Let’s be honest: kids suck. Especially teenagers and young adults under 25. They’re extraordinary self-absorbed, have no respect for their elders, and are constantly staring at glowing rectangles that play videos and receive messages from their equally bratty friends. What is this world going to be like when they…hang on.
*checks notes*
Oh right. I was one of those miscreants back in the day. I stare at glowing rectangles all the time (and am probably staring at one right now). And I’ve come to learn that elders don’t automatically deserve respect. It should be earned. That being said, I am horrified that New York State allowed me to drive at 16 years of age. When I was 16, I thought wood fired oven pizza originated from ovens made of wood. I held that belief while operating a car. My only salvation was my father, who back then actually drove like a reasonable person. Ultimately, he taught me well. This Accord could also be used to teach the next generation how not to crash. Although it may have already failed to do so.
There is no question that Honda makes excellent vehicles. If I were in the market for a car, I would absolutely consider a 2016+ Honda Civic or 2018+ Honda Accord. But there is something to be said about older Hondas. When did Honda’s Golden Age come to an end? Perhaps around the mid 2000s. But this 2000 Accord found its first owner at a time when the company produced solid vehicles that didn’t boast overwrought styling. Our featured Accord isn’t the prettiest of the bunch. Perhaps a new driver applied the gas too forcefully and quickly for the teacher to react in time? Maybe. In any event, this is still a attractive looking sedan, even if it’s got cataracts.
Honda’s sixth generation Accord arrived in 1997 for the 1998 model year. It course corrected for the insubstantial looking fifth generation by emulating the appearance of the fourth gen model. It was a safe choice and the polar opposite of the third gen Taurus, which let its freak flag fly in 1996 when it debuted an extremely oval exterior. Buyers revolted and likely made their way to sedans like our featured Accord. That helped the Accord stay slightly above the 400k mark for most of this generation.
This didn’t break the paradigm established with the 1992 Taurus, but it didn’t need to.
The wheel covers indicate this is a relatively basic model. Perhaps the cheapest V6 model you could get at the time? Regardless, the interior looks pretty clean for a twenty year old car.
And here is what separates this Accord from all the other. Here is the seller’s description:
I bought this 2000 Honda Accord for my son to learn how to drive, it was super helpful because it has a second brake pedal on the right hand side as you can see in the picture. So it made both of us feel much safer in teaching him! It has a VTEC engine and does not have any rust and the interior is very clean. No dents either. Heat works great and so does the AC. It has a newer set of tires on it, brand new brake pads, and a new battery. And a new computer was put in and programmed. 180k. It is a very very smooth driving quiet car.
Sounds like a reasonable enough explanation, right? A mid-size sedan might be the perfect trainer car too. Their size forces new drivers to pay attention a bit than they would in a compact car. But they’re not overwhelmingly big. Problem is, the seventh gen Accord had a substantially large Achilles’ Heel. Honda’s four speed automatic was prone to failure. Especially the V6 models. And our featured Accord happens to be equipped with the 3.0 liter V6. Is that a dealbreaker. Maybe. I’d be inclined to believe the problematic ones have all been junked by now. I’d be willing to take something like this home if I could get it for $1500. It’s a good trainer car that will probably still be around for at least several more years.
Source: Hudson Valley craigslist
If it’s lasted this long, it’s probably good. I sold my ’99 V6 coupe in ’05 with about 99k miles, it was on its second trans which was also starting to fail… each trans lasted about 50k miles. If this one got all the way to 180k, it’s either eaten quite a few autos or “it’s one of the good ones,” I figure.
Location: Salt Belt
Age: Twenty Years
Mileage: 3/4 of the way to the moon
Front Badge: Missing
Carpet and Upholstery: Just this side of nasty
Listed Condition: Like New
I know several people, myself included, who couldn’t be trusted to ride shotgun here.
My kids are under 25 and are very respectful, lovely people. That’s because I have always been respectful of them and led by example. I never considered them any burden, being a dad certainly doesn’t suck and being so has been the best part of my life.
Agreed. People are products of their environment and good kids are still plentiful.
If I had to bet, each of us likely has sucky, self-absorbed adults in our lives.
“I’d be inclined to believe the problematic ones have all been junked by now.”
I was not aware that it was possible for any automatic transmission in a V6 Honda of this era to *not* be one of the problematic ones. I never heard of the unit that backed the 4s as being a problem.
