1990 Honda Accord EX review from North America
"Reliable, fun to drive, and even stylish"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The year I bought the car, I needed to replace the rear brake pads, which was a cheap fix on any 10 year old car.
I also needed to replace ball joints twice, as well as CV joints and axles.
The front rotors went out of round last year, as well as another front axle.
Recently, my alternator died while on my way back from out of town, but the car made it back on battery power. A new alternator cost me about $540 with labour.
Also, I have replaced 3 blower fan motors within the last 2 years. These are about $150 a piece, with the last one, being a Denso, cost about $240.
Trunk seems to collect condensation in the carpet, a periodic airing out fixes that.
The car needed a new flex pipe to pass a recent safety. As well, the exhaust system has been through many pipes and mufflers, the most recent muffler change being when the old one was accidently folded when taking the car off roading. This car is not designed to drive over rocks.
The transaxle controller went out a couple years ago, and the tranny was stuck in second gear. This was at a cost of about $600.
Car needs an alignment badly.
General comments?
This car has been in my family for the past 12 years. My parents bought it new in 1990, and took very good care of it. For a 12 year old family sedan, this car has balls.
The 4th generation Accords with an automatic transmission included a sports button on the gearshift, which changes the shift points and delays, which make the car a blast to drive.
This car recently T-Boned a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice, and won. The Accord drove away from the accident, the Caprice was seriously disabled. This generation of Accord is built like a tank.
This car has only let me down once. This is when the alternator went, I had to cab it to work once. Overall, even when things did go wrong, the Accord was still driveable.
For a 4 cylinder engine, this car goes. Has plenty of power in town and on the highway.
Recommended Reviews:
![]() ![]() | Three Honda Vehicles in one year |
![]() ![]() | 1990 - Accord DX 2.2L 4 cylinder In a word, it's perfect |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.2 Litre 4 cylinder. 16v MPFI Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 201000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 232000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Toyota Tercel |
| Date of Entry | 11th May, 2002 |



