Quick--need opinions on this

scatterbunny · Mar 21, 2007

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/car/297532473.html

1994 Honda Accord EX Vtec well maintained for the Eight years I have had it. It has 180000 miles runs and drives great No taps, Ticks, Knocks ,Pings ,it is a great car gets between 24 and 28 Miles to a gallon. I really have to get rid of it or else it would stay, very small body damage , the snow got me ! good tags passes deq no problem, auto trans, keyless entry with alarm !. ! 2500 obo I will Entertain any reasonable offer but lets not be Insulting. No Lowballers or Tire Kickers. Call or E-mail for Test Drive. 503-891-0091 Cameron
CLEAN TITLE IN HAND !

This is what I emailed the seller:

Hi, I've got a few questions about the car.

The minor body damage--were you hit by another car, or was this a single-vehicle accident?

Airbag(s) intact?

It really runs well?

I'm a child passenger safety technician and know that belts should be replaced in a crash, so it worries me buying a used vehicle, but it's all we can afford.

Thanks for your time!

And this is what they replied:

HELLO JENNY,
I SLID AROUND A CORNER IN THE SNOW LAST JANUARY AND HIT A PARKED TRUCK AT ABOUT 8-10 MILES PER HOUR AIR BAGS ARE INTACT AND IT RUNS GREAT.

What do you car experts think? Worth it?

AdventureMom · Mar 21, 2007

Jenny - I'm no car expert, but I hope it turns out to be a good vehicle! It sure looks good and I know you love the Honda Accords

Niea · Mar 21, 2007

Not an expert, but here's my take:

I typically get concerned when buying cars that have had multiple owners because there's a lot that's just unknown. I mean, what happened to the vehicle in the 5 years prior? Maybe ask him where he got it -- private sale or was it someone elses trade-in? Sounds like a trade-in car to me, though since the first owner only had it 5 years.

Anyway, the good news I think is that this guy has had it longer than the original owners, which means that if anything cropped up over the years, he'd know about it.

180000 is a lot of miles, but then again it IS a Honda. Totally not unheard of to have them drive much longer than that. So I don't think this is a bad thing for this car.

And it's not a Civic, which means its chances of being drag-raced around town is slimmer

And as always, I'd run a Carfax on it and have a trusty mechanic give it a once-over.

scatterbunny · Mar 21, 2007

Yes, I ADORE them...and this one is in the same price range as the 90-93 Accords!

MySillyKids · Mar 21, 2007

Niea said:
Not an expert, but here's my take:

I typically get concerned when buying cars that have had multiple owners because there's a lot that's just unknown. I mean, what happened to the vehicle in the 5 years prior? Maybe ask him where he got it -- private sale or was it someone elses trade-in? Sounds like a trade-in car to me, though since the first owner only had it 5 years.

Anyway, the good news I think is that this guy has had it longer than the original owners, which means that if anything cropped up over the years, he'd know about it.

180000 is a lot of miles, but then again it IS a Honda. Totally not unheard of to have them drive much longer than that. So I don't think this is a bad thing for this car. And it's not a Civic, which means its chances of being drag-raced around town is slimmer

And as always, I'd run a Carfax on it and have a trusty mechanic give it a once-over.

I agree. It sounds like it was a lease car, that was returned. And then sold. Good luck with the car shopping!!

i love honda's!

scatterbunny · Mar 21, 2007

I worry about second and third owners, too, but in my price range it's pretty rare to find a car with a single owner.

Mom2nj · Mar 21, 2007

No car expert here, but it sure looks cute and well taken care of. You can always go look at it, test drive it, and then see.

Momto2whosews · Mar 21, 2007

We have a 99 Accord and my mom has a 96 manual transmission. They are both wonderful cars. Our's had two accidents that were less minor than that one sounded. It was my grandmother's car originally, and she got sideswiped on the highway by a big truck, which resulted in body damage. Then she had an anurysm (sp?) while driving and died (yes, in the car) and hit both guardrails. So lucky there was no oncoming traffic!

Anyway, aside from the memory of losing my grandmother in the drivers seat (which, believe me, she would find funny!) its a great car! The body damage was repaired and the airbags never deployed (both impacts were to the side) and we've never had any mechanical trouble with it whatsoever.

I'd say take it for a drive and have a mechanic check it out. Is there a local Honda dealership that you could take it to for a pre-buy check?

scatterbunny · Mar 21, 2007

Thanks, everyone.

No local Honda dealers, but the seller is about 2 hours away; I'd need to call around that neighborhood and find a mechanic to check it out.

Namegirl · Mar 21, 2007

Can you ask if he has any maintenance records/receipts?

Victorious4 · Mar 21, 2007

Isn't there a way to search the VIN for crash history (free)

Moise's Civic has almost 200,000 miles without any sign of breaking down soon!

Quick--need opinions on this

scatterbunny

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AdventureMom

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Niea

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scatterbunny

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MySillyKids

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scatterbunny

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Mom2nj

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Momto2whosews

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scatterbunny

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Namegirl

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Victorious4

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