Accord Type R - Talk me into it!
Discussion
OK, now the M5 has been sold, i'm basically on the hunt for something that's usable everyday, can managed a 250mile round trip every couple of weekends, and still entertain me when i want to go for a blast.
Always had a soft spot for the Accord, and with hindsight should really have bought one instead of the Beemer last year, but that's another story!!
I know there's a forum dedicated to the Accord, and i've been on and had a browse, but i've always found single type forums a bit hard to get a real picture of what the car is like to own.
So, i'm after an idea of what it's like to live with and own on a daily basis, can they handle high mileages, is the gearbox issue really that serious? I've been in the classifieds, and seen a few at just under 100k on the clock for around the £3.5k mark. Do they realistically have another 40-50k left in them? I'm only looking at keeping it a couple of years, but i want it to be reliable and not cost me an utter fortune (step forward E34 M5).
I know they're revvy buggers, but 90% of my driving is in traffic on my way to work, with a run every couple of weeks across to Inverness and back. I get the odd chance to go for a blast, so i need it to be up to a good thrashing now and then as well.
Budget is a max of £4.5k, and i've seen rather a mixed bag of cars out there for sale at the moment, with them varying in price from £3k to £8k.
Answers on a postcard please gents....
Cheers
Mark
Always had a soft spot for the Accord, and with hindsight should really have bought one instead of the Beemer last year, but that's another story!!
I know there's a forum dedicated to the Accord, and i've been on and had a browse, but i've always found single type forums a bit hard to get a real picture of what the car is like to own.
So, i'm after an idea of what it's like to live with and own on a daily basis, can they handle high mileages, is the gearbox issue really that serious? I've been in the classifieds, and seen a few at just under 100k on the clock for around the £3.5k mark. Do they realistically have another 40-50k left in them? I'm only looking at keeping it a couple of years, but i want it to be reliable and not cost me an utter fortune (step forward E34 M5).
I know they're revvy buggers, but 90% of my driving is in traffic on my way to work, with a run every couple of weeks across to Inverness and back. I get the odd chance to go for a blast, so i need it to be up to a good thrashing now and then as well.
Budget is a max of £4.5k, and i've seen rather a mixed bag of cars out there for sale at the moment, with them varying in price from £3k to £8k.
Answers on a postcard please gents....
Cheers
Mark
Mine has just turned 140k miles this weekend, which involved a 600 mile trip this weekend. This involved 130 miles of mundane motorway miles up to stourbridge from fleet on the motorway, even after 2 hours the a and b road blast across shropshire was no more tiring than when I got into the car.
Saturday saw a quick drive up Leeds, and I have just got back now after 4 hours in the car.
Seeing as you have been on the owners website then I won't going to the gearbox issues as you are aware of them! My car is 2 owners and I have put 120k miles on it in 6 years, apart from a replacement clutch under warranty at 45k miles all the car has ever had onto of routine servicing (oil every 4.5k) is a two rear wheel bearings and a front CV joint, 1 set of front and rear disks and maybe a couple of sets of pads front and rear.
The car can handle the milage well and there are a few nudging 190k! I will need to do the belts in the next 4k and the clutch will need doing at some point. The clutch is fairly expensive to change as is the gear box issue should it arrive.
I would look for a well looked after post facelift car, milage isn't to much of an issue just factor in cost of a clutch an belts change. Or get a prefacelift car that is sorted.
Edit: Economy on the motorway, I am getting 360 miles out of a tank @ 55 litres.
Saturday saw a quick drive up Leeds, and I have just got back now after 4 hours in the car.
Seeing as you have been on the owners website then I won't going to the gearbox issues as you are aware of them! My car is 2 owners and I have put 120k miles on it in 6 years, apart from a replacement clutch under warranty at 45k miles all the car has ever had onto of routine servicing (oil every 4.5k) is a two rear wheel bearings and a front CV joint, 1 set of front and rear disks and maybe a couple of sets of pads front and rear.
The car can handle the milage well and there are a few nudging 190k! I will need to do the belts in the next 4k and the clutch will need doing at some point. The clutch is fairly expensive to change as is the gear box issue should it arrive.
I would look for a well looked after post facelift car, milage isn't to much of an issue just factor in cost of a clutch an belts change. Or get a prefacelift car that is sorted.
Edit: Economy on the motorway, I am getting 360 miles out of a tank @ 55 litres.
Edited by ALawson on Sunday 17th August 16:49
Having put a deposit down a 530 Touring on saturday, mine will be up for sale asap!
Red
2002 (51)
75k miles with full history (recently had the major 72k service inc cambelt)
Will write more later, got to dash to a meeting...
Ok, bit more. Bought it with 27k on it, the wife and I have used it regularly. I chose it because we wanted a decent size car due to expanding family, that was fairly sensible in terms of running cost and fuel consumption, that could do the comfy and sensible stuff, but also provide a decent drive when the moment arose. It fulfils that job very well, it's a very engaging and involving car to drive fast. Had no issues with gearbox syncro on mine - not 100% sure it's exempt from the problem due to it being a later model or not, but it's absolutely fine.
