2014 Honda Accord ??

Another one of those "Learn Me" threads. Great nephew just turned 16 and wants to buy a car. He has the money since he has been working mowing yards for the last 2 years.

Car he is looking at is a 2014 Honda Accord manual transmission with "high miles". Car is owned by a neighbor who bought it new and used it a DD with a 100 mile round trip every day.

All his parents know about cars is that you have to turn the key to make them start. So another great uncle and I have been "selected" to make sure he isn't throwing his money away. And neither of us knows anything about Hondas.

I know we should look for rust(don't expect to find any since car has been garaged all its life. But what about timing belts(don't know it it even has one), or other services that should have been done, etc..

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 2014 Accord EX-L V6. I haven't had to do anything to it besides change the oil a couple of times.

If he's looking at a car with a stick, he's either looking at a V6 coupe or a four cylinder, as you can't get a V6 sedan with the stick.

My guess is that he is looking at an Accord Sport sedan. My nephew bought one new (4 cylinder with manual transmission) and he loved it. That car got t-boned by a pickup and he walked away uninjured.

I have also owned a 2010 V6, a 2004 V6, a 1998 four cylinder and a 1995 four cylinder. I bought them all new and as far as I can tell, they will just go and go until your daughter drives them into something made of concrete.

how much $$$ dose he have to spend

I have a 2011 LX 5-speed sedan with 131,000 hard miles. It is a generation older than yours. I still have the original brake pads and clutch - I tend to baby my car but I also dive it hard as I like to drive a slow car fast.

Very little has gone wrong and when stuff does it's super easy to work on - I find that the trans shifts smoother when I change the fluid - I also buy the Honda manual tranny fluid - I like to stick with all Honda parts. I never think twice about driving far with the miles I have on my car.

If the guy was anal about maintenance I would consider the car.

Hal wrote: All his parents know about cars is that you have to turn the key to make them start.

I think this is a key point. I would assume since he wants a stick, he's above your average driver. So, he'll probably want to work on it himself. But, something you'll need to explain to his parents is that he's buying a USED car. It doesn't have a warranty and with that many miles, is not an appliance. I know many people who think the same thing about a car and expect it to work like the microwave and if anything is "wrong" with it, then it's a lemon.

Sounds like there is a good chance the car has been well maintained. If there aren't receipts, you might want to swing by the dealer and find out how well it's been maintained and what it might need soon. Or, get a checkup done on it.

I'm pretty sure you still can't go wrong with a Honda. It should last for many more miles and years. Depending on miles, it'd be less concerned about the engine/transmission, and more about normal wear and tear. Shocks, brakes, radiator, suspension, etc.

-Rob

It's an Accord. Even if you don't like Car and Driver, there's a reason it's been on their 10 Best list for about 25 years in a row. They're that good. Will run forever, are very athletic for a family sedan, cavernous inside, great mpg. I was actually just looking at them a few days ago. Test drove both the V6 auto and the 4 cyl 6spd Sport. The Sport is a really nice car. I put our kids in the back seat and it was darn near limo like back there. Fantastic car.

One thing that just baffles me is that in order to get satellite radio in the Accord, you have to step all the way up to the top level EX-L trim. Even the most basic Kia Rio comes standard with satellite radio. Makes no sense.

How high can the miles be in two years? Even if he drove 100 miles every single day, that's still only 70k. That's like a brand new car to me.

rob_lewis wrote:

Hal wrote: All his parents know about cars is that you have to turn the key to make them start.

I think this is a key point. I would assume since he wants a stick, he's above your average driver. So, he'll probably want to work on it himself. But, something you'll need to explain to his parents is that he's buying a USED car. It doesn't have a warranty and with that many miles, is not an appliance. I know many people who think the same thing about a car and expect it to work like the microwave and if anything is "wrong" with it, then it's a lemon.

Exactly!! That is why he asked his other great uncle and I to help. He doesn't have a lot of info on it yet. Neighbor told him he was getting a new car and would sell it to him if he was interested. Don't know if they have even discussed price yet. Looks like I need to research a service schedule for it and figure out pricing.

4cyls are timing chains by the way. Think the v6 are still belts but im not certain. Weve got an 08 accord which i hate but mainly because its a coupe and was a bad batch of oil burning motors honda wouldn't acknowledge but that was limited to 08 only I believe cause otherwise the k24's are great motors. Only thing weve done is set of pads (first year and first car to have an electronic brake proportion valve and honda had a program problem, reflashed and new pads seemed to cure it) and a powersteering pump oring that was faulty. Smooth sailing other than burning 3-4qts between oil changes but like i said i think thats an 08 only problem

I bought a 2014 Accord Sport 6-MT new and drove it for 50k miles before trading it on a larger vehicles. It was flawless in that time - oil changes only. I wore out the original tires and replaced them with Michelin all-seasons and that was it. Decent performance, good handling, and 30 mpg no matter how I drove it... If it's been well cared for, you could do worse.