Looking at buying an older Honda? Good choice, but make sure you get it checked out thoroughly.

It’s a somewhat common problem on Honda Accords and Civics from the late 90’s where the front subframe rusts out. My 1997 Civic had a large hole in the subframe that required me to replace it after I bought it. This picture is of an Accord with an even worse problem than mine. An entire section rusted off and separated, held to the car only by the sway bar. This must’ve caused noise on turns.

Like many older Hondas brought into the shop with high mileage and severe problems, this had been recently purchased. If you’re going to buy any used car, get it checked out first, and make sure the subframe gets checked on a Honda. You can get it replaced, but it’s not going to be cheap.

New blog posts every Monday and Thursday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Mechanical Malarkey stickers available for $5 anywhere in the US!

-Dan