Despite what people say about hondas having no torque the atr is very happy trundling round town in 4th at 1,000rpm, so it can be driven very gently.
Criticisms of the car:
1) vtec powerband is quite tight in terms of the gearing i.e. you need to kiss the limiter on upchange to avoid slipping out of vtec in the next gear.
2) Interior is fairly basic, but functional. The 530 we're buying feels like BA first class in comparison (but the recaros in the atr are fab).
Off now, more later!
Red
2002 (51)
75k miles with full history (recently had the major 72k service inc cambelt)
Will write more later, got to dash to a meeting...
Ok, bit more. Bought it with 27k on it, the wife and I have used it regularly. I chose it because we wanted a decent size car due to expanding family, that was fairly sensible in terms of running cost and fuel consumption, that could do the comfy and sensible stuff, but also provide a decent drive when the moment arose. It fulfils that job very well, it's a very engaging and involving car to drive fast. Had no issues with gearbox syncro on mine - not 100% sure it's exempt from the problem due to it being a later model or not, but it's absolutely fine.
Despite what people say about hondas having no torque the atr is very happy trundling round town in 4th at 1,000rpm, so it can be driven very gently.
Criticisms of the car:
1) vtec powerband is quite tight in terms of the gearing i.e. you need to kiss the limiter on upchange to avoid slipping out of vtec in the next gear.
2) Interior is fairly basic, but functional. The 530 we're buying feels like BA first class in comparison (but the recaros in the atr are fab).
Off now, more later!
Edited by bramley on Monday 18th August 13:03
I owned one of these for 4 years, and as I have now sold the car feel I can comment without blinkers on.
They are awesome cars, very under estimated and often over looked. Power and handling is best in it's class. Check out the EVO knowledge section on the website and see there comment. It frequently appears in write ups about best cars produced.
It is a rare car, only around 1500 where made and for there age have held their price well. Early ones suffered from the dreaded synschro issue you mention but very few around now will not have been modified to cure this.
They are a great drive but need to be driven hard. This is the reason why many people critise VTEC. However when the engine comes on cam you will know it, noise and acceleration is superb. It's also a comfortable car, I covered about 30k in the time I had mine inc a few long drives or around 450 miles without any ill effect. They are superb in the twisties thansk to the LSD and will leave a lot of cars behind, equally they are also great on track.
They can also handle high miles without problem, just make sure you pick one up with a full service history. Worth noting that the car needs new cambelt and auxillary belts around the 72k mark which can cost a bit. Balance belt tensioners can fail on these so ensure it was changed when the cambelt was done, or factor in doing it yourself.
They are awesome cars, very under estimated and often over looked. Power and handling is best in it's class. Check out the EVO knowledge section on the website and see there comment. It frequently appears in write ups about best cars produced.
It is a rare car, only around 1500 where made and for there age have held their price well. Early ones suffered from the dreaded synschro issue you mention but very few around now will not have been modified to cure this.
They are a great drive but need to be driven hard. This is the reason why many people critise VTEC. However when the engine comes on cam you will know it, noise and acceleration is superb. It's also a comfortable car, I covered about 30k in the time I had mine inc a few long drives or around 450 miles without any ill effect. They are superb in the twisties thansk to the LSD and will leave a lot of cars behind, equally they are also great on track.
They can also handle high miles without problem, just make sure you pick one up with a full service history. Worth noting that the car needs new cambelt and auxillary belts around the 72k mark which can cost a bit. Balance belt tensioners can fail on these so ensure it was changed when the cambelt was done, or factor in doing it yourself.
iv had my accord type r now for 3 months and when i was looking to purchase one i made sure that it was a pre-facelift model (99/2000) as the tax was cheaper than the 2001/2002 models,also wanted to find one with the gearbox issue sorted and the egr valve cleaned.
It took me a couple of months to find one but eventually i did and iv owned hondas all my life so the mileage wasnt a major issue but i was lucky to find one with 55,000 miles on the clock for £4500 so my advice would be to find which model your after and keep searching til the right one comes along.
all the best in searching mate
It took me a couple of months to find one but eventually i did and iv owned hondas all my life so the mileage wasnt a major issue but i was lucky to find one with 55,000 miles on the clock for £4500 so my advice would be to find which model your after and keep searching til the right one comes along.
all the best in searching mate
Im on my 2nd Accord Type-R. Owned the first for approx 2years then bought another when the first 1 was written off. Very underated cars ... infact alot of ill informed people will think you're some Barry whos been down to halfords for a "Type R" badge and stuck it to the rear to make it look like a Civic Type R! 
Until you blitz past them on cam 
Engines are very strong, however cambelt tensioner is slight cause of concern. There have been quite a few cases of the auto tensioner mechanism starting to fail which is usually indicated by a "diesel rattle" when revs drop between 3500rpm > idle. Eventually tensioner fails completely and belt will jump off. Cambelt is due every 72k, my first 1 had it replaced at 54k by previous owner after he noticed a rattle. Alot of owners replace the cambelt before 72k for peace of mind, whilst cambelt is off the auto tensioner, balancer belt and water pump are usually replaced too. Factor about £400 for all of this.
