Older Honda Accords

modredabyss

Greetings,

I was pretty much sold on the Accord until I test drove one yesterday, and I now have my doubts. I use my car in my business and spend about 5 hours a day on the freeways. What surprised me about the Accord was how stiff the ride is. I say surprised because every review that I have read--which includes Consumer Reports, Car and Drive, and Road and Tract--praise the car for its good ride. Perhaps the tires were overinflated. In retrospect, I wish I had bought a tire gauge along. But, as of now, I'm not sure what to do.

As an aside, during the test drive I drove the car over the bumps that divide freeway lanes (not sure of their name), and the car absorbed these bumps better than my Acura CL does. Perhaps, the Accord has a different ride that I would come to like.

Perhaps I'll check the rental car dealers to see if I could rent one for a day.

Confused

bburton1

Have lived all over this country-ny, atl, la, sf, mpls and now chi. In Atlanta the car dealers I encountered while buying my vehicles and helping others with their car issues were something to behold. With the exception of a VW dealer-all I can say is unbelieveable-absolutely some of the biggest crooks I have ever encountered-so if u live in Atlanta-be very careful with the local car dealers. Encountered multiple instances of outright fraud from several different dealers . Don't know why Atl sticks out but wow look out.

cds12

That "internet place" where people buy honda warranties is actually a dealerships website and its the same warranty you sell.

I tryed to type this slowly so you could comprehend.

s852

If the ride was much worse than the Mazda, then there probably was a problem with the tires. Othwerwise magazine reviewers would have commented on the ride being horrible.
The wrong tire inflation will affect the ride quality.

diploid

"thats like me saying 'always buy a honda, and NEVER look at anything else'"

Funny because when I read your posts, I do get the impression that that's exactly what you're trying to imply.

atlantabenny

Well, I didn't realize it until after I had signed the paperwork but a "new" car I purchased in 2000 already had 800 miles on the odo (and a few months later, paint began peeling off a repainted, and thus damaged, bumper).

And the Atlanta dealer was belligerent during the negotiation, as if they were doing me a favor by selling the car.

mikek37

Unfortunately, you wont be able to rent any HONDA product from any fleet's. Honda doesnt allow fleet services, such as enterprise or hertz to purchase their vehicles. Which is a good thing, because as many people know, when people rent cars, especially those of a young age, the care of the car they rent is unimportant, in other words, the cars gets the hell beaten out of them. The reason Honda does this, is because once those rent a cars reach a certain amount of miles, they are sold to dealerships, or on auction. Once sold to consumers, some of these cars may exhibit problems, due to the abuse they have taken.

sinjin_dog

When I got my 03 LX manual last Decmeber, I checked the tire pressure as soon as I brought it home. The pressure gage indicated 42 psi on all four tires. With 34 psi, the ride is not as jarring.

jbollt

My experience has been contrary. I have rented an Accord from Hertz. I believe what you may be thinking is that Honda doesn't sell thousands of cars to rental fleets like Toyota does with the Camry and Corollas. As a good example, there is a major car rental firm (starting with H) that has stand alone car sales lots. They don't take in trades, and they only sell cars from their rental or lease fleets. Search their web site and look for a Honda....I believe that a rental company may buy the Hondas for their fleets, knowing the reliability and resale values they hold. All this is to say, the poster may in fact be able to rent one to try before buying.

billiam70

Honda ships their cars to the dealers with the air pressure in the tires up in the 40s or so. This can make for a very hard ride. When I owned my Accord I thought the same thing, then I checked the tire pressure and sure enough the dealer didn't lower it. All tires were around 46. Lowering it down to 32 made a world of difference in how the car drove and handled. A friend of mine bought a Civic and the same thing happened to her. She bought it during the winter and was having so much trouble in the snow she complained to the dealer that she wanted to give it back. It turned out the air pressure was way too high and once it was adjusted the car handled much better.

w62

what kind of gas do you use for Accord?
Thanks

mikek37

Im mistaken, maybe in different areas, but as far as I know, I live in the Northeas and I dont belive that you can rent honda's, atleast from Enterprise and avis.

