Would you buy a 2007 Honda Accord EX 4cl with 193,000 mikes for 6k? Good shape. Well maintained. I am looking at this car for my daughter to drive back and forth to school and work.
Thank you all. I decided not to buy this car based on your advice.
Too many miles.
@mleich Yes, too many miles! Also, “well maintained” is only meaningful if you have access to all the records and the car has been maintained by the book. To most owners it means only oil changes. A Honda Accord needs regular transmission fluid changes, for instance. I’d pass on that one.
+1 to the preceding comments.
On more than one occasion, the veterans of this forum have read about the aftermath of buying a, “well-maintained”, car that essentially self-destructed shortly after purchase. After asking questions of the hapless owner, we found out that the car was considered to be, “well-maintained”, simply because the seller claimed that it was well-maintained, and because it looked decent.
As Docnick mentioned, being able to examine all of the car’s maintenance records and a copy of the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule–side-by-side, and in an unhurried manner–is the only way to evaluate whether a car has indeed been maintained well. And, since some essential maintenance procedures are no longer listed in most mfr’s maintenance schedules (trans fluid changes and valve lash adjustments, for example), going beyond the mfr’s recommended maintenance guidelines is essential if the second or third owner is to avoid major repair bills.
Another important area is the timing belt–if this car has a timing belt.
If it has a timing belt and you cannot verify through hard copies of maintenance records that the belt was already replaced at least once, then the engine is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode in your wallet.
(If it is equipped with a timing belt, it will be due for its second timing belt replacement in ~10,000 miles, so that could explain why somebody is selling it!)
…and, even if this car actually does turn out to be well-maintained, it needs to be inspected prior to purchase by the OP’s own mechanic. This inspection can reveal collision damage that is not apparent to the casual viewer, and can also detect developing problems.
The problem is knowing it was well maintained. How do you really know it was?? How do you know how it was driven?
We gave my wifes 96 Accord with over 240k miles to my niece when she started college. she put another 60k miles on by the time she graduated and last I knew it was still going strong.
They are very reliable vehicles, but a vehicle with that many miles is an unknown risk I’m not willing to bet $6k on.
Too much money for too many miles and the short phrase “well maintained” is quite often a subjective opinion that may or may not be true.
I wouldn’t pay more than $2000 for it, after an independent mechanic looks it over and says there’s no serious problems.
Then I’d have another $1500 on hand to get it “freshened” from stem to stern.
Unfortunately, there’s no way in hell the owners is going to sell if for $2000
I’m sure his reasoning is that any 6 year old car is worth more than $2000
Folks here may think $6,000 is too high, but that right on the money for a ‘private party’ price for that car, according to Edmunds. Dealer is about $7k, trade in about $5k.
+1 for @texases.
The mileage is too high. This is another example of inflated pricing for Hondas. I suggest that you look for a less popular car, like a Chevy Cobalt. We have 2, and they are reliable, sanely priced cars. BTW, my daily driver is a 2005 Accord EX V6. It’s a wonderful car and exceptionally reliable. And I bought it new.
IMHO, the greater the mileage, the more neutral all cars are. This length of time with less then stella maintenance makes potentially less reliable cars with lower mileage, better buys. I agree with JT. At 193k, you could be paying extra for a name and not the car.
“stella”
Is that how you Mainers pronounce it?
Accords are prone to auto transmission failures, so finding a history of transmission fluid changes would be a big help in terms of evidence. “Well maintained” is pretty useless info. If the OP can’t actually see previous service records, invoices, or some other documentation; then the “well maintained” claim is virtually worthless.
An Accord is a good car, but a good car poorly cared for is no better than than a bad car properly cared for. I’d say this car is worth the time to investigate further. Edmunds.com is a good place to find the “true market value” of the car.
Online advice is hard to give without actually seeing the car.
Accords are prone to auto transmission failures, so finding a history of transmission fluid changes would be a big help in terms of evidence.
Accords had a total of 2 years of premature failures. They had 1 or 2 more years of trannies making noise, but never failing. My wifes 87 and 96 Accords (last I knew) all have well over 400k miles without any engine or tranny failures or hickups. As with any automatic transmission you need to regular fluid changes.
If the OP can't actually see previous service records, invoices, or some other documentation; then the "well maintained" claim is virtually worthless.
Records can be faked. I would only buy a vehicle with this many miles if I personally knew the history.