Fix My Honda or Trade in in?

duckedtapedemon

duckedtapedemon

Active Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2009
Messages
312
Location
Prairie Village, KS
Car(s)
2006 Acura TL
So I could use a little advice with whether to put more money into my car or bail on it now.

Its a 2002 Honda Odyssey, been in the family since new. (Hardly the most desirable car for a 21 year old guy, but its essentially a 240HP Accord Hatch, so... its as good as minivan could be at least. And it was free to me, which was a damn good reason to say "Thank you mom and dad" and just rock a minivan.)

However, I was taking it into the 90k service this weekend knowing that the timing belt was due at anytime. However, literally the day I was coming home from college, the AC decides to go out. By go out I mean the compressor exploding and spreading bits of of metal throughout the rest of the system. Also, there was apparently a small oil leak, with some of the oil getting onto the timing belt. So now instead of just the $1800 timing belt job, I also have the $1200 AC job to contend with too as both the condenser and the compressor and everything in between are shot. The market value seems to be roughly $8k for a good condition.

The further complication is that this model has a well known transmission defect. Mine has shown no signs of slipping, and my mom babied it when she drove it.... but thats still a big repair hanging over me. I'd thought about getting rid of it when I got it because of that but I figured "Well, I'd just end up trading it for a used car of unknown reliability, at least everything else is fine on this one." Guess the jokes on me there.

I don't particularly like the car other than the fact I could easily carry me and my friend's mountain bikes in it, and the fact that with 240HP it was a lot faster than a 9 year old minivan has any business being.

I guess my question is whether I should fix the car, or get something else? I'd rather have something else in all honesty if I'm spending any money, but if there's no way for me to get any reasonable value out of this car, I guess I'll probably keep driving it. Fortunately, I have another car to drive in the meantime, so I don't have to do anything immediately.

How much would my trade in value at a dealer be affected by having no AC and a timing belt change due? How likely am I to sell it private party for a decent amount?

Thanks!

tl;dr Should I fix a minivan needing ac and a timing belt, or sell it and get an actual car I want more?
 
Last edited:
He probably is thinking of the old Odyssey that was based on the Accord, this is about a foot longer.
 
I'd say get the belt and a/c done, but at a smaller shop, not the dealership ( its cheaper and you might be able to get a bit of a deal getting them done at the same time if everything has to be torn apart for access anyways). Then try and sell the car privately, even with the models transmission issues they hold value extremely well.

Then go and buy whatever you want.
 
Shawnw said:
I'd say get the belt and a/c done, but at a smaller shop, not the dealership ( its cheaper and you might be able to get a bit of a deal getting them done at the same time if everything has to be torn apart for access anyways). Then try and sell the car privately, even with the models transmission issues they hold value extremely well.

Then go and buy whatever you want.
Click to expand...

This. Unless yours has frame damage (we had an Odyssey that my dad damaged the door and rear quarter panel on and that brought our trade in value down to about $8.5k in 2007 with 76k odd miles), you should be fine.

What you should really do is this. :evil:

I would do the timing belt service at least before selling it. The A/C is very important, but that doesn't keep it off the road.
 
Learn to fix it yourself and save $$$$$$$$$... or shop around for quotes from reliable shops. $1800 is waaaay too much for a timing belt change.

Being in KS, I don't see having AC or not being a deal breaker.

-Robert
 
Unless you need the extra space/seats bin it, and get an S2000 (NB NOT an MX5, every one and their dog (and MWF) has one of those). ...
 
We replaced the Timing Belt & Drive Belts, Water Pump, Spark Plugs AND an Oil Change for $1200 after taxes at the Stealership for our Sienna (not quite an Odyssey :p).

So if they're asking for $1800, walk away.

But really, you have to think to yourself if you need all this van, the 7 seats and all. If not, you could look for a smaller fun to drive wagon if you need the space in the back for bikes.
 
Komeuppance said:
Learn to fix it yourself and save $$$$$$$$$... or shop around for quotes from reliable shops. $1800 is waaaay too much for a timing belt change.

Being in KS, I don't see having AC or not being a deal breaker.

-Robert
Click to expand...
The AC compressor is used in the winter for the defroster/defogger. AC removes the excess moisture from the air, then runs through the heater core, then blows against the windshield. The heated&dehumidified air pulls the moisture from the glass as it passes by, defogging your windshield.
 
