Buying an Accord - things to look out for?

[markj]

Hi people, been lurking around for a week or two, nice to see another Accord site made of knowledgeable people.

So I'm not new to Hondas or cars in general. Mom's got an Odyssey with 230,000 on it, I have an '02 I35 and a 1991 CB7. My Accord is currently retired and resting in the driveway for now, auto trans is on its way out. Bought the I35 secondhand from the original owner for a couple hundred bucks and am fixing it up to give to my parents.

I found what I hope is to be my next car on Craigslist:
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/2884163652.html

2001 Accord. Coupe, EX, and best of all, 5-speed AND San Marino Red! My dream 6th gen for sure. As on the posting, it supposedly has 137,000 miles on it and has been maintained. I just got off the phone with the owner and we're supposed to meet this coming Sunday, gonna go check the car out with my father.

So... what should I look out for? I'm familiar with being able to tell if it's been in an accident or had any body work done, if the engine is original, if it was stick or swapped, basics like that. Just observant I guess. Gonna ask for any and all maintenance records if available. I've never really heard of any quirks with these cars aside from the auto transmissions cause who doesn't know about those lol. Anything relating to the 6th gen in particular that I should look out for? I know all the oddities with my CB7, dash creaks, the trunk leaks, of course the rusty wheel wells, etc. But I can't say I know anything about the 6th gen. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[CG6Lemon]

tranny for 4 cyl non manual and v6. highest priority, otherwise do what you would do for buying any other car.

 

[Brimstone Brown]

I have some minor issues with my door locks. They lock and unlock while im cruisin its kinda irritating. Not sure if thats a common problem.

 

[eggs]

I agree with lemon, the tranny is the biggest concern of the accord. Check the fender wells for rust, the car seems pretty clean tho

 

[hiddengamer7]

The 4cyl 5 speed is about as rock solid of a drivetrain as you can get. The only thing to check would be regular maintenance and if the timing belt was changed.

 

[cjsaccord]

You already scored finding a 5 speed 6th gen. I would ask them is they did the 100k service, that includes replacing the water pump, belts spark plugs etc. Otherwise good find.

 

[SykVSyx]

Only thing that would make that Accord better as it is, is if it was a V6.

Hope that works out for you and you have a trusted mechanic that will do a thorough check.

I would also suggest getting all the suspension components thoroughly checked as well.

 

[DarkSideAccord]

You already scored finding a 5 speed 6th gen. I would ask them is they did the 100k service, that includes replacing the water pump, belts spark plugs etc. Otherwise good find.

werd... timing belt service is done at 100k.. check if tht's done.. other than tht, everything looks solid...

 

[RedRyder]

http://www.6thgenaccord.com/forums/showthread.php?p=875316#post875316

 

[markj]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. Hoping that if there aren't any records, at least he has some proof of the timing belt being done. But that doesn't bother me much, if I get the car I'll pop that timing cover and look at the belt. Might just change it anyway if I'm not lazy.

I've read about door locks going crazy a couple times, but never seen it in person. Not a big deal though. RedRyder, thanks for that link, can't tell you how many times I've wished I could run a check on a car!

Oh and how is San Marino Red in terms of paint quality? I know 98-00 Accords have that stupid clearcoat deterioration issue, did anything change for the 01-02s? I think I read somewhere that SMR is like a mix of paint and clearcoat and that there isn't an actual layer of clearcoat.. but then again I couldn't stand auto body class so I wouldn't know haa. Also, never seen one of these Accords rust at the wells like they used to, or anywhere for that matter. Guessing they really don't?