Hey y’all I’m looking at a 2008 or 2010 Honda Accord both with 2.4 liter i4,any thoughts.
The search box in the top right corner of this website will be your friend. There are plenty of threads on this topic.
All the best!
Thank you
You’re welcome.
I would get the latest possible year in the generation you can. Things to look out for:
The engines tend to burn some oil, and the seats are not the most comfortable. 2008 should be on your list as a year to avoid:
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2008/
As much as I love driving accords, their automatics are so weak and for some reason Honda is the only one that makes constantly failing ACs (at least in my climate)
I don’t really get why people actually get them, especially in Europe.
@dan
I think the ones in Europe are Acuras here in the US. I think the Acura TSX, which has a weak autoamtic transmission here. The Accord automatics haven't had many problems since 2006ish.
I don’t know if they used a different 5 speed automatic here but they usually burn out within 120k miles then you’d expect if you drive hard…
But worldwide until 2006 they have really bad trannies and since 2013-ish they have CVTs that i’ve seen wear out even at 80k miles…
Especially with their new engine issues; I think and their horrid 9 speed automatics (we had those in Europe for a decade, they don’t consistently last to 100k) I think people should start avoiding Honda.
@dan
I agree with what you say but to a lighter degree. The tiny turbo engines and 10 speed auto the last couple years have made me think Honda has longevity low on its priority list and rather prefers their cars to perform well and have good mpg etc. The last 10-15 years Honda quality has been going donw a bit. I think at this rate Mazda will pass it in a decade or so but only time will tell. I would certainly prefer a used Toyota over a Honda at this point but Honda still makes good cars. Here the CVTs have been seen going 200k+ miles and not that many failures. I guess Euro either has different units or people just burn them out in city traffic. Seeing all the cars here are EcoBoost Fords and Chevy SUVs and Hyundais and Jeeps, I would feel better to lure them into a Naturally Aspirated Honda + CVT than those popular piles of junk cars.
@Californiaguy21
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It's probably city traffic, the country I live in has the worst congestion in the western world.
Yes, EcoBoost and SmartStream are worse, there is no arguing that. But, It's sad that Honda is trying to compete with those.
I think we can both agree that Honda's direction is bad and they're trying to be what they're aren't.
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You know, If I had a gun pointed to my head (and choosing the bullet wouldn't be an option) and I had to choose a petrol turbocharged very high compression engine under 2L, I would pick a late model VW CJSB (in a SEAT not an Audi or VW) over the Honda L15B - *they both last the same* but the SEAT gives me twice the torque and 50 extra horsepower.
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I really with Honda will return to their root's and bring back big naturally aspirated engines with good old conversational automatics.
@dan
"I really with Honda will return to their root's and bring back big naturally aspirated engines with good old conversational automatics."
Nice try, unfortunately not going to happen, especially with the rise of hybrid ands zero emission cars. US states are already saying they will ban them in 5-10 years so the market is moving towards efficiency, and appealing to the buyer's performance needs rather than reliability. No one here in America cares about reliability. Sorry to steriotype, but more of the immigrant people from Europe and Asia, they all have 10 year old Corollas and Camrys in my area. The average american family is fooled by cars like GM and Ford offer, so for Honda to market their reliability wouldn't appeal to mainstream buyer. Like for example Toyota's conservative qualities mostly appeal to old people here. As for the sake of relavency for the question asker, a 10 year old Accord is a fine choice, if it weren't for all the quality kinks they had with the engines breaks and comfort...
@Dan I have a 2020 Accord 2.0T Sport with the 10-speed non-CVT trans and it is solid. Surprisingly quick car, 34 MPG per tank with mixed driving and my (mostly) light foot. I'm 16k miles in and it has not seen the dealer since I bought it. I also live in Houston and the A/C handles the heat just fine.
I think making a broad statement of "everyone should avoid Honda" is a bit much. They are still one of the most reliable car brands in existence, make more combustion engines every year than any other company on the planet, and are constantly innovating and researching new technologies. I can think of many other manufacturers I would recommend avoiding before Honda.
