Piston Slap: Another Impending Coupe D'etat?

Alex writes:

I have a 2000 Honda Accord Coupe EX-V6, 253k miles, original automatic transmission. I’ve had 2 motor mounts replaced, a heater core, and otherwise just standard maintenance (transmission service every 50k miles, new belts every 100k, along with new water pump; new alternator whenever I burn the old one out). Last year, the tranny started whining, giving the inevitable death wail of the Honda slushbox. But it’s still going strong, the wail has stopped, and the transmission fluid looks and smells as clean as ever. My wife and I are looking into buying a 2009 Honda Fit Sport to replace it. The question: do I sell this bad boy or keep it, and do I wait till it dies to buy the Fit (or Pontiac Vibe, or something else)? Full disclosure: my father in law is a GM mechanic, who would love it if I bought a GM.

Sajeev answers:

I’m tempted to make an ironic (yet ultimately tasteless) joke about in-laws loyal to GM and purchasing Toyota-Pontiac crossovers for their satisfaction. But as a single man who believes in Karma, I shall refrain from doing so. That said, I am a sucker for these Accord Coupes, as previously mentioned in a two-part Piston Slap about another coupe.

Question is, are you a lover of the Accord Coupe’s charms like yours truly? I’d think so—misery loves company—and that you’d be disappointed/offended at any offer you get on trade-in. Or from a tire kicker from Craigslist. A second car is great if space allows, because they come in handy. If you buy a tall and noisy Honda Fit (or similar), you’re gonna love having an low slung, NVH savvy, V6 Accord coupe available for long distance travel. Just my personal guess!

So go ahead: keep it. Whenever the transmission fails, bite the bullet for a quality rebuild that addresses the known flaws on these units. See the link above to understand the process involved. Another viable option is getting a junkyard transmission for about $1000 from car-part.com, LKQ, etc. and have a local mechanic install it. The latter option is also great for whenever that motor bites the dust: finding a unit with less than 100k on the clock, for less than $1000, should be fairly easy with a little negotiation.

All it takes is a little research on the appropriate forum, a decent mechanic, and love of the best Honda coupe ever made to make it happen. Good luck to you.

Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.