Quote:
Originally Posted by clyde
I came to terms with a guy today on a 181k mile 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6. Original owner. The seller exudes a trustworthy vibe. Some subsequent Googling led to info that strengthens that impression.
It sounds like the car was used by his wife for a daily 65 mile RT commute until two months ago when the wife got a new car. It sounds and appears to have been well maintained. He did not have all service records together, but was pretty sure he could get them from the indy shop that's done all the work on the car since new (other than Honda recalls done at dealer) before we close the sale tomorrow. He volunteered that the car was in two minor fender benders (that don't show on Carfax) and I couldn't really see the repair work without it being pointed out. Even then, meh.
The one slight concern is that there's a bit of oil film on the pan and the front of the engine. Looks like it may be coming out somewhere near the top. Looks like a couple common-ish things it could be that are all pretty cheap and easy to take care of. Could be worse, or multiple leaks, though. But it's also a cheap 181k mile car, so... <shrug> OTOH, there were no oil stains in the driveway or on the street in front of the house. The garage had enough stuff that looked undisturbed that my guess is they haven't parked a car in there in many years.
The interior is about as spotless looking at 10 year old Honda leather car look. After seeing lots of pics of high mileage Accords with leather, I don't think it's a bold statement to say Honda uses some really crummy leather that does not hold up to use and doe not age particularly well. The leather on the driver seat has some noticeable cracking, but no gaping holes like almost all the others I've seen. The passenger seat is in better shape, but doesn't look great. The back seats, which he said have almost never been used, look fine. Otherwise, "clean" is the only word that comes to mind. Even the rubberized soft touch plastic stuff looked and felt like it was in good shape.
A big plus is that the car has a current MD Used Car Inspection. Maryland requires a used car to pass a pretty thorough safety inspection before they'll tag it. It's not a PPI, and the tech doing the inspection has a lot of latitude on most items, but A) it's not a joke like some states' "safety inspections" and B) since it's done, I don't have to do it and won't be on the hook for any repairs before it can be tagged. The one thing the seller had to do was replace one of the foglight assemblies since the alignment mechanism was busted.
I guess we'll see what happens, but with a little luck, we'll have the car here and tagged by Wednesday evening.
|
Have the airbag recalls been done? That would be my only concern. It seems the few fatalities from Takata airbags have been in Hondas. BTW, I had a V6 Honda Accord coupe. Probably a 2005 or so, though. It had a lot of squeaks and rattles, and yes, really crummy leather. But, I’m sure those cars were otherwise bulletproof, because I still seem them on the road.