1992 Honda Accord LX from North America - Comments

Left and right upper control arms busted and needed replacing.

Catalytic converter literally fell apart leaving pieces lodged in the exhaust system.

Back dog legs rusting out.

Bad oil leak.

Power steering line broke because it rusted out. (not a pleasant feeling loosing steering come down from an off-ramp).

Coolant hose needed replacing.

Transmission shift cable rusted out making it hard to shift from park.

Distributor went dead.

CV joints popped.

Front windshield severely cracked.

And for the big finisher... 2nd valve in the engine blew. I drove it for another week on 3 cylinders only because I needed transportation to work. Now the piece of junk is sitting in my old man's yard. For a Honda I couldn't believe the problems I had with this car. I don't know if it was abused by previous owners or maybe it had like 8 owners before me, but this car cost me thousands of dollars in repairs. I don't think I could bring myself to buy another Honda again, at least not a used one.

Peppy car from 0-60.

Somewhat lacking power on the highway, but still pretty good.

I like how you sit lower in the car giving it a more lower center of gravity. I hate feeling like I'm driving an SUV when I'm in a car.

The local mechanic that had the privelege to do all this work was very trustworthy and smart. He always diagnosed my problems quickly and his labour was cheap. Very good guy, but I bet he was feeling sorry for me by the end.

It is really amazing that people buy a car (ANY car) with 369000 kms and expect it to be as reliable as a new car. I cannot even *imagine* a car with half the mileage of this one not to have its CV boots or radiator hoses replaced. And a valve can blow at even 50000 or 100000 kms- it is just a matter of bad timing and/or bad adjusting valve clearance (=service).

I have a '93 honda accord lx with 248k on the odo (runs like the day I bought it new), and of course some of the problems you mentioned are part of a routine maintenance, but the fact you bought your car used could also be evidence that the car was neglected and yes Mr. cheap-ass you can't expect a car in that age especially a 'used' one to run like a new car. Maybe you should buy a Hyundai or a kia with the 10 year warranty. Don't buy a honda if you don't know how to take care of it!!! Leave it to a real man to maintain a car :)

I disagree with all this talk about "didn't care for the car" that is why it broke argument. Honda lemmings will always point how tough it is, but when something breaks, it is because the owner abused it. Obviously there are a few knowledgeable owners who see that Honda's are not all that great after all. And there are cars out there that do not need any big maintenance other than oil change and tires. Things like CV joints, transmissions, power windows, engine valves are major repair items that should have lasted the life of the car.

I abuse the crap out of my 92 Accord LX. It has 187,000 miles. It's my third Honda, and I drive it like an exotic sports car. I've replaced my cv joints... AND THAT'S IT! I've always been very strict with oil changes, and transmission fluid changes, so maybe that's why I've had such good luck. But I know that things will break on Hondas, just like any other car, but it takes an extra 100,000 miles to start falling apart. I've had american cars, thank God I bought the warranties! Hondas and Toyotas are such better cars. What I'm saying is that buy a honda that's been taken care of and you should end up happy. Go buy any other used car with that many miles and see what a real nightmare is.

I know of an abused Accord. Oil Changes every 6 months or 12,000 miles; 85,000 year old tires that have yet to blow out; driven not too hard, but with tires that are shot and oil that is darker than black coffee, that is abuse. I am sorry if you believe that it's just Honda hype. Look at some of the reviews and you will find many Honda's with over 250,000 miles on them. Honda hype -- no way! Poor maintenance -- I bet!

I have a 92 accord LX with 220,000 miles, the car has been abused most of its life (i know the previous owners) but basic maintanence has been kept up. I also own a 300zx turbo, and this honda is still fun to drive for me, it will take anything you give it. Original a/c still works great, very few problems, anyone who bashes honda can just buy american and leave the hondas to those who can appreciate them for what they really are... Great Cars.

I can personally attest to owning a car for over 410,000 miles since new and having no major mechanical, electrical or cosmetic problems with it. And it was a 1981 Chevy (gasp) Impala. It was a bare bones car, I think the only options were A/C, 305 2-bbl V8, Overdrive transmission, Cloth Seats, And AM/FM Stereo radio. Now that I have all you suburban yuppies laughing, read on and behold just what GM used to be capable of back in the stone Age.

I bought new it a month before my first child was born. Besides a timing chain (preventative measure, it didn't break) at around 227,000, a couple water pumps, a radiator and a few gaskets over the years, the car truly was the most reliable anything I ever owned. Besides religiously changing the oil every 4,000 miles and keeping tires on it, this car was never pampered. And I can tell you that once my 3 kids started driving, It was definately abused and misused. It took its beatings in stride and kept going and going like the energizer bunny. Of course it didn't look or run like new after all those miles, by the time I got rid of it it used a quart of oil every 1,000 miles and the frame and floor were starting to rust through. The blow by started to get so bad a had a lady from greenpeace give me the finger one day on the interstate.

I used to be a die-hard "buy American", even "buy GM" guy. After some major disapointments from a '92 Chevy Lumina, '98 F-150, 1999 intrepid and a 2000 malibu, I switched to Nissan and am well pleased. I think Honda and Toyota are OK, the only thing is, EVERYONE has them. Even elderly people are getting fed up with Buick, Cadillac and Lincoln and switching to Toyota and Honda.

Forieign (japanese to be specific) cars used to be a tin can oddity, now most of them have more American parts and build than than GM, Ford, and Chrysler. And far better quality to boot.

Getting back to reliability, I know comparing a '81 Impala to a '92 Accord may seem like Apples to Oranges, but reliability is reliabilty, whether it's a car, TV set, or Dishwasher. Either you can depend on it, or you can't. Sometimes care and maintenance have a big impact, but not always. I never let my kids touch the above Malibu or Intrepid, did everything by the book or better, and they were absolutely horrible. It hit me like a ton of bricks fianlly after the 2000 malibu (bought new also) what American carmakers were doing. I went postal on at a dealership that our family had done business with for over 70 years and vowed never to return until if or when the whole American Auto industry straightens up.

And for the record, I'd bring my '81 Impala back from the grave and spend thousands to restore it before paying one dime for a 2007 Impala! :-)

I would keep these older Accords they were a lot better in my opinion... unlike the newest ones. I owned Honda til recently. I would buy new domestics or old imports... as of 2007.

So why are new domestics the new smoking gun? Could it be the 50 jobs eliminated so that an instrument panel can be put in with one piece (G6). Could it be that Enterprise or Avis puts a special solvent into the engine that makes the car run better? I know what it is!!! Could it be that the platform under their cars have had 20 years to settle and cure? YOU BET!!! I pride myself to have an old 1988 GM W car and also to have a new 2007 GM W car. I can compete with my brother who has a 1988 Accord that is nothing like his 1992 Accord or 2004 Accord for that matter. What is the point of having a fresh and technological built car when you can have a tried and true 20 year old 2007 model?

I have had both domestic and imports, and imports win hands down in reliability and quality.

I will keep driving my Civic Si and Accord EX-R until something better comes along. You cannot beat the performance to cost ratio.

To the Malibu owner who has 400k. I could have bought two brand new cars with the gas I save driving my cars compared to yours. Not hating, but just a fact.