Ok, how long should I keep my 3g?

[AC439]

Well, I have my 86LXi for 13 years and it has been my faithful companion for all these time. I use the car for commute to/from work. However, during a recent out of state trip, I feel that the car has show some signs of aging. Now it has 238k miles on it. The paint is crappy (MAACO paint job). There is a crack on the windshield on the passenger side. The ride is rough and I haven't changed shocks for all the time I have it (140k miles). I am trying to determine if this is the right time to get a newer car or put some money to fix up the 3g.

The car really doesn't worth much if I sell it. I'd say no more than $1k. But if I have to fix it up, I need to put at least $250 for paint job, $200 for windshield. $160 to replace all shocks. I'm talking about putting $600 to fix up a car that probably worth only $700.

Don't get me wrong, I really love my 3g and have established an attachment to it. But maybe some of you have gone through that same struggle can share an experience with me. Thanks.

-AC

[Listen2myBASS]

if u like ur 3gee then id say spend the 600$ and keep it...it all depends on ur preference and money situation...if u can afford a new car and WANT a new car then get a new car...i bet somebody on the board would buy it?

[A18A]

well from the sounds of it, you could get around $1500 or more if you fix her up.

[lostforawhile]

get a newer car then take your time and fix the old one. if you've had it that many years do a little bit at a time and fix it up. oh,Macco rymes with Kraco and after a bit of time you'll discover they are both trash. thats where you take your car when you are desperate to sell it. or a dealer. you'll need another car if you want to fix that one,then you don't have to rush major projects. I have put a lot of years in mine and an ungodly amount of money,and I still have a ton of work to do. I will never sell mine period.

[1ajs]

AMEN lost AMEN

AC439 post some pics of ya ride sounds like you have a nice 3gee.

i would my self do a tare down and rebuild her like lost has done

[Tomisimo]

Well... you dont gona get the same feel from a new car as from 3gee. so like lostforawhile said. get a newer car and fix Accord. i know i gona do the same. period

[shepherd79]

this is what i am planning to do in next 6 month:
take your accord and the money that you were going to spend on it and go to a dealer. put the money down and trade in your accord for a newer accord. That is what i am planning to do in near future.

[A18A]

this is what i am planning to do in next 6 month:
take your accord and the money that you were going to spend on it and go to a dealer. put the money down and trade in your accord for a newer accord. That is what i am planning to do in near future.

eh/ im very lost here

[MessyHonda]

eh/ im very lost here

what he is trying to say is that insted of fixing up the accord just save up the money and get a newer one....i would not trade it in...they might give you like 300 bucks tops....i would private sale it at least get a grand.

[snoopyloopy]

i say it depends on the person. the 3g was a forward car for it's time, but it's prime time has long gone. although it still looks good and is a reliable car, it's not new and a lot of things that come standard on cars it doesn't have. however, the 3g is a pretty cheap car to own and maintain as long as you don't have one where everything goes at once. but even so, you'll still probably save money when compared to what you'll probably have to pay for a new one in monthly payments and higher insurance costs. so it really depends on the person. some would say sell it because fixing it will cost you as much as it's worth, other's will say keep it because fixing it will cost you as much as it's worth but you'll have the car you love.

[mkymonkey]

i say...buy another car

[paso100]

I had the same questions before I plunged into the pool of aftermarket treats and expenses for my Accord. I figured it this way: New car = $300/mo. (minimum) payments for 4 or 5 years. Old Accord = proven reliability and incredible handling after about $1,200 in parts. Sure it's $1,200, but that's only FOUR monthly payments for a car that won't handle as nice. Even if I blew my engine, a replacement would only cost me about 3 or 4 monthly payments - but then I wouldn't have to worry about another engine for a 100,000 miles. No matter what I replace on the old Accord, it will be less than just a few monthly payments on a new car. And a monthly commitment for 5 years takes its toll, unlike me choosing to spend a $200 here and there, now and then, when I want to on the Accord.
Buying a brand new car just doesn't make any sense to me, unless I really want new plastic and paint, and I don't. Even if you could afford the payments, think how much better off you'd be INVESTING that money on a CD, or stocks, ANYTHING that gives you some appreciation. New cars gratify your ego, and that's temporary. The depreciation lasts forever.

