is an 87 honda accord worth fixing?

[mckenzieelizabeth]

It needs a new muffler, new radiator, and a new head gasket. (Total would come to about $2,500.)

It has new tires, new transmission, and has been well cared for. 154,400 miles.

Was given to us by its original owner and came with all of the documents for past work done, etc.

Is it worth fixing? Or should we purchase another car? I'm just afraid of getting something that would end up needing lots of work AND having to make car payments simultaneously.

[jeffcoslacker]

I dunno. Unless you can find someone to do it cheaper, that's more than the car is worth I suspect. That's probably why you ended up with it for free.

On Hondas, if the muffler is shot the rest of the system is probably too far gone to hang a new one on...so price a whole system (extension pipe, muffler, tailpipe and possibly flex pipe too if it looks sketchy.

Sounds like they drove it around hot because the radiator was leaking, and blew the head gasket. No way to tell until it's taken apart if it's just the head gasket or the head itself could actually be cracked...then you're into it for another several hundred to a thousand depending on where the replacement head comes from.

Upshot? If someone gave it me, it'd be worth fixing, because I'd do all the labor. If I had to pay shop rates to have the work done, no, it's beyond what the car is worth....put that $2500 towards a runner you can afford. I can find good running cars for $2500 all day long....

[jeffcoslacker]

I just did a little checking...KBB's webiste won't let me go back as far as '87, '92 is far back as they price values...but a 1992 Accord with your mileage in GOOD (running and appearance) condition private party value is only $1156...or roughly half the cost of what you'd pay to fix this one, which I suspect would only be worth $800 or so even if it did run fine.

Now a smart move MIGHT be to find another Accord of the same generation that ran well and you'd have a set of new tires and a lot of spare parts on tap...depends on whether you can have a non-runner sitting around where you live, etc...

It's not going to be worth anything above scrap value to a salvage yard, they don't mess with cars over ten years old, not enough demand for those parts to be worth having them take up yard space.

Your best bet if you aren't going to use it as a donor would be to sell it on craigslist or something, hopefully you'd be able to find someone that has one maybe that runs well but is damaged or rusty that might wanna put their motor in yours and have a nice car...that person would probably pay a little more than what it's worth just as a non-runner with some problems...