VIN NUMBER EXPLAINED

This is good to know. 

3HGCG6650YG700365  Y is 2000.  

Check an Engine Before You Buy

Salvage Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First the good.  The price should be discounted.  Way discounted.  If the salvage title is due to an accident on the front end, then the car should not be more than $5,000.  The reason is for all of the repairs and for the DMV fees.

The bad.  Again, if the salvage is from an accident to the front end, you're looking at expensive front-end alignment repairs.

The Ugly.  It's as bad as the bad.

Has to exceed 70% of the vehicles's value.  The insurance company determines this.  They have their own network of repair companies.  There's the per hour cost of repairs.

Title Washing?  Change the salvage title to clean title.  Dependent on insurance companies who don't always report information to the national motor vehicle information system.

Rebuilt title was taken off the road for . . . . it had some serious damage, taken off road, not authorized for road use, and then re-inspected for road use. 

Transmissions: Which Is Best?

Different transmissions.

CVT

A continuously variable transmission (CVT) (also known as a single-speed transmission, stepless transmission, pulley transmission, or, in case of motorcycles, a twist-and-go) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of effective gear ratios. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios. The flexibility of a CVT allows the input shaft to maintain a constant angular velocity.

Check Engine Light Is Flashing

Hooking your engine up to the computer can tell you which piston is not firing.  

Benefits of Turbo Charged Engines

From Turbos  

BENEFITS OF TURBO-CHARGED ENGINES

1.  FUEL CONSUMPTION IS LESS.

Compared with a naturally aspirated engine of identical power output, the fuel consumption of a turbocharger engine is lower, as some of the normally wasted exhaust energy contributes to the engine's efficiency. Due to the lower volumetric displacement of the turbo engine, frictional and thermal losses are less.

2.  POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO IS BETTER

The power-to-weight ratio, i.e. kilowatt (power output)/kilograms (engine weight), of the exhaust gas turbocharged engine is much better than that of the naturally aspirated engine.

3.  ENGINE WELL REQUIREMENTS ARE SMALLER

The turbocharger engine's installation space requirement is smaller than that of a naturally aspirated engine with the same power output.

4.  TORQUE CAN BE IMPROVED

A turbocharged engine's torque characteristic can be improved. Due to the so-called "maxidyne characteristic" (a very high torque increase at low engine speeds), close to full power output is maintained well below rated engine speed. Therefore, climbing a hill requires fewer gear changes and speed loss is lower.

5.  GREAT HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

The high-altitude performance of a turbocharged engine is significantly better. Because of the lower air pressure at high altitudes, the power loss of a naturally aspirated engine is considerable. In contrast, the performance of the turbine improves at altitude as a result of the greater pressure difference between the virtually constant pressure upstream of the turbine and the lower ambient pressure at outlet. The lower air density at the compressor inlet is largely equalized. Hence, the engine has barely any power loss.

Because of reduced overall size, the sound-radiating outer surface of a turbocharger engine is smaller, it is therefore less noisy than a naturally aspirated engine with identical output. The turbocharger itself acts as an additional silencer.

THE DOWNSIDES (from Automotive Training Centers)
The most immediately observable con to a turbocharged engine is the money and time that go into it. You’re going to have to pay a handsome sum to an automotive technician to get your regular engine souped up and turbocharged. What’s more is that it will require some shifting and moving under the hood, as a turbo charged engine requires some additional wiring and tubing to function properly – cars with crowded front ends need not apply. Though many car companies such as Volkswagen offer factory made models with turbocharged engines, those wishing to upgrade on their own might encounter setbacks.

Also, less gas mileage.  

Differences Between FWD, AWD, RWD, & 4WD

What's The Difference Between FWD,RWD, AWD, And 4WD?

Vehicles of all shapes and types act differently on various surfaces depending on whether they feature front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive. You might know which drive system your vehicle has, but here we’ll explain a little bit more about how each of these drive systems work. (It might not be the most exciting topic, but it is worth understanding how your vehicle functions and how you can get the most out of it.)

Front-Wheel Drive (FWD):

Easily the most common drive system found in today’s vehicles, front-wheel drive vehicles simply channel their power to the front wheels. Standard on all Buick’s, front-wheel drive is often employed because it is a compact system that frees up space inside the cabin. Plus, the majority of the weight is positioned over the front wheels, offering good traction when its slippery.

