exbrick

Hi everyone! Thought I'd drop in since I might be joining the Accord family in the very near future. I've been driving Volvos for years (first one handed down from my parents) and I'm finally fed-up with the maintenance. I can turn a wrench pretty well but I just don't have the time for it anymore. The last month has been brutal so I finally made the decision: dumping the gremlin-ridden beast and buying something better.

After not too much looking I think I've found precisely what I wanted: Black 2002 EX Coupe with a 4-banger and a 5-spd. At 25K, I can't find a single mechanical flaw and the interior is nearly perfect except for some easily repairable blemishes to the black leather. The only thing holding me back is that the PO was careless and allowed a fair bit of pine sap to dry on the hood and trunk lid. I'm trying to negotiate with the dealer to have it repaired properly (basically sanding it down, re-painting, re-clearing). It's a sad defect to an otherwise really nice car. Can anybody see anything wrong with my proposed course of action with the dealer?

I really hope that this deal goes through the way I want it to. If so, I see this car as being a whole lot better than what I'm used to! For me, it's the perfect blend of practicality and sportiness.

CN: Volvo bad, Honda good, paint not great, still want to buy, dried pine sap sucks.

Tim

wedley2

not so sure about the paint thing but make sure you get a stick...honda autos are kinda of a nightmare.

strykernyc

^ thrue that. also make sure u run a carfax on it and look for different color paint everywhere inside and out of the car. U never know and especially coming out of the dealer. have the car park in the sun light and look at the paint carefully,too dark too light diff spot etc...

exbrick

Thanks for the advice. I was originally going to look at V6 coupes, too (though I really like driving manual better) but after I read some posts on this forum I changed my mind. I also drove one with about 80k on the clock and that transmission just felt wrong. Not nearly as smooth as a good auto should be. It's a shame to have that bolted to such a nice engine. Even with the jerkiness I was up to 80 before I knew what was going on! I'd go for new V6MT coupe but that's waaaaay out of my price range. (The asking price on this one is about $15,700). I honestly like the look of the '02 better, anyway. I did crawl around for a while looking at basically evertything. Even the spare tire, which had been used...I should double-check those rims.

exbrick

Done deal! I got the price down to something very reasonable and I'm going to sign paperwork after work. Wohoo! This is my first time buying a car entirely on my own so I'm pretty psyched. I should have it early next week after they take care of the leather reconditioning and the paint repair.

e3NiNe

:wavey: welcome to the board, enjoy your stay.

BONE

Welcome man, what are your plans for the car.

exbrick

Thanks!

Nothing too serious is planned. First thing is to see how she looks when I take delivery next Monday and detail the finish to my own satisfaction. There are some light scratches and swirl marks that they may or may not get, but I probably can. I give the stock audio system about a 1 in 10 chance of lasting more than three months in my hands. The upgrade will probably be an Alpine HU with the XM add-on tuner. Speakers will come later. In a year or so I'll probably get some nicer wheels w/summer tires and mount some blizzaks on the stockers. (New England winters suck.) I think that much will make it perfect. No body kits, no stickers, no chrome, no loud exhaust, no neon for this car. Just not my style.

Oh, and I definitely have to hard-wire my Valentine 1 the minute I get the car. I don't drive like a nut but it pays to have my little friend keeping watch.