Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 09:16
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - Roddeo

Hi - I'm considering buying a high mileage (138K) diesel Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive estate and I'm looking for any general advice on the things I should look out for. I have read about the VSA modulator failure issue and asked the seller about it. They told me that they had had some problems but had the ABS unit replaced in Oct 2014 and are no longer having any problems - will obviously check the paperwork for this. Have read about cracked exhaust manifold problems - seller has told me they have never had any problems with this. Have also read about clutch and flywheel problems. Because of the high mileage I was expecting the car to already have had a clutch / flywheel replacement but the seller is telling me they have never had any problems with the clutch (the car has been in their family for about 10 years). I have read that replacing the clutch / flywheel is a really expensive job on these cars - shoud I assume at 138K that the clutch / flywheel are likely to cause problems in the near future? Timing chain was replaced around 100K miles and apart from that only reported problem is that the sat nav unit / cd player areen't working which I can probably live with or figure out how to fix. Appreciate any advice you can provide particularly in relation to he clutch / flywheel and the extent to which I need to worry there. Thanks!

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 09:34
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - gordonbennet

Just make sure its been serviced annually, its done about the right miles for an annual service to be perfect.

Then so long as you inspect it properly and pay a sensible price with a view that it might need a clutch in your ownership, you will have covered all the bases you can, you should be paying £500/1000 less than a retail price anyway for a private sale.

My only concern is why did it need a timing chain, as far as i'm aware it's not a mileage replacement item, though happy to be corrected if thats not the case, so i'd be doubly checking its seen regular servicing...it might be quite innocent of course, my MB had the same work, 100k and the CHG started leaking (they really do all do that sir on the engine fitted to mine), so whilst the head was off i had a new timing chain and oil filter cooler fitted plus water pump.

Have you had a quote from a decent indy for a new clutch and flywheel, if you do so then if thats your only worry you can pay a price with the risk included.

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 10:09
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - Roddeo

Thanks for your help! I'm going out to see the car this afternoon and will have a good root through the paperwork. Not sure on the background behind the timing chain change so will dig into that a little further. I haven't asked for clutch / flywheel quotes as yet but that is good advice so will do so today. Do you have any recommended indy's that specialiise in Honda? I'm in Scotland but any good indy's anywhere in the UK that you are aware of will probably do the trick for quote purposes. Thanks again! Roddeo

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Tue 20 Dec 2016 12:14
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - SLO76
Nice tidy family owned car for sale near me... bit of a trek for you I figure. Nicely written advert in traditional Glasgow humour. www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/honda-accor...l
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Fri 16 Dec 2016 10:26
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - SLO76
Looks like you've covered most bases here but regards the clutch/flywheel it's possible it'll do 200k on the origionals if it's mostly been used for distance driving and has been driven with care but it's impossible to know.

Feel the biting point on the clutch, it shouldn't be too high, listen for noises as the clutch engages and disengages and listen for rattles and knocks from the DMF as the car starts and runs and as you drive off.

It's not unheard of for these to suffer turbo failure and the timing chain is also a know weakpoint so it's good it's been done but I'd be checking that the correct grade of oil has been used and that it's been serviced every year because the chain rattling or stretching is a sign of neglect or incorrect grade of oil. Look for blue smoke on start up and on full throttle for signs of turbo issues. If it hasn't got proof of annual servicing DON'T BUY IT!

However after more than two decades of trading cars I always advise people buying on a tight budget like this to avoid anything complex. Forget turbo diesels, avoid anything with a DMF and above all keep it simple. The 2.0 VTEC petrol version of the Accord is nearly bombproof and will do more than 35mpg. There's no turbo or DMF to worry about plus you'll get a much lower mileage car for your money. This is where I'd put my money if I were you. A cheap diesel is nearly always a false economy.

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 11:30
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - elekie&a/c doctor
Erg valve failure is another weak point on these.massively expensive to fix.
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Fri 16 Dec 2016 12:14
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - Falkirk Bairn

It's a 13 year old car!

It might last 4/5 weeks or 4/5 years- all you need is 1 major component to go bang.

I sold my 16 yr old Xedos to a chap - apart from brake calipers & the odd rubber bush etc it had been perfectly reliable - I spent less than £1000 in repairs in 15 years.

1 year later it blew up - he had done 20,000+ miles & the engine went BANG - failed to service the car or even change the oil - according to the friend he was going to have it serviced soon!

Through the friend he said that it must have been faulty when I sold it to him! I gave him receipts for an annual service going back 14 years - roughly every 8 to 10K.

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 17:53
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - Roddeo

Hi folks - thanks for the input. Viewed the car this afternoon and felt some slippage in the clutch so decided to give it a wide berth. Have been reading up a little more on the VTEC following the advice above and I think I'm going to go for that option. I have spotted a few high miles (c. 100K) 2004 and 2005 2 litre VTEC's and a couple of 2.4 L Automatics. Which of those options would you recommend and are there any particular issues I should look out for with either of them?

Thanks!

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 21:02
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - SLO76
Pick of the range is the 2.0 engine, best with a manual box for economy. The auto is a nice smooth box but it'll rob 5mpg.

The 2.4 is a fair bit thirstier and considering the 2.0 has a pretty healthy 152bhp and will touch 40mpg on a run with a manual box and a light foot it's a good combination. Plus the larger engine comes with lower profile tyres which harm the ride quality.

The petrol is easier on clutces but they do attract a fair number of elderly drivers so check it carefully and watch for rotten radiators, they're probably no worse than others here but there's little else to worry about as long as it's been serviced every year.

