Older Honda Accords

ickes_mobile

comparision test was a little odd given the nubmer of exceptions they seemed to be making. On the otherhand, I definately wanted to see how the Accord stacked up to the Passat, so I'll forgive them that one. But really, who cares if the Kia had been kept out.

I really think its remarkable the Accord won bot the C&D and R&T comparsions. Especially against the Passat and Mazda6. Its a testimony to the greatness of the overall package. The editors of R&T clearly stated a subjective preference for the Passat and offered no severe critisims of the Mazda6. What's remarkable is that Honda clearly aimed this car at the broadest section of the market. Imagine how great a car the Accord would be if they had a sport-oriented model (i.e., EXi or even Si) along the lines of Acura's Type-S model (but not hardcore Type-R). Even if they just took the standard EX and tightend up the suspension and put some handling oriented tires on the car would be enough for me.

Yeah, I know the TSX is supposed to fill that void, but its likely prove too small.

ickes_mobile

Bob Lutz on the new Malibu:

At the same time, its interior was upgraded to match the quality of Japanese vehicles, according to Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman for product development. "We made sure everything fit as well as possible ... plastics were nice and we made sure knobs, levers and switch gear all have that import quality," Lutz said.

atlantabenny

yup, want to see that happen too.

did anyone read about bob lutz' comment about the nice american cars being "20 footers" because once you got up close to an american stunner, you'd see the big gaps, the lack of detail, etc. ?

it's a culture thing. by nature, japanese will take time to make things perfect down to the last detail. one can see that in the wristwatches, the discman, even the food. so making a finely detailed car for them comes almost naturally.

bob lutz seems to realize this, but where the corporate culture says "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," he's up for a good fight.

bribaby

Honda didn't have to build the Accord you desire. It just won top spot in C&D, MT and R&T. It may have lost all three otherwise. You can't argue with success

diploid

Who were the competitors this time?

talon95

1 - Honda Accord EX
2 - Mazda 6s
3 - Nissan Altima 3.5 SE (tie)
3 - Toyota Camry XLE (tie)
5 - Volkswagen Passat GLX

All V6 automatics

As is often the case when the Accord is in a comparison test, it only topped the field in 3 areas (fuel economy, ergonomics/controls, and luggage space, the last one being a bit hard to understand given that the Accord has the smallest trunk of the tested cars). But it took second place in so many categories (0-60, 1/4 mile, engine, steering, ride, handling, interior styling, and seats) that it still got the top overall score.

The overall balance of the Accord won it another comparison test. It doesn't have to be the sportiest, or the cushiest, or have the strongest engine, or the best handling. It just happens to be within striking distance of the leaders in all of those categories.

decker6

I seem to have stumped the experts at Honda. I have a brand new 2003 Accord EX-V6. Every morning, the car won't upshift into the overdrive gear but if I turn the car off and restart, the car works fine. For example, the tachmoeter will read approximately 3800 while traveling at 60 mph. If I downshift into D3, there's no change in the tachmoeter suggesting the car isn't getting into its highest gear. I've had the cylanoids (sp?) replaced and yesterday, I was given a brand new on board computer and still no change. Any ideas? The Honda dealership has never seen this problem and they are on the phone, supposedly, with the main Honda office for advice and the folks upstairs have admitted they are only capable of making educated guesses at this point.

accord7

With all the complaints about the rear end styling of the new Accord, you think Honda may redesign the taillights, even slightly, for the 2004 model? I think they will, but not a complete new design.

robertsmx

I doubt they will change it before the usual third/fourth year tweaks and that wouldn't happen until MY2005 or MY2006. And you never know how the public perception of awkward rear styling will change in a year. It has happened in the past (believe me, 98 Accord was received very much like it).

robertsmx

If the engine revs at 3800 rpm @ 60 mph, it looks like you're stuck in the third of the five gears. It would be almost like driving on highway with D3 selected. It is possible that the shifter isn't getting to D at times to engage all five gears but stays at D3 position. And when you repeast the process, it somehow manages to get to D.

