Connie, 2002 EX-V6 Coupe (56K)

Connie

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Finally got her legal and took it on it's first real drive today, the daily 200km commute. She drives beautifully, and the transmission works flawlessly. There was never a time that Connie was this nice and tight. And I don't know how I ever lived without heated seats. The used vehicle package from the ministry says the old lady I got it from bought it new in 1999 and owned it for 17 full years. I don't think anyone has ever even sat in the passenger seat. It still idles a little low at times, but not always like when I first started it, and emissions was a pass.

One issue that came up this morning on the way here was the right front wheel bearing. Because why wouldn't I have wheel bearing issues with this car too.... It was kinda humming when I left this morning, but 100 highway km later it's roaring. I don't think grandma ever went on the highway either, so it seems as if I'm already shaking this one to death too hahaha.
 

Rusty Accord

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Finally got her legal and took it on it's first real drive today, the daily 200km commute. She drives beautifully, and the transmission works flawlessly. There was never a time that Connie was this nice and tight. And I don't know how I ever lived without heated seats. The used vehicle package from the ministry says the old lady I got it from bought it new in 1999 and owned it for 17 full years. I don't think anyone has ever even sat in the passenger seat. It still idles a little low at times, but not always like when I first started it, and emissions was a pass.

One issue that came up this morning on the way here was the right front wheel bearing. Because why wouldn't I have wheel bearing issues with this car too.... It was kinda humming when I left this morning, but 100 highway km later it's roaring. I don't think grandma ever went on the highway either, so it seems as if I'm already shaking this one to death too hahaha.

WOW, that's great news in that you've got a 1 owner car (with you being the 2nd owner. No wonder why everything is tight and not worn out, but then it's a low mileage car.
I still think you should try running/driving it some more. If that doesn't do it, then it might need an adjustment.

What is it with you and hub bearings? You can't seem to catch a break can you. Connie goes 244K on them, and this car is a little over half that and it needs some. Well if you're killing it already, then I think you need to check everything over. That sitting might not have helped it any.

It's good to hear you got it all legal, and can use it as needed, but now you've found more work to do on it.:rotflmao:
 

Blazinqwickly

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That is excellent news it passed congrats ! I'm with Rusty, what is it with you and wheel bearings you can not seems to catch a break with them at all LOL.
 

Connie

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That is excellent news it passed congrats ! I'm with Rusty, what is it with you and wheel bearings you can not seems to catch a break with them at all LOL.

I know they are my friggin nemesis.
Finally got the right rear bearing done in Connie (after doing a front and a rear on Midnight), ended up paying almost $160 for a hub assembly, but it was a Moog problem solver with a 2-year warranty this time.

I had been buying the $60 generic ones, but I asked if they had a premium line and it turned out to be the Problem Solver line. Had good luck in the past with them, so time (and miles) will tell. So for the time being, I have 8 wheels with good bearings on both of the 6Gs I'm actually driving. Usually it doesn't last, lol.

Almost had a catastrophic cooling system failure sometime over the past 2 days in Connie; I was checking the oil yesterday after getting gas (every 2 days, like always) and the upper rad hose at the engine side was swollen up to about 3 times it's original diameter. Maybe it has been longer than 2 days and I just didn't notice last time.... Luckily I was close to home and have parts cars, and it made it. But WOW! It looked like one of those party balloons that clowns make animals and stuff out of. Would have been MESSY! The hose felt fine last time I checked it (few months ago; it was much colder then), but I'm pretty sure it was an original 16-year-old hose. It's probably best not to complain about it wearing out. She's soldiering on, but rust is a fast-working enemy....
 
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capsidx

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Dude I have to say thev parts list threw me off lol. Was not expecting that at all. I love the rust and the fact that this car has plenty of TLC but doesn't show it to other people, only the driver.

Very similar to my car. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this build if you plan to take it further.

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Connie

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Dude I have to say thev parts list threw me off lol. Was not expecting that at all. I love the rust and the fact that this car has plenty of TLC but doesn't show it to other people, only the driver.

Very similar to my car. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this build if you plan to take it further.

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At this point I'm just trying to make it to half a million, but who knows. The seams on the inside of the front of the strut towers are starting to rot through, so things are starting to potentially be a bit structural now. The black 2000 I have is in WAY better shape, and it would probably make more sense to throw money into it before Connie.

