Need some advice on whether worth buying...

[sb001]

I'm looking for a second "run around town" car to compliment my 1998 Accord 5 speed sedan. I was fiddling around on the internet and came upon the local Goodwill in my area selling a 1998 Accord sedan with automatic, only 116k miles, right now bidding is up to $700.
Problem is they say it has a transmission leak and the tranny is slipping. Could this be a possible easy repair, or would it be the same as all others on here saying the tranny would need to be rebuilt or replaced?

Thanks

Here is the response I got from them when emailing them about the car:

MECHANICAL/OTHER NOTES: 4 cylinder engine. The transmission slips and needs repair. There is a leak in the transmission and possibly a leak in the seal at the distributor. This vehicle started at the time of the listing but it is not recommended to drive until the transmission problems are addressed. The steering and the suspension are tight and trouble free. The frame is straight. The heat control speed knob is missing and the air blend door is stuck on the face. The air conditioning and power accessories were working at the time of the listing. No additional information was given. This vehicle is being SOLD AS IS.

 

[rooky]

Here is the response I got from them when emailing them about the car:

MECHANICAL/OTHER NOTES: 4 cylinder engine. The transmission slips and needs repair. There is a leak in the transmission and possibly a leak in the seal at the distributor. This vehicle started at the time of the listing but it is not recommended to drive until the transmission problems are addressed. The steering and the suspension are tight and trouble free. The frame is straight. The heat control speed knob is missing and the air blend door is stuck on the face. The air conditioning and power accessories were working at the time of the listing. No additional information was given. This vehicle is being SOLD AS IS.

The problems you mention are everyday norms for these type of Accord. The auto 4 speed begin to slip after 100 something thousands miles. Everyone on here can tell you their automatic trannies are like glass, they break easily. On the bright side with that low miles for that year its a steal. Take a risk my brother it's a Honda.

 

[sb001]

What would I be looking at in terms of repair cost? Honestly the main reason I bought the 5 speed I have now (and the 2001 5 speed I used to own) is because of the horror stories with the 6th gen auto transmissions- $700 isn't that great a steal if it costs me $3000 to fix it. So the main thing that's driving my decision is the repair cost.

 

[rooky]

To be honest with you, buying another used automatic transmission is a gamble but some parts dealer offer 6 month warranty for the tranny. Some people would tell you rebuild the tranny and some will tell you to buy one of Synchrotech junk transmission on eBay or their website. If you are lucky enough to find a really low mileage(120-180,000miles) tranny for cheap, buy it. If you win the bid for like $1000 it wouldn't hurt to spend another $1000 on it. Look, we are crying about cost while people out their are driving $30,000 cars.

 

[sb001]

What I was hoping to find out was that there was some kind of permanent fix, that would allow me to have the tranny rebuilt once, and not have to worry about it anymore (in my research it seems you can add a tranny cooler and that will help the longevity of the transmission but it will still fail again after a number of miles because of the design of the metal screen filter inside the transmission with no way to access it from the outside to clean it.) Instead you're saying just deal with it?? How is that a good deal in the long run?

Honestly trying to justify buying a car with a known bad transmission that will ALWAYS have issues by saying other people are driving $30,000 cars around sounds like you're just making an excuse for Honda. Do those people driving $30,000 cars have to worry bout repairing/ replacing their transmissions every 100,000 miles??

 

[rooky]

My friend, Every car has it's own fault just like BMW are known for leaking oil around their oil filter, VW Beetle was known for over heating in traffic, Honda is known for breaking at 350,000 miles, Jeep Cherokee are known for electrical issues and Chevy Malibu is known for rear tail light failure.

• I don't know how much money you have in your piggy bank but If you want something don't be afraid to buy it because its for your use.
  
• If you are looking for a permanent fix buy a Re-manufactured transmission.
  
• I got my 2000 Honda Accord without a engine from my cousin.

sb001: "Honestly trying to justify buying a car with a known bad transmission that will ALWAYS have issues by saying other people are driving $30,000 cars around sounds like you're just making an excuse for Honda. Do those people driving $30,000 cars have to worry bout repairing/ replacing their transmissions every 100,000 miles??"

Thanks to Honda they open many windows for poor guys like me to buy a Economy car and turn into a Supercar.

If you want to rebuild the tranny yourself here is a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfdRD-agb8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xol2Adww_Kw (Watch this one first).

Don't panic about the V6 & V4 model they are the same build and tear down process.[/FONT][/SIZE][/SIZE]

 

[f23.Tetsusaiga]

If you're looking for a run around car I don't think this would be the car. It sounds like more trouble then it's worth. If you're not in immediate need of a car, continue to look around for a 5 speed or something else that is known for reliability. That is the more permanent fix in my opinion!

 

[rooky]

He already has a 5 speed Accord f23.Tetsusaiga

 

[Roadrage]

I know there was a safety recall on the transmissions for the accords, can they provide you with the vin and perhaps you can check to see if the tranny was already replaced. two positives could a come of it, if the tranny wasn't replaced and the recall is still open on it...you could possibly get if for a steal and get the tranny replaced for free, or the tranny was replaced and it hasn't hit the mileage for the replacement warranty to run out. but like others have said, its really about what you are looking for.

 

[sb001]

Gonna pass on this one, the horror stories I've heard about the 6th gen auto trannies make it not worth the risk. It would be ridiculous to pay $700 and get a "deal" only to find out the tranny swap/ rebuild costs $2000, then another $2000 after another 100,000 miles and on and on. After a while of that nonsense I like others would have enough.
And BTW I have a 69 bug and it doesn't overheat in traffic.

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