1990 Honda Accord EX-R 2.2 from North America

Summary:

One of the best models on the road.

Faults:

It was a well cared for car belonging to an old guy. He traded it back to the original dealer who did all the maintenance. The dealer put on new rotors, pads and fixed the oil seals at the spark plugs included in the agreed price. A good used car for sure.

Lots of tune-ups trying to pass the smog test before a catalytic converter solved the problem. $600Cdn.

The A/C died. Condenser and dryer were shot. Conversion to new R-134 gas. $750.

One axle failed - $254. The other is on its way out.

Muffler - due to short trips $250.

Those infernal inside door handles. Cracked plastic leaves the heavy metal handle dangling. Both sides fixed in seconds with high-cost dealer part. This crappy part was stamped "made in the USA". Has Honda learned to build in profit like the North American auto industry has done with planned obsolescence?

Also, the heater control cable crapped out due to some plastic part that is way too fragile to hold the outside cable. Can't really get anyone to fix this and the dealer won't even try.

Rear-view mirror flopped about. Dealer was going to change it for $150, but it got fixed in 30 seconds by backyard mechanic with a long screw driver - a freebie.

General Comments:

Upkeep costs are high a bit high, but a fix is done once and restores the car to original performance.

This model is one of the best on the road.

Very hard to fault the performance. It goes well in all traffic.

I like the visibility of the open interior and the sun roof.

A treat to take on long trips.

Too bad about the little interior faults. And, now the trunk is letting in water when the lid is lifted.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th January, 2004

4th Aug 2006, 00:23

Update by original poster. Now 187,500 miles. Transmission fault on 90 model not done under recall and eventually gave problems about 15K miles ago. Seems retaining bolts on gear had absent washers. Dang. Thank-you Ohio assembly plant. A semi-rebuild fixed the problem and I have a chewed up gear to show for it. I still like my Honda. Not a whole lot of problems except coil failed one day. And it was running rough. I thought the transmission was going again, but turned out to be dirty injectors. A flush through the intake manifold brought it back to incredible performance and gas mileage. A five-dollar set of tiny plugs to close the drilled-out access holes were the only parts cost. If you are getting stalling, low power performance consider this stock maintenance item on a higher mileage Accord. Well worth the $300. Air crapped out again due to holes in condenser.

8th Dec 2013, 06:33

Just sent this one on to the crusher. I drove it there and left it to be put down. If I had to, I could have run it for more years, but there was water coming in somewhere and wetting the carpets. What a good car! 422,000 KM over 23 years. Two owners.

1990 Honda Accord EX from North America

Summary:

242,000 Miles and Still Looking Hot

Faults:

Minor repair. My radiator began leaking at 150000 miles. Had to replace the timing belt at about 150000 because it was just time for it to be changed. Only had to do the usual maintenance things on this car.

General Comments:

242000 miles, what more do I need to say? It has run great. Great Car, Reliable, Still in Great Shape. Buy one of these for sure. Still going strong at 242000 miles. I'm impressed. Won't leave Honda's Side. Inside is very nice, great factory sound system.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th December, 2003

1990 Honda Accord LX 2.2 Liter L4 Single Over-Head Cam Programmed Fuel from North America

Summary:

Style, comfort, and performance in one great machine

Faults:

Power antenna cable broke, thus causing the antenna not to function properly. Fixed.

Original stereo/cassette player stopped working properly. Fixed.

Master cylinder died at 149,000 miles. Fixed.

General Comments:

This has been one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever been around.

Repair costs can/are more than most other vehicles, but how can you compare cost when it comes to reliability?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd October, 2003