Pay a few hundred quid extra for a car with full history and it should run and run.

Edited by SLO76 on 16/12/2016 at 21:07

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 18:17
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - gordonbennet
I sold my 16 yr old Xedos to a chap

People like that annoy the hell out of me, i have no sympathy whatsoever for them because they richly deserve all that comes their way due to neglect and i have every sympathy for the poor car, yet someone else is always to blame, sounds like a typical snowflake.

What annoys is that good cars which had they ended up in the right hands and been looked after, still had many years of good service left in them, doubly annoying when its a rare and unusual car which should, in an ideal world, have ended up in the hands of someone who would look after it and cherish it so we could all enjoy seeing it out and about.

I haven't seen a Xedos for some years now and that clot hasn't exactly helped things.

Edited by gordonbennet on 16/12/2016 at 18:17

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 08:03
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - hardway

The only concerns I always have on Honda's which are usually top reliable cars is lack of oil changes.

Even more than most makes lack of oil changes kill any engine varient.

As other respondent stated have a good look at the radiator matrix.

And rear callipers are pretty much never serviced correctly.

Worst case would be two new callipers and pads required.

Honda's are a victem of their own success,

So reliable owners only ever open the bonnet when the screen wash runs out,

So once they have found out how to open the bonnet they fill the scoosh and ignore anything else like the dip stick or anything else.

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 09:47
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - Bolt

<The only concerns I always have on Honda's which are usually top reliable cars is lack of oil changes>

That is a worry on any motor not just Hondas, but chain noise on the diesel can be heard from the o/s/f wheel, which tells you its not had regular oil/filter changes

another point is some get an oil change but not filter as some mechanics cannot be bothered to change them due to there position,ie hard to get to..

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 20:56
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - Roddeo

Thanks for your help

"The 2.0 VTEC petrol version of the Accord is nearly bombproof and will do more than 35mpg"

I have been digging around to see if I can find a 2.0 VTEC. Unfortunately I'm on a bit of a timeframe because our insurance car is going back in a few days (after our CR-V got totalled) so I need to find something fairly fast. I'm not seeing any 2.0 VTEC's available locally (within 100 miles) at the moment but as mentioned below I have seen a 2.4 Auto Tourer that I'm considering going along to see tomorrow. Aside from the higher fuel consumption are there any particular issues I should be looking out for with that model? Is the VSA modular failure issue also relevant to this model? Are there any known transmission issues or any other issues / symptoms / potential problems you would advise I look out for? Should I hold out for a 2.0 manual?

Cheers

Roddeo


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Sun 18 Dec 2016 13:32
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - pd

Best combination is a 2.4 manual. I don't agree they are a fair bit thirstier - in some circumstances they are better on fuel than the 2.0. They have more torque and are higher geared. The 2.0 with a 5-speed gearbox is buzzy on the motorway IMO and not a relaxed drive.

2.4 feels a lot meatier low down the rev range and certainly has more go. I ran a Type-S for a while a couple of years back and averaged 34.7mpg overall with a best of 41.5mpg which I thought pretty damn good for a 2.4 petrol.

Both the 2.0 and 2.4 auto are a fair bit heavier on fuel than the manuals.

Accords are pretty good but you're looking at old, cheap, cars so something will go wrong eventually.

Edited by pd on 18/12/2016 at 13:35

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Sun 18 Dec 2016 20:46
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - SLO76
The 2.4 auto is fine big wagon with loads of power, a strong long lived engine and a smooth changing 5 speed gearbox, it's a relaxing combination but there's not much chance you'll break 30mpg day to day with one. As long as it's been serviced regularly and hasn't been in a major smash it should be fine. Automatic Accords are rarely owned by boy racers, it's more likely to find them with elderly longterm owners and full history.

Difference between 2.0 and 2.4 manual is only 4-5mpg on paper and I haven't run a 2.4 over any distance but I have seen over 40mpg without much effort from a 2.0 manual and it's a lovely sweet spinning engine with all the performance you could need.

Buying a cheap older car is more about condition, history and mileage over specification and a few mpg either way. Buy the best car you can find and if that's a 2.4 you should be well served. www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/honda/accord-2003/?s...a

Edited by SLO76 on 18/12/2016 at 20:47

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Mon 19 Dec 2016 11:40
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - pd

Yes, the autos in both formats take a fair toll on consumption. The 2.4 auto being thristy around town in particular. Stick a manual gearbox on it though and it is a different story and is a nicer car to drive than the 2.0.

The problem is finding a 2.4 manual isn't easy. They didn't sell many.

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Mon 19 Dec 2016 13:29
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - brum

Bangernomics

Surely a 11-13 year old car would only cost a little over £1000. If it has recent service history and no obvious/suspected faults or impending work (brakes etc), then chances it will run a couple of years is reasonable. Just change oil/filter straight away anyway for peace of mind.

Even one years running is economic motoring, and if it goes 2 years, you might sell it for not much you bought it, in which case its been virtually free.

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Tue 20 Dec 2016 11:21
Honda Accord 2.2 i CTDi Executive 5dr (03 - 05) - Thinking of Buying a High Mileage Accord - Advice - LinuxGeek

I bought my Accord in 2010 (a 2007 model) and since then I've put on 60k+ miles. During this time the only thing that went wrong was the alternator. I service it annually using genuine honda parts and couldn't be happier with the car. Its super reliable, comfortable and I average around 50mpg.

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