2nd Jul 2010, 19:05
If you look through the pages of carsurvey.org, cars.com, home.autos.msn.com, edmunds.com and all the others out there that have owner reviews, you will find EVERY car has issues. No car is above transmission problems, electrical problems, or any other failure of a part that can and will break. What you have to do is to get a car that was well-maintained (have a mechanic inspect it) and then continue to maintain it as best you can. Changing the oil and other fluids regularly goes a very long way in keeping engines and transmissions healthy.
"Do yourself a favor and find yourself a mid-90's Honda or Toyota."
As a mechanic you should be aware that Honda Accords (and all others on the same chassis like the Honda Odyssey, Acura CL, and Acura TL) suffer from severe transmission failures between the model years of 1998-2002. The earlier models from years 1994-1997 also suffer their fair share of transmission failures as well. There goes your theory of the previous person doing themselves a favour and obtaining one. I know of these issues because I have 6 coworkers with vehicles on this chassis (5 Accords and 1 Odyssey), and 4 of the 6 have had transmission troubles. Of these 4, one is hiccuping as I write this, 3 have had complete failures, requiring one rebuild, one replacement, and one conversion to manual. The unbreakable myth about Hondas (and as we have recently seen, Toyotas) is nothing more than hype and a myth.
5th Jan 2010, 17:10
DON'T BUY A PT CRUISER!! I've seen a ton of these broken down on the side of the road, and I've had plenty in my shop. Do yourself a favor and find yourself a mid-90's Honda or Toyota. If you can find one in decent shape with no more than 150,000 miles already on it, buy it and quick! Just remember to keep up with the maintenance on it (oil changes every 3,000 miles, transmission fluid changes every 30,000 miles, and, most importantly, timing belt changes every 60,000 miles.) Do this, and you can't go wrong.
I've owned 90's Honda's myself (no Toyota's, however, they are good as well) I've never had a Honda break down on me, and all of my Honda's have made over 250,000 miles. The most I ever got on a Honda was 500,000 miles before I sold it in perfect running condition! May I also add that the biggest repair I've ever had done to a Honda was the replacement of a muffler after I bottomed out on a speedbump, not even the car's fault. I know what it's like to be low on cash, I'm not doing so great myself right now, but having a reliable, well-built Honda or 'Yota in the driveway can give you one less thing to worry about: Your car.