you trouble. If buying from a big reputable dealer you dont have to worry about miles and title but check for major accidents just in case from Carfax. 98 with 40k mile is awsome and you have the powertrain warranty upto 100K so you shouldnt worry about transmission as long as you do the maintainence on time.

Goodluck.