How Many Miles is Too Much?

[Bliskin]

I am planning on getting either an 03, 04, or 05 accord EX and the ones I am looking at are typically 120k miles and up to even 180k miles. The price range is anywhere from 5k to 7k. How many miles is too much for a car to be worth it's price and value? I know accords and Hondas in general can last very long. Am I better off with a cheaper vehicle with lower miles? Will I expect to encounter issues with an accord at that mileage?

[davidg4781]

I bought an '06 Accord a few weeks ago with 111k miles on it. So far, aside from a bit of touch up painting and possibly needing a new drive belt, everything seems to be running great and smooth.

I think it just depends how the previous owner(s) took care of it. Realize that even the most dependable car may start to show issues when you're talking about that age and that many miles.

Compare though, to the 2000 Taurus I got from my grandfather at 40k miles. In the past 2 years I had to replace a head, radiator, and when I finally sold it it was not going above 65mph.

[BMBaccord]

Buying over 100k miles isn't "bad" but the more miles, the higher the chance something will happen. Since Accords are known for having good reliability it comes down to the owner. Unlike the Taurus mentioned above.

- I would rather get a higher mileage, older Accord than a Taurus that davidg was talking about. Even if the Taurus was newer and less miles. That's why I get annoyed when someone buys a brand new Chevy Cobalt or whatever and tries to brag. They have been making Accords for so many years because they are good cars.

I would be comfortable buying most Accord models with > 100k just because they are such well built cars. Some would go as far to say that they are okay with > 200k, but that for me is a bit too much.

[davidg4781]

I was thinking of making a different thread for this, but I'll post this here (anything to get out of work, right??)

So I bought my car from Carmax and it's under the 30 day warranty. They're doing some touch up painting and loaned me a 2011 Dodge Avenger while I wait.

It is a pretty nice car, I guess. Leather, touch screen entertainment, hard drive to store music. Even came with some hard core rap stuff.

But my goodness is the ride horrible. And boring. Yeah, fine, I can start the car while I'm finishing my Chipotle burrito so it's nice and cool when I get in, but I couldn't wait to get home and get out of it. Right now, these years on Carmax are going for $20k, a lot more than I paid for my Accord. I was looking at a 2006 Maxima for around $18k and I think I'd still rather have that than this Avenger thing. Yeah, it's newer, but I'm a lot happier driving a nicer older car.

[Aarmin]

How many miles is too much is hard to answer - too many variables.

Depends on the year, make, model, and type of engine.
How well it was cared for (maintenance records are a plus)
and.. just plain luck I suppose.

One good thing is todays cars have tighter tolerances, better manufacturing processes, and generally last longer. Some say the 200,000 mile mark is the new 100,000.

I get the opinion that the (2003-2005) V6 Accords tend to have more issues than the I4 Accord. The transmission is a big red note for the V6 Accords. I'm not saying shy away from the V6 Accords, but just make a note. Overall, you can't go wrong looking into an Accord; they are built well and are relatively low maintenance.

Are you mechanically inclined? If it where me, I would read up on how to look a car over; hopefully you have time. Its also a good idea to take the car to a good diagnosis shop and have a mechanic look it over; hopefully they do a pressure test. Should cost you $100-$200, and if its free then they are not taking you seriously.

A good rule of thumb is that 12,000 - 15,000 miles per year is average. More than that is not necessarily bad. Take my 2005 Accord EX-L (I4 / Automatic) for example. Looking at my carfax history report, the previous owner averaged 28,580 miles a year! Personally, the only reason I purchased it was because they serviced it regularly including 30,000-40,000 transmission fluid changes (and kept records), the lady and family was very nice, no games where played, clean history report, didn't want to buy a newer cheaper car (example: chevy Cobalt), and the price was right.

My roomate at the time thought I was crazy buying it, but the only issue I have had is a seized rear brake caliper, and currently my SRS warning light intermittently comes on; car runs and drives good, only burns maybe .6 quarts of oil after 9,000 miles (is that good?).

[mc1114]

I try and stay under 150k miles when buying cars. 200k is definitely too much

[Aarmin]

Originally Posted by davidg4781

I was thinking of making a different thread for this, but I'll post this here (anything to get out of work, right??)

