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Comments
Overall, my 2003 V6 has been impressively trouble free. Hope you find your 2004 to be the same.
I test drove an 04 EX V6 last October and overall it was an excellent car. I did not drive the 4 for comparison. The wife was looking for a new car and ended up with an Acura TL.
Hopefully, most persons trying to choose between the 4 and V6 would get to drive each car (best without a salesperson) over a “familiar” set of back/country roads with curves, hills, crests and twists to make a valid comparison for themselves. Some car dealers try to limit test drives to city/suburban streets.
I did previously own a 95 Accord LX V6. I do recall test driving both the 1995 V6 and 4 in Feb of 1995 and the 4 was more nimble and handled better than the V6. Alas, I bought the V6 anyway because it had a little better acceleration. There were times during ownership when I thought that the 4 would have been a better choice. We owned an 86 Accord (4 cyl of course) through 247K miles and always felt that it handled well and was light on its feet.
Reliability - Engines on past Honda cars that we have owned have been bullit-proof:
84 Prelude 195K mi
86 Accord 247K mi
95 Accord V6 70K mi
98 Accord V6 50K mi
01 Acura TL 71K mi
Btw, do own the sedan or the coupe?
I too felt my 03EXV6 brakes too sensitive and grabby comparing with my 89.
After driving for a while, I got used to it and didn't feel it sensitive anymore. Also, try not to pump the brake pedal and see if the sensitivity/jerky goes away.
I've got a 2003 EX V6 sedan, and I love it!
- The hanging trunk trim
- The rotten egg smell (it goes in for that tomorrow)
- And at the risk of opening myself up for criticism that I don't know how to drive properly (inside joke), the brake shudder
I haven't had any problems (knock on wood) with interior creaks and rattles, sagging headliner or the like.
The noise comes from the foam gromet rubbing against the hinge bar. I put some grease on the bar, but does no good.
That's the only creaking noise my 03EXV6 has.
1) How many of you owners of the 6 cylinder sedan feel that the handling is compromised in some way, or wish you had the 4 for handling? My thinking is that the more expensive sedans out there (TL, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc.) with the bigger engines probably all have similar weight distributions (front and rear), so in that sense an Accord V6 is probably similar as far as weight distribution, front and rear, to other such models, although of course significantly cheaper. In other words, even though the handling of the 4 might be better than the 6, that the 6's handling is not bad, and in fact is probably comparable with other more expensive sedans with heavier engines. What do you think?
2) How many of you with the 4 cylinder sedan have the issue of vibration at idle? Is this an issue that has been resolved, or is it still an issue, even with the '04s? Is it more vibration than, say, a previous generation Accord 4 cylinder?
Thanks--I think I am going to end up buying a 6 for its power, but depending on your feedback on the handling and on the idle vibration, my opinion could change. Either way, I am sure I will be happy--as many on this board agree, you can't go wrong with either, both are great engines!
In the end, drive them both and decide which YOU like better. I drove the 4 cylinder and decided there was no need to drive the V6. That decision probably saved me a couple thousand dollars because knowing me I woulda bought the V6 if I had driven it.
It's too late--I have already driven the 6, and I liked it a lot, but I wasn't really paying specific attention to handling. I was focusing more on the acceleration and smoothness, which of course was (surprise!) better with the 6 for me, although not that the 4 is in any way slow or rough.
I didn't notice any problems with the handling of the 6, but I think on maybe one turn the front felt a bit heavy to me, but I could have been imagining something. I am afraid to keep test driving them--I think I will end up driving the dealers crazy, if not myself crazy! I would much rather listen to experienced owners on this board! Besides, even if the front feels a little heavier on the 6, that just might be something that one gets used to, in exchange for more power and smoothness. I haven't driven many luxury sedans, but I imagine with their more heavy and powerful engines, that the feel is similar? In other words, this just might be the way a luxury sedan is "supposed" to handle, given it's heavier engine? I also imagine that this handling difference, subtle or not, is similar in other models such as the Camry 4 vs. 6, the Altima 4 vs. 6, etc. Am I right?
Any other thoughts?
I did the research for you... given that there are 2 automatic transmission-related TSBs for the 2003/2004 L4 Accord, one of which requiring a transmission replacement to fix, your statement is obviously incorrect.
The only automatic transmission-related TSB for the current gen V6 Accord is a firmware upgrade recommended under certain conditions that takes about 20 minutes. Nothing that requires transmission replacement. Doesn't require going into the transmission at all.