Disclaimer, I do not have anything against or for Honda - I have 0 bias towards any car companies (maybe expect Volvo, I have a soft spot for those).
@mod_man That's probably the best version of the accord you could've got, and yes I agree it does get decent efficiency for a gasoline car.
Huston climate is light compared to what I get where I live, never bellow 100F-110F during summer, during the rest of the year it's mostly around 95F except for a few months in the winter.
Under these demanding conditions, Honda AC seem to fail before 120k in these conditions and constantly need gas refills even summer-winter cycle.
And in other countries where it never gets above 80F, I have seen many Civics and Accords with the ACs not being functional for a decade.
I did NOT say "everyone should avoid Honda", I'm saying something very specific. as I said:
"I think people should start avoiding Honda"
Cause they're definitely not a car I recommend anymore, reliability wise if someone wants a small SUV I recommend the Mazda CX-3, and the diesel Peugoet 2008, and so on.
cause CVT transmissions + GDI Turbo engines are usually a disaster, and they just don't last like the old ones. The amount of CVTs that are beyond repair on Honda bellow 120,000 miles is huge!
On a Jatco you replace the pulley bearings, the belt, check the step motor and oil pump and Mazel Tov, it's good for another 60,000 miles easily, (if serviced correctly at around 100k, before they degrade and wear out their cones and casings).
Posted by: @mod_man
I'm 16k miles in and it has not seen the dealer since I bought it.
And my Ford Focus didn't see the dealer until 75k miles when it was already 7 years and it was not because something broke, but because I wanted to replace slightly worn consumables under warranty instead of performing that maintenance later.
constantly innovating and researching new technologies
Welp if blindly following the European trends is innovation I am not sure. you know, real innovation is things like the R9N, a reliable, 350NM, 150 Horsepower successor to the K9K - this engine literally does not have any common weak points.
Everyone are trying to innovate but so many just end up making their engines worse. Like how Ford went from the very nice DuraTec (Mazda L-series) and DuraTorq (PSA DW) to the horrid EcoBoost and very mediocre EcoBlue.
What they really need to do it go back to when they were the kings of small 4 cylinder engines.
That's what PSA did, they just started making their last well built engine, they modernized the late 90's Ford DLD, and managed to make one of the best engines out there. (It has been called "The best engine and transmission combination" in 2021)
They are still one of the most reliable car brands in existence
Not on the European market where they have turned into "What old people buy"... In the US you just don't have all the options we have in Europe so in that market they're probably top 3.
I'm not saying they're the worst, they're not. but I would never ever recommend any of their modern cars especially to Honda guys that want to be heavy on the gas and do outrageous stunts. I usually tell those to get a Mazda, those trannies and engines are (by all metrics, according to database entries) better then Hondas earth dreams and new transmisions.
Oh and let's not get started on the 9 speed transmissions designed for FIAT. and the not functional heating on the smaller CVTs (...)
@Dan Well we will just have to agree to disagree. But I can respect your opinion and appreciate your input on the subject. {blackemo}:hotdrink:
Yes just going to post the information from my scan tool’s database (usually pretty accurate, it’s rare that info doesn’t match the real world.) on the Honda 9 speed transmission.
Basically all new generation Honda parts are rated between 150k-180k miles but the 9 speed takes the cake and is rated at lasting only 90k miles
(That’s the mileage before they usually become not repairable or just fully wear out)
So yeah, I agree to disagree.
@Dan Does that table include vehicles from North America (especially the United States)? I would be more interested in the data for each region in the world rather than them all bundled into one.
Has info on each variant of each engine, from what they sell in China to what they sell in Europe to what they sell in the US.
Honda unlike Toyota doesn’t have many different variations and in general they sell the exact same cars in Europe and in the United States.
(usually the best selling modifications in my very specific region are American spec cars, expect for PSA, Škoda and, SEAT that are also very strong on my market)