Hey everyone. I'm shopping for a used Accord right now, and I found one but, well, let me descibe it first. 1996 Accord ex 2 door 5-spd with 150k on it. Except the guy who's selling it (one of these mechanics/dealer types) says he "put in" a new engine and so it effectively has 0 miles on it. He says its a v-tech that's the same as what the stock would've had. So first of all, why would he do such a thing? Aren't these cars supposed to go forever? And I could tell that it wasn't in any kind of wreck that would've broken the engine. I mean, why would he do all this work on a car which he's now selling for 6k. Also, is doing this kind of job a relatively safe thing? In other words, do I have to worry about him screwing up the install? He's a capable mechanic, no honda expert though. Anyway, kinda long question, any and all input is appreciated. Thanks a lot!

 

so did u purchase it already? maybe the engine like hrdrolocked or something so it needed a new engine, maybe its a "rebuilt" engine from the factory.

 

It's always had to tell if a new motor has been put into a car or not, if it was done correctly.

I would just make sure the seller seems like a reputable guy, get it checked out mechanically and then you should be good to go

 

well if he is a reputable guy and knows how to install and engine then i would say its safe to go with the car.

IF he installed the same engine then its pretty much plug and play with the ECU.

 

how about u run a carfax n the vin #. a car can look and feel new for a while. a 96 accord n good condition and with a new engine, u better double the price. my 96 accord has 75kmiles and i get over 6k for it anytime. some ppl run back the engine or whatever and bring the miles to zero. also transmission and cluth are some other things that need to b replace soon or later, all depends how the person drive and maintain the car. btw make sure all vin # are correct/same if diff then u need proof that engine is urs etc.... a friend got a civic good price low miles but had stolen engine, found out when he went to register the car and was too late the guy was gone with the cash.

 

Thanks for your help guys. I have not yet bought the car, but I have found out a bit more. The engine was not replaced, just rebuilt. Haven't gotten the complete list of what was done yet (gonna go out monday to have it checked out by my own trusted mechanic and then if its all good then i'll buy it) but I know it has at least a timing belt and some kind of rings and a "bunch of other stuff". So i guess this is okay, not really sure why the engine needed all of this work all at once. Maybe the owner neglected it for the first 150k miles? Checked carfax, its clear. I started the engine, revved it up a bit, won't get to drive it til tomorrow, but everything sounded okay (I love the way the v-tech sounds through the rpm range). Thanks again guys. Oh, and one more thing. This mechanic is about 2 miles from my house, so I feel pretty comfortable trusting in his work cause I can always go back and complain to him or whatever. The main way they advertise is word of mouth, so I think they will value their work a lot.

 

Lack of oil would cause the engine to sieze and require a rebuild, but this is just one of many reasons which would force an engine rebuild. You're correct in thinking someone wouldn't just do this because they thought it needed it. It is a very time and labor intensive process. People only do this because they are forced to. That doesn't mean the engine is bad, but it would only be good if they did it right.