first of all, id like to say hi. my name's mark, im 19 and i've never owned a honda before. there is an older (in her 50's) woman i work with selling a 1990 accord 5 spd for $1000 obo. the air doesnt work and she just wants a new car. she is the original owner and it has just 78k miles. she is also willing to let me pay her over the course of a few months. it is maroon in color with tan interior that is nearly perfect. the paint is shot on the roof and has some minor dings. she also said that the emissions light came on and its idling kind of high now. she is going to have it checked out before she does anthing with it.


should i buy it? thanks

 

YEAH! i love my honda what is it ex dx or lx? i have a 1990 ex and i love it. good cars

 

im not sure what trim it is. dont think its dx because it has power windows/locks but im not sure if its lx or ex

 

Sounds like a good deal, along as it passes smog. If it has a moon-roof,
and factory alloys its a EX, no moon-roof its a LX. One of the more
common problems that might cause the engine light is clogged
EGR ports, which can be cleaned out by a tech who know what
Their doing.

 

Welcome Mark. Yes, that is a good deal, my 91 has almost three times the amount of miles than the one you are looking at, but she still runs nice. It is a very good car for the money. I hope everything turns out okay with smog and everything because I think you will be pleased.

 

im in florida so there are no state inspections etc. shes buying an 05 accord and wants to get rid of this one so i hope it works out. any advice?

 

i love my 92 lx she has almost 119,000mi..with 78,000 miles, if she hasnt maintained it u are looking at some pricey upfront maintenance of original parts, dry rot, carbon build up.. if the tranny is fine, the engine doesnt leak or blow oil, valves can still be adjusted..check the plugs they will tell u whats up with the engine.. the head gasket ok, cooling system doesnt leak/clogged, axles, brakes, exhaust ok .. its an easy car to work on yourself.. see if she has ever replaced the distributor and when the timing belt was done.. on the ac, cheaper to convert it over to r134...check engine light/high idle could be something simple like the 02 sensor, carbon build up...clogged intake/throttle body, dirty iac valve, clogged egr ports, clogged pcv valve, slipping clutch, dirty air filter.. check the dog legs for some serious rust, pull the bumper back alittle, 1 to 2 clips hold it on, just pop them and look. also the wheel well area, behind the dog legs nasty rust hiding there too.. check in the trunk pull the liners back look down the sides, bondo wont fix this..it will need to be cut out.. the roof is clear coat failure it will need to be repainted.

 

based on just the way the interior looks and knowing this woman's character leads me to believe its been taken care of. i will check it out but for $1000 if it runs and drives smooth as she says i think its worth it.

 

78K is nothing. You can reach 178K and even 278K if its maintained.

Its a good buy, dont let the age fool you.

 

i bought my 96 Accord EX with 151K miles. Runs like a champ and i know have 171k on it, runs like the day i got it. I love it, depite my American Car up bringing, i'm planning on buying a new Honda as soon as i finish college, if that EVER happens. Just be sure to maintian it! Sounds like it's in good shape and 78k is nothing, you can get several years out of that.