Hi guys,
Some of you might recognize me from Honda-Tech. I have been a long-time Honda owner and enthusiast. I have had several Hondas:
Previous cars:
1986 Accord sedan LX, 1993 Acura Integra LS coupe, 1996 Accord sedan LX (bought brand new in 1995), 1992 Prelude Si 4WS with JDM H22 swap, 1992 Accord sedan LX with H22 swap.
Current:
1989 240SX SE hatch with an SR20DET swap and a GT2560R turbo upgrade
1997 Accord LX 5-spd wagon with a JDM F23A swap.
1997 BMW M3 coupe
2001 BMW 325ci (bought brand new)
I just bought a black 2000 Honda Accord EX-L V6 coupe for $500. It's going to be for my friend's sister but I will be maintaining it and hopefully buy it off her once she is done with it. She needs a car fast and asked me to help her find something. Money is VERY tight for her. I scoured the Craigslist ads and found a very generic ad for a V6 Accord for $500. It listed 3 issues. The car has a tough time idling and sometimes stalls out if you use it to run errands (lots of start and stops), one of the rear mufflers will need to be replaced (rust issue), and a 1st-to-2nd shifting issue. That was all that was listed in the ad. No pictures either. I figured I would message the owner to get some pictures. I expected the worst. It was quite the opposite!
He quickly sent me 3 pictures and the car looked fantastic! Interior looked well-cared for, exterior had no paint issues, and looked to be in overall good condition! It even has the OEM factory spoiler and OEM bodykit! I assumed the pics he sent me we several years old but I figured it was worth taking a look. He said it still runs so I figured it was worth a look even though he was 75 miles away (150-mile round trip). I thought about taking a friend with me but I worried I might be wasting their time because it could be a mess.
I arrived and the car looked exactly like the pics he sent me. Interior in AWESOME shape. The exterior has a few bumps and scratches and the front bumper is cracked in at least 2 places, but no paint fade! Looks very presentable! He and his wife have owned it for almost 6 years and have all the service records for it! Engine smoothness alone proved they took care of it!
I gave them the money and they signed over the title. I took possession of the keys and will be going back up to pick it up in a few days.
The muffler and stalling issue are things I am confident I can resolve. The trans, issue probably not. The owner stated that the trans has had this issue for almost 3 years. The simple work-around is to let off the gas when it shifts into 2nds for one second, then get back on the gas. It works every time!
I will get the car inspected over the next 30 days and let her drive the car as it is for now. It will need a new timing belt and water pump soon. I am debating whether to pull the engine, get a J32A2, change all the seals, water pump, timing belt, etc, then put it in. I am going to see if I can possibly swap in a newer 2003-2005 Accord auto trans as well. Unfortunately, she doesn't know how to drive stick.
Anyway, I will update this thread as I make progress on it. I am going to go over the whole thing and bring it up-to-date on all outstanding issues. According to the records, I don't think it will need much! The previous owner took care of most of it!
Stay tuned!
Some of you might recognize me from Honda-Tech. I have been a long-time Honda owner and enthusiast. I have had several Hondas:
Previous cars:
1986 Accord sedan LX, 1993 Acura Integra LS coupe, 1996 Accord sedan LX (bought brand new in 1995), 1992 Prelude Si 4WS with JDM H22 swap, 1992 Accord sedan LX with H22 swap.
Current:
1989 240SX SE hatch with an SR20DET swap and a GT2560R turbo upgrade
1997 Accord LX 5-spd wagon with a JDM F23A swap.
1997 BMW M3 coupe
2001 BMW 325ci (bought brand new)
I just bought a black 2000 Honda Accord EX-L V6 coupe for $500. It's going to be for my friend's sister but I will be maintaining it and hopefully buy it off her once she is done with it. She needs a car fast and asked me to help her find something. Money is VERY tight for her. I scoured the Craigslist ads and found a very generic ad for a V6 Accord for $500. It listed 3 issues. The car has a tough time idling and sometimes stalls out if you use it to run errands (lots of start and stops), one of the rear mufflers will need to be replaced (rust issue), and a 1st-to-2nd shifting issue. That was all that was listed in the ad. No pictures either. I figured I would message the owner to get some pictures. I expected the worst. It was quite the opposite!
He quickly sent me 3 pictures and the car looked fantastic! Interior looked well-cared for, exterior had no paint issues, and looked to be in overall good condition! It even has the OEM factory spoiler and OEM bodykit! I assumed the pics he sent me we several years old but I figured it was worth taking a look. He said it still runs so I figured it was worth a look even though he was 75 miles away (150-mile round trip). I thought about taking a friend with me but I worried I might be wasting their time because it could be a mess.
I arrived and the car looked exactly like the pics he sent me. Interior in AWESOME shape. The exterior has a few bumps and scratches and the front bumper is cracked in at least 2 places, but no paint fade! Looks very presentable! He and his wife have owned it for almost 6 years and have all the service records for it! Engine smoothness alone proved they took care of it!
I gave them the money and they signed over the title. I took possession of the keys and will be going back up to pick it up in a few days.
The muffler and stalling issue are things I am confident I can resolve. The trans, issue probably not. The owner stated that the trans has had this issue for almost 3 years. The simple work-around is to let off the gas when it shifts into 2nds for one second, then get back on the gas. It works every time!
I will get the car inspected over the next 30 days and let her drive the car as it is for now. It will need a new timing belt and water pump soon. I am debating whether to pull the engine, get a J32A2, change all the seals, water pump, timing belt, etc, then put it in. I am going to see if I can possibly swap in a newer 2003-2005 Accord auto trans as well. Unfortunately, she doesn't know how to drive stick.
Anyway, I will update this thread as I make progress on it. I am going to go over the whole thing and bring it up-to-date on all outstanding issues. According to the records, I don't think it will need much! The previous owner took care of most of it!
Stay tuned!
