Honda Accord - 2003 Redesign

clpurnell

Definately if it is not listed on the Mfg Sticker ignore it. But it seems you are too late you only actually got about 3-400 off if you paid for the sealant

slayers_boxer

Actually, the sticker had a side column where all options are listed, one of which was the paint protection. What the dealer said was more like a fixing job (if something goes wrong with the paints etc) than merely adding a protectant.

I know it might be a bit too late but at least I want to know whether the dealer plain lied to me or not.

If the paint protection stuff is really what the dealer has added, I think the whole column of the sticker is added at the dealership??

jud95accord

The protectant at my dealership in Houston costs 395.00. They threw mine in for free (considering I paid sticker for the car!) My sister said it is just a money making deal for the dealership. I had a paint sealant put on my 95 Accord in California for $400.00. I waxed the car two times a year for 8 years and the paint was still very shiny when I sold it two weeks ago. Maybe it helped!

The side column you are referring to is added at the dealership with items like a spoiler, protectant, moon roof shield, etc.

An interesting section to read on Edmunds.com is Step 9 on how to buy a new car (in the F & I room).

moonkat

The Monroney Sticker, aka "sticker", is the "MSRP":

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/editorial/advice/index.cfm?act=window

If it is not on the sticker it is not factory installed. The second sticker on, next to, or even attached to the Monroney sticker is the dealer installed options (DIO).

clpurnell

First off Paint/fabric protector might be worth 300 total. Secondly deal from the "Monroney Sticker". You did not ask for these accessories to be affixed to the car why should you pay for them. These stickers really irk me and a lot of avg joes will just pay for pinstripes, protectants and so on cuz they "believe" their salesman. These are ways for the dealers to add hundreds maybe thousands of dollars to the profit they make on the car and provide little or no benefit. Some thing are legitimate such as window tint, side steps etc. