Honda Accords!

[Not-All-Here]

So,

I;m looking at chopping in my golf for a Honda Accord.

Ideally I'm looking for the following.

2000('w'reg) or newer.
Under 70k miles.
2.0i VTEC engine.

Is there anything with these that I should look out for?

Any common faults, etc?

Also, what are they like for tune-ablility??

I'm looking into getting one as a well done to myself if i get my new job, and I would like to turn it into a bit of a sleeper.

I know that more aggressive VTEC cams are available for them, as are exhausts, induction kits etc etc.

But i want subtlety if i do modify it.

So, any helpful pointers would be fantastic

Thanks

Thom

[tuttle]

2.0 or 2.2 Prelude not do it for you?

[Herman Toothrot]

don't bother tuning one, just get a type R from the word go, cheap as chips, cheaper than changing cams etc and will always be more powerful.

[Not-All-Here]

2.0 and 2.2 preludes are too much on insurance, as is the ATR.

I only have around 1500 to play with, hence why i'm looking at 2.0 accords.

ANything i need to watch out for with these?

Thanks

Thom

[Pavgub]

Have you considered the Civic 1.8 VTi? it's the 5 door hatch, fairly spacious and has 167bhp

[Not-All-Here]

Pavgub said:

Have you considered the Civic 1.8 VTi? it's the 5 door hatch, fairly spacious and has 167bhp

yes and no,

I've considered civics, but not the 1.8's.

Problem with civics is they are considered hot hatches, and that means bumped up insurance, At group 15 i'll be lucky to see change of £1600 where as with the accord i will happily see change out of £1200.

Another reason accords appeal to me is because they are slightly under the radar.

Having a look around and there are some seriously scary performance figures from 1.8 accords. Those figures, plus a standard looking exterior would have the ability to scare a few cars on the road.

Also to me the accord is the perfect first step into the world or honda and vtec, Decent sized engine, Decent sized car, Decent power output, and only 1 insurance group higher than my current car.

If I like it then a civic can only be better...right?

I'm not discrediting what you guys have said, but i really want to stick with the accord if only for the lower insurance costs.

and 2.0 and 146bhp will be planty enough for me for the time being.

Keep the advise coming though, it'll all be usefull for in the near future.

Thom

[TPB1]

Would you not be better off running a raft for a while and building a decent no claims bonus?

The 2.0 Accord will be as dull as dish water anyway so imo you would be as well saving for something that will be "FAST" in the future..

[Not-All-Here]

TPB1 said:

Would you not be better off running a raft for a while and building a decent no claims bonus?

The 2.0 Accord will be as dull as dish water anyway so imo you would be as well saving for something that will be "FAST" in the future..

Yeah, you raise a good point.
I'm currently running a 1.6 golf, and to be honest its getting more and more problems at a scarily increasing rate.
I would keep this but its getting to the point where it just doesn't feel safe.

Thats why me and my dad have come to the agreement he gives me his golf (mk4 1.9TDi), he gets my golf (which has been in his name for the past 12 months) he scraps that and gets a discount on a new car, I chop in the TDi for something of my choice.

There were many reasons behind the accord, some more credible than other.
1. Its a honda, thus renowned for reliability
2. They are apparently very easy to do basic maintnance on (unlike the golf)
3. roomier than the golf (which is a must as i tend to have a full car quite often)
4. Better economy than the golf.
5. quicker than the golf.
6. It has VTEC (Y0!)

I need to have a serious think on this, as all my other 'what car' threads were never really going to materialise, but as I have the money for this I dont really want to throw it away, and in all fairness I'm quite attracted to the Accords...

But thanks for the advice so far guys, its giving me a fair bit to think about.

I'm going to view an accord in the next week, so if I could have some pointers as to what to look for that would be great.

Thanks

Thom

[Pavgub]

Not-All-Here said:

Pavgub said:

Have you considered the Civic 1.8 VTi? it's the 5 door hatch, fairly spacious and has 167bhp

yes and no,

I've considered civics, but not the 1.8's.

Problem with civics is they are considered hot hatches, and that means bumped up insurance, At group 15 i'll be lucky to see change of £1600 where as with the accord i will happily see change out of £1200.

Another reason accords appeal to me is because they are slightly under the radar.

Having a look around and there are some seriously scary performance figures from 1.8 accords. Those figures, plus a standard looking exterior would have the ability to scare a few cars on the road.

Also to me the accord is the perfect first step into the world or honda and vtec, Decent sized engine, Decent sized car, Decent power output, and only 1 insurance group higher than my current car.

