I have a '97 Corolla (worth $2000 fixed) that needs about $2500 work on it (clutch, gas tank).
I’ve made the decision to scrap it & purchase a replacement. But I’m looking < $3000.
There’s a 1997 Honda Accord Special Edition for sale in my area, it’s in great shape - new tires, new timing belt, one-owner car, all maintenance records avail. Only downside is it has 210K miles on it. Guy wants $3100 for it.
I want this car to last at least a good 5 years (or 75K miles). Advice?
The mileage is awfully high, even for a 10 year old car. Edmunds suggests that the premium is about $1000 for the high mileage. Their take on an SE sedan with no extras is that it’s worth about $2250 in clean condition form a private party. Of course, that’s in my zip code; yours might be different. Also, think of the $3100 as a starting point. You might also look up value on KBB and NADAguides to get the full range of values.
KBB Private party as it as 3140 in Excellent Condition and 3040 in Good Condition.
Interesting that there’s that much disparity between Edmunds and KBB.
Check out cars.com, search in your area for Accords/Corollas/Civics/Camrys, this one is too high-mile for me. That price is no bargain.
“All maintenance records” is a good thing. My independent Honda mechanic has several customers whose '97 Accords are well over 300K miles, so it’s possible to get the mileage you want from this car.
Don’t expect to drive it five years without spending money, however.
I’d rather buy a high mileage car with records than take a chance on something with no known maintenance history.
If it were me, I’d put the $2500 into the car I know (the Corolla),including getting it cleaned up by a pro, unless there are other problems with it.
No other major problems - though it does have a couple dents and the paint is peeling. It looks pretty ugly. :*(
I would definitely get this Honda checked out by my mechanic before purchasing.
If your '97 is “not worth fixing”, then I say if anything went out on the Accord in the 1st month it would not be worth fixing either. It is a 12 year old car with more than 200KM on it. I say either fix your own car or buy something newer with less miles.
Thanks for the advice, all. Not really what I wanted to hear because it is a NICE looking car. But I’ll definitely keep all this in mind.
One more thing to consider…both son and daughter had older Accords that gave them excellent service and would still have today considering it’s mechanics. The “non maintenance” items were determining factors in getting rid of cars. Power equipment, air conditioning repairs started to surface. If I were to buy an older car it would be with less power equipment.