1992 Honda Accord LX 2.2 from North America
Summary:
Over priced and over stated
Faults:
It is perhaps easier to list what has gone right with this car than what has gone wrong, but here is a list of repairs as of this morning:
Front springs and shocks (both springs were actually broken)
Lower ball joints completely worn.
Air booster valve replaced.
Coolant temperature sensor.
Radiator and thermostat replaced.
Battery and starter.
Front rotors replaced twice within a year - perhaps cheap parts.
Air conditioning recharged twice and dryer replaced; now the condenser is leaking and R12 is not cheap these days.
Front exhaust pipe replaced as well as the muffler.
Power antennae motor stripped.
Windshield cracked due to rust and was replaced with no assistance from Honda.
The biggest repair was the replacement of the entire distributor assembly and igniter.
Despite regular maintenance such as oil changes every 5000km, plugs and wires, fuel filter, timing belt replacements and valve adjustments, the car still has a rough idle. The dealer has told me that it is within spec but it is worse in cold weather and only seems to be getting worse over time.
General Comments:
This car has been a tragedy. I bought it used so the previous history is unknown. However during the four years I owned it, the car has been cared for exceptionally well, but Honda's reputation far exceeds my experience. I plan to drive it through the next winter and ditch it before the weather warms up again because the air conditoning certainly won't work, the timing belt needs to be replaced again and the clutch is almost gone.
Car for sale!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 20th June, 2001
1st Mar 2002, 00:57
I definitely agree that the car can just start to fall apart on you... BUT, it definitely depends on how it's been driven by other previous owners. If you tend to ride the car too hard, you will surely end up with a cracked or broken something. I own a Honda Accord LX (4dr) 1992. It has 91,000 miles on it, I got it when it had 44,000 on it. The car is not meant for racing of any sort. Unless you had the engine completely modified.. It doesn't really matter how good you've been to your car by getting like new filters/oil changes and whatever... It depends on how you drive it day to day. You might think you're not hurting your CV joints or anything to do with your motor. Trust me, if you curb check a lot, or hit a lot of pot-holes/speed-bumps & you're thinking, "That's nothing!". Man, in the long run you eventually mess something up. I suggest that for future car shopping.
#1 Don't go to shady used car dealers, they'll make ya or break you! They never tell the truth & they don't care about what you have to go through, all they see is a sale & another day they can afford their car payments.
2nd ALWAYS get a personal mechanic to take a look under the hood and take it for a spin to make sure it's up to par. You might drive it and think it's a great car. But if you have a great mechanic who knows their stuff they can tell you right off what's wrong with the car just by driving it.
Finally, look past all the cool gimics and ground-effects and whatever, and see what the car really is... misdirection ALWAYS gets the people that love X-tras! So be careful next time you wanna buy a Honda. Personally I go straight through a Honda dealer OR if you're patient and if you're lucky, a one/two-owner car that has all its records of maintenace and is perfect. Still have mechanic take a look at it though. Be safe next time you go car shopping.
12th Aug 2001, 23:38
I do regular maintenance on my 1992 Honda Accord. It's got 135,000 miles now and still drives like it only has 50,000 miles. It really depends on how you drove the car when it was first purchased.