1993 Honda Accord EXI 2.2 SOHC 4 cylinder
Summary:
Good reliable motoring, high quality construction
Faults:
ABS reservoir leaks brake fluid.
Motor mounts were worn.
Seat power height adjustment motor brushes were burned.
Passenger power window was weak.
CV joint boot is split and spraying grease.
General Comments:
ABS pump runs when you take off (reach about 10km/h) a bit strange, you get used to it.
Aircon works well and is quite cold.
Handling is fairly good for a front-wheel-drive, but not sure if it's helped much by the ROH Reflex mags on it...
2.2 injected motor is quite peppy on a car this small and light, and it's excellent combined with the 5 speed manual... however the soft engine mounts, and lack of low-end torque means you have to work the gears... gently.
Love the look of the car, and paintwork is really quite good... The car was assembled in Nelson, New Zealand, and they appear to have done an excellent job, the fit and finish is good.
The leather seats are comfortable, but they certainly to catch the sun, the interior is an oven if you leave the windows shut.
Gobs of torque steer if you give the car a bit of accelerator.
The fuel pickup line seems a bit short, as the car won't start if you have less than a quarter tank of petrol and you leave it on a slight sideways angle...
Car runs well, but I suspect the thermostat is stuck-open, since it takes a long time to warm up and only gets around 20mpg... which isn't bad on an island of short trips and hills...
I fixed the power seat height adjustment quite easily by taking apart the seat with normal tools; so much easier to service than quite a few other brands of car.
No cup-holders on this NZ-new model, might have to order some from e-bay in the USA.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th February, 2011
27th Feb 2011, 08:26
You bring back good memories of my 1993 white Honda Accord DX coupe model. One of best cars I have ever owned. It had 194,000 when I gave it to my ex-wife. Felt guilty about being well off with a new wife and her being so badly off. The car was a base model with optional air conditioning. It had an excellent 5 speed trans.
The only thing that went bad was radiator hoses ruptured at 147,000 miles.
The radiator went at 160,000 (replaced thermostat and radiator... after market units... dealer supplied would have been better, but was too expensive... also bought a different type of thermostat... the mechanic said it was a failsafe type thermostat... which will never completely close).
Timing belt went at 174,000. Luckily didn't smash any valves. Replaced timing belt and water pump at the same time.
And last but not least, the front right passenger wheel bearing went. Mechanic said it was hard to take off.
Other than those things.. it was a great car.
Since giving it to her, I moved on to a Hyundai Accent. But my new car is not half the fun of that old Honda Coupe...