Rear-Wheel Drive:

As you’ve probably guessed, rear-wheel drive vehicles channel their power strictly to the vehicle’s rear wheels. Rear-wheel drive used to be the most common drive system until the advent of front-wheel drive in the early 80s. However, RWD vehicles can handle more horsepower and higher vehicle weights, which is why it is often found in sports cars, performance sedans, big trucks, race cars, and law enforcement pursuit vehicles.

Four-Wheel Drive (4WD or 4×4):

Four-wheel vehicles tend to feature a two speed transfer case* with both high and low ranges. Most 4WD vehicles tend to operate in RWD mode until four-wheel traction is required. But unlike AWD, most systems are driver activated, meaning the driver must engage the AWD function via a secondary gear shift or through a button or setting. However, many feature a setting that automatically engages the high range. The driver must still engage the low range.

It is often found on large SUVs and trucks because it provides optimal traction when off-road.

All-Wheel Drive (AWD):

All-wheel drive is often confused with four-wheel drive but despite the fact both engage all four wheels, their are some key differences between the two.

Generally, a AWD system operates as a RWD or FWD vehicle– most are FWD. Buick’s all-wheel drive preemptively sends power to both the front and rear wheels on every launch to prevent slip and loss of traction. Unlike AWD, four-wheel drive is beautiful in its simplicity: the system does everything automatically, without driver intervention.

* A transfer case connects to the transmission to split power between the front and rear wheels. 

THERMOSTAT, SENSOR, RADIATOR HOSE

Jeeze, I have been put through the ringer with this 2000 Honda Accord. Talk about your Y2K disasters!  Yesterday as I turned my car engine off, smoke billowed up through the seams of my hood. I felt like I was a factory worker working on a steam press.  Instead, I was just a schnor sitting in his car hoping that no one would see my catastrophe.  But, of course, everyone saw.  What happened was that the heat produced a crack in the radiator hose, allowing smoke to billow everywhere.  I knew my thermostat was busted since the temperature gauge began rising when in idle.  Then it went from rising while in idle to being locked in at the HOT position.  I was trying to buy time.  Always trying to buy time. Richard gave me a quote last week for $150.  I thought maybe I could do it myself via some articulate, high-resolution video at YouTube.  This one seemed to me to be the best.  But I don't have the time or the tools; well, I might have the tools.  Even though I cannot afford it, it is worth it to me to just pay Richard or someone the $150 than for me to spend the time buying the parts, moving parts around on the engine and losing this or that.  So I had the thermostat replaced, the sensor replaced, and one of the two radiator hoses. 

What's next?  

Okay, I looked at the 2017 Chevy Spark, LS, priced at $10,599. Not a bad price.  Not so fast.  The original sticker was $13,000.  That's only a 20% drop in price from getting a new car.  

So the question is what is the average deprecation costs on a new car, any new car, regardless of year, regardless of make, regardless of anything?  

Depreciation really is determined by make, model, and year.  See this chart on a few cars.  Note how with some the depreciation is 20% while for other cars you're looking at 25% to 30% or more.  

According to bankrate, these are the five cars with the fastest depreciation rates:

2012 Kia Sedona, LX: $24,900.  Expected depreciation in first five years: $17,730.

2013 Chevrolet Impala, LT: $27,385.  Expected depreciation in first 5 years: $17,983.

2012 Jeep Liberty Limited Sport 2WD: $23,395.  Expected depreciation in first 5 years: $15,239.

2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara Premium RWD:  $22,349.  Expected depreciation in first 5 years: $14, 379.

2013 Jaguar XJ AWD: $76,700.  Expected depreciation in first 5 years: $52,014

Also, it looks like depreciation rates are calculated by years of use due to business use and not simply some arbitrary percentage.  See here: 

the following table prescribes these limits.

Car depreciation limits

Depreciation limitations for passenger automobiles (that are not trucks or vans) placed in service by the taxpayer in calendar year 2009, for which the 50 percent additional first year depreciation deduction applies

Tax year	Amount
1st tax year	$10,960
2nd tax year	$4,800
3rd tax year	$2,850
Each succeeding year	$1,775

Your maximum deduction under this table is $10,960, reduced by your personal use percentage. If the car is used 20 percent for personal purposes, then your maximum deduction for 2009 is $8,768 and in the first three years totals $14,888. Because the car’s business basis at 20-percent personal use is $88,000, you can see that it will take several decades to recover the car’s cost.  Even CarMax points out that cars lose 20% of their value the first year. $10,599 of $13,000 is not even 20% of the original sticker.  20% would be $2,600 from the sticker, around $10,400.  