jbollt

No problem, after looking at the search results in detail that I mentioned, it appears, at least at this time, the only Hondas available for sale used from the mentioned car rental firm, are in Calif.

bribaby

I find my '03 EX to be quite stiff, almost jarring. The pressure is OK in the tires. It seems to be worse the more people are in it. If you look around the web you'll see comments about it. I'd prefer it softer even at the expense of cornering ability. I suspect the LX is smoother with smaller tires.

talon95

Yes, if you're looking for a soft, Camry-esque ride, you're not going to get it in the Accord. And Honda isn't likely to compromise the handling to make the ride softer, because firm suspension tuning is a Honda trademark. If you want a car that rides like a Camry, you know where to get one. And that's definitely NOT in your local Honda dealership.

When the magazines say how much they like the Accord's ride, it's the Euro-tuned aspect of the ride that they're praising, not a high level of isolation from the road. You're going to feel bumps, expansion joints, etc., but they're going to be damped and muted enough to keep the ride comfortable. But everyone's definition of a comfortable ride is different. Take my 2000
Accord EX V6. Several people who have either driven or ridden in the car have commented about the quality of the ride... much like I described above. But when I've taken friends of my parent's for a ride, they comment that the ride is too hard for their tastes. But they think that a relative's 2002 Buick Century is a great riding car.

As I said, everyone has their own opinions, and what the magazines say don't mean squat if your standards and their standards aren't quite the same. But for the average folk, I think that Consumer Reports says it best:

"The Accord has a firm yet absorbent ride that's steady and composed on highways, supple and controlled on bumpy roads."

And CR is the organization that many enthusiasts claim is too concerned about ride, not concerned enough about handling. So if they say it rides well, that's pretty high praise.

modredabyss

Talon95,

If I was going from a Buick to the Accord, I would agree with you. But, my existing car is an Acura CL, so I'm used to a Honda-like ride. Maybe I should give it a second try. I wonder if the 6-cylinder has a softer ride.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Bob

talon95

Well, all I can say is that I've driven a 2003 Accord EX V6 over all kinds of road surfaces, and at the very least, it rides as well as my 2000. And that's intended as VERY high praise.

I know from experience what Hondas are "supposed" to ride like, and the 2003 Accord follows that tradition very well, IMO.

moolman

Notice that the majority of people complaining about my tips on car buying are bowke28 and isellhondas. hmmm... what do they do, they are car salesman... yeah, don't take my advice, it'll screw you over, listen to the car salesman. Don't buy the warranty over the internet, it's just a Honda backed warranty sold by a Honda dealer for a fair price that matches prices from warrantydirect and other web sites. Pay more please... pay $800 for window etching even though you can do it yourself for $30. pay MSRP for all your cars, wait add a dealer mark up because those accords are so rare, I barely see one on the street. Seen a million S2000 but never an Accord.

Let me describe my personal experience with my nice car salesman last month, they tried to sneak in a $799 window etching fee into my contract without asking. Last time I bought something no one ever tried to make me buy something without asking first.

Here's the real retarded part about buying the window etching for $799 besides the fact that it can be bought and done for $30 from caretch.com. The car already had window etching and they can't get rid of it. What they were selling me was a comprehensive deductible waiver by the window etching company, so basically if my car is stolen my comprehensive deductible is paid by the window etching company. So let's see I have a $500 deductible but I pay $799 so that one day if my car is stolen I get $500 of that back.... haha... even if I had $1000 deductible you pay $799 for that... my car is still registered with the window etch company but I'm just not insured for the deductible waiver.. I got the same window etch protection without the waiver for $0. Not $799... now are dealers trustable...hahahahahahahahahaha...

Alex

moolman

I was kidding about the ford=mazda thing. I myself also own a 1996 Ford Explorer V8, it's holding up really well, just one brake disc problem and coolant temp guage went out in 7 years. But like someone said before it will take probably at least 5-10years of good cars before Mazda is considered on par with Honda and Toyota. By then Hyundai might be in the mix, I've been reading reports that hyundai has in internal plan to make the quality of their cars on par with Toyota by 2005. Give them 10 years and we might be singing the praises of Hyundai, remember that everyone thought Toyota and Honda were crap in the 70's.