Try this... if you notice the engine revving higher than usual, say at about 40 mph (it should rev around 1500 rpm not 2500 rpm). This would mean that you're in the third gear instead of the fifth. Pull the shifter to D3 and see what happens. If no change, send it back to D.

decker6

Switching back and forth between D3 and D at any speed between 40 and 70 doesn't change the electronically selected gear. I'm dropping my car off for the third time this week at which point I may be trying to invoke the Georgia Lemon Law if its not fixed.

lexlan

anyone know if it's possible to add the steering wheel audio controls after the fact. I have a 4cy EX without the controls and would like to add.

charliecar

I like the EX 4-cyl auto, probably leather, but I'm stuck on the small stuff: the colors. I could scream -- they dropped the silver/gray combination I LOVED in 2002, but I waited for the interior room of the 2003 redesign, so now I have to make compromises on color.

I know this is largely an aesthetic thing about individual taste, but there are also a few practical issues that depend on color. I'm asking for actual practical experiences with these particular questions, not personal preferences re appearance. Anyone with experience on the following?

(1) Silver w/ black - interior hot in the sun? Does it make a difference whether it's cloth or leather? Does the A/C make this moot?

(2) Red or blue exterior - gray interiors are nice, but outside shows dirt and scratches easily? Need frequent washing/polishing?

(3) "Desert Mist"/ivory - interior too light? - looks dirty easily?

Thanks.

larryt22

I too am stumped on this one. No way will I buy silver with the black interior. I thought I wanted the ivory interior but I have the same concerns over dirt and the amount of upkeep it will take to keep it looking nice. So...I am with you with thinking I want the gray interior. That only leaves us with 3 exterior color choices and it is getting to hard to pick one.

mymo

Red has not been to bad to keep clean but parked in garage at night. Great looking (IMO) with fog lights, deck lid spoiler, and windows tinted. Gray interior is nice. Lots of positive comments by strangers in parking lots and gas stations. They seem to think that it is a luxury car and are surprised that it is "only" a honda.

atlantabenny

i was first turned off by the light woodgrain of the ivory, got the graphite/grey combo instead, and then regretted it when i saw the honda add-on woodgrain kit installed on a black/ivory ex.

said kit doesn't cover but completes the interior's wood theme and not exaggerating, comes off like an acura tl.

the honda kit is $180 online (collegehilldshonda.com or partscheap.com) and looks easy to apply.

i'm not prone to hype, but it's a real knockout with the hard-to-maintain black on ivory. of course, desert mist and white exteriors are nice too but somehow the women in my family favor them more than they do the black, graphite, silver or blue exteriors.

on keeping the interior clean, having the leather seats just leaves you the floor mats and exposed carpet as dirt & stain magnets. with some care, the interior can stay relatively clean for 4 years did with our recently traded desert mist/ivory 99 ex (windows up/vent or ac on almost all the time).

2003corolla

I am looking at buying a 2003 LX Accord sedan. Some of the VIN #'s start with J (Japan), 1 (Ohio), and some with a 3.
Where are the accords with a 3 at the start of the VIN built?

rpm29

3 stands for Mexico. Some Accords are assembled there. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/TORONTO/VINcode.html#ccode

2003corolla

That is what I thought! The salesman I took the test drive with today thought I was nuts when I told him that the Accord was assembled in Mexico...

samj

I recently purchased a new 2002 Honda Accord EXL. Before being sold to me, the car had aftermarket wheels. I told the salesman I would not take the car with aftermarket wheels and that I wanted the stock wheels. At first, the salesman said that was fine, but towards the end of the negotiation process, the dealership told me that they could not supply me with the stock wheels. They also disclosed the fact that the wheels were stolen. I walked out of the dealership, but they offered to sweeten the deal and assured me that the theft resulted in no damage to the car. Foolishly, I bought the car. A week into the purchase, I demanded to several people in the dealership that they give me the stock wheels. I traded the aftermarket wheels/tires for the stock/OEM wheels, but I had to pay $240 to get the OEM Michelins.

However, today, one month into the purchase, and after finding several problems with the car, I demanded the history of the car. The service department pulled out the paperwork showing the history of the car before being sold to me. In it, I found a body shop repair bill of $2,400 that included the mechanical and body repairs. But it did not includ the cost of the aftermarket wheels and tires, which would have added another $1,500 approximately. None of these repairs were disclosed to me before the sale. I'm already in contact with a Honda rep to resolve ongoing mechanical problems, but they do not yet know about the body shop repairs. I am going to tell Honda Monday about what I learned today. What kind of reaction and course of action do you think I could expect from Honda? What course of action should I take? Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

rpm29

Here in Canada I think we only get Marysville Accords but I think Mexican Accords are made at the Guadalajara plant. Around 16000 are produced so the plant is very small. Certainly the powertrain is from Ohio and probably the cars are assembled from kits-no stamping is even done at the plants. I am not sure if the quality is any worse than Japanese or US origin Accords. The production numbers are so low that I think it wouldn't be. I guess you could haggle a lower price for the car.