Alright, thanks guys. You confirmed my gut feeling.

LeVeL said:
240hp accord hatch? You mean 240hp enormous automatic heavy van? Ditch it and get a real car!
Click to expand...

Ok, more like a fat Accord wagon, but it still has a better engine and steering feel than I expected.

Komeuppance said:
Learn to fix it yourself and save $$$$$$$$$... or shop around for quotes from reliable shops. $1800 is waaaay too much for a timing belt change.

Being in KS, I don't see having AC or not being a deal breaker.

-Robert
Click to expand...

Well, it was 97F when I drove the 50 minutes home from school the other day, felt like a sauna. I'm definitely gonna take it into an independent shop tomorrow and see what they quote me.

Quiky said:
The AC compressor is used in the winter for the defroster/defogger. AC removes the excess moisture from the air, then runs through the heater core, then blows against the windshield. The heated&dehumidified air pulls the moisture from the glass as it passes by, defogging your windshield.
Click to expand...

Yup, absolutely need that from December to March. Kansas can fluctuate from 100 in the summer to 0 in the winter.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna sell it now, I really only kept it thanks to family politics "We're giving you a car and you're just going to sell it?" No reason to put my money into a car like this long term.

Time to pull up craigslist... and look for something pretty different. Bike can just go on trunk rack or something and I won't have to be the automatic chauffeur for my friends.
 
Haha, get a power inverter and big box fan... jk.

Quiky said:
The AC compressor is used in the winter for the defroster/defogger. AC removes the excess moisture from the air, then runs through the heater core, then blows against the windshield. The heated&dehumidified air pulls the moisture from the glass as it passes by, defogging your windshield.
Click to expand...

Still not a deal breaker. Windows just won't defog as fast.

-Robert
 
The AC compressor started not kicking in on a highway commute this winter for me. I had to pull over because it didn't not defog "as fast" it didn't defog at all and I could not see out of the windshield at all.
 
katwalk said:
The AC compressor started not kicking in on a highway commute this winter for me. I had to pull over because it didn't not defog "as fast" it didn't defog at all and I could not see out of the windshield at all.
Click to expand...

Plenty of cars don't have A/C and they defog just fine, LOL.

Sounds like you've got moisture issues inside your car, perhaps from a broken soft top. A car that leaks water into the interior allowing it to collect will be almost impossible to defog, I've seen it.

-Robert
 
Trade it in! Get rid of it!

The transmission could die at any moment. And thats going to be way more $$$ to replace. Our 2004 Accord (same 240hp V6, same transmission) that died about 2 weeks ago was perfectly fine until the moment it decided to just die. No symptoms at all. I don't think its worth putting in a ton of money right now, only to have the transmission die in 5000 miles.

That said, it could last another 70,000 miles with no problem, but I wouldn't count on it.
 
$1800 for a timing belt???? My car has essentially the same motor and I got mine done at a Honda shop (not dealer) for $600. The dealer here charges $1000.
 
mitchell.scott said:
$1800 for a timing belt???? My car has essentially the same motor and I got mine done at a Honda shop (not dealer) for $600. The dealer here charges $1000.
Click to expand...

Just reread my original post, forgot to mention there was a slight oil leak as well. Will see what the independent shop says...

Do you guys think I'll net more if I fix it before I sell it?
 
Definitely. I'd fix it, scrounge up all the records you can and take it to CarMax. We did that with two cars as we had to move overseas rather quickly and they gave us a great deal on both of cars, no haggling or funny stuff. I'd buy from them too as they have a decent selection of cars that have had a semi-thorough inspection, although you pay a premium. OF course, it doesn't hurt to shop around and get offers from other dealers if they have the car you want, just make sure to not fall into their schemes and sales-talk ploys.

I wouldn't bother with trying to sell it privately honestly. Just offload it as quickly as possible.
 
Last edited:
katwalk said:
The AC compressor started not kicking in on a highway commute this winter for me. I had to pull over because it didn't not defog "as fast" it didn't defog at all and I could not see out of the windshield at all.
Click to expand...

so you started driving with fogged window? or did it start fogging while driving?
 
Fix up privately and sell would be my advice. Those still command crazy high prices on the used market (crap transmissions and all) due to the nameplate.

If you need a van type thing, there's always Mazda5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top