jimh@hpfcla.UUCP (12/22/85)
I am seriously considering the purchase of a 1986 Honda Accord
Hatchback. It seems like a great car (both quality and styling)
for the money.
Any Honda experiences out there you would like to share; either good, bad, or
indifferent?
Jim Haselmaier Hewlett-Packard
...{ihnp4|hplabs}!hpfcla!jimh Ft. Collins, Coloradomcb@styx.UUCP (Michael C. Berch) (12/26/85)
In article <34800010@hpfcmp.UUCP> jimh@hpfcla.UUCP writes: > Any Honda experiences out there you would like to share; either good, > bad, or indifferent? I bought an Accord hatchback new in 1981 and it is the best car I've ever owned. I've put about 93,000 miles on it and the engine has never needed a major repair. The trans was overhauled (at 70K) and the clutch has needed overhaul (probably due to my driving style). These are the only two non-scheduled visits to the shop it has had, except for a front end repair when I ran over some debris. The Accord is remarkably sure-footed in wet weather, sloppy roads, and high winds. It's only been in the snow twice but worked out just fine. I get 32+ MPG on the freeway with the 1981 engine (1751cc CVCC). That's with the 5-speed but no A/C. The interior is still in good shape; there are no rust problems; the instruments were well designed and have held up. Handling is about the best you can hope for in a modestly-priced non-sports car. I'm sure they've improved substantially since 1981, also. Would I buy another one? You bet. Since I don't need all the space in the back, I'll probably get an '86 Honda Prelude, which has an upgraded engine and all kinds of other goodies. I'm going to keep the Accord around as a super-reliable second car. I've cross posted this to net.auto, where you'll probably find more info on Hondas and comparables. Michael C. Berch UUCP: {akgua,allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,dual,ihnp4,sun}!idi!styx!mcb ARPA: mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA
dsn@rochester.UUCP (Dana S. Nau) (12/27/85)
In article <34800010@hpfcmp.UUCP> jimh@hpfcla.UUCP writes: > >I am seriously considering the purchase of a 1986 Honda Accord >Hatchback. It seems like a great car (both quality and styling) >for the money. > >Any Honda experiences out there you would like to share; either good, bad, or >indifferent? > > >Jim Haselmaier Hewlett-Packard >...{ihnp4|hplabs}!hpfcla!jimh Ft. Collins, Colorado I have a 1984 Honda Accord hatchback. I bought it primarily because of Honda's reputation for making reliable cars--but I've been quite disappointed. The car has not been at all reliable. It was in the shop 10 times during the first year, with a variety of disorders. The most serious disorder was the following: intermittently, the car would get into moods where the motor would stall repeatedly (say, 5 or 10 times, every time I came to a stop sign) when the motor was cold. I took it to the dealer four times (under warranty) about this problem. The last time, I thought they had cured it, but it came back again last fall. It disappeared again after a few weeks. As another example, the cruise control--which the dealer had replaced once under warranty--has begun malfunctioning again. If I had it to do over again, I would get something else. -- -- Dana S. Nau (dsn@rochester) from U. of Maryland, on sabbatical at U. of Rochester
seltzer@opus.UUCP (Wayne Seltzer) (12/27/85)
I also own an '84 Honda Accord Hatchback and have been extremely pleased
with it. It has been in for service only once. The rear window
defroster stooped working because the electrical contacts that
are bonded to the window fell off. The dealer (Bill Crouch Honda in Boulder,
for you locals) tried to re-bond it, but failed.
that there is no way to rebond the contacts in the shop and the window should
be replaced. It took several trips to the dealer before they figured
this out.
In general, the engineering on the car is the suprisingly good for
the price, which was my biggest issue in selecting a car at the time.
I think Honda engineers do a good job within the constraints that they have.
My gripes lie mostly with the local dealer, whose motivations seem more
towards making a buck than producing a quality product. The few things they
have done for the car they have managed to screw up. The installed a cargo
cover for the hatch and drilled a hole in the wrong place. The American
made floormats unglued themselves on the first hot day. I am not confident
that their mechanics know how the thing works and will be able to fix
obscure problems. On the other hand, the shop manual is well done (despite
minor translation problems), so I plan on taking care of the thing myself,
now that the warranty has expired. And the salespersons -- well, I don't
have to explain how I feel about them. ("What? You'd rather have a lifetime
of free oil changes than a free pinstrip?" "And you *really* must get the
dealer protection package -- it will rust without it." Right...)
--
Wayne Seltzer {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!seltzer
NBI Inc., Boulder, CO (303) 444-5710