Alex

modredabyss

Talon95,

If I was going from a Buick to the Accord, I would agree with you. But, my existing car is an Acura CL, so I'm used to a Honda-like ride. Maybe I should give it a second try. I wonder if the 6-cylinder has a softer ride.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Bob

dinu01

You're right about Hyundai. I wonder how their Accents and Elantras will hold in 5 yrs from when they were bought new. They had a few redesigns in 99/00. Let's wait to 2005 or so and we will see if they really are on par with Honda/Toyota or Mazda/Nissan/Subaru.

Dinu

pat

C'mon folks, as nearly all of you know, we have a whole BOARD dedicated to these debates: Smart Shopper Board.

This is a discussion about the Honda Accord sedan, not how to buy (or how not to buy) vehicles.

Thanks for your understanding.

newcar31

"By then Hyundai might be in the mix, I've been reading reports that hyundai has in internal plan to make the quality of their cars on par with Toyota by 2005."

Lol. How many other manufacturers have had that same "plan" in mind for years. Have you ever seen the movie "Gung Ho"?

rhard49

I own 2002 Sonata LX and Just purchased a 2003 EX-L for my wife. There both great cars in different ways. The Hyundai feels and rides like a much bigger sedan a lot more cushy then the accord ride but still a far cry from american car float. After 21k miles its and excellent value. My wife loves the accord personally I think they cheaped out on little details which would have made it a great car. I liked the V6 but it's handling is a far cry from my most of its competitiors. I sometimes wonder what cars the reviewers drive.

diploid

In 3 different comparisons, they drove the Accord, Camry, Mazda6, Altima, Sonata, etc and they all liked the Accord the best.

talon95

They also hated the Sonata's handling, and while they liked its highway ride, they said that the ride quality went majorly south on bumpy roads.

eagle21

Thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations. It seems that so far it's Michelins' winning which I know about the Energy Plus (400 UTOG). My parent's Volvo has these tires and they are good, but like everyone said, they're expensive. I will definitely still look around. If you have any additional comments, sent them along to me. Thanks, Allan

(P.S.)-I forgot to add that my Accord is a 2001 Accord V6 with 22K. The tires were Bridgestone Turanza EL-42's with a size of 205/65/15 V-Rated. The UTOG rating is 260AA.

anonymousposts

Honda cheaped out on details? And you drive a Sonata? What little details could be better?

on the rental thing ... You may see an Accord on a rental lot but in those cases the rental company would have to go through a dealer to purchase it instead of the Ford/GM way where they just dump their cars into the fleets.

rhard49

You should check out a Sonata for 18K you get a loaded car V6 Sunroof/ABS/TCS/Leather/Digital AC a convient ambiant temp guage 16" Alloys and the same michelin's as your Honda but its a much bigger Sedan. I don't have to prop my hood when I check my oil my trunk lid looks finished when I open it its covered, I have fog lights Gee and matts with the cars name on it that thy don't charge me extra for.

I just leased an EXL for my wife. I like the design and have no doubt it will be an excellent car but they did cheap out on little details.

Oh BTW did I mention my 100k Sonata warranty Don't mention that to the Honda owners who did not get the tranny repair.

ickes_mobile

like 1% of Accords to rental fleets. This in contrast to Taurus or Malibu which are over 50% fleet sales. As they blabbed about when the new car was launched, Accord has been the best selling car for 9 of the last 10 years if fleet sales are not included.

robertsmx

rhard49:
Your post on Accord versus Sonata was interesting, more so because yesterday, I was going to post my experience with a 2002 Hyundai Sonata V6. You can call it an extended test drive since I added 5019 miles to the odometer.
Sonata has a firmer ride than Camry and fairly close to my 98 Accord. Low MSRP is definitely one of the strengths. However, here were some of my disappointments.

