black94ex

Hi, I am thinking about buying a 94 Accord EX coupe. I'm not very familiar with Honda's as far as what to look for when test driving or generally looking the car over and asking the owner questions. I test drove the car last night and I was really impressed. I have a 96 Monte Carlo that I am selling, and I was very surprised at the amount of power the Honda VTEC engine puts out. The transmission felt smooth, although it has been awhile since I have driven a 5 speed, so it will probably be better once I get back in the swing of a manual. The owners didn't know very much about the car because it was given to/purchased by them from the lady's brother, but they never drove it and so now they are selling it. This makes me a little nervous because they don't really know very much about the maintenance or recent servicing the car has had. It starts right up and idles great. It does have a slow oil leak at the oil pan gasket. I don't think that would be a huge project to fix that, though. On my Monte Carlo, it was easy because the oil pan was right on the bottom of the engine, although it is probably different on Accords. Anyways, if anyone has any suggestions as to what I should be asking or looking for, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Kurtis

Intrepid241

First of all...welcome to HAN! Next it's always good to have a trusted mechanic check out any car before you buy it. That being said...Accords are very durable and in all likelyhood it's in decent mechanical shape. You could also try a Carfax report just to be safe. I'm also glad that you've come over from the Dark Side (GM) and into the light...if you get the Honda you'll love it.

strykernyc

welcome

that car u getting has power and especially compare to my auto.
true what intrepid said, try to find out if all regular maintenance are done, one important is the timing belts water pump etc... because i think those are the ones that cost money to do. if u do get it make sure u do a tune up asap so u are over that and trouble free.

TenaciousTires

Personally, I'd rather have the Monte Carlo, but that's just me. Much larger, smoother, comfortable car...so long as it doesn't have the DOHC 3.4 V6 (very problematic) the other engines were bulletproof. Good luck with the Accord, won't be as quiet as the M.C., but you'll likely get better fuel mpg in the city and being a 5th gen, should be dead reliable. Depending on the mileage (around 90-100,000 miles) I'd have the timing belt service done (replace timing belt, balance shaft belt, water pump, etc.) and maybe a new set of spark plugs/wires and distributor cap and rotor if previous maint. history is a mystery. Check the cv boots, make sure that they aren't cracked or split open.