Author Topic: 2003 Honda Accord in Pittsburgh, PA  (Read 2265 times)

covenanter

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2003 Honda Accord in Pittsburgh, PA
« on: April 12, 2017, 07:35:23 PM »
https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/6086119903.html

This is a mustacian owned car in Pittsburgh, PA.  Well maintained.  MMM DISCOUNT for readers of the blog.  $350 (that's over 10%!!! Can't get that type of discount at the used car dealership...) off the listed pricing in the Craigslist posting.  Get it now to aid your FIRE before someone else does!  This car took me to North Carolina to woo my now wife, it has gotten me to numerous job interviews on time and without a problem.  It has taken me on many adventures into Canada.  It has been loaded up to the gills with construction materials, gravel, bunny poop, you name it!

 I often get comments at Home Depot like "DANG, you're fitting almost as much in/on that car as I can get in my truck!!!"  Uh, yeh, buddy, that's kinda the point.  Your worthless piece of crap F150 can only get 16 mpg, and this sucker gets almost 35 mpg if you drive it right.  And yeh, it costs a fraction of yours to run.  And it's JUST as useful.  So, whenever it is hauling things on the roof rack, it is affectionately called, the "Honda H-150".

https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/6086119903.html 

MrMonkeyMoustache

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Re: 2003 Honda Accord in Pittsburgh, PA
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2017, 01:57:07 PM »
I'm in the area and looking for something pretty similar. what's your price, and what's the mileage? Can't look, because it was flagged for removal.

covenanter

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Re: 2003 Honda Accord in Pittsburgh, PA
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2017, 03:08:18 PM »
Sorry about the flagging.  It's been hard to keep it up there.

Here is the cars.com link:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/699541418/overview/

Here is what I put on CL:

This is a 2003 Honda Accord EX in Redondo Red Pearl. Inspection & Emission good until 11/2017. I purchased the car in 2013 with 179,XXX miles on the clock. Since then, I have taken good care of the car. I am a mechanical engineer, so I don't skimp on things that matter. Here is a listing in what I have done to the car, with approximate mileage:

--New rear rotors, pads & powder coated calipers (180,000)
--Both front lower control arms (Powder coated, so they won't rust out again) (180,000)
--Heavy duty rubber mats for front seats, and rear trunk. (180,000)
--New Spark Plugs (187,000)
--New Transmission fluid, Radiator flush (192,000)
--New Serpentine belt (216,000)
--New Master/Slave clutch cylinder (216,000)
--New cabin air filter, engine air filter (225,000)
--COMPLETE undercoating of the car frame, underbody and suspension components, and the inside of all the passenger doors. This consisted of 2 coats of Rusty Metal Primer, and 1 coat of rubberized rust oleum black spray with corrosion inhibitor. Also done on parts of the hood that had tiny spots of rust, which is common on this model year of accords. (227,000)
--New shocks (all around), front brake calipers, rotors & Pads (235,000)
--New battery for 6 Cylinder accord (bigger and better) (242,000)

The mileage currently sits at 254,617. It will go up as this is a daily driver until I can get it sold. Emissions and Inspection good until Nov. 2017. It always passes with minimal or no problems. I can let you know which garage I take it to, so they can give you the same care that I have received.

I have always used full synthetic oil (Red Line, Royal Purple, or Pennzoil Platinum made from natural gas), top shelf filters (bosch max life, or MicroGreen) and I run a magnetic drain plug. Oil life intervals of less than 7,500 miles.

As shown in the pictures, I also have extra tires and rims. I have 4 of the original OEM rims, which take 205/60R16 tires. These currently have Michelin Defenders on them with 2-5/32nds of tread remaining. I have 4 of the 2006-07 EX style rims for the accord. They are really nice and take the same tires as above. They currently have the Michelin Primacy MXV4. 2 of the tires are completely shot (previous owner) and 2 have 3-4/32nds of tread remaining. I also have 2 of the 2002 EX style rims. They are 15 inch rims and take 205/65R15 tires. They currently have Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires with about 6-7/32nds of tread remaining. This car also comes with powder coated rear rotors which are the next item that will need replacing.

The Good:
This car could go another 100k-200k miles, as long as all of the maintenance is kept up. I am not selling this car because I have to, but because I got a Chevy Volt to upgrade the gas mileage. That said, this is a 4-cylinder car with a manual transmission. I usually get 34 mpg on the hwy, and have gotten up to 41 mpg when I babied it. This car won't rust out, because I have taken the care to undercoat the car, as well as pressure washing underneath the vehicle every spring. The sunroof has never leaked, and works fine. If you want a cheap and reliable car, and are somewhat good at doing DIY repairs, this is the car for you. In 2006, they started adding way more computers and gizmos to these cars, and they are much harder to work on than this one is.

The unsightly:
This is not a show car, and will never be. The clear coat has started to peel, like every Honda. I have patched in a new clear coat on a lot of it, but it need another good sanding and another round of clear coat. The upholstery is fine, with no rips, but does have some stains and discolorations, as well as a lot of wear on the center arm rest.

The Unfortunate and Inconvenient:
--The passenger rear window rarely works.
--The cruise control doesn't work. Honda wants $850 to repair, so I doubt anyone will ever repair it.
--The radio and CD changer is spastic, and can be made to work, but sometimes resets itself and needs a factory code to get working again.
--The driver's side lock won't accept a key (it is jammed). I have always used the remote and it works just fine. As a matter of fact, I didn't even realize that it was broken until after I had the car almost two years. It is just something you need to know about and plan for.

I will include the Yakima roof racks for the begining asking price ONLY. The car comes with 1 remote key, and two regular keys. It also comes with the Haynes repair manual, as well as the 3 filters that are pictured. The fourth filter and the oil will go into the car just before it is sold.

I think that price is very reasonable given the care I have put into it, but I would love to meet up over a beer and hash out a good deal with a fellow MMM in the 'burgh!  Like any good MMM, I'm not dying for cash, but I don't just give away my hard labor and toys for free, so I'm sure we can agree on something that suits both of us. 


covenanter

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Re: 2003 Honda Accord in Pittsburgh, PA
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2017, 03:10:10 PM »
PS.  The discount was when the price was $3,100.  I'm not sure I can keep it at $350, but I would love this car to find a good mustacian home where it can go for another 150k miles before it gets recycled.