If I like it then a civic can only be better...right?

I'm not discrediting what you guys have said, but i really want to stick with the accord if only for the lower insurance costs.

and 2.0 and 146bhp will be planty enough for me for the time being.

Keep the advise coming though, it'll all be usefull for in the near future.

Thom

if your thinking about tuneability - it will cost you more than £400 to get the Accord to the civic's power output. Also, then making mods to the Accord will make the insurance more expensive

[Not-All-Here]

Right, thats fair enough.

I apprciate everyones comments but for the love of god, can someone PLEASE tell me of any faults/things to be careful of when buying?

Thats the only answer I want, and yet everyone seems to be beating around the bush.

[ross-co]

Not-All-Here said:

Thats why me and my dad have come to the agreement he gives me his golf (mk4 1.9TDi), he gets my golf (which has been in his name for the past 12 months)

Thanks

Thom

A bit of topic but does this not mean that you have been fronting for the past 12 months?

[Herman Toothrot]

Not-All-Here said:

Another reason accords appeal to me is because they are slightly under the radar.

Having a look around and there are some seriously scary performance figures from 1.8 accords. Those figures, plus a standard looking exterior would have the ability to scare a few cars on the road.
Thom

Thom, you are very correct the Accords very off the radar. So much so that if I take my Accord to work and wave at my mate who I wave at every morning going the other way 90% of the time in the Accord he misses me even when hes looking out for me.

The only thing scary about a 1.8 Accords performace is the lack of GO when you've committed to a big overtake and forgotten your not in something faster.

Insurance is friendly on the 1.8 VTEC S Accord though, £186 Fully comp this year

I'll disagree with the person who said they are dull as ditchwater, they do handle and hold on well, I regularly have the tyres squeeling as I lob it though the bends, got to keep momentum up . They have better suspension setup than most hot hatches having double wishbones all round, aka MX5, DC2 etc

Edited by Herman Toothrot on Friday 22 May 14:12

[Not-All-Here]

ross-co said:

Not-All-Here said:

Thats why me and my dad have come to the agreement he gives me his golf (mk4 1.9TDi), he gets my golf (which has been in his name for the past 12 months)

Thanks

Thom

A bit of topic but does this not mean that you have been fronting for the past 12 months?

Nope,

The insurance is in my dads name, but i am listed as the main vehicle user, so my premium was increased accordingly.

Thus I pay less that I would in my own name, but its not fronting as the insurance company is aware I am the main vehicle user.

Now, back on topic

[vteclimey]

Not-All-Here said:

Also, what are they like for tune-ablility??

I'm looking into getting one as a well done to myself if i get my new job, and I would like to turn it into a bit of a sleeper.

I know that more aggressive VTEC cams are available for them, as are exhausts, induction kits etc etc.

But i want subtlety if i do modify it.

So, any helpful pointers would be fantastic

Seriously, I would not bother with anything aftermarket. Its not a high performance VTEC engine. Anything you add will more than likely just increase fuel consumption and do very little for power and driveability.

[Pavgub]

Not-All-Here said:

Right, thats fair enough.

I apprciate everyones comments but for the love of god, can someone PLEASE tell me of any faults/things to be careful of when buying?

Thats the only answer I want, and yet everyone seems to be beating around the bush.

we had a few on our fleet some years back, before the diesel only policy and taxing on emissions. Extremely reliable cars as you would expect, just make sure the car has been serviced regularly and you will have no problems!

Edited by Pavgub on Monday 1st June 10:07

Edited by Pavgub on Monday 1st June 10:08

[10 Pence Short]

Pavgub said:

Not-All-Here said:

Right, thats fair enough.

I apprciate everyones comments but for the love of god, can someone PLEASE tell me of any faults/things to be careful of when buying?

Thats the only answer I want, and yet everyone seems to be beating around the bush.

we had a few on our fleet some years back, before the diesel only policy and taxing on emissions. Extremely reliable cars as you would expect, just make sure the car has been serviced regularly and you will have no problems!

Edited by Pavgub on Monday 1st June 10:07

Edited by Pavgub on Monday 1st June 10:08

What he said.

I ran a '99 1.8 for more than 125,000 miles then the company continued to run it as a pool car for another 100,000 miles without anything major going wrong.

Thing to look out for...

Needs service history, as they can do the same as any other VTEC engine and start using oil all of a sudden.

The rear calipers probably WILL be seized (a Honda speciality).

The bonnet will be badly stone chipped if it's been a motorway car and rust can set in quite quickly.

Other than that, they're stupidly, stupidly reliable.