1996 Honda Accord LX review from North America
"Have issues, expensive to maintain, but reliable"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Bought two of these cars same day in 1995 October from local dealer. Always had them serviced at dealer regularly which is really expensive, especially 60, 75, 90 thousand miles service. As part of regular service the dealer has replaced my CV-Boots, Joints, Struts, Timing Chain etc. around 75,000 miles.
Light Blue Car-1.
1. At 45000 mile A/C leak, it costed me $550
2. At 90000 miles master cylinder leaked, had to replace
3. At 120000 miles Starter gone bad, had to replace
4. At 120000 miles radiator leaked, had to replace
5. Currently Driver side control does not work to power up or down that passenger side window, mechanic wants $200 to replace the control
6. Driver side door lock has developed some problem, makes lot of noise when it locks, mechanic wants $350
7. Rear Driver side door does not open from inside, did not bother to tell the mechanic.
Car-2 (Silver)
1. Had to replace master cylinder (brakes) at 90,000 miles
2. Had to replace both radiator fans at 92,000 miles, it costed me $700
3. Had to replace radiator at 101,000 miles
4. Had to replace the A/C leak at 110,000 miles, it costed me $350.
General comments?
Overall these cars have been reliable. They did not fail on me on road.
But, for me they are very expensive machines to maintain. Every time, I take to dealer it costs around at least $500 - $800 for 60, 75, 90 thousand miles service.
In addition to that there are numerous issues with this model, which I did not expect from HONDA.
Recommended reviews
| Underpowered, undependable and noisy - go for the V-6 if you must buy an Accord |
| Okay |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 125000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 11th May, 2005 |