Topic: Bought a new old car!

[ovr50]

Yep, it's the bumper-car run on the 401s, 407s and QEWs plus liberal doses of winter salt and general grime of Central Canada that makes them worth less than a vehicle that lives in a pristine, green, and growing climate of the West Coast. Everyone knows that....

[Barrie1]

The battery may just be low from sitting so I would wait to see what happens with it. If you do have to replace it I would recommend a Delco Battery for your car as they one of the longest lasting batteries on the market. I won't run a Canadian Tire Battery ever as they leach acid too much and cause damage. They are generally made by Exide and are not a top line part.  I think you can get new tires a lot cheaper then $700. as that seems a little high for good quality tires. Let your fingers do the walking on them but check out the tire section for recomendations on brands 1st.

[Multipath]

Congrats!!  Looks like you found a nice gem of a car.  I agree with the others, the problems on this vehicle are minor and can be expected at this age.

I would wait until the battery dies to replace, and do have the dealership charge it up.  Costco Kirkland batteries are reasonaly priced, have a good CCA rating too.  My brother has one on, bought in 2001 or 2002.  It is a very easy do it yourself job, and I did this in an emergency situation on a road trip.  Just disconnect the old battery, reconnect the new.  Always disconnect ground (negative) last, and reconnect ground first.  All you'll probably need for tools are pliers and maybe a screwdriver.  Be careful not to short anything and electrocute yourself, and be careful of battery acid.

Rad flush is definitely worth it, especially if maintenance records show it was some time ago.

Tranny flush also a very good idea.

Just how bad are the rear tires?  If possible, replace them as a full set of 4.  Just 2 only is acceptable, but try to match to the other 2 as closely as possible.  The tire forum guys can help you out.    Also look into a winter tire/wheel package, but seeing as you helped your mom out on this recently, I'm sure it's old news to you.  You might be able to hold out on this til next season, seeing it seems like spring is here in Vancouver now (though I did eat my words one March the day after I took my winter tires off).

Right rear strut will probably be okay for a while, but expect a replacement a ways down the road.

For the $350 that the dealer wants to do the tranny, coolant and alignment sounds not too bad.  I would let them do it as well.

Depending on what you can substantiate from the service records, new spark plugs and an oil change could be in order.

Happy motoring, enjoy your new ride!!!  

[Mdxtasy]

If you change the battery yourself Sheepie...make sure you've got the code for the radio...otherwise it won't work.

[S60]

With the rad problem, shouldn't the buyer beware of coolant leaking into crankcase or cylinders.
Have you checked that the heater is blowing hot air, etc.
Just a thought.

(Message edited by S60 on February 02, 2005)

[mrthompson]

Maybe the dealer is blowing hot air?

[Bullet Blue]

Looks great! I'm sure you will be happy with it. I liked the looks of the accord coupe's tailights to that body style. Very unique. Congrats.

[Brig]

Looking good, Little Bo Peep!  No more stray sheep for you!

Love the colour, and you can't go wrong with an Accord.

Enjoy, and drive safely.

Brigitte

[davidy]

Here's a voluntary recall that may affect your 1999 Accord...exact models to be published on Friday:

http://autonet.ca/Maintenance/Recalls/story.cfm?story=/Maintenance/Recalls/2005/ 02/02/918046.html

Dave

[S60]

Honda is recalling 1 million 1997 through 1999 Honda Prelude, Accord, Odyssey, CR-V and the Acura CL because of problems with the ignition. Reports say that the ignition may cause the cars to suddenly stall without warning and that that could increase the chance of a crash

http://www.nbc10.com/News/1592059/detail.html

It is dated 2002, but good to make sure your Accord has been checked for this fault.

And another date 2003,
Honda Motor Co. recalled about 652,000 cars, minivans and sport-utilities to fix an ignition- system flaw that may cause the vehicles to roll after they've been stopped and the keys removed, a U.S. agency said.  

The recall affects 1997 to 1999 Acura sedans, 1998 and 1999 Accord sedans, 1999 Odyssey minivans and 2002 CR-V sport- utilities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site. Metal particles in the key cylinders may interfere with a device that's supposed to prevent the key from being removed if the vehicle isn't in "park," the agency said.  

The Washington-based agency last month upgraded an investigation of the vehicles after 169 complaints, 28 incidents and three injuries were reported. One driver reported an injury after he exited his car and it began rolling. The driver had left the car in neutral and withdrew the ignition key, NHTSA said.  

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0311/01/autos-312984.htm

(Message edited by S60 on February 02, 2005)

[Brig]

S60:  You are SUCH a buzzkill.  

[S60]

Might as well be informed, and make sure all issues have been dealt with.

[Brig]

Kinda late in the game, in this case.

[johngenx]

The recall is a non-issue.  If his car has not been done, no problem, it'll get done, and at no charge.

Congrats on a nice ride.

[EV-Light]

Congrats Strayyyyyy!!! excelent choice!!

[Spitdriver]

Congrats Stray!! Well done.
Nice car, looks great.
Great bargaining, and including the service.
Re:tires. We've had good luck with Costco, and I'm using their batteries too.
Whoo-hoo!

[Straysheepie]

I did try a Hyundai Accent before looking at Hondas again but they just don't have the finesse and the poor car had trouble going up hills... engine was really loud huffing and puffing up!

Decided to go for coolant and transmission oil change, plus alignment and air cleaner/filter replacement for $400.  The cheque for the car has been dropped off and certified, so I'll be picking the car up Saturday afternoon.  And yes the vents blow hot (and a/c cold) air

Just a few more questions:

- Is there some way to know the battery is low before it dies on me?  I'm going to get a BCAA membership but I would like to change the battery it dies.
- Should I change the tires NOW or can I hold off for a month or two?  Multipath touched on this a bit, but I'm wondering what you guys make of the 25% remaining on one rear tire and "worn out" on the other?  Would it be dangerous to keep driving with a worn out tire?  My Mom's mechanic is trying to find some relatively new or brand new tires for us cheap, but I will look at Costco (and maybe Tire Trends but Costco is closer) as well.

Thanks for mentioning the recalls, I checked and the coupe doesn't seem to be affected.  I'll ask the dealer if they know about any recalls.

Oh and for those who didn't read earlier threads, I'm a girl who knows basically NOTHING about cars so there's no way in hell I'm going to be changing the battery If I tried there would probably be cooked rack of lamb for y'all on the forum!

[Saint11]

costco should have the cheapest prices around for tires

[S60]

Congrats Straysheepie, have fun tomorrow picking up your new car, and happy motoring.

[Mdxtasy]

Most newer batteries have an 'eye' on the top of it.  If you see green through it...then the battery is supposed to be good.  If it's black....it's time to change the battery.  As for the tires....with all the rain in BC winters, you can risk hydroplaning on worn tire.  Also, how old are the tires, are they the original tire?  If so, 6 years is a long life for a tire.  If you have the funds, change it now.  Otherwise, change them as soon as you can.

(Message edited by mdxtasy on February 04, 2005)