What's your opinion on 5th gen honda accord? Good or bad? Cheap or expensive to repair?

I'm looking at a 1996 honda accord ex with 80000 miles the guy is asking 800 for it. I'm going to test drive soon so would like to know what to expect from this generation. I know its over 20 years old but my budget is tight and need a car quick.

Better then the junk made in China!

People who are in a hurry to buy a car are inclined to overlook problems. At only $800 you had better look it over very carefully and test drive it thoroughly. 80l miles is unusually low for the year. I'd be wary of that. Maybe the odometer has been replaced with one from a junk yard and the car could actually have a couple hundred thousand miles. If you aren't experienced enough to ervaluate the mechanical condition, bring someone who can or pay a shop $100 or so to inspect it. It'd well worth the peace of mind.

Any car can be expensive or cheap to repair depending on the problem. A set of tires will cost $250-$400. If it has an automatic transmission that can be pretty expensive to overhaul. Ballpark $1700. If you can't do the work yourself, a timing belt will set you back about $700. A complete engine rebuild cost about $3500. Brake pad replacement $200-$300. More if it needs rotors. If it needs to pass emissions, there could be many things wrong and the costs can add up fast.

Good luck. You'll need it if the car becomes money pit. Depends on who owns it and how it has been driven taken care of If a teeager or young 20-something owns it, run away.

The ONLY bad thing about that and the next gen Accords was the 4 cylinder TRANSMISSIONS. But that has been rebuilt or replaced by now. But look at the dipstick and smell it. If it's dark or smells burnt walk away. The engine is good and they drive very well, not hard or expensive to fix. But if the transmission shifts well buy it and change the filter and fluid anyway to prevent any problems. Don't power flush it. Just do a drop the pan service. It uses Dexron 3 I'm quite sure.