Should I purchase a '90 accord 4dr w/275kms on it (about..170885 miles)
hes asking for $3000 Can ($2600 US) Its my mechanic whos selling it he says hes been maintaining it for years

I could find you loads of them with similar mileage in good condition here for about $1200 or less...but if it's abnormally perfect or something, I guess I could see it...

is the accord reliable....how many miles do you normaly get out of the engine?

I got 160K out of mine before I sold it, and it was hardly maintained well. They are very reliable, but as said above, you could probably find a slightly better deal if you looked around. Everytime I look in the classifieds in the paper, there are a few dozen of them.

NO DONT BUY IT!!! Too much! i paid $1,600 for mines with 130,000 miles and PERFECT condition! U can get a WAY lower deal!

get on the net and look around my friend. i purchased a 98 accord with 113,000 miles for $5000, power evrything sunroof and a 12 disc cd changer. like jeffcoslacker said and in my opinion, only if it is EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAN!!!!! sorry bout the caps, but im quit sure you could find a better deal. this is my first honda and i love it!!!!! i get nothing but compliments on it. they are very reliable, if and when you do make your purchase ask about things like the timing belt, and what other kinds of major work/maintenance has been done. godd luck and have fun.

Can you name me some more major things to ask about like the timing belt.....

If I remember correctly, Honda tuneups are every 90k, which means in about 10k, you are looking at a new timing belt, accessory belt, water pump, oil pump, spark plugs and wires, new fluids/filters, everything involved in a tuneup, so you may want to keep that in mind. Many dealers try and sell used hondas at like 87-89k for the fact that they don't want to be responsible for doing the service. So ask him if he has done that, if not, keep in mind the money you will be spending shortly on that.

Motor mounts, on that car are probably worn or completely shot. Start up the car, have somebody rev up the engine, if the engine shakes badly, they will/should be replaced.
Check this page, about halfway down there is a video called Jump Around showing a motor with bad mounts. In the video, they are incredibly bad, but you get the idea.
http://www.3sxperformance.com/engine-mounts.asp

Check for rust in the wheel wells, check for water damage in the trunk and interior from leaking tail lights or clogged sunroof drains.

Check the fluids, levels and colors should be good. Don't want any oil/coolant mixed which would indicate a blown headgasket.

Check for smoke from the tailpipe.

Push down on each corner of hte car, if it bounces up and down a few times, the shocks need to be replaced, and they will make a bouncy sound when you hit a bump during the test drive.

Bottom line, besides the fact that I think you can find a better deal than this one, take somebody who knows cars or knows Hondas and have them check it out with you. Having a mechanic inspect it is always a good idea too, and running a carfax report is a must in my opinion.

Motor mounts:
The way to check is not to rev the engine up, but rather to put it in gear with your foot on the brake AND the A/C on (Canada? Does it even have A/C?). If the motor mounts are bad, THEN it will shake. (The higher the revs, the less the shake - it's only at a "loaded idle" that it usually shows up).

^good call

Thats a bit high for 170k miles on a 90. Id look around some more jsut becuase it was well maintained doesnt say he never drove the car like he was qualifying for a race everywhere he went. Let alone the fact is he the original owner, what is well maintained shceduled maintnence or just an oil change every 3500 miles. While the car may last you another 50k-75k miles, it may only last 10k. If i where you i would look around for a less used accord. Theres alot of variables to put into this.

I got my 90 with 130k for 500, had a blown head gasket and a cracked exhaust manifold. 175 later it runs like a dream, bought a header off ebay and the head gasket from auto zone. Im working on my h23 that i want to have in the car withint the next few months.