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It's more than price range, mileage and make of the vehicle are important.
I've had vehicles from both domestic (Ford and Chevy) and not (Honda, Nissan and Subaru) makers go past 200,000 miles. For the most part, except for oddball things, most just needed regular maintenance and regular wear items replaced. Now, those items can be somewhat expensive, like steering racks and timing belts, to replace on many models. Many times it's not necessarily the cost of the parts that is the expense but the labor (time) required to replace them.
One thing all of them, every single one, had in common after about 225,000 miles was that they were "tired". You could tell by just starting the vehicle, they were getting worn out.
As a note, the most "rugged" and trouble free car I've ever owned was a 1984 Chevy Cavalier bought new.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,848,998 times
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Besides Honda, also look at Toyota/
Both brands are reliable cars when bought and used at around 90,000 miles max, and have maintenance records to show!
Any more mileage and they are as some would say "getting tired"
I realise that used car prices are a bit higher today but you should not have to pay more than 10,000.
Unless you are an "I need a big engine" person, stay with a four-cylinder. No need to go with a six.
I have a 2012 Honda Accord with a four-cylinder and get around 27 mpg combined city and freeway driving.
I took a trip to California (from Utah) and got 36 mpg driving between 65 and 70 miles per hour.
Do the math and see how much time you think you would save driving 80...
If you can, find a private sale. Check Kelly Blue Book and try not to pay more than the max.
Look at the car and find the small stickers that prove, there are the original panels and doors.
No stickers, the car was in some accident.
Ask for maintenance records!
We have driven Toyota and Honda for the last 50 years and never had major problems if regular maintenance was performed. Our Toyota van ran for 387,000 miles after being bought new in 1987.
We today have a 2004 Honda Odyssey that has 180,000 miles and looks only a few years old. They do not drastically change the models...
We have a 2012 Honda Accord, bought used at 90,000 miles for less than 9000 dollars. That bugger had all the maintenance records and only minor parking lot dings and scratches.
Be patient and keep looking, Good cars are still out there!
A local mechanic/car enthusiast who checks it over should be able to advise you how good a deal that is much better than a bunch of web strangers who can't even see, hear, smell, touch, or drive it in person!
Last edited by Parnassia; 10-02-2022 at 12:52 PM..
Besides Honda, also look at Toyota/
Both brands are reliable cars when bought and used at around 90,000 miles max, and have maintenance records to show!
Any more mileage and they are as some would say "getting tired"
I realise that used car prices are a bit higher today but you should not have to pay more than 10,000.
Unless you are an "I need a big engine" person, stay with a four-cylinder. No need to go with a six.
I have a 2012 Honda Accord with a four-cylinder and get around 27 mpg combined city and freeway driving.
I took a trip to California (from Utah) and got 36 mpg driving between 65 and 70 miles per hour.
Do the math and see how much time you think you would save driving 80...
If you can, find a private sale. Check Kelly Blue Book and try not to pay more than the max.
Look at the car and find the small stickers that prove, there are the original panels and doors.
No stickers, the car was in some accident.
Ask for maintenance records!
We have driven Toyota and Honda for the last 50 years and never had major problems if regular maintenance was performed. Our Toyota van ran for 387,000 miles after being bought new in 1987.
We today have a 2004 Honda Odyssey that has 180,000 miles and looks only a few years old. They do not drastically change the models...
We have a 2012 Honda Accord, bought used at 90,000 miles for less than 9000 dollars. That bugger had all the maintenance records and only minor parking lot dings and scratches.
Be patient and keep looking, Good cars are still out there!
I bought a new 2000 Honda Accord SE. The fourth time I had to replace the transmission I traded in it (that was 105,000 miles). There were transmission problems somewhere 2000-2004ish on Hondas/Acuras.
I also recommend buying the ones manufactured in Japan (instead of Mexico and US).
OP should look at Honda Accords with less than 100,000 miles and see what the price ranges are. You have to do the leg work and shopping so that you can recognize the right price for the right car when you see it. I think the V6 has gotten me out of some near miss accidents; but, I might not buy one next time. the 4 cylinder is way more affordable.
Unless you are an "I need a big engine" person, stay with a four-cylinder. No need to go with a six.
The majority of 4 cylinder naturally aspirated (not turbocharged) engines are no higher than 180 to 206 hp
2022 Toyota Camry 202 hp
2022 Honda Accord 192 hp
2023 Mazda CX-5 187hp
2023 Nissan Altima 182 hp
2023 Subaru Outback/Forester/Legacy 182 hp
There are 4 cylinder naturally aspirated engines in reasonabl priced sports cars with more power
2023 Toyota GR86 228 hp From $27,900
It is possible to get more hp from 2.5-litre normally aspirated Inline-four cylinder at great expense
BAC Mono R 343bhp which costs an obscene $250,000
Sometimes the automaker offers a secondary engine choice with more power (4 cylinder tubocharged or 6 cylinder)
2023 Toyota Camry TRD V6 301 hp 6 cylinder
Anyone buying a used vehicle that has more than 80K mils is probably facing maintenance and repairs as their primary expense in upcoming years. If you are just looking for a daily driver I would avoid 6 cylinders and turbocharged engines. Turbochagers are difficult for neighborhood mechanic to fix. Three cylinders are almost all turbocharged except for the Mitsubushi Mirage which only has 78 hp.
Although it is increasingly difficult to do, you may reduce repair expenses by sticking to automatic transmission with gears and 7 or fewer speeds or 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. With CVT you must go to specialized transmission repair places, and the possibility of a catastrophic failure is higher.
Basically stick with the well-known acronym KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57744
That's is actually a decent price for that car, a nicer one with lower miles would cost twice that. Still I wouldn't consider anything with that many miles, after 200k miles and almost 20 years it's a gamble. It could well be a time bomb waiting to go off. As reliable as Hondas are, they do not last forever.
Not even remotely true. The very reason the car in question made it to 250K is because it was properly maintained and issues were addressed on time. Not all miles are equal either. When it comes to Honda/Toyota, 100K is just 'broken in'. However, all that was more true during the late 90' and varies from generation to generation.
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