Another slight issue is the auto levelling HID headlights. They have levelling sensors fitted at on the underside rear of the car to detect and adjust the headlights height/aim. These sensors sometimes fail and cause the headlights aim to be "interesting" usually pointing down at the floor giving poor visibility. Approx £100 for the sensor iirc!
Then theres the gearbox sync issue ... i had my first Accord 2 years, it got "driven" every day. I never had issues with my gearbox. My 2nd Accord is the same, had it 5months and no issues yet (im on 100k miles, my first was on 97k before she was written off). However if it does affect your car expect to pay about £350 for parts and about another £400+ for labour. Not much change from £1000.
Gearbox issue is usually on present on Pre faclift cars (2000 and earlier) however there has been rare instances of 1 or 2 in the Post facelift cars, i expect this was Honda using up the last of the "defective" boxes before using the revised versions. But generally Post facelift cars are free from gearbox sync issues.
Pre facelift cars preferred fuel is 97RON or better as advised on the big yellow sticker behind the fuel cap but will run on 95RON. Pre styling is also more aggressive and have better (imo) looking front and rear bumpers aswell as erect polish exhaust tips.
Post cars have a slightly different map on the ECU whereby 95RON is the "preferred" fuel, they also have droppy, diesel looking exhaust pipes.
Anyway, i love mine. It takes a bit of time to get used to VTEC, sometimes you will find yourself being "beaten" by others in "lesser" cars because you're in the wrong gear After a few weeks driving though, you'll be a master. All of the Accord Type-R's use oil, so keep an eye on the level weekly (max). I have managed to drive like a saint for a whole tank of fuel and got 350miles out of it. My normal driving style sees 250miles and a huuugggeeeee grin!! I still grin when i look in rear view mirror and see the spoiler
O yeah AC and CAT 1 alarm were options, aswell as leather Recaros (SUPER RARE!). You dont see many without the alarm or AC though. In total of 2.5 years of ownership i havent had anything go wrong with mine. Its the best car ive ever owned. You definately do need to test drive one though, i know some ppl who have gone from turbo cars to VTEC and just cant live with it. Good luck!
Until you blitz past them on cam Engines are very strong, however cambelt tensioner is slight cause of concern. There have been quite a few cases of the auto tensioner mechanism starting to fail which is usually indicated by a "diesel rattle" when revs drop between 3500rpm > idle. Eventually tensioner fails completely and belt will jump off. Cambelt is due every 72k, my first 1 had it replaced at 54k by previous owner after he noticed a rattle. Alot of owners replace the cambelt before 72k for peace of mind, whilst cambelt is off the auto tensioner, balancer belt and water pump are usually replaced too. Factor about £400 for all of this.
Another slight issue is the auto levelling HID headlights. They have levelling sensors fitted at on the underside rear of the car to detect and adjust the headlights height/aim. These sensors sometimes fail and cause the headlights aim to be "interesting" usually pointing down at the floor giving poor visibility. Approx £100 for the sensor iirc!
Then theres the gearbox sync issue ... i had my first Accord 2 years, it got "driven" every day. I never had issues with my gearbox. My 2nd Accord is the same, had it 5months and no issues yet (im on 100k miles, my first was on 97k before she was written off). However if it does affect your car expect to pay about £350 for parts and about another £400+ for labour. Not much change from £1000.
Gearbox issue is usually on present on Pre faclift cars (2000 and earlier) however there has been rare instances of 1 or 2 in the Post facelift cars, i expect this was Honda using up the last of the "defective" boxes before using the revised versions. But generally Post facelift cars are free from gearbox sync issues.
Pre facelift cars preferred fuel is 97RON or better as advised on the big yellow sticker behind the fuel cap but will run on 95RON. Pre styling is also more aggressive and have better (imo) looking front and rear bumpers aswell as erect polish exhaust tips.
Post cars have a slightly different map on the ECU whereby 95RON is the "preferred" fuel, they also have droppy, diesel looking exhaust pipes.
Anyway, i love mine. It takes a bit of time to get used to VTEC, sometimes you will find yourself being "beaten" by others in "lesser" cars because you're in the wrong gear
After a few weeks driving though, you'll be a master. All of the Accord Type-R's use oil, so keep an eye on the level weekly (max). I have managed to drive like a saint for a whole tank of fuel and got 350miles out of it. My normal driving style sees 250miles and a huuugggeeeee grin!! I still grin when i look in rear view mirror and see the spoiler O yeah AC and CAT 1 alarm were options, aswell as leather Recaros (SUPER RARE!). You dont see many without the alarm or AC though. In total of 2.5 years of ownership i havent had anything go wrong with mine. Its the best car ive ever owned. You definately do need to test drive one though, i know some ppl who have gone from turbo cars to VTEC and just cant live with it. Good luck!
great cars had mine for 2 years
before you look at one go too www.atr.org.uk check out the buyers guide
before you look at one go too www.atr.org.uk check out the buyers guide
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