[snoopyloopy]

I had the same questions before I plunged into the pool of aftermarket treats and expenses for my Accord. I figured it this way: New car = $300/mo. (minimum) payments for 4 or 5 years. Old Accord = proven reliability and incredible handling after about $1,200 in parts. Sure it's $1,200, but that's only FOUR monthly payments for a car that won't handle as nice. Even if I blew my engine, a replacement would only cost me about 3 or 4 monthly payments - but then I wouldn't have to worry about another engine for a 100,000 miles. No matter what I replace on the old Accord, it will be less than just a few monthly payments on a new car. And a monthly commitment for 5 years takes its toll, unlike me choosing to spend a $200 here and there, now and then, when I want to on the Accord.
Buying a brand new car just doesn't make any sense to me, unless I really want new plastic and paint, and I don't. Even if you could afford the payments, think how much better off you'd be INVESTING that money on a CD, or stocks, ANYTHING that gives you some appreciation. New cars gratify your ego, and that's temporary. The depreciation lasts forever.

well said and is what i was trying to say.

[AC439]

Thanks guys for all the inputs. I definitely know I don't have a car payment now vs to $300 for 4-5 years for a new car. My car is mechanically sound except some very minor issues such as oil leak. Surprisingly, everything still works except the power antenna (I have everything power including a sunroof still works and no leaks). Another thing I'm thinking is to take it to a local vocational school that has automobile class and let them paint the car. I've seem some of their pictures and they sure are doing a good job. I probably have to pay to have them change the windshield but probably they won't charge me labor. This way, I think I can keep the car for some more time. Right now, I usually have to park in a far corner in a parking lot just not wanting other people I know see the crappy paint and the crack windshield.

[lostforawhile]

also if you buy a new car you just have another ununique car like everyone else,as far as I'm concerned this generation were the last really good accords,after 89 they just got bigger and more family oriented,it's really sad that this was the last generation for the accord hatch too, they started as sporty cars and they were all hatches at the begining. this was also the last generation that Mr. Honda personally oversaw before he stepped down over running the company. also some of these were the last accords actually built in japan. with the prelude discontinued that was the sister car to these also.

[w261w261]

I don't think you can really make a case for fixing up your car unless you really love it, and want to continue to drive it *because* it's a 3G and you've got that emotional attachment. On the strictly economic side, you should take a good hard look at what else the car will be needing in the near future, although if you've been driving on the same shocks for all this time maybe you aren't too picky. Nonetheless, you should assess just where the car is really at...cooling hoses, bushings, cat, muffler, springs, etc etc etc. Those things can add up.

I think it's a fair conclusion that whatever you put into the car will be "lost" in the sense that it won't increase its value very much. It's more a "cost of doing business," to keep it going. Another cheap paint job on top of the one that's there now ... I don't know. If I were you, I'd think about finding another, lower-mileage, original paint LX-i/SE-i 3G from a nice grandmother, and fix whatever would be necessary on a better platform. Get an '88-89, sell yours for $500 or whatever. I think you'll come out ahead.

Probably the "sensible" thing to do is get a newer model. The 4G's are undistinguished and really blah, 5G's have their fans and I can see why, 6G's (I have one) are better on the suspension side, but compared to our cars you can really see how they pulled out money everywhere. My '98 EX (my 16 year old's car) doesn't even have folding mirrors, I think they reconsidered by '99 or '00. Everything about it is cheaper than my SE-i. But it's still a good car compared to the Camry and of course the American junk.

If you qualify for a low-interest car loan, Detroit is soooo desparate to sell cars that you can lock in a low payment and get a 100k mileage warranty. On a strictly economic basis the numbers look pretty good. I know in my case that I spend way more keeping my SE-i going than I probably should, because it could be totalled at any time, but I love the car and I fix *anything* that needs it, and most stuff before it needs it (being a pilot will do that to you). Plus, with the Eibach/revalved Bilsteins/all new bushings underneath, it handles really well. I also like the idea of keeping the car for a future owner that loves it the way I do. I get asked every couple of weeks if I want to sell it.

However, there is another, darker side to our cars, and just this past week I was reminded of it when some (I assume drunk or cell phone idiot) woman came across the center line at me, further than anyone has ever done before. We're talking 3/4 of her car on my side, and me feeling like OH SHIT because the shoulder had a stone wall with trees along the edge (I live in CT). It happened fast, and she missed me by about a foot, but afterwards I reflected on our 2800 lb cars with no airbags, no side-impact protection to speak of, and a world of bad/drunk/inattentive drivers with 5,000 lb SUV's. I'd like to have some more protection in a crash, although even after that fright it's not enough to get me to give up my baby. But it was a real close one, too close.

