My dad owns the same '98 Accord and my wife drives a '98 Civic. Both are very reliable cars since it sounds like that's all you want. Just keep in mind that everyone here modifies their car in some way, which is why everyone suggests a manual. I really think that even if you don't get into turbos and other horsepower gains, manuals are so much more fun to drive (a little better gas mileage, too). But if you're set on an automatic than that's what you should get. Don't listen to anyone else (even your mom, respectfully) telling you you need to get this or that. It's your first car and you'll be driving it the most. My wife's car already has 165k and it's still running strong. I'm sure the transmission will clunk out at some point, but the way these things are built, I'm confident it still has a long life ahead of it. Aside from the igition coil that I just replaced, I haven't had to work on it in a long time except for oil changes.

If you can find a private seller you will no doubt get a better deal. Although, when I bought my last car I even stopped by a local used car lot that I had bought from before and was satisfied enough to go back their again. Then there's absolutely horrible places like the one place where I asked if I could look inside the car and was asked how I would like to pay for it. They wouldn't even let me open the door, much less hear it run, without me paying for the piece of junk ($2500 for a '95 Del Sol, I can only imagine the laundry list of problems it had). So there's good places and bad places, be careful and bring someone who can talk "cars" with the dealer if that's the way you go.

Also, as mentioned above, both cars are right around the mark for timing belt replacement. That'll usually run a few hundred I believe, unless you do it yourself. Unless the dealer can provide proof that the previous owner did it recently, I'd definitely have that replaced ASAP. If that belt snaps your engine will immediately be ruined. Make sure you can factor this into the cost, plus a little extra for routine maintenance. Change the oil and filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, cap and rotor, PCV valve, fuel filter, flush the radiator and all the other things that should have been done by the previous owner. This way you'll be starting on a clean slate and won't have to guess how old everything is.

Good luck on your purchase. Buying cars is fun.