Faults:

Dome light's out.

Valve cover gasket leak & alignment fixed at 124,000.

Windows fog up easily, even with defrost on. Annoying but still livable.

Body's a bit dented up. Was originally owned by a grandma who handed it down to her granddaughter who learned how to drive in it, and needless to say, she had a little too much fun learning how to drive in it. Battle scars from good stories, I guess.

General Comments:

I'm going to start the review off with this:

This car is your best friend. There is nothing it can't do. It could compete in every sport in the Olympic Games and beat everyone. It could stop a bullet in-between its fingers and flick it back at the gunman. The person behind the 5th gen Accord should get a lifelong raise and an endless supply of Buffalo Wings.

You straight up don't get genuinely amazing cars like this anymore. Unfortunately, every single automaker in recent times have jumped on the planned obsolescence bandwagon, which compromises the impressive longevity, reliability, and character in which this car possesses. It's caught in this perfect crossfire where automotive history was changing, yet cars were still simple enough to emphasize the basics that a driver actually needs.

The interior especially shows this. You get this uniquely 90's smorgasbord of everything getting more technical, user-friendly, and curvaceous; but also spartan, simplistic, and non-complicated. The seats are firm but comfortable. It's a lot more spacious than it looks; a perfect vehicle for a high school senior/college student joyriding around town with a group of friends, or a man taking his wife and kids out to dinner. Everything feels like deep thought and care went into it; like it was built with quality components.

The engine's a 4-cylinder, what can I say. It's not going to be fast. However, the car is incredibly easy and fun to drive, and handles exceptionally well. Never have I thought that I'd have as much smile-bearing fun driving this Accord as I have. And there is no land it refuses to tread. I live in Seattle, Washington, and the car suits it perfectly.

The MPG is fantastic for a 26 year old car. 27 city, 31 highway.

Nothing will ever come close to my 1989 Jeep Cherokee (R.I.P.) in terms of vehicular experience. But this Honda is easily the best car I've bought in terms of reliability. Originally bought it for my girlfriend to drive when she moved up here from Kansas, but I've been driving it a lot since the death of my Jeep.

90's Hondas are magical.

Faults:

Some leakage at valve seal and power steering. ABS warning light.

General Comments:

Very very fun car to drive and easy to maintain. Performance parts are easy to get and not too overpriced. DOHC VTEC is superb. Better than a lot of modern sports cars! Handling is good and comfort is there too! No doubt it's quite an old car by now, but I never regret getting it :)

Faults:

Erratic cold idle, FITV requires adjustment.

Rear passenger suspension clunks.

Minor HVAC control issues.

SRS light on.

Glovebox fell to the floor, easy fix.

Air filter housing screws excessively rusted, not really a serious issue.

A/C leak, dead A/C compressor not long after (partly why I sold the car, disclosing the A/C issue).

A/C engine bay fan inoperative, turns out it was simply unplugged at some point.

Rust at many corners of the car, windshield, drivers door, rear wheel wells. Further inspection shows quite a lot of bondo work had been done.

Very low quality touch up paint had been used, just get it wet and it'd come off. It had mainly been used on rust in the back, and the miscolored front bumper (maybe 90% of old Camrys and Accords are like this from previous accidents).

Prop rod was no longer "hinged" correctly, weirdly I could not locate its original hole to reattach it. Almost looks like metal had been chiseled out to better get at the headlight bulbs (normally requires one to remove the front end).

Motorized antennae had fallen off; oddly the motor itself still worked fine.

Weather trim was flaking badly everywhere.

Previous owner had to replace the ECU and the exhaust due to rust.

First owners had to replace the transmission at 98k.

General Comments:

Looks good and it drove well despite the age, consistently got 30 MPG.

Oddly the transmission was fairly smooth for me, only when the car was cold around town would it shift rough.

Despite newer tires, going up hills in rain would cause the front wheels to slip out.

The FITV is easy work on fourth gen Accords, on the fifth... just get a later one with OBD II, those do not use a FITV valve.

Compared to the popular fourth gen Accord, the fifth rides better, feels far more solid, and shifts better on the automatic. Turning radius isn't a cruel joke either.

These are decent cars for some, you just need to look out for rust. I've had a 92 Accord and this 94, both had unacceptable rust in the rear wheel wells.

The interior materials are pretty good, I welcome the dash material matching headliner that will never sag. Though the HVAC knobs are made of very thin plastic.

Some parts could be easier to work on, the brakes are well known for being a challenge. Headlight bulbs require one to remove the front end, rear motor mount is a chore, the timing belt requires a great deal of patience (and this is an interference engine).

The short trunk is an awkward shape, sometimes it can be stubborn to lift.

The low stance of the car makes it difficult for taller people to work on.