Great choice. The 4-cylinders are a little low on power, but are EXTREMELY reliable. I've got a 96 Accord with 207k miles and the engine has never had a problem and still runs just as good as it did when I bought the car with 45k miles. I'd get in the car tonight and drive it across country. The transmission did have to be replaced at 205k miles, but I feel that is a good run for an automatic transmission. Engine wise, it has only needed a starter (original went 180k), front motor mount, radiator at about 120k and an O2 sensor at about 140k miles. That's it outside of basic maintenance items. Original AC can still freeze me out of the car. As far as common problems, really nothing major. Heat shields get loose and cause a vibration at around 2k rpms, power door locks usually become inoperative in rear doors and 'buzz' when you press the lock button, power window regulators can give you fits (only the driver's side has given me problems in my car. The other 3 windows are slow, but still work fine) B/mid-pipes rust out, vehicle speed sensors are common and the MFR (Main Fuel Relay) is sometimes problematic in older Hondas. I believe there was a recall for the ignition switches in 97s and all Hondas from 95-97 are under a 14 year/150k miles extended emissions warranty which covers any emissions related item (vehicle speed sensor included) along with O2 sensors and many other items. My car hasn't yet had any issues with the MFR or VSS. Good luck with the search, there are PLENTY of them out there, so find a clean one with a good service history. Make sure the timing belt has been changed and change it along with the water pump, balance shaft belt and oil seal every 90,000 miles. The engines in these cars CAN go 300,000+ miles without ever breaking down when basic maintenance is followed. I still see many 90-93 Accords (which are mechanically similar) on the road everyday, so the 5th gens will be around a while.