The engine felt weaker than its output suggests. Although it is rated at 170 HP/181 lb.-ft, the responsiveness was nothing to write home about. The benchmark for the comparison is my Accord (150 HP/152 lb.-ft). The rolling acceleration from low speeds was disappointing as well. There was a three second lapse between depressing the throttle and the drive train responding. High-speed acceleration was equally disappointing (but better than my experience with Ford's V6 engines). OTOH, my Accord pulls strong even past 80 mph and is a pleasure to drive on two lane highways.

Handling was terrible. Camry feels more settled on curvy roads despite of having a softer suspension. Sharp cornering is equally unsettling in Sonata and Camry. Much of my drive was through Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington states, and the handling just didn't deliver me enough confidence to keep up to the speed limit. The Hyundai felt faster than the actual speed on all but straightway. I love driving on mountain roads, interstates or not, but on an interstate in Oregon (I believe I-84), I thought I was going at or just above the speed limit (70 mph), and while I was busy taming the steering wheel (believe me, it was an effort), a few cars, including a minivan passed me from the right lane. Soon I realized, the 60-65 mph I was maintaining was not 70-75 mph that I was feeling.

To sum it up, Sonata V6 (and Optima V6, a free loaner car I had while my car was in service recently) are good as far as what they offer for the money at this point, but in terms of dynamics and drive train refinement, they are a far cry from what Accord has to offer. If not, I would rather save a few grand and buy the Sonata V6 since I plan to keep cars for 6-7 years (the non-transferable extended warranty would still be effective). But until it can really move me, I can't see it as an alternative to Accord. Over a Civic, but then, my wife would have to like the car (and she didn't).

lenscap

Does anybody know why the interior passenger volume is lower on the EX models than the LX/DX (97.7 vs. 102.7)?

I'm curious to know.

Also, kudos to Honda for using a silver trim in the EX models (grey and black interiors) that does not scratch. The same silver trim in the Infiniti G35 scratches the moment you touch it and looks very cheap.

atlantabenny

It's the factory moonroof that reduces the interior volume of the EX vs the other models.

ickes_mobile

The smaller EX interior volume is due to the sunroof reducing headroom...

atlantabenny

the extra space inside the headliner that houses the entire moonroof assembly and sliding panel cover.

aming

Some really nice pics that I have gathered.

http://aming.freeservers.com/photo.html

charliecar

Those pictures raise a question of interest for me. That stereo system appears to have a display with illuminated LED characters on a dark background. I have seen pictuers like that in Honda brochures, but all actual Accords I have seen live have an LCD display which is the reverse -- dark characters on a light background. I much prefer the former. Is it available? How?

pj23

On the '03 Accords, the display is in fact light on dark, as pictured. You must've been looking at older Accords.

rhard49

Yes some interesting observations the sonata v6 has less power then the Accord, and Its handling is not as chrisp. But I have seen none of the speed issues if I don't pay attention I'm well beyond the speed limits. When driving aggressivly I tend to use the tiptronic as a stick rather then putting my foot into it. My first impressions on driving the honda V6 were it was unstable. Nailing it at 20 or 30 produced noticable torque steer during acceleration that I had not seen in Maxima's or Acura's I had previously owned. I'm sure its something you get used to but I thought it lacked the refinement of other manufacturer's sedans. Among the reasons my wife wanted a 4 was this stability/ Don't get me wrong the EXL I4 is a nice car. But I beleive the V6 suspension could use some work.

gee35coupe

In a Honda. Not in years. Lack of torque maybe but not excessive torque. Anybody else heard of this?
Never heard of Hondas being unstable either. In fact Hondas are known for high speed stability.

aming

pj23: I would have to agree. I've only seen dark background and light characters. Anything else would be news to me.