So I bought my car from Carmax and it's under the 30 day warranty. They're doing some touch up painting and loaned me a 2011 Dodge Avenger while I wait.

It is a pretty nice car, I guess. Leather, touch screen entertainment, hard drive to store music. Even came with some hard core rap stuff.

But my goodness is the ride horrible. And boring. Yeah, fine, I can start the car while I'm finishing my Chipotle burrito so it's nice and cool when I get in, but I couldn't wait to get home and get out of it. Right now, these years on Carmax are going for $20k, a lot more than I paid for my Accord. I was looking at a 2006 Maxima for around $18k and I think I'd still rather have that than this Avenger thing. Yeah, it's newer, but I'm a lot happier driving a nicer older car.

That is one positive thing about buying used, you can budget for a more upscale car. As I wrote in my first post, didn't really want to buy a newer Chevy Cobalt

[CarlR33]

210K on my Accord and I can tell you that this car is darn near bullet proof (4cyl 5 sp). I would not buy a car with this many miles unless I had the service history. No service history then more miles=more possible issues.

[davidg4781]

Originally Posted by Aarmin

That is one positive thing about buying used, you can budget for a more upscale car. As I wrote in my first post, didn't really want to buy a newer Chevy Cobalt

My first car was a '99 ZX2, brand new. A few months later I actually did some research and found I could've gotten a few year older Jetta or Civic for the same $12k. And I wouldn't've had to reach over to roll down the windows when the a/c went out, IF it would have gone out on those cars.

The ZX2 was good though, and I drove it 172k miles, but it was pretty worn when I sold it.

[mobiless2]

221k on my 05. Other than regular maintenance ( oil change, atf change, belts & plugs every 105k, tires & brakes) problem free!

When buying used always try to get maintenance schedule from previous owner.

[XLDeluxe]

If you are buying from a dealership, they can provide some sort of assurance by providing things like carfax and maintenance info.
Usually if you buy a high mileage car off craigslist, there is a high chance that the seller is trying to get rid of the car. Unless you are good with the wrench, you need to really look into what you are getting through private party.

Also it really helps to read consumer reviews on edmunds or any other site. People give their input on the car after owning it for a long time.

If you are thinking about getting an accord, 4cyl models are bulletproof; as long as it was cared for, you're good to go

Good luck!

[davidg4781]

Oh, on mine, I was worried that the coolant was old and they didn't put the correct Honda stuff in there. The engine looked clean though. When I finally went to check, it was a nice new looking blue... so I'm assuming it was recently changed and filled with Honda coolant.

So, either the previous owner was awesome about taking care of it or Carmax did a great job making it look like he did.

[dv5230us]

I recently got a 2003 Accord Sedan EX-L (4-cyl) with 146,000 miles on it. The previous owner took very good care of it and the interior is immaculate. There are absolutely no mechanical problems with it whatsoever and it is a very reliable car. I love it to bits. <3

The only quip I have about it is that the guy before me apparently liked to hug curbs a lot... the alloy wheels and some parts of the sides have some deep scratches/chips in them but this isn't really related to mileage, I guess.

Accords being as reliable and wonderful as they are, I wouldn't worry about high mileage. But again, each car is different and it really depends on how the previous owner took care of it. Before my '03 I had a '92 LX Sedan with ~111,000 miles on it, and I took care of it too so it was in very good condition when I sold it.

Accords forever!

[davidg4781]

Mine has some spots on the interior, looks like cigg burns in the back seats (2 spots, no holes though) and a bit of burn or something on the passenger door arm rest.

Oh, example of someone not taking care of their car. I went to college with a girl who had about 20k miles on a Kia and had never changed the oil on it. Sounded like hell driving around campus.

[cotton617]

There is so many variables. Visually inspect the condition the vehicle is in, chances are if the interior/exterior are kept clean then so was the mechanics. Check all the fluids, are they clean and full? LOOK UNDER THE HOOD. Do things seem to like clean and in order? LISTEN to the car when you go for a test drive, turn the radio off. CarFax and maintenance records?

I bought my 03 Accord V6 with 180k and I'm now over 200k and haven't had a single issue. Remember it is not hard to change parts, even if it comes to getting a new motor, it can be done and it is not particularly expensive.