1) Engine stalled stranding my wife 5 times. Each time it would not restart and needed to be towed into the dealer (up to 75 miles).
Wires,plugs , spark igniter, cap, etc. were replaced 2 times, I have no confidence the problem has been solved even now. I cannot even give this car to any of my family members (I cannot trust that it is actually fixed).
2) Worst thing, odometer got stuck at 49,000 and blew, 2500.00 off any trade in opportunity I had. Plus $300.00+ for the dealer to fix it. The title must list actual mileage as unknown as the odometer would be reset at 0. Swell, I'm buying a Nissan Maxima and I have yet to decide what to do with this dog. Trade in is out of the question as they don't even want the car with the odometer issue.
3) The tires and rims leaked air (all 4 of them ) which needed to be taken in to the dealer and remounted (blew a day of work for that).
3) VTEC 4 cylinder is a poor example of a powerplant in that it is noisy, underpowered, and sounds like it is chewing up marbles at idle.
4) Stereo is poor, the CD in the trunk is in the way of everything.
If you are considering a Honda go for the V-6, Honda even knows the VTEC 4 sucks as they are offering incentives to get rid of them.
As for the dependability, I have owned 2 Accords, a '90 and a '96, the '90 was a great car, the '96 has been the worst vehicle. Beware they are not all they are cracked up to be.
The 5 spd is a very reliable quick car. Given it's a 4 cylinder if you were looking for speed you shouldn't have gotten an automatic.
Sounds to me like this guy bought a used Honda. My '96 Accord EX is very quite and, though nothing like a Prelude, it is fairly peppy (I have a 5-speed). My odometer is pushing 108,000 and I couldn't be happier. I agree with the other users comment that the 5-speed is the way to go.
Wow, that is the first bad thing I ever heard about the '96 4 cyl Accords. Mine is a 96 5 speed with 150k miles and with regular maintenance (as recommended in the manual), my car is running great. Only replaced basic parts and lots of oil changes. Make sure you do the 90k belt replacement and water pump. Great car, I guarantee will make it to 200k with no major problems. You have to take care of you car.
There will be negative reviews no matter what kind of car it is. Overall, the 90-97 4-cylinder Accords are two of Honda's most reliable generations. Clearly, there are many more positive reviews than there are negative. I too own a 1996 Honda Accord with the 2.2 4-cylinder and automatic. No, it isn't the fastest thing on the road, but with 170,000 completely trouble free miles... I thank myself everyday for purchasing such a quality made automobile.
I bought my 96 Accord four years ago, and I am very pleased with my Honda. 174,000 miles and it is still quick, economical, and reliable. And with proper maintenance it will trip 200,000 with much more to give.
I have had two Honda Accords myself and it sounds to me like don't know in how to maintain your car.
Tires went flat and had to take to a dealer? All tires go flat because of punctures or being run to death and popping. You don't have to take a flat to a dealer.
The stalling issue? The EGR cleanout ports get clogged every 20k miles or so, if you would have known anything like this, your car wouldn't have stalled.
New wires, plugs, cap etc.? This needs replacing on any vehicle at a given point in time, if you would have replaced them when you thought it was getting time to do so, maybe it wouldn't have broken down on you later on.
I guess the point I'm trying to make here, is stop blaming the car for problems when you don't take proper care of it.
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