i bought my 94 accord ex with 100k miles on it, assuming the timing belt was done.

it wasn't.

at 175k, a few teeth on the t-belt ripped and sent the timing to hell. i was able to drive it most of the way home (5-6 miles) with it running like a brand new geo metro...but the timing kept getting worse as the teeth kept breaking, and it died at the bottom of my driveway.

new t-belt & water pump and i was good to go. no damage whatsoever.

 

first off, i said i didnt mean it to sound like i was hating. Ok, i see that it came off that way and im sorry. But really, its not about keeping 500 dollars around in case a timing belt breaks. Its about reading the damn manual and seeing what the engineer who built the machine says about replacing components. If they say 90k, you can bet theres a good reason for it, interference engine or not. Are you telling me that when you buy a car you dont plan to have to put money into it to keep it running? Its not about emergencies, its about planning. If the manual says replace the belt at 90k and you are at 80, you ought to know that in a year or so you'll need to replace the belt. Is a year not enough lead time for ya??

Not to mention that it would be helpful to maintain a car if you intend to sell it one day. If i saw that the belts had never been replaced, I would wonder an awful lot about the condition of the rest of the car and would most definitely walk away from the sale without a second thought.