The Good

After buying used 3 Accords, a Prelude and an Integra in the past, buying a new '98 Accord Coupe LX V-6 was an easy choice. The car is great on the highway - it has good acceleration, a smooth ride, good handling and a very strong engine, especially when the transmission drops into passing gear and the VTEC kicks in. The automatic transmission shifts quietly and smoothly*, although it may hesitate a bit before it downshifts. The brakes on the car provide good stopping power, especially when compared to the Hondas I have owned in the past. It also seems to get good gas mileage for a V-6 engine. I also liked the interior and exterior styling, especially the NSX-inspired tail lights. Front seats are very comfortable and the power adjustments on the driver's seat are a nice touch. Trunk space is good and fold-down rear seats are a bonus. I was also impressed by the value the LX V-6 offers -- for about $5,000 less than the EX V-6 you get the V-6 engine and many of the standard features found in the EX. The car is easily upgraded so that the sunroof, wheel/tire combination, tweeter speakers, color-keyed running board cladding, and 6 disc changer of the EX V-6 can be added to it as well. Essentially you can upgrade it so that it is basically an EX V-6 without the leather seats or the automatic climate control system and save a couple grand in the process . . .

The Bad

OK -- that's the good news -- now for the minor gripes. I wished that the LX V-6 came with a 5-speed manual transmission and that break-away mirrors were offered on this car. It seemed like cost cutting measures were the reason behind the cheap-looking (and wearing) plastic wheel covers that came standard with the car. The OEM Bridgestone Turenza tires left a lot to be desired (if you are interested in an Accord that is shod with these tires, I'd recommend replacing them with Dunlop SP5000's -- they offer much better performance for less money). Also, the interior fabric on the seats and armrest look good, but seem a step down from what was offered in the past on late '80s Accords and Preludes. I was a bit disappointed that a mechanical "Memory" lever was not offered on the passenger's side seat so that it returned to position after the seat is slid forward to allow access for rear seat passengers. Don't even think about getting out of the back seat on the driver's side - the power driver's seat does not move forward fast enough, or incline forward far enough to allow for an easy exit.


The Ugly

Now for the serious issues -- out of the 6 Hondas I have owned this one has been by far the least reliable. It was the only car out of the six that I bought new. I can only guess that I must have gotten a bad one based on my previous experiences with Hondas. It seems like Honda did too much "value engineering" on this car. For the used car buyer looking at a '98 Accord LX V-6 coupe, keep these potential trouble areas in mind. My car has 104,000 miles on it and the following has been replaced (note that this is in addition to the regular service intervals and normal wear and tear items -- i.e., 2 sets of brakes, 2.5 sets of tires, etc.):

buzz coming from the interior plastic at right rear corner of the car at highway speeds 104,000 mi

starter went out at 104,000 mi

replaced ignition under ignition system recall @ 84,000 mi

steering wheel grip coming apart/separating from rim @ 82,000 mi

catalytic converter @ 79,000 mi
(check engine light code)
cleaned and re-bored EGR ports @ 79,000 mi

automatic transmission replaced @69,000 mi
(car shifted abruptly/irregularly/chirped tires from 1st to 2nd gear when cold - transmission should shift quietly and smoothly)

alternator @ 69,000 mi (bad bearing in unit)

tensioner belt @ 69,000 mi

fuel sending unit @ 69,000 mi (2nd fuel sending unit)
cleaned carbon out of EGR ports @ 63,000 mi
(check engine light code)

EGR valve @ 45,000 mi (check engine light code)

fuel sending unit @ 21,300 mi (gas gauge only reads 3/4 when full or overfilled)

The only bright spot in this debacle is the fact that American Honda is willing to stand by their product, even if the car is out of warranty, provided the car has been regularly serviced and maintained. As a result, much of the out-of-warranty work was subsidized -- still that does not make up for the lapses in quality but it is the major reason why I am still driving this car.

For the person interested in buying a used '98 Accord Coupe I would say go ahead but I would recommend that if you buy it from a dealership make sure it is a Honda Certified Used Car and that it is well under 80,000 miles (80,000 miles is the cutoff for the Extended Emissions System Warranty that Honda offered on these cars). Also go ahead and get the extended warranty when you buy the car -- it can save you a lot of money. On the V-6 Accords: make sure the transmission shifts smoothly and quietly -- if it does not, avoid buying that particular car. Problems with the automatic transmissions in early '98 Accord V-6's are not uncommon and the cost of replace the transmission is around $5,000. In addition the 105K service/timing belt change on the V-6 is pretty expensive for a Honda (around $795 for the timing belt + $300 to $400 for the 105K service at a Honda dealership). If you really want to hedge your bets regarding the reliability issues, go for the 4 cylinder models -- from what I have heard they don't seem to have as many problems with the emissions system & automatic transmissions . . .



Other cars to consider
(cars I would have looked closer at/bought in hindsight): Audi A4, VW Passat, Honda Prelude, BMW 3-series.

Amount Paid (US$): 20900
Condition: New
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: LX V-6