Is buying a used 2003 honda accord with 170k miles a good idea? Looks pretty clean inside and out. Haven't had a mechanic look at it?

Is buying a used 2003 honda accord with 170k miles a good idea? Looks pretty clean inside and out. Haven't had a mechanic look at it? - 1

I have no idea if a good idea or not. I don't know the price, I don't know the condition of the car or any other needed information. But with that old of a car and miles don't expect every thing to be perfect.

Appearance can be deceiving, so no. The only way to determine condition is to do a very thorough mechanical inspection, a very thorough test drive, and a thorough review of the maintenance records.

Hondas are built to last so if the price is right and it seems to be quality then you should be in the green

You forgot to list the price. However, even with a very good deal, that is a lot of miles. Everyone always loves to talk about how long Japanese cars last, but you never know how much money was put into it to keep in on the road. All cars start to have things go wrong with them eventually.

Does the exhaust smell like coolant? Has the timing belt been replaced? My daughters' has 275k and will definitely hit 300k or more.

Then find the mechanic!

The 2003 Accord is the second worst vehicle in carcomplaints.com records (first source). By far the greatest part of that is the automatic transmission connected to a six cylinder engine, making it the poster child for the Great Honda Automatic Transmission Debacle (1998-2004). The site rates the 2003 Accord (second source) "Avoid Like the Plague" - a warning you would be wise to heed. When I was active in a Honda forum there were several members who replaced their transmissions three times - twice under warranty and once out of their own pocket. It was a genuine nightmare.

While Honda is known for it's reliability and very little to no issues, it is impossible to know whether that SPECIFIC Honda is in good running condition if you haven't had tit checked. It could be like most Hondas, a very quality car with no issues at all or there could be a bunch of stuff wrong that is either undiagnosed or not listed.

It is always wise to get a used car checked out by a mechanic to ensure everything is running smoothly before you buy. This will save you lots of headaches and money in the long run. Also, cars are a lot like people in the sense you should never judge them by their looks.

The car might be pretty on the outside but it might be pretty UGLY under the hood. A clean car inside and out definitely is a good sign it was taken care of well but that does not judge mechanical problems. You can have a really battered car on the outside/interior and it'd be in perfect mechanical shape.