Looking at 97' Accord

[curtie94]

Hey I haven't been on this site in a while. I am looking at a 1997 Honda Accord EX Auto. 180,000 miles. I think the valve seals are bad because it burns oil at start up. They are asking 1000 obro. There is no rust or anything else wrong with the car.

Do you think it is a decent deal? Does anyone have any experience with a 97' Accord, common problems, thing to look for. thanks.

Heres the craigslist ad.

http://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/3339889428.html

[deevergote]

For $1000, a rust-free Accord in New Hampshire that needs a little engine work is a pretty good deal, IMO. F22B1s are a dime a dozen, and you can always swap in an H22A, F20B, etc... The 5th gen is very similar to the CB, so whatever you've learned about your old car on here can likely be applied to a 5th gen.

The mileage is high, and it's likely that the auto transmission, like many old Honda transmissions, has been abused and is on the way out... but the price is still pretty decent.

If you have the time and money to put into fixing it up, I think the rust-free shell alone is worth picking up. I prefer the CB to the CD, though... the CD never felt like it was made to the same degree of quality to me.

[AAPOQ]

Looks pretty good from the single pic, I would definitely want to see more...

[cb7pr]

Common problems, things to look for...

As with most Accords:

-Transmission
-TCU
-Main Relay
-Timing Belt
-Overheat

To look for:
-Smoke?
-Maintenance Record
-Suspension(from pics, that missing well cover raises concern)
-Bodywork/Repaint? (being thats in NH, the no rust is questionable)
-Tires

[jhoff]

Do it.
Prob the last great Accord.

[curtie94]

Alright. Thanks I'm going to go look at it in a day or two and will write back.

[toycar]

I have owned a 96 ex sedan from day one. Original owner.


If it was rust proofed from the factory you would have a different set of things to look for than not.

Do you know if it was rust proofed? The liner they put in the fender well traps moisture and dirt, which provokes the rear fender to rot from the inside out. So, look inside the wheel well before you assume theres no rust.

I love my b1. i dont know what all the piss and vinegar is about the f22b1 on the forum. It was my first Honda, and there is a reason I have neither gotten rid of it or modified it. I secretly plan to swap a b1 into my turbo cb. Everyone on here hates the b1. I personally think its an awesome engine. The weakest link is in the intake mani, valve angle and intake port design. The intake mani and intake ports can be addressed. Valve angle isn't that big of a deal unless you are going all motor and plan some serious work. The exhaust side actually flows better than the f22a engines in stock form. The vtec that everyone rules out as worthless, really isn't that bad at all. It does work, and in my opinion its huge if you plan on modifying the engine. No matter how you slice the cake, the vtec engagement allows more air to flow through the cylinder than would otherwise be acceptable. The variable cam profile is a huge opportunity in the tuning dpt if you are boosting the engine with a custom cam and design your performance around vtec engagement.


I dont even know if you plan on modifying it. I have 220k miles on mine, which is stock, and I still get over 30mpg. I did have to re-work the egr system a while back.

I would take a hard look at the tranny fluid before buying it too. If its dark and shitty I would really look deeper at the tranny before doing anything. As the torque converter ages the fluid doesn't flow as well. You are looking for signs of burnt fluid. If its dark, black or darker than it should be I would really take a gander at the tranny. If the fluid is shitty looking, and it shifts funny or has tranny symptoms I would use it as leverage to lower the price, or as a sign to avoid buying it.


I would also look at the suspension. By now shit has been replaced. It should have anyways. You want to make sure it was done correctly, and with quality parts.


The speedo's tend to be sensitive. Im actually still trying to figure out WTF is the deal with mine. I've replaced the actual cluster, the VSS, and the ground on the circuit. Still getting random bullshit, and it seems like a lot of people have this problem.

The cable to the bled door on the HVAC shit wears out pretty easy too. Make sure it goes cold, then hot, then cold, then hot again. The valve could be bad as well. If it doesn't work(changing from hot to cold) I would figure out if its the cable or valve first. Maybe use it to haggle the price.


Trust me. You can go cold to hot with a bad cable, so, play with it.

Other than that, the shit that can go wrong is just like any other 16 yr old car. Pay attention, and be thorough if you plan on DD'ing the car.

[N9netwoAccord]

I've owned two CD5's and 1 CB7. Very similar cars, on these CD5's I'd say to make sure the transmission doesn't shift abnormally harsh or rough, the fluid doesn't smell burnt, and to try and peek your head under there and see how the brake lines look, Other than that these cars are pretty good, I've only had to do a starter in mine, (and my transmission blew up, but that's a rare occurence on a 5 speed) Also, make sure there isn't a ton of oil under there, these have the same problem with the balancer shaft seal walking out.

[toycar]

Yeah as N9netwoAccord suggested, take a look at the break lines too. I did have to replace mine probably 3 years ago from the prop valve out. All 4 were rusted.

[wed3k]

aside from seals, exhaust guides are usually bad. valve seals are a temporary fix.

[AccordWarrior]

It's a $1,000 car. If it lasts you six months and you can sell it for $500, you're ahead of the game.

I bought a $1,000 CB7 once and got a solid year out of it and flipped it for $550. Well worth it for what it was.

[2.2litrebeater]

I know Socal is usually more expensive than east coast, but if it was near me at that price I would just throw a wad of cash at the guy without thinking twice as soon as I could before someone else snatched it.

[curtie94]

I just went and looked at it. The whole car was keyed, the transmission was on its way out, I shifted hard. The body was solid though. He had the car for sale for over a month now, so im not too afraid that he'll sell it.

[AccordWarrior]

I guess the question I would ask is do you want a project? A rust-free shell in the Northeast (esp. in NH) is worth the cash. Based on the pictures, the body is rough, so I would assume new paint would be in order if you wanted to make it a project, so that wouldn't scare me in itself.

I paid $2500 to de-rust my old Accord in 2005.

[deevergote]

Only $2500? I thought for some reason it was $3500...