That same Carmax article made a great point:

At the turn of the millennium, for example, new cars were being rolled out at a rate that far exceeded demand, so leasing became popular. As leases lapsed, the used car market swelled, and with it the depreciation used car buyers faced. In other words, cars depreciated more quickly because the demand for used cars was low. Things leveled off for a while, but the recession of 2008 sent depreciation rates soaring once again.

Psychology does play a role in value: 

Beyond market forces you can’t control, psychology also has a role to play in how much your car’s value drops year to year. Cars that are popular with the public fare much better than those deemed less desirable.  

Just when I am looking for a formula, something to count on, I read this: 

So don’t expect your used car to depreciate at a consistent level. A lot can change.  Oh, boy!  

Miles count when depreciating a car. 

The number of miles you drive will also factor in. The fewer miles on the car, the better your odds of trimming your depreciation. A good rule of thumb is 10,000 miles per year. That might seem like a strict limit if you have a long commute or live in an area where you have to drive everywhere you go, but the lower the mileage on the car, the more it’s going to be worth.  

Color too.

Finally, consider a neutral color. If you’re really worried about depreciation, think twice before you buy that used Charger in “Dukes of Hazard” orange. You may like it, but when it comes time to sell, you’re going to significantly reduce the number of folks willing to buy it.  

Reputation is also a factor.  Like, safety.

cars with strong safety features will hold their value better over the long haul.  

Too many things to calculate.  

TOYOTA v. HONDA

Perhaps the most expensive repair any car can have, including Honda Accords, is the transmission.  Well it was just my luck that I bought a Honda Accord, a 2000 Honda Accord back in 1997.  And it was only Nick at Kerechuk Motors in Alhambra that I ever or even learned of this problem.  He cited my year as far up to the 2004s for being notorious with transmission problems.  Well, well, well.  Though the problems with the transmissions goes several years back, I am only concerned with Accords made in my year, 2000.  And my engine size is the 2.3L.  Aren't I lucky?  But as I shop for a car, it looks like I need to stay away from the 2.4L engines, the 3.0L engines, and the 2.4L engines.  What about the years that follow, like 2011 to 2018?  Anybody?  Buehler?

This page shows that transmission problems are the #1 problem with Honda Accords.  It also states the average cost to repair their transmissions: $3,000.  Ouch.  It declares, too, about when the repair is summoned: at the 100,000 mile mark.  So just when you think that you're getting your miles out of your car, guess what?  Kaput!  I wonder if this isn't the reason why so many cars are put up for sale at the 80,000 mile mark.  Perhaps most people in the know know that the 100,000 mile mark is risky territory.  

Problems with the 2002 transmission is slipping. 
Problems with the 2003 transmission is failure.  OMG.  
Problems with the 2004 transmission is also failure.  Jeeze.  
2001 transmissions were recalled.  Why is it that I am the last to hear of this?  Because you don't read about the things that you own.  Ahem.  Joe St. Mars said that 

They weren't recalled.  Recalls are for serious health and safety concerns only.  I think they extended the warranty on the automatic transmission for 2000-2001 Accords.  There may have been a bulletin on that topic.  

Is Joe an authority on the subject?  Maybe.  

So, wait, it's not just a few years or range of years.  No, it spanned five straight years from 1999 to 2004.  And it wasn't just transmission slippage, it was transmission failure.  And it wasn't just Honda Accords, it were the Accord, the Civic, and the Odyssey.

If you own a Honda released between 1999–2004 and haven’t had any issues with your automatic transmission, may I suggest you go to your nearest conevnience store and play the lottery? ’Cause you are one lucky son-of-a-gun.

Transmission failure in those model years is a widespread issue with the Honda Accord, Civic and Odyssey. The 2003 Honda Accord, 2001 Honda Civic and 2002 Honda Odyssey appear to be the worst years for transmission failure.  

It is amazing how bad it really is.  Seems like the only work-around on this transmission problem is to buy a 5-speed, manual transmission, but who makes a Honda Accord 5-speed manual transmission?

2002-1998	Accord	3.0L	B7XA
2002-2000	Accord	2.3L	BAXA/ MAXA	FWD
2007-2003	Accord	3.0L	BAYA
2007-2003	Accord	2.4L	MCLA
2007-2003	Accord	2.4L	BCLA
2007-2005	Accord	3.0L	MURA
2010-2008	Accord	2.4L	B90A	FWD

TOYOTA

See the full list of Toyotas here. 

SEDANS, Compacts
Toyota Corolla, HP on Corolla?  132 to 148HP.