Here are some links:

http://www.carmetrics.com/honda.htm

http://www.honda.com.mx/honda/corporativo/plantamex.asp?[non-permissible content removed]=5

anonymousposts

why not go for the graphite exterior which I believe comes with the lighter gray interior? Seems like it would be the best choice.

jud95accord

I've had my satin silver 03 V6 since Sept. 14th and I am very happy with the choice. I really liked the black/silver combo better than the light ivory/wood grain combo. The light ivory leather looks like it might show the dirt a lot easier than black or grey. My car rarely looks dirty. The graphite grey is beautiful but I looked at it at the dealership before I decided on the silver and it was dirty from the rain - looked similar to a black car when dirty. I did get dark tinted windows which will hopefully help in the summer (down here in Houston). I am sure the royal blue color will probably be as hard as the black to keep clean.

The 95 Accord EX I just sold was sage green metallic (light blue) and it was the best color for looking clean all of the time.

beach15

Quote: "We made sure everything fit as well as possible ... plastics were nice and we made sure knobs, levers and switch gear all have that import quality," Lutz said.

Just by reading those words, you know the car won't be high quality inside. When a domestic car maker tries to make their car more import-like, it still isn't on the level of most imports. Things like rich, high quality textures and fits just aren't second nature to domestic automakers because most will never understand it. It might be very "nice" but it will be "nice, for an American car".

Oh well, back to the Accord!

jam1000

I'm seriously considering purchasing an LX, and am interested in your perspectives on the V6 vs. the V4. The V6 has some features I like that the V4 doesn't have (trac. control, brake distribution system, power driver's seat, in-dash 6 CD), but I have heard that the V6 has had substantial problems (transmissions). Not trying to start any flames, but can people tell me what the nature of the V6 problems are(were), how serious and widespread they are(were), and whether they've been resolved.

Thanks.

maxamillion1

I'd say go ahead and get the V6, the problems I have heard are from the last generation Accord. The V6 has the features that you really want, so I'd say go with it. I haven't heard of any transmission problems with the newest V6, maybe I am wrong. Also, it's the LXI4, there is no V4 Accord.

As far as the discussion on color, I LOVE Redondo Red and Eternal Blue. Noble Green is nice as well.

bowke28

the v6 tranny problem was with the 4-speed auto from '99-'01 in the odyssey mainly, but a little with the cl/tl, and a little with the accord v6. the new tranny is completely different, and the vendor that supplied the faulty parts has been replaced. i wouldnt worry too much.

ickes_mobile

My point was that the Accord won those two comparisions without being truly sport oriented ala the Mazda6 (which was named an Automobile Magazine All-Star). With a more focused EXi or Si type car, the Accord's victories would have decisive.

indysabre

I'm just about ready to lease an EX V6 and am trying to decide on colors myself. So far I really like the graphite pearl but like jud95accord stated it looks to be so dark that it will probably show dust or rain spots as bad as a black car.

I'm probably going to go with the silver and window tint. I probably need to go look at the redondo red again to see how well I like it and how much it will shows dust or rain spots compared to silver.

teenboy13

honda always keeps the main body and changes the rear lights. in the 90-93, they changed the lights for MY1992. With the 94-97, the changed it in 96. With the 98-02, the changed the lights in 01. They are probably going to keep it like this for 2004 and change it for the MY2005.

coolguyky7

If Honda does a 5 year cycle like the last Accord, expect any exterior changes to come in 2006.

bburton1

First of all the dealership committed fraud-they sold u a damaged vehicle without disclosing the damage and it may have been a used vehicle as well-that is what it sounds like to me.

Had a similiar thing happen to a guy who worked for me-discovered a BMW dealer sold him a new car that had been sold under a lease and went back to the dealer when the leasee could not make payments-my associate discovered this when he requested vanity plates and got a notification back his car was used and not new.

Begged my friend to get a lawyer and go in and ask the owner of the dealership what his dealership was worth-all he did was get his money back and bought a pontiac.

Your dealer is obviously a crook and u should get legal representation just to cover your backside. You might be able to make some money off this crook-but if someone put some trick wheels on this thing you can rest assured they were not a little old lady wearing sneakers-some hot rod kid and what did the guys who ripped it off do to it.

You should get your money back and maybe you can make something off this crook-or just get your money back and get the dealership some publicity.

treoster

bburton1 is correct.
Fraud was commited.
Get you full money back, then go buy car somewhere else.
If you do not get immediately sastifaction, call the local TV stations....they love this sort of story (and car dealers hate them, because it kills business.)

treoster

Graphite Pearl with Gray Leather.
Very nice.

rbslosberg

My new Honda Accord EX-6 (auto) seems to hesitate on acceleration. It hesitates then slightly surges forward when it shifts gears. Could this be from the gas or transmission :-(

ickes_mobile

EX-L manual with Eternal Blue Pearl exterior finish. Second choice goes to the Graphite Pearl.

Agree with the comments about the earliest we'd see changes to the rear of the car being 2006. Besides, the basic shape of the 6th generation didn't change with the mid-cycle update. They only changed the arraingement of the lights within the same opening. More significant changes were made on the front clip.

treoster

I've noticed that if I stomp the accelerator from a slow speed, there is a slight delay, but I attribute is to the "fly-by-wire" controls of the accelerator.

I believe this is operating as intended.

brandon17

I've been reading everyone's opinions on colors and its time to give mine. While I think the graphite pearl is nice and burgundy has always been my favorite - my opinion is that the Silver is the best color if you are going for the sporty look! I have 700 miles on my 2003 EX V6 and I love the silver on black leather combo. I tinted the windows, gave it a rear spoiler, and exchanged the wheels with the EX-4 for a more sporty look. I get compliments all the time. The other colors are fine if you are going for more a luxo look - but if you want sporty - go silver, tint the windows, add a rear spoiler and you have a very nice package that will turn a lot of heads!

ickes_mobile

and it may end up being the choice if only for durability...

1997montez34

Silver is so 2002!

clint98v6at

No personal experience, but some posters on the S2000 thread had good things to say about Community Honda in Orland Park.

robertsmx

The hesitation you're experiencing is not due to DBW (Drive By Wire). I had the same issue in my 98 Accord but a few thousand miles later, it was gone. It may have to do with the new components in the engine and transmission taking some time to settle down. You may feel noticeable difference in 5-6K miles.

maxpower02

a little dull when dirty, but thats about it. I read earlier that it shows the rain spots and looks very dark. I have not seen this. The graphite makes the car look a lot more luxurious than other colors. My choice after the graphite pearl is silver, blue, red. It's all a matter of personal taste anyway!

maxpower02

I purchased my Accord at the beginning of December and I have not received the customer survey that my salesman said was coming shortly. I had a good buying experience so, I was wondering should I inquire about it or just let it go? Does the dealer have a way of circumventing the process? Who would I contact about it?

porknbeans

My wife and I are looking to replace her existing car. Last week we went and test drove the Accord, Camry and Maxima. The Accord is the front runner right now, but I want to read what the car rags are saying in the recent comparos. I've either missed them on the racks at the grocery store or can't find them on the web. Can anybody help me? Does anybody have a link or a downloaded copy? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

robertsmx

Latest comparos should be online in a week or two.

philbert

Just bought an EX-V6 in desert mist metallic. Nobody has metioned this color, but I think it offers the best combination of appearance and ability to hide dirt. Silver seems to hide dirt well also, but to me siver is too plain since you can basically get any car in silver. Also, though the ivory leather shows dirt more than a black or gray one, I think it looks the classiest of the three. The graphite and redondo red also look nice.

From what I remember the silver accords were by far the most common color on dealer's lots. There were very few graphite and red ones, with desert mist, white, and black a little more common.

pda97

You got on an Accord forum asking people to help you decide on a car ??? That's funny. Of course, they're gonna tell you to buy the Accord. It's the best car on this planet, right boys and girls ?? !!

gee35coupe

porknbeans

Not exactly, I was asking for a link to the comparos. I've used the Accord and other forums for a very long time to help in my decision process. Thanks for responding though and sorry for the confusion.

Thanks to robertsmx for the info. I'll wait for the updated websites.