QuestionQUESTION: Hello Steve,
I have a 2003 Honda Accord LX model and I've noticed over time that the paint has peeled off from areas such as the roof, hood, trunk, and front fender. In addition, the transmission went dead Initially, I thought it was because I didn't give it sufficient car washes and wax jobs, but then I began doing research on the internet and I found to my surprise that many customers who owns the 2003 Honda Accord LX have been experiencing the exact same problem. I took my car to the Honda dealership and they told me that it would cost me at $5,000 to repaint it. I refused and went home. The car has 84,697 miles on it and I'm wondering if its even worth repainting it.
In your professional opinion, do you think its worth repainting it?
Best regards,
Brian
ANSWER: I don't think it's worth it to repaint it for $5,000! This is a super expensive estimate. I would generally never go to the dealership for a paint job. They will most likely outsource it anyway as most dealerships don't do paint themselves.
I would recommend that you take your car to a good auto body/paint shop. Ask your friends and co workers and look for reviews online of good paint shops in your area.
I think it is worth it to get it repainted just not from a dealership.
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QUESTION: I'm also considering selling it but I was wondering if I sell it as is, or would I have a hard time doing so unless I get it repainted and get a better value for it? Would it be advisable to repaint it to get a better value?
Brian
ANSWER: I would probably repaint it. After it is repainted you might decide that you want to keep it, but if not then you will get more money for it.
The first thing people see is the paint, if it looks good and is clean on the inside and out and runs good you should be able to get top dollar for it.
You can check Kelly Blue Book to see what your car would be worth in good condition, then ask yourself if it's worth putting money into it for the amount you would get out of it.
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QUESTION: One last thing. I have been doing a lot of reading about how so many Honda Accord owners are complaining about their cars. It appears that the quality of Hondas has gone down.
In your professional opinion, do you agree or disagree that the quality of Honda cars have gone down?
Julian
AnswerI will preface this by saying that I have not done any research into this question.
I think that the quality of Honda cars is probably about the same. They are still known for being very good quality cars. I think more than likely that easy access to the internet is making it so it seems like so many people are having problems. You could probably find lots of people complaining about any car out there no matter how good of quality they are!
When I buy my next car it will most likely be a Japanese import because they are very reliable and you can drive most of them forever.
