Wintah Beatah

[Adam]

I bought one so I don't have to drive my Fleetwood through another winter.

It's a 2004 Honda Accord.

Still awake?

Here are the exciting details:
- Sedan
- EX-L
- 2.4L
- 5-speed
- Gray

This car provides some interesting firsts/superlatives:
- First Honda
- Newest car (by 10 years)
- Highest purchase mileage (182k)
- First one-owner car
- First car with outstanding safety recalls (Takata airbags)

What was wrong with it:
- Dirty inside, also nearly every panel has scratches or scuffs
- Dirty outside, also every panel has scratches or dents or cracks
- Alloy wheels might have never been cleaned, so they are ruined
- Forward lower control arm bushings completely shot
- RH axle boot was torn a while ago. Grease was fairly liquid.
- LR door doesn't open from the inside
- Passenger side temperature control doesn't change the temperature
- RR manual latch doesn't move up/down with power locks
- Cruise control doesn't work
- Some amount of oil consumption
- Shifter knob spins for some reason
- Clutch pedal squeaks when depressed/released
- Wiper blades wouldn't pass inspection

What I fixed:
- New axle
- New control arm bushings
- New front sway bar links (because the only way to remove old ones it to cut/break them off)
- Disengaged child lock on LR door
- Started Auto-RX treatment for oil consumption
- Wiper blades

What's next:
- Headlight restoration (new ones are $90, which is too much money for this car)
- Transmission spill-and-fill. Forums say this will improve shifter feel. They also say GM Synchromesh with friction modifier is a fluid upgrade, so I'm doing that.
- Install an aux-in/Bluetooth module. The 6-disc in dash changer is stupid. You can buy a box that pretends to be a remote CD changer to get analog/bluetooth into the factory stereo.
- Air bag recalls
- Filters
- Ruin the car with road salt this winter

What sucks:
- 160 hp in a ~3200 lb car is slow, even with a manual transmission
- You are invisible when driving this car on the road (or is that a good thing?)
- Mismatched Goodyear Eagle LS/Fuzion tires make a lot of road noise. Plus they are a bit cupped due to previously failed control arm bushings.
- Easy to fall asleep when talking about it or looking at it

What is good:
- My Fleetwood will last another year (or longer)
- Fuel economy savings should offset the insurance cost increase this winter
- Since it's so slow, you can drive the crap out of it without breaking too many laws

I'd post some photos, but you've all seem millions of these cars.

[kevm14]

So I spent 10-15 minutes checking out the car at lunch last week.

First let me just say that this car should accomplish the mission of a reasonable car to drive for not a lot of money to keep the Fleetwood out of the salt.

That said, I was not that impressed with the car. Considering this was one of the nicest Accords that was available in 2004, I thought there were many disappointing elements of it (as far as I know, the only additional options were the V6 and navigation). Also, evaluating it against the somewhat common adage of "buy Japanese car, change oil, get to 200k without issue" I thought it also left a lot to be desired, given the list above.

It wasn't all bad of course. The paint was decent aside from scratches and things from lack of care. Honda wheels of this era just did not stand up to the elements, even when considering lack of washing. Headlights also were clouded over, which is very common. Other than that, it's nothing special. Didn't even have fog lights.

The interior was also surprisingly a mixed bag. The front seat area was ok if you kept your eyes above the upper door panels. But a combination of the dull gray and shockingly cheap plastic on everything below the upper door panels left me very underwhelmed. This is the same Accord that was supposed to be best in class for 5,000 years?

Speaking of that cheap plastic, the grade of plastic on the B pillars and lower door panels felt EXACTLY like the plastic used in similar areas of Jamie's 2000 Malibu. How could that be? This is an Accord, right? The gold standard of midsize sedans!

I was also disappointed with the rear seat legroom. Compared to a certain 96 Maxima SE, this car seems to bring exactly nothing to the table that is better, and much is worse.

I did test the shocks by bouncing the car and they seemed to be working just fine. But I don't think this car has enthusiast-grade anything, especially with the base 4 cylinder. Well the transmission probably feels better than the competition I guess. I did not drive it. Perhaps it would have somewhat redeemed itself. Looking at it and sitting in it definitely did not.

Again, for what it is supposed to be to Adam, it's great. But evaluating it to a higher standard of what this car supposedly represents, I just don't see the appeal at all.

I think the case this car would have to make for itself is at the lower end of the price spectrum. There it may offer something. But all loaded up in EX-L trim approaching Maxima pricing, I think it completely misses the mark.

[Adam]

Well the transmission probably feels better than the competition I guess. I did not drive it. Perhaps it would have somewhat redeemed itself.

Not exactly... The manual makes the car feel less like a commuter box, but the lack of power is a letdown. I have trouble hitting 100mph in places where the Fleetwood easily achieves higher speeds (it does have 100 more HP, which helps despite the 1300 more lbs).

The tires are also a letdown for driving performance. I need to see how it feels after a rotation. I don't feel like spending money on tires when the ones it has are fine for getting me to work and back. We'll see how they perform in the snow.

But evaluating it to a higher standard of what this car supposedly represents, I just don't see the appeal at all.

I would agree. Had this car been closer to its book value or an automatic, I would not have bought it. The price and the manual transmission were it's only saving graces. Hopefully the fluid change makes the shifter feel better than it currently does.

Headlights also were clouded over, which is very common.

I bought the 3M restoration kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AIZ5HY. I'll see how that works out. A new pair of headlights through RockAuto is $90, which is right out.

Other things that suck:
- Headliner is sagging in the rear. What is this, a '85 Ford Crown Vic?

Update on the climate control issue:
- You can hear a motor operating behind the dash with KOEO, which I think is something trying to move the passenger side blend door. Need to see if this can be taken apart. People who hate features could use this as ammo to say "See, if this had the standard climate control, it would still work fine!"

[Adam]

Update on the climate control issue:
- You can hear a motor operating behind the dash with KOEO, which I think is something trying to move the passenger side blend door. Need to see if this can be taken apart.

According to the internet, there temperature motors on each side for the dual climate control. These commonly fail in various Honda models of this era. Looks to be about $70-80 from Amazon, depending on part #.

[Adam]

Here is a shot of one of the ruined wheels.

IMG_20161022_144840.jpg

All of the wheels are equally as bad, except for the RR which is also missing a center cap.

[Adam]

The tires are also a letdown for driving performance. I need to see how it feels after a rotation.

The answer is much better. The "wandering steering under cornering" problem is gone. Now the only problem is the "these tires are terrible" problem.