Faults:

Sticky gas pedal.

Poor gas mileage.

Suspension noises.

General Comments:

Wanted to share information about a 99 Honda Accord I bought about 7 months ago...

I noticed that the local Honda dealership was selling cars for 50% off blue book... they sold two at time every Friday in the weekend local paper... I wanted to get a Honda because I had them before..

The Friday ad had a nice looking Honda Civic.. it was a '98 Civic EX model, but when I got to the dealership about 10:00am, it was already sold...

I looked over the ads every Friday until another Honda was being sold for 50% off... about 4 weeks later a 99 Honda Accord was being offered for 2750.00 with the 50% off ad... this time I went in there about 8:00am on Friday morning...

I was wandering the parking lot looking for the car they advertised, but couldn't find it... As the salesmen wandered in... I started to talking to one that was coming in.. and asked if he was a salesman, and he said yes... I showed him the ad, and he stated he never saw this car... I asked him where it could be, and he stated he didn't know... I asked him if he could help me find it... you could see he was not happy about helping me find a car that they were selling for 2750.00... but he agreed...

We first roamed the sales lot... but no luck.. Then we asked the porter and he stated it was in the detail shop... we went there and it wasn't there... So asked the attendant where it was, and he said he didn't know where it was...

We check the service section, and they stated it was over at the body shop getting repairs... so we went to the body shop and there it was.. beige/with beige interior...

When we entered the shop, there were two men there smoking cigarettes and sitting staring at the car.. We asked them what were they were doing to it, and they said they were touching up the paint... I asked them if I could look it over, and they stated it was OK...

The interior was very dirty, but I could see it had no rips or tears... the exterior needed a good wash and wax... the engine compartment needed a good steam cleaning... I asked them when it would be done, and they said about two hours... I asked them if it could be done a little sooner, and they stated maybe after their break was over (not sure why they were on break at 8:30 in the morning... but that's the labor force in this country)... so we went back to the dealership to wait..

At the dealership, the salesmen tried to interest me in a more expensive Honda... I tried to humor him as we waited for the bodyshop to put some touch up paint on the car, and we looked at other Hondas on the lot, ranging from 6900.00 to 15,900...

I was a little worried this was some type of bait and switch with 50% twist... but we got the call that the Honda was ready for pick up...

We got there, and the workers were sitting on the same chairs that they were sitting on about 1 1/2 hours earlier... the Honda had their touch up paint on it, and it looked worse than before because the touch up paint didn't match...

The salesman and I jumped in it and took off... About half way down the street I asked him if could drive it... he said yes, and we switched places... I noticed that they put new tires on it and a new windshield... Also that it had 200,000 miles on it... So I could see why it was so cheap..

I told him to hold on... I floored it and it had a little pick up.. Also it had no hesitation or coughs or crazy noises... then I slammed on the brakes and they braked straight with very little drama...

We went back to the dealership to close the deal... the finance guy tried to sell extended warranties, alarms, and special coating, which I politely declined.. the total out the price was about 3300.00 with tax/lic/smog/paperwork fees/and other funny fees that help the rich and poor in this country...

When I got it home.. I spent 2 days cleaning the interior/exterior of the car... the interior was very dirty.. using simple green and a small amount of comet cleaner.. I got most of the dirt off, but the comet was rubbed out some of the color off the steering wheel...

The car has been very good to me since I bought it.. but time will tell if it is a keeper.. the pros and cons are as follows:

Pros:

Nice durable fabric that cleans up nicely with a carpet cleaner.

Nice plastics that also clean up very well (except where I was a little too forceful with the comet cleaner).

Exterior that my cleaner wax (#1 rated turtle wax) cleaned up nicely.

Good fit and finish, even with 200,000 plus.

Smooth engine and trans.

Smooth ride.

Low wind noise except around side mirrors.

Cons:

Bad gas mileage (about 21 overall).

Some suspension noises making hard turns in corners.

Paint that easily scratches.

Body that easily dents.

Front headlights that easily fade (using my turtle wax and a buffer are good for about two months before they fade again)

Sticky gas pedal.

Faults:

Driver door windows sticks during cold conditions, even when car is warmed (window regulator, wearing out).

Door handles chrome tape is peeling.

Fuel regulator malfunction at 110,000 miles (rare fluke).

General Comments:

Overall, I found this car to lack the power I want or need. The car seems to be comfortable for folks around 5'11", however my wife seems to think the opposite (5'1").

Car noise is excessive, but the ride is smooth.

Parking brake doesn't seem to hold the car without leaving it in gear.

My favorite feature is the sun roof.

Gas mileage is "OK", but this car for me has been terrible to drive in the snow, but adequate in the rain.

Overall, not a bad car, but lacks the necessities I demand in a car. Honda CR-V seems to be a better fit.