1988 Honda Accord LXi review from North America

Timing belt broke shortly after purchasing car - no damage to engine since it happened at idle. Also replaced the clutch at the same time, since it was already worn out when I got the car.

Heater hose blew around 160k - replaced all hoses.

Accelerator cable broke around 160k.

Clutch cable broke around 165k.

Drivers door power window started acting up at about 170k miles (would roll down fine, but sometimes would not roll up) - replaced relay in control box myself, no more problems with the window.

Power locks would occasionally lock themselves - common problem on 86-89 Accords.

Sunroof would leak during heavy rain.

Alternator died at 180k, halfway through a 700 mile road trip at night - car still completed the entire trip, though it finally died literally as I was pulling in to the driveway of my destination (headlights were too dim to be of any use for the last hour though).

Air conditioner compressor seized at about 185k miles.

Occasionally would die and refuse to start for a few minutes (tachometer would start jumping erratically, and the engine would run badly just before dying) - Replaced distributor at 190k, solved problem.

Replaced parts of passenger side pop up headlight mechanism at some point (headlight would bounce while driving).

The car was stolen around 220k - later recovered, though totaled (wrecked w/bent frame, clutch was burned out, 2nd gear was unusable, and the entire interior was stripped). It still ran great after getting it back, it just wouldn't move easily because of the clutch.

This was easily the most reliable car I've ever owned. I found out a couple of months after buying it that the odometer had been rolled back - CarFax showed a state inspection 2 years prior to my purchase with 160k, and another year before that with 140k - the odometer read about 150k when I got it. Miles reported above are going by what was on the odometer, I suspect it had close to 300k miles on it by the time it was stolen.

This was a really fun car to drive - especially for a sedan. Plenty of power from the 130 hp engine, handled great, and plenty of room. I put less than $1000 into repairs in this car while owning it, a real surprise for a 10 year old car with over 200k miles.