Accord 03 with High Miles

[JadedWolf4]

Hey guys,

Quick question. I test drove an Accord 03 coupe today. It drove well, everything started and turned on fine, the sunroof worked well, etc. I couldnt bring a mechanic to check it though. It's a dealer owned car and they're selling it for $6200. Problem is it has 170,000 miles. Dealer says there's been two owners and its been well taken care of. I did a carfax and it checked out. Only thing is - the carfax didnt show any maintenance records or anything so I can't be sure of that. Do you guys think its worth it? It sounds like a good deal after driving it but I dont know what imminent problems I should expect, or how Accords work in such high miles.

[7GenAllStar]

If this car is in an area with snow, i would recommend checking out the underside of the car for rust, and expecially the exhaust system for rust. then i would also ask the dealer about things like the age of the battery, then i would visually check out things like the belts and alternator. after that i would check at things like, do the headlights fog up? does the AC get COLD does the heat get HOT. anyways i think that price is way too high for that car i bought my accord for 7,300 at 53,000 miles. the price they are giving you seems high for the amount of miles.

[JadedWolf4]

I live in Florida so I dont have to worry about snow fortunately. I checked the underside and no rust or anything. The battery is 4 months old, the AC blows very cold/hot. The belt looks relatively new and as for everything else, it works. I thought the price was a little steep too but a lot of the Accords down here are well into the $9000+ range with 120k -ish miles. I *really* want an accord but I dont want to walk into a deal which I'll regret.

[7GenAllStar]

see i bought my accord in new york and i go to school in florida. when i got work done on my car in florida they were soo surprised to see how much rust there was. the price still seems high though

[CarlR33]

If a V6/auto then I would not touch it since there is no maintenance history. If a 4/auto/or manual, maybe but that prices seems high.

My 03 has 210K but I know the maintenance past 60K when I bought it.

[JadedWolf4]

Okay thanks for the replies guys. I'll keep looking and see what I find.

[Offbeat Oddity]

As good a car as the Accord is, I don't think I'd pay $6200 for a car with 170,000 miles. Can you find better deals for Accords that have fewer miles on them? I wonder if buying from a private party would be a better way for you to go.

[justinsomniac]

That pricing seems fairly consistent for what I've seen, especially since that's a dealer and not an individual. Before I bought mine, the prices I was finding were around $7000 - $8000 for Accords with around 130k miles. I bought mine for $6000 with 150k, but it's a 2005 EX V6 Coupe.
Mileage doesn't concern me too much on a Honda, since I just came from a 2003 Acura TL with 170k and it was a champ. I would still be driving that if it weren't for an accident, though.

[Arkainzeye]

way over priced!! keep looking...

[Drew03Accord]

Originally Posted by JadedWolf4

Hey guys,

Quick question. I test drove an Accord 03 coupe today. It drove well, everything started and turned on fine, the sunroof worked well, etc. I couldnt bring a mechanic to check it though. It's a dealer owned car and they're selling it for $6200. Problem is it has 170,000 miles. Dealer says there's been two owners and its been well taken care of. I did a carfax and it checked out. Only thing is - the carfax didnt show any maintenance records or anything so I can't be sure of that. Do you guys think its worth it? It sounds like a good deal after driving it but I dont know what imminent problems I should expect, or how Accords work in such high miles.

Take it on the highway and drive at least 70 mph. There are things that can show up at that speed which you will not see in normal street driving. Things such as final gear whine or front end wobble. Also get up under it and check for any and all leaks with a bright light.

[JadedWolf4]

I found an 04 v6 coupe EX today with 98k miles clean title for $6700. Went with a mechanic to check it out and it all checks out fine. No visible damage, everything works. Test drove it, no noises, smooth shifting, everything seemed okay except for a few cosmetic things like missing honda front bumper emblem, needs a bulb replaced for the light by the sunroof, springs to hold up the hood while its open are broken, etc. Little things. I checked a carfax and its been apparently reported to have had frame damage back in 2009 but nothing since then. Dealer has records of maintenance and it was taken care of. Only thing that worries me is the frame damage that I thought would be a result of an accident not reported? I checked the vin with my insurance and it came back as a clean title though. Should I go for it?

[CarlR33]

The timing belt replacement is coming due at around 100k miles. You can do a search for cost, etc.

[accordinGB]

Many '03 Hondas have camshafts that were not hardened properly. Thus, the cam lobes wear down. Found that my wife's had the problem.

Paid $7K with 103K on the clock.