But even with that said, I MUCH prefer driving this haggard shytebox. After being mostly the only one in the driver's seat for almost 350k in the last 4.5 years, the seat is pretty much molded to me perfectly; I just can't seem to get quite as comfortable in the black car, even though it's almost exactly the same in every way--but tighter. The seats are too hard! lol.

And you want a head turner? Lol. More people take pictures and point at this pile than they do when I'm driving the RX7! Some people look horrified and disgusted, and that makes me smile, too. About half the time when I look in the mirror in traffic, the passengers in surrounding cars are pointing and taking pictures.

And I can't count how many times I've shut down the dyck in the lane that ends trying to shove in in front of all the traffic that patiently waited and got in the correct lane when the sign told them too. She may look like she's on death's doorstep, but that JDM J30A pulls just as hard as the day I dropped it in there. And the sound when Vtec kicks in with the CAI and the muffler delete is still sexy and awesome.

They say that cars rust the most in the spring; and that's definitely true. I really should take some new pics; the rusty fender and hood now have full-on holes ranging in size from dime to golf ball. The rear quarter situation is getting worse pretty fast, too.

But she keeps on truckin'....200km a day minimum!
 

capsidx

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It sucks you like in an arse climate . I hate to see 6 th gens exposed to this but we can't always have it both ways. My car has been exposed to the harshest of Winters that PA has to over. Frankensteins has spent his entire life in pa an has not one spec or rust thanks to the undercoating . I'm moving back to Florida in January for good and that undercoat is coming off and getting a fresh one. I'm putting so much on it's going to look like I'm lowered lol. I plan on keeping this car forever.

Yea it's just a Honda but it's my first car and it hasn't quit on me yet. Florida has lots of salt and where I'm living I'll be 5 minutes fromthe ocean and will be taking regular trips there. I'll inspect Frankenstein monthly to see if any rust starts forming and kill it before it becomes a problem. I know for you that's probably hard with all the snow.

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Connie

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It sucks you like in an arse climate . I hate to see 6 th gens exposed to this but we can't always have it both ways. My car has been exposed to the harshest of Winters that PA has to over. Frankensteins has spent his entire life in pa an has not one spec or rust thanks to the undercoating . I'm moving back to Florida in January for good and that undercoat is coming off and getting a fresh one. I'm putting so much on it's going to look like I'm lowered lol. I plan on keeping this car forever.

Yea it's just a Honda but it's my first car and it hasn't quit on me yet. Florida has lots of salt and where I'm living I'll be 5 minutes fromthe ocean and will be taking regular trips there. I'll inspect Frankenstein monthly to see if any rust starts forming and kill it before it becomes a problem. I know for you that's probably hard with all the snow.

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Yeah; with the salt and brine, it's pretty much impossible to stop it. Oil spraying it every year slows it down, but it doesn't stop it. If you want to keep a car forever up here, your only option is to only drive it 5 months a year and store it in the winter. That's just the way it is here, so you learn to accept its inevitability, man up, and just deal with it.

If you get far enough north, where it's too cold for road salt to be effective and therefore only sand is used, cars last like they do in places like Florida. Salt by the ocean is nothing like road salt; I spent a few years in Hermosillo, Mexico and made regular trips to the seaside towns of Guaymas, San Carlos or Bajia Kino. The cars are rusty in a completely opposite way from snow. Top-down rather than bottom-up. I drove my old 92 Accord, and when I had the brakes done (Mexican automotive labour is cheap and anyone who knows the 4g Accord knows that front rotors on that car are a 4-hour nightmare to replace), the guys all gathered around in awe to check out the rust. Que oxidado!!! Porque? Que pasooo?? Even next to the ocean where cars DO rust, nobody down there had seen anything like it.

I had a 1991 3-cylinder automatic Geo Metro (55 ground-poundin' hp) as my first car. I wanted to keep it forever, too. Then one day the driver's seat fell through the floor when I went over a bump.....thanks, rust! It only had 188k km on it, too!
 

capsidx

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Dang dude, sounds like it's time for you to relocate to Florida where the only thing you have to worry about is what time you want to go to the beach and how long you want to cruise with the windows down lol

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