To me the 4 feels more nimble than the V-6, but the manual transmission (that I drove) saves another 50 lbs or so, plus makes the car peppier. Both of those things probably add to the feeling. Comparing two automatics, the diff may not be as great. FWIW the 4 cyl is just as fast as the V-6 of just a few years ago. The 4 also gets 34 EPA on the highway compared to 30 for the V-6. The 4 is so good that I would never consider the V-6 even if they were the same price, but some people seem to like it.
So your point about transmission problems with V6 Accords DOES NOT apply to the current generation Accords that are the subject of this ongoing exchange.
And as I demonstrated earlier, the headliner and interior noise issues that you warned about with the V6 in reality are recognized issues with ALL ACCORDS, including the L4. The relevance and/or accuracy of the information you've provided leaves much to be desired.
The creaking noise comes and goes. And you really have to pay attention to hear it. The foam will wear out over time. So I wouldn't bother to fix it and make the matter worse.
The car has gone 199k w/out fuel injector cleaning. The engine still hasn't burnt any oil yet. The car only failed to start once when the alternator went. Oh yeah, I changed the oil every 3K miles when it was new. A very reliable car.
they both "drove" or "rode" the same to me. the 6 just seemed more refined to me.
the 4 might not have as many brake issues though since it is lighter at the front vs. the heavier 6 cylinder where the brakes seem to catch on fire/score/fail/shudder etc...;)
I remember a big discussion about the difference between Japan-built and Ohio-built Accords.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
We owned an '87 LXi 5-speed, purchased new that year, for almost 12 years. Although the car looked ratty during the last couple of years we had it (my fault - I didn't bother to repair the damage from a parking lot mishap), it ran flawlessly & we had no trouble finding a buyer when we were ready to move on.
My mechanic has a high regard for Accords from that era & says that a well-maintained '86 - '89 5-speed is good for an easy 200-250K with no more than routine maintenance. Even during the last 2 years of ownership, our repair bills never exceeded $1000/year.
It was, quite possibly, the best car we've owned during the past 30 years. It was comfortable, nimble, reasonably fast (by late 80s standards) & economical (35 mpg at 70+ mph with the A/C running). I still regret selling it.
We had an 86 Accord LXi with fuel injection and auto trans and never had any work done on engine or fuel injection except of course the timing belt and water pump replacement (can't recall the number of times). The engine still ran fine when we sold the car at 247K Mi. The car needed a rebuilt Honda Transmission at about 217K Mi. Also replaced were the alternator (2) and muffler and pipes (3?) and shocks/struts. I do recall that the engine had a rough idle at times and that the Honda service manager said this was inherent in its design.
Our 84 Prelude had 2 carburators and a manual trans. Never had any trouble with the carbs nor the clutch/transmission. The car was sold at 195K Mi. The Prelude engine always had a smooth idle. We drove the car for 4 years without air conditioning until we gave in early one summer (1988) and had it installed by the dealer. There was some degradation in handling and nimbleness after the air conditioner was put in. I would guess that air cond components added approx 100 pounds over the front wheels.
Can anyone discuss this with me?
Another thing... How does it handle on pot holes, sewer holes, big bumps, etc.? Is it smooth or stiff?
The Accord's handling and braking are not quite up to the level of the Mazda 6i; however, the Accord feels much tighter and rides firmer than the Toyota Camry LE--the Mazda 6i's engine and transmission are crude compared with either the Camry or the Accord.
Maybe it's my imagination, but after about 2000 miles, the ride in my Accord EX-L (4 cyl.) seems to be less harsh--perhaps the tires and other parts have some break-in that favorably affects the ride quality.
The Accord's power delivery is very smooth--the engine and 5 speed automatic transmission are an ideal combination. Gas mileage in this 3200 lb. car is excellent--22.6 in the city and 33.2 on the highway.
My suggestion is to drive the Accord EX and also, just to satisfy your curiosity, drive a Camry and a Mazda 6. You might find as I did that the Accord offers the best balance of drive train performance and handling.
There is nothing I can think of to criticize about the Accord except that the steering wheel controls aren't illuminated and the turn signals don't click loudly enough.
One suggestion: Get side curtain airbags which are very protective according to recent crash tests. ALL 2005 Accords will have them as standard equipment........Richard
FYI: The 2005 Honda Accords will have illuminated steering wheel controls, which will be very useful for night time driving.
I am looking forward to my '04 Honda Accord EX Sedan. I have been reading so many good things on this car as it has excellent reviews.
Lyzette
Have you also read the many awards that the 04 Accords have received? Check out Honda's web site. I don't believe that the competitors have these many awards.
One thing I would check before test driving the Accord is the tire pressure. It can make a world of difference when it comes to road feel
Lyzette
Lyzette