Topic: Is the price reasonable for this Honda Accord?

[Mountaineer]

99 honda accord LX, 5-speed manual, pm, pw, pl, 1 owner, 111k km, dealer serviced, some scratches on front and rear bumper (plastic), certified and emmission test. final price offered by the owner is $10500 (asked for $11000 first). Is it reasonable?

[Straysheepie]

Just bought a '99 Accord EXL myself, so I peeked in the Lemon-Aid guide for you, the range for '99 Accord LX is $11,000-12,500 so it sounds okay.  Curious to know if you live in central/eastern Canada since the price is a lot lower than what I paid in the used car hellhole known as Vancouver

I'm surprised the owner wouldn't budge much, I usually got at least $1000 off when making offers to private owners... do they have a lot of dealer service records and paperwork?

Still pretty much a car noob but hope the price range helps.  I'm sure more of the great people here will provide thoughtful insights!

[johngenx]

Off topic, but what mountains are you climbing?

[Mdxtasy]

Nice to see Sheepie back lurking and helping out after being helped.  Good show.  The Black book shows:

Low: $6,310.00     High: $7,810.00

I'm thinking it's in the neighbourhood.....10K.

(Message edited by mdxtasy on March 06, 2005)

[Barrie1]

I totally agree MDX as it is very nice of Sheepie to help out with her knowledge as well. Good for her.

[ArticSteve]

Yes, that is reasonable providing it has working air.  Better than a dealer car.

I recently got 14K for a 2000 Accord SE which is basically the same as your unit but with alloys. Car had 48K and was mint. 5 speed as well.

$500 discount is standard.  Don't expect more.  Remember no GST.

In one year or so you will be needing a timing belt and a water pump @ $500.  Front rotors as well.

[Barrie1]

A belt and water pump for $500. Wow I do that on my truck for around $60.00. This is one of the reasons I don't personally buy this make of vehicle. Parts are too much money.

[ArticSteve]

This is the timing belt, not the serpentine belt.

Prices for Honda the most reasonable of any car.  They are the easiest to repair as well.

Timing belt kit has both cam belt and balance belt plus two tensioners @ about $175.  Water pump is very reasonable @ about $90. 2.5 hours labour.  It doesn't get any cheaper than that.

[ovr50]

Can't help Mountaineer but welcome back, Straysheepie.

[Mountaineer]

i live in toronto area. the owner tried to sell the car since december last year priced at $12900 but didn't succeed. most likely the potential buyers thought it's too high. the history is clean. this is the 2nd or 3rd time he advertise his car. i believe each time he lowered his final price a little bit.

carfax and uvip show it's one owner. price listed on uvip is $9650 wholesale and $11650 retail. some friends of mine thought it should be $9500.

I haven't climbed any mountain yet. but i will.

[Mountaineer]

the owner has all the service records. timing belt needs to be replaced at 160k km for this car. how long does the pump last?

[Mdxtasy]

Replace the water pump when the belt is being done, you'll save on labour costs.

[Mountaineer]

any comments on the price? i got confused by the pricing on:  

uvip $9650 wholesale, $11650 retail
black book $6,310-$7,810 wholesale
lemon-aid $11000-$12500
consumer report USD$10000-12000

[ArticSteve]

Mountaineer:

I see you know your vehicles.

The timing belt needs to be replaced every 7 YEARS or 168K, whichever comes first. In temps were it drops below freezing the time interval should not be ignored or the next thread you post will be asking where you can get a wrecker motor replacement.

Assuming the car was actually manufactured in 1998, this motor is fast approaching the 7 YEAR mark.

The only reason this car has not sold well in the GTA is because it has a 5 speed.  It does have working air?

The price is reasonable because it has service records and no GST.

I see it in the autotrader.  It is the best deal of the 4 door Accords by far.

Your getting cheap.

I like the red 2 Accord door for $14,500 @72,000/auto. pr roof, alloys. Get that down to $13,500 and that's a sweet car for bumper to bumper GTA traffic providing it has good records.

[Mountaineer]

thanks, Articsteve. my friends feel that the price should be $9500. that's why I got confused.

it's hard to check the ac in winter. I asked a mechanic to give me a complete car inspection report tomorrow.

[ArticSteve]

It never fails that after one buys a car another preceived better deal always appears.
When you say service records, what exactly do they say?  How often did this lady change her oil? Every 8K in GTA driving is less than ideal.  Does she have any teenage drivers?  If so, I would not buy it.

Why are you looking for in this car?  4 doors and a 5 speed; are they important?

[Mountaineer]

service records say oil change regularly  for every 7500-9000 km and less than 11 months. the user's manual says every 10k km or 12 month.  

the owner is a gentleman. Mainly it's him driving the car. his wife also drives it occasionally. there is no other driver for this car. the owner told me that he had the dealer changed the piston ring at about 80k under warranty because the car was losing engine oil (not burning engine oil) at that time. will that be a big problem in the future? i'll ask the mechanic's comments tomorrow.

4 doors means convenience for more people to use the car and 5-speed means lower price. that's what I need.

[ArticSteve]

DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!

9K in 11 months is TERRIBLE on Honda mineral oil.

Yes, this car will be a big problem in the future based on the info about the piston ring.

The sellers are cheap and not car people; hence the scratches in the bumpers and the outrageous oil change intervals.  I am surprised Honda Canada honoured the warranty.

In the Trader now is a 2001 Accord for 11K and change with less than 2K on the mileage.  Probably a typo.  But I would call just the same.  Many weird people out there so you never know.

[Mountaineer]

thanks, steve. actually i don't know too much about car. your advice is very important to us.i think you are right.

[Mountaineer]

now i don't think i can afford such an expensive car. if i want to buy a $8000-9000 one, can you recommend a model?