1997 Honda Accord LX 4 cylinder

Summary:

It's a gem that will last forever!

Faults:

Front window electronic relay (thing that makes the window go up and down) stopped working - once on the drivers side and the other time on the passenger side --car had been driven approx. 150,000-200,000 at that point.

Catalytic converter had to be replaced at around 200,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car is probably going to last forever which means I'll never get to buy a new one! It's just such a great deal. Is it possible for Honda to keep up this level of quality? I'm afraid to buy a new one on the outside chance that a new one won't be as reliable as my 1997 Honda Accord.

The car still looks good/current design look after 10 years unlike a lot of other cars that start looking dated after a few years. The car rides very well although at 10 years of age it has lost a little "pep" -- it's still quite reliable and still gets great gas mileage. Interior looks good although I don't have kids or pets jumping around in it. Spills get cleaned up easily.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th April, 2008

16th Jun 2008, 21:41

Believe me, they don't make them anywhere near as good as they did in the 90's.

12th Oct 2009, 15:25

My Honda Accord has about 217,000 miles and still going strong. Other than the usual oil change and other minor maintenance issues, my Honda is the best car I have ever owned.

13th Oct 2009, 05:37

What year is the 217,000 mile one? I had a 2002, and had many issues before 50,000 miles.

1997 Honda Accord SE 4 cylinder

Summary:

Great car... until engine block cracked

Faults:

Cracked engine block at 101,400 miles.

Before that, ran perfect with general maintenance.

Replaced timing belt and water pump, muffler and battery at 81,000 miles.

The "heat shields" rattled. This has happened in every Honda I have owned.

General Comments:

I loved this car! It ran smooth, the engine purred. I was really disappointed when I had to trade it in... I am pretty sure that the engine block cracking is a rare thing to happen in a Honda with only 100k. I took good care of the car and it never overheated, either, so there may have just been a weak spot in the block.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st March, 2008

1997 Honda Accord SE

Summary:

Great car until cracked engine block at 101k

Faults:

I loved this car when I bought it. It ran smoothly and never had any problems until recently, and, it was a BIG one. I developed a sudden leak of coolant and immediately took it in. Well, guess what? The engine block had CRACKED. The car only had 101,000 miles on it and I had JUST done the brakes less than a year ago. It NEVER overheated, so I'm guessing there must have been a weak spot in the block for it to crack.

I'm very upset, but I think it must be a fluke. I have had two other Hondas. One I drove until about 140k. I planned to drive this one until at least 200k, but now that is not going to happen. A new engine was quoted at between 8-10,000 dollars at the dealer. It's so sad because until that happened the car ran incredibly well.

General Comments:

Comfortable ride, drives smoothly, never had any issues with transmission. Handling in wet weather leaves a little to be desired. Stereo is not that great. A/C does not cool the car down very quickly (I noticed that in the other two Hondas I owned as well)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th March, 2008

12th Apr 2008, 07:53

You might want to check into the price of a used engine. Sometimes engines from wrecks are completely undamaged and have few miles on them. My experience with them is that they are priced much more reasonably. Hope this helps.

10th Sep 2008, 09:29

In 1999, my x-wife had to replace the motor in her 93 ford Taurus. A local, really good repair shop replaced the engine for $2500.00.

Look for a popular, local repair shop and get a price. I think you can have the engine replaced for much less than the dealer. I also have owned two Accords, a 99 and 02 SE. I loved them both as they were problem free for the three years I owned both.