Kirstie_H

"for a story on HORSEPOWER, i'm looking for a passenger car buyer, NOT AN SUV, VAN OR TRUCK BUYER. and, preferably, someone who bought A NEW VEHICLE in the last 6 months. the kicker here is i want that man or woman to have bought the car based on HP, 200 hp or MORE. the look of the vehicle, tho, is important, of course. but secondary to the kick-butt engine power. i think the wolf in sheep's clothing cars like a v6 ford taurus, nissan altima or the v-6 honda accord could be kind of fun. tho, hey, i'm not going to turn away a dodge viper buyer. but i do think the others would be more interesting."
 
If you fit the bill and care to share your story, please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com asap, no later than Wednesday, January 29, with your daytime contact info and a bit about your new car.

robertsmx

Rhard49
Torque-steer is something I have not heard about in Accord. To make it more interesting, if I accelerate my 98 Accord quickly off a stop, while holding the steering wheel lightly, the wheel turns one way slightly and soon compensates for it. Somehow, Honda's front suspension does an excellent job at preventing torque steer. As for refinement, especially with V6, IMO, Accord outclasses every car in its class and nearly matches most of the near luxury sedans. As for stability, I love the Accord at high speeds. Honda's steering is a little numb in the middle in low speeds (probably one of the reasons many think Accord does not handle well when compared to several sport sedans), but its variable assist works very well at high speed. It is one of those car that handles cross-winds very well.

BTW, there is no difference in suspension layout between V6 and I-4 models. It's the same, all around. Same spring rates, same unequal length double wishbone front, and same Watt-link (5-link) double wishbone rear. Not even steering setup is different, and EX-L and EXV6 use the same set of wheels/tires as well.

As for Sonata's manumatic, I tried using it a few times, after disappointing attempts to overtake slow moving vehicles on 2-lane highways. It brought some scary moments. I wanted the tranny to go down to second but it won't let me do it. I had no choice but to overtake in third and watch the oncoming traffic get eerily close. I realized that the drive train was at its best when left in the auto mode. With 4-speed transmission and a V6, one would expect the second gear to pull about 70 mph, so why it wouldn't let me do it was beyond my grasp. All I know is, it didn't.

jud95accord

I was wondering if anybody has noticed the clear dark section where the stick shift is on the new 03's. Mine has a few scratches already. Does anyone know how to prevent further scratches to this area?? Thanks, Judy

rhard49

I drove a 2003 EX V6 tromped the gas at about 20-30 miles an hour it pulled right then corrected to the left letting me zigzag in the lane I have never had a car not spinning its wheels do that maybe it was the demo 3k+ miles. I found that objectionable especially if I gave the car to someone unfamiliar with it to use temporarily.

gee35coupe

Wouldn't have reason to tromp the gas pedal on my 240 hp sedan. Just for starters.

Secondly I still haven't heard anyone else complain about excessive torque steer in an Accord.

shadowfax2

Is that the Accord V-6 is very stable at highway speeds. I recently took a 500 mile RT on highways in New England, the car loaded with luggage and passengers. I felt VERY secure at 80-85. You just don't feel the speed...the ride is smooth and the handling responsive. I also have not noticed any torque steer...but then again..I don't usually nail the accelerator. But I have accelerated quickly onto highways and never notice any pulling whatsoever. Just my observations.

cds12

The LX I test drove had a light backgroud with black numbers.

diploid

"I drove a 2003 EX V6 tromped the gas at about 20-30 miles an hour it pulled right then corrected to the left letting me zigzag in the lane I have never had a car not spinning its wheels do that maybe it was the demo 3k+ miles. I found that objectionable especially if I gave the car to someone unfamiliar with it to use temporarily."

That's not torque steer. Torque steer doesn't correct itself - you have to regain control with the steering wheel. Most likely you were experiencing what several new owners of the Accord were posting when it first came out - that it had the tendency to veer to either the left or the right when driven.

Also, torque steer usually occurs when you're parked (0 torque) and then you stomp on the accelerator. I've never heard anyone complaining of torque steer when the car is actually rolling, especially if it's already at 20mph, and I've never experienced it myself on any car.

rhard49

Your kids ever use your car are they at 18 or 19 really experienced drivers. Boys will be boys I did it with my parents GTO.