Yaris

SEDANS, Mid-Size 
Camry has a 2.5 liter engine, same as the Mazda 3; whereas the Accord still has only a 2.4 liter.  On HP, HorsePower, the Camry clocks in at 178 to 268 HP.  So if you want more power, it looks like the Toyota and Mazda out perform the Honda.  But maybe only marginally.  I don't know for sure.  

Prius

Mirai

SEDANS, Luxury
Avalon

SUV, Large
Land Cruiser

Highlander

4Runner

Sequoia

SUV, Mid-Size
RAV4 

TRUCKS
Tacoma

Tundra

VANS
Sienna

Horsepower is important, but understand that it is a number derived by a calculation.  The fact of the matter is that horsepower is the product of torque and another value — RPMs (divided by 5252). It’s not unrelated, separate, or different. 

In fact, there’s not a single machine in existence that measures a car’s horsepower. It’s a man-made number. When a car’s performance is tested, its torque is measured using a dynamometer. The measure of an engine’s performance is torque. Horsepower is an additional number that’s attained by multiplying the torque by the RPMs.

About force, here is something you should know. 

What determines true acceleration for a vehicle isn’t really debatable — it’s force divided by mass. The formula for acceleration is seen below.

f = ma

Which means…

a = f/m

The confusion only comes in determining which force we’re actually talking about.

So we are solving for acceleration and we have a constant mass. We’ve already established that torque is the amount of rotational force being generated at the engine, but we aren’t concerned with the force at the engine. What we’re interested in is the force at the wheels. The force at the wheels is the f in f = ma (actually, it includes the radius of the wheel as well, but we’re simplifying).

But remember, the transmission ultimately gives the force to the wheels, not the engine. And that’s the trick to this whole mess.

HONDAS

Here is the list of Honda Automobiles.

SEDANS, Sub-Compact

CR-Z 

Fit, also marketed as the Jazz

City

SEDANS, Compact
Civic (though it did start out as a subcompact; remember how tiny these things were?)

SEDANS, Mid-Size 
Accord.  It still has a 2.4 liter engine.  The Mazda 3 has a 2.5. Okay, the original Accord was categorized as a sub-compact.  But the new generation comes in a mid-size compact as well as a full-size compact. Accord HP is 185 to 278, which is greater than the Camries.  

SEDANS, Luxury
Avalon

SUV, Subcompact crossover
HR-V [Hi-rider Revolutionary Vehicle] 

SUV, Large
Land Cruiser

Highlander

4Runner

Sequoia

SUV, Mid-Size
CRV

SUV, Mid-Size Crossover
Pilot.  This is a fascinating read:

Prior to the introduction of the Pilot, Honda marketed the compact crossover CR-V, and the Honda Passport, (a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo) that was a pickup truck-based design. The Pilot is Honda's largest and only three-row SUV, although the 2010 Crosstour surpassed the Pilot in length.[3]

SUT, Sport Utility Truck

Ridgeline

TRUCKS

Tacoma

Tundra

Mini-VANS
Odyssey.  What's interesting is that these vans have been categorized as "Shuttles."  Which they are but I've just not heard them marketed as such. 

MAZDA 3

Mazda 3 Hatchback has a 2.5 liter engine.  155 to 184 HP.

Engine size	Horsepower	Year	Make/Model	Fuel Cap
1.6 L / 4C	109 HP	2014	Nissan Versa	10.8 gal
1.6 L / 4C	109 HP	2017	Nissan Versa	10.8 gal
1.8 L / 4C	132 to 140HP	2014	Toyota Corolla	13.2 gal
1.8 L / 4C	132 to 140HP	2017	Toyota Corolla	13.2 gal
2.0 L / 4C	155 to 184HP	2014	Mazda 3	13.2 gal
2.5 L / 4C	155 to 184HP	2017	Mazda 3	13.2 gal
2.4 L / 4C	185 to 278HP	2017	Honda Accord	17.2 gal
2.4 L / 4C	185 to 278HP	2014	Honda Accord	17.2 gal
1.5 L / 4C	158 to 306HP	2017	Honda Civic	12.4 gal
1.8 L / 4C	143 to 205HP	2014	Honda Civic	13.2 gal
2.5 L / 4C	178 to 268HP	2017	Toyota Camry	17 gal
2.5 L / 4C	173 to 268	2014	Toyota Camry	17 gal
1.5 L / 4C	106HP	2017/2014	Toyota Yaris	11.1 gal
1.8 L / 4C	141HP	2017	Honda HR-V	13.2 gal
1.8 L / 4C	141HP	2016	Honda HR-V	13.2 gal