Good morning everyone.
After a long hiatus from the Honda family, I am back.
Previously, I have owned:
98 Civic LX Sedan - 350000km 89 Civic LX Sedan - 300000km 08 Civic LX Sedan - 120000kmWhen I got the new Civic, I didn't need all the advice, nor did I have many experiences to share, as nothing ever went wrong with that car.
About 2 years ago, we decided to sell the 08 civic and get a 'beater'. Any of the beater Accords I wanted (from 98-03, less than 150k kms, in decent shape) were all in the $4-5k range, and that was more than I wanted to spen d. So we made the decision go (***GASP***) domestic... Got a 2000 Grand P rix GT Sedan with 100k kms on it, in really great condition. Paid $3k for it back in May 2012.
It has been a good car. I did a couple of maintenance items on it, includi ng plugs, wires, coolant change, thermostat. I put new tires on it. It ha s been a great car. But I drive 80-120km per day for my work commute (vari es depending on errands I need to run) and I've never been able to get bett er that 13L/100km or 18 US MPG, whereas my 08 civic got somewhere in the ne ighborhood of the advertised 6L/100km or 39 US MPG. The GP still saved us money overall based on lower insurance and no payment, but I think I can do better on fuel consumption.
Hence the search again for a 98-03 Accord 4 cylinder. We have 3 kids, and although we wouldn't use this car as primary transport, it needed to be abl e to handle all 3 kids in case we needed it to in a pinch. This eliminates the Civic as a consideration, and was one of our motivators to go to the G rand Prix.
I finally found a decently priced older Accord. A little beat up, but seem s to have good bones. No major accidents listed, and a local car. Its a 9
9 Accord EX, that has 165k kms on it. Picked it up for $2150, with a curre nt safety. Needed tires, but found some used ones for $125 on the local cl assifieds website.It definitely needs a tuneup though, and that is the primary purpose of my post today. Fuel economy is not very good. Better than the Grand Prix, mi nd you, but still hovering around 9L/100km or 26 US MPG. I think it is rea sonable to expect this number to be closer to 7-8L/100km or 30-35 US MPG, a nd I think I can achieve that by performing some tuneup items. Here is the list of items I plan to do:
Spark Plugs - NGK V-Power - Any recommendations or alternates? Spark Plug Wires - DENSO - From Rock Auto Distributor Cap - Hitachi Distributor Rotor - same Upstream O2 sensor - DENSO - OEM replacement from Rock Auto
Any other items I should consider? Anything to watch for on this Accord? I've never owned one before, but the BIL had an 01 that he claimed to get r idiculous fuel economy with. I have my reservations that I'll ever come cl ose to his claimed fuel economy (he claimed it got better than my 08 civic) , and I think my expectations of 7-8L/100km or 30-35 US MPG.
Thanks for reading, and look forward to the replies!
t