In short, if you love the 3G, find another one to fix up. If it's more about a reliable transportation device, maybe it's time to go newer. A tough decision I know.

[lostforawhile]

I don't think you can really make a case for fixing up your car unless you really love it, and want to continue to drive it *because* it's a 3G and you've got that emotional attachment. On the strictly economic side, you should take a good hard look at what else the car will be needing in the near future, although if you've been driving on the same shocks for all this time maybe you aren't too picky. Nonetheless, you should access just where the car is really at...cooling hoses, bushings, cat, muffler, springs, etc etc etc. Those things can add up.
I think it's a fair conclusion that whatever you put into the car will be "lost" in the sense that it won't increase its value very much. It's more a "cost of doing business," to keep it going. Another cheap paint job on top of the one that's there now ... I don't know. If I were you, I'd think about finding another, lower-mileage, original paint LX-i/SE-i 3G from a nice grandmother, and fix whatever would be necessary on a better platform. Get an '88-89, sell yours for $500 or whatever. I think you'll come out ahead.
Probably the "sensible" thing to do is get a newer model. The 4G's are undistinguished and really blah, 5G's have their fans and I can see why, 6G's (I have one) are better on the suspension side, but compared to our cars you can really see how they pulled out money everywhere. My '98 EX (my 16 year old's car) doesn't even have folding mirrors, I think they reconsidered by '99 or '00. Everything about it is cheaper than my SE-i. But it's still a good car compared to the Camry and of course the American junk.
If you qualify for a low-interest car loan, Detroit is soooo desparate to sell cars that you can lock in a low payment and get a 100k mileage warranty. On a strictly economic basis the numbers look pretty good. I know in my case that I spend way more keeping my SE-i going than I probably should, because it could be totalled at any time, but I love the car and I fix *anything* that needs it, and most stuff before it needs it (being a pilot will do that to you). Plus, with the Eibach/revalved Bilsteins/all new bushings underneath, it handles really well. I also like the idea of keeping the car for a future owner that loves it the way I do. I get asked every couple of weeks if I want to sell it.
However, there is another, darker side to our cars, and just this past week I was reminded of it when some (I assume drunk or cell phone idiot) woman came across the center line at me, further than anyone has ever done before. We're talking 3/4 of her car on my side, and me feeling like OH SHIT because the shoulder had a stone wall with trees along the edge (I live in CT). It happened fast, and she missed me by about a foot, but afterwards I reflected on our 2800 lb cars with no airbags, no side-impact protection to speak of, and a world of bad/drunk/inattentive drivers with 5,000 lb SUV's. It wouldn't hurt to have some more protection in a crash scenario, even after that fright it isn't enough to get me to give up my baby. But it was a real close one, too close.
In short, if you love the 3G, find another one to fix up. If it's more about a reliable transportation device, maybe it's time to go newer. A tough decision I know.

well this is an old arguement that goes back for years,it's the same reason anybody fixes up old cars not worth anything,they love the cars,and it's the satisfaction of knowing you can fix it and keep it running. I mean there are sites and clubs for yugos for crying out loud

[AC439]

As more and more inputs coming in, it is getting harder to decide what to do. Really I have been taking care of the car well and have continuously fixing up (except the big ticket items as mentioned in my original post). I totally agreed with w261w261 about the idiots on the roads - big trucks and SUVs - which are mostly driven by unqualified and irresponsible people. Many times, I feel like I'm in a little Honda and everybody wants to run their "tanks" over me. Back to fixing up, most mechnical problems are solved and have only minor oil leak. Now really comes to the windshield replacement and the paint. I don't want to pay another $250 to Maaco just to get it looking good for another 2 years. The windshield really needs to be replaced (it's original) too.

I believe there is something unique about our cars in terms of quality. The car really runs well at high speed say 70-80mph. I think the newer cars don't impress me. Couple of days ago, I went to a dodge dealership just to kill time and they let me test drive the Caliper. Not really click into it and I thought to myself:- "I ain't goin' to pay 22 grands for this crap!" The other car that I will be seriously looking at if I decided to get something new is the Sonata (I know, I know, pls don't shoot me). I think the newest Accord is over priced and loosing the unique characteristic. An Accord clone (Sonata) will work fine for me in this case.

Still trying to decide ............................