1994 Honda Accord EX 2.3L Vtetch I-4 DOHC from North America

Summary:

Solid, Super Reliable car with a sporty edge

Faults:

Timing Belt wore out around 300,000.

Dash Board starting to crack.

Regular engine work, because of the high mileage.

Transmission Jerky; just age I think.

General Comments:

Extremely impressive reliability- only minor. problems.

Comfortable ride.

Great for cruising on the highway at 75MPH.

Very Comfy for long distances.

Great simple style that doesn't get outdated with age.

Engine gives great power and gas mileage. Its smooth, but rev hungry - it will happily go to 6000rpm without complaint or problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th June, 2006

26th Jun 2006, 21:34

Wow!!! 520,000 miles or kilos? I would not doubt miles. The people working in my Honda service department get these kinds of cars in that are owned by traveling sales people all the time. Preludes, Accords, Civics, etc. My Accord just hit 234,000 miles.

1994 Honda Accord LX 2.2 litre, non-VTEC from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The only model car I've ever bought twice

Faults:

The battery died.

The automatic gearbox "grade-logic" control feature doesn't seem to work, but it doesn't really have any effect.

Two stereo speakers (both on the right hand side) didn't work and needed changing.

It's had a smoker in it.

General Comments:

I bought this car about a month ago as I needed a largish, cheap car that was reliable and had air conditioning, electric windows etc. The recent arrival of a baby meant our previous car (BMW 3 series) was just too small and having had an Accord a few years ago it was an easy decision to make. Our earlier Accord was a used Japanese import with 2.2 VTEC engine. This current car is a high mileage 2.2, non-VTEC, NZ new car and to be honest it’s only slightly slower than I recollect the VTEC car being. The gearing is a bit lower, but all the good features we loved about the other car still remain in this one.

It has heaps of room, goes well and is nice to drive. After 198,000 km it still feels as tight as a drum and the high build quality is quite apparent. It’s been well serviced all its life and that and the fact that much of its use was seemingly open road running mitigates the high mileage.

Despite living near the coast for many years there is no rust anywhere and the paint still shines beautifully.

I got 28 mpg from the first tank and expect that to improve after a service. 0-100 kph is around 10 seconds.

The auto gearbox “grade-logic” control doesn’t seem to work but it’s no great loss. On the earlier Accord it did work but didn’t do anything that over riding with the manual control couldn’t do.

I paid very little for this car and consider it to be a real bargain. Its value to me is much greater.

It’s the only model car I’ve ever bought twice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2006

1994 Honda Accord EX VTEC from North America

Summary:

Don't drive over 5 MPH, the tire may come off

Faults:

What hasn't gone wrong with my Honda. The worst thing that happened was the ball joint broke causing the half shaft to break. This caused an accident causing me to hit another car. I had no control over the car. Also, I had a previous Honda which the same thing had happened to me, causing me to almost kill my best friend as we skidded across the highway at 70 mph!!!

I have had to replace the front end of this car 3 times since I had it. Tires only last approx 30,000 miles. New brake pads ever 15,000 miles. Air always needs recharged. I have needed a new radiator, gas lines, brake lines, alternator, starter, 4 batteries (maintence). Fuel pump, water pump, master cylinder, clutch, clutch cylinder needs brake fluid added every 500 miles or the clutch will stay on the floor. My interior is falling apart. The headliner has gotten banged up just with little things hitting it.

I have also needed to do body work to my honda. Both rear wheel wells have needed rust cut out of them, bondo put in and repainted. I needed to replace my drivers side fender as the tire of the car flew up and dented the fender when the half shaft broke. Because I hit another car, not due to my driving ability, but due to the front end breaking on the car, I also needed to replace my hood, passenger door and passenger fender.

I do keep up with maintenance. I follow the schedule in the owners manual and always have my oil changed every 3,000 faithfully. I do not run my car hard, my car never has seen over 70mph.

General Comments:

I have always liked the style of the car, and it gets good gas mileage. I have had problems with it stalling and it has left me stranded on the side of the road. Once it left me in the middle of the intersection, stalled as usual, and a policeman had to help push me out of the intersection so that other cars could pass. To date, no mechanic has been able to find out why my car is stalling.

I know that everyone feels that hondas are the greatest cars out there. If my car is the greatest car out there, I am very scared to see what the other car companies are offering. Tin box on bicycle wheels?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th May, 2006

19th May 2006, 05:02

That really is quote frightening... it is possible that you just bought a lemon, however considering the problem has recurred on two different vehicles, It would almost seem like an endemic manufacturing defect, and one which should at least be investigated by Honda. True the car is now going on 12 years old, however Honda should ensure that the general public are at least made aware of such dangers, just as they were with the Ford Explorer and Hyundai Excel issues.

My mother had a 1980's vintage Accord, which was a rather good vehicle, however it consistantly developed coolant leaks, and the accelerator had a very unpleasant and dangerous habit of sticking in.

On that note however, the Accord is not the only vehicle to lose wheels on the road... about 3 or 4 years ago, my father's 1986 Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD had the left rear axle slide out of the diff whislt driving up the driveway... with a trailer full of furniture... had it happenened any later, a serious accident could have resulted due to the wheel departing at highway speeds.

I would be urging Honda to at the very least publicly warn owners that a danger may exist, even if it turns out your car was a lemon... cos there could be more lemons where it came from.

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