I got one of these for a weekend back in the 00s when one of my kids’ scoutmasters borrowed my Club Wagon for a camp out with the boys. The difference was his was that sweet 4 cyl/stick combo. I fell in love.
I have asked the “when did Peak Honda end” question many times. I have sometimes wondered if my 2007 Honda Fit was the end of the line, as a vehicle that came out in its home market in 2002 or so.
So this was previously a privately-owned, ex-driver’s ed car? Usually, driver’s ed sedans are bottom-feeder domestic brands; I wouldn’t think that you would see something like a Camry or Accord unless someone was trying a side-hustle with their daily-driver.
For some reason I thought you were being cheeky by calling the clutch pedal a 2nd brake pedal. Obviously, I am wrong and that is a 2nd brake pedal, I be danged. If I lived in that area and needed a car I would have it checked out first, then offer $1,000 if the car was okay.
The 06-11 and 12-15 Civic is not ideal? I know the 12 is mediocre, but what about the others? Since the 16 Civic lacks a volume knob for the radio a different one will be needed.
The 06-11 Civic is a great car. They cheaper out in the 12 redesign. There was supposed to an all new larger car in 11. The Accord was supposed to grow as well. The Honda City was going to be essentially the replacement for the current Civic. Obama administration mileage requirements caused Honda to panic. They cancelled the City,, delayed the revision and did a major revamp of the car for 12. They decontented it, and ruined the car. I have a 10 SI coupe with 200K and still going strong.
Hmmm…a car full of teenagers with an extra brake pedal on the passenger side. What could go wrong?
Honda for some reason escaped a reputation for unreliability, even though their transmissions were not very good for years. Their transmissions were no better than the Ultradrive or the one in the Taurus, but I suppose because the rest of the car lasted forever? or people just expected the transmission to fail and it was viewed as a maintenance item? everyone thinks of Hondas as powered by moonbeams and magical unicorns.
That being said, when I know someone in the market for a good old reliable sedan with decent resale value who doesn’t really care what they drive, you cannot go wrong with recommending a Honda or Toyota.
This generation of Accord might well have been the best. There are still many of them on the roads. Five years ago, our subdivision had no fewer than four of them in that lovely metallic silver color, one of which was my wife’s. That car didn’t give us an ounce of trouble, and when we sold it at 177k, there wasn’t a thing wrong with it.
I replaced our ’01 Accord with an ’08 Civic. The Civic has been bulletproof mechanically, but the paint has peeled awfully, and while it runs like a watch, I’ve never warmed up to the miles of cheap, hard plastic in the cabin. The Accord, on the other hand, was a nice place to be. The ergonomics were great, and the interior had an earnest, warm quality about it, much like Subarus from the 90s (of which I’ve owned several).
But a second brake pedal? On a normal passenger car? If you were a teen, that would feel like mommy and daddy making up the bed with rubber sheets because they don’t trust you to make it through the night…
I don’t have a teen, but if I did, I would grant him or her a little more trust. I just recently taught my wife how to drive a stick shift. She did great, and trust and encouragement were key. I didn’t learn to drive in a car with a second brake pedal, and neither did anyone else I know.
Without a doubt an ex-driver’s ed car.
As for this generation Accord, I have a lot of firsthand experience with it and can attest that it is easily one of the best and a strong entry from Honda.
One of my aunts purchased a new beige on beige 1998 Accord EX V6 with leather, moonroof, CD player, and built-in car phone… all pretty hot stuff in 1998. I rode in it countless times as a child over the years as they kept it well into the mid-00s when it briefly became their Florida car and then went to their son-in-law, seeing well over 200K miles.
When I was a freshman in high-school, my senior XC captain drove a ’98 or ’99 EX 5-speed, in the same green as this featured car with tan leather. I was given many rides home from practice in that car, and overall I can confidently say that the sixth generation Accord was easily the most competitive midsize sedan of the late-1990s/early-00s as Toyota cheapened out their Camry and just about everything else was lacking.
Looks like this may have been in an accident at some point, not surprising considering it was a drivers ed car. The bumper cover is missing the Honda emblem. The panel gaps between the right fender, headlight and bumper cover looks off. It might be a lighting issue, but the bumper cover may have been repainted, it has what looks like orange peel paint.
For riding around when my wife is driving, I’d like a passenger-seat accelerator!
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