My 2005 Acura TSX has a timing chain. My daughter has driven it since about 2009 when we moved to Hawaii; it has 158,000 miles and is doing great.
I see tons of TSX’s of that first generation on the road in CA.
You might add that to your list. For one thing, it’s got electronic stability control, most cars that vintage didn’t have it.
Second gen TSX’s have the same mechanicals so would also be a go; they are a little bigger.

I drove a 1971 Pinto for 9 years. It had 3 timing belt replacements, all before a failure. If one has regular maintenance it should not be a problem.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:
Am I being overly paranoid? When you're shopping for a used car, is this even something you consider?

I don't think you're overly paranoid. We tend to keep cars for many years/miles. When I was looking for a cars for my fiancee, her son and my daughter, cars with timing belts were off the list.


In the past I've replaced timing belts on my own vehicles - it was a PITA and required special tools. I've also paid to have timing belts replaced (about 20 some years ago) and it was close to $1K then in parts and labor. Water pumps are typically replaced at that time because you have to take the pump off to get to the belt (at least on the vehicles that I had) so there was no extra labor to replace then. I wouldn't replace a water pump on a vehicle with a timing chain unless it was visibly bad (weeping coolant, making noise, etc).

My daughter's car is a 2005 Corolla and it's simple to perform maintenance on it. Everything is well within reach. That's a car I'd highly recommend.

My 2012 Camry with a V6, while I like it, it's going to be a PITA to get to the rear 3 spark plugs and there wasn't a lot of room when I replaced the serpentine belt (it was easier when I had a helper on the top side with me on the bottom).

I'm pretty sure all Honda's since late 2000's have a chain.

Anything with VVT has a chain nowadays.

My 3.3 Frontier does not have the interference engine, so I just run it til it breaks which has been 200,000 then the next 150,000.

Now the rings are bad and the engine needs replacing.

I am currently facing issues with a Subaru. First belt replaced at 120,000. Guess I was lucky. Did not know much about timing belts. Was coming up toward 95,000 on the 2nd one.

It broke stranding my wife a couple of weeks ago. I have to decide soon about investing another $1000 - $1200 in it. Subaru(s) are great here in the mountains of NW North Carolina. We get snow but not many deep snows. My mechanic that services all of our vehicles thinks that the rest of the car is worth the investment. I am just struggling with it.

I have a Jeep Wrangler & a 4WD truck but my wife hates both of them.

P.S. We don’t have a coexist sticker on it. LOL

 
The Toyota 2F 6cyl engine (OEM in FJ-40s and FJ-60s) uses two spur gears for timing. Pretty heavy and solid, about 3/4" thick (oops, I meant 19mm)

quote:

Originally posted by walker77:
I'm pretty sure all Honda's since late 2000's have a chain.

I'm not sure that is correct. IIRC, when I bought my Sienna, one of the main reasons I didn't buy the Honda is because it had a belt.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Anything with VVT has a chain nowadays.

My 3.3 Frontier does not have the interference engine, so I just run it til it breaks which has been 200,000 then the next 150,000.

Now the rings are bad and the engine needs replacing.

The Honda v6 is still a belt and yes it has vtech yo...

I had a car with a timing chain that stretched out and caused damage to the pushrods (obviously not a non-interference engine). Except it wasn't the chain that stretched, it was the nylon gear that wore to the point the chain could slip.

I'd look for a non-interference engine and not worry so much about the timing chain / belt.

Timing chains are not immune from problems and they are more expensive to replace than belts. I just replaced the chain in my F150 because it was loose and it jumped a tooth. I had a Mercedes that had a timing chain. It also needed changing due to wear. I also just changed the belt on my 2012 Honda Odyssey that had 205,000 miles and was on its second belt. When I removed it, it didn't look worn out and ready to fail but it was time to do it.

If you are buying a car with 90,000 miles or so, check to see if a reliable shop replaced the belt. If it hasn't been done, adjust the price accordingly and have it done. In fact, I would want one that didn't have it done so I can make sure the job was done thoroughly and properly.

quote:

I have to decide soon about investing another $1000 - $1200 in it.

It's far cheaper than buying another car. I'd be more worried about headgasket failure in a Subaru.

If give the choice, of course a chain it much better than a belt. You rarely hear of a chain failing. And since most smaller engines today have interference timing, if a belt fails, you've got major repair bills as the pistons and valves will be running into each other. Used I'd be looking for a chain, but I might be swayed to go with a belt car if it was well maintained and there was a record of when the belt was change out. New, I would worry too much as you are in control there. Drive for 100,000 then pay the replacement expense and drive another 100,000.

Use it as a negotiating tactic. If at a dealer, have them change the belt and water pump as part of the deal. They can change it at their cost for about $150-200. Just ask for the used parts when they are done so you can verify it was actually done.

In some makes of auto models, the variation of the engine can make a determination as to whether a timing belt or a timing chain is used.
I did not know this whenever we purchased a new Suburu Outback in 2003. Did not find this out until the timing belt broke and caused valve damage. The repair was over $3,000. I would have gladly purchased the next model up if I had known of the timing chain used in the other model of Outback.
I would do some serious research on the make and model of used car you are considering purchasing and avoid the timing belt.

quote:

Originally posted by Scurvy:
Most newer Honda 4cyl have a chain.

+1

Honda 1.5L turbo

"A low-friction, silent-chain drives dual overhead cams and 4 valves per cylinder. The cam drive is maintenance free throughout the life of the engine." Honda News

There should be some indication if it has been changed. You should be able to see either a different gasket poking out of the side of the timing chain cover, or evidence that the bolts have had a socket on them. While not 100%, it's a good indication. If there are no records, you could of course barter down the price based on that, have it changed, and you know what you have and are good to go for a long time. I'd prefer a chain, but even some of those have issues such as the 4.6/5.4L Fords where the chain is so long, they can have tensioner issues and chain and tensioner have to be changed, and yes a chain is more costly than a belt usually.

There is a list of vehicles with belts or chains by model year. I found it just by doing an on line search. Previously, I had a 2004 and a 2005 civic. I gave each to my kids to drive and both cars lasted over 12 years. I changed out timing belts and water pumps myself using OEM parts and kits (tensioner, gaskets, etc), for about $250 each. Twice for each car. The first one took over 12 hours in my garage on a January night. The others were between 5-7 hours each. It is a horrible job with no short cuts. I will never ever buy another car with a timing belt. I saved some money, but I felt like it shortened my life. Run away from a car with a belt unless you want to hire it done. But then you don’t know if it was done properly, or if good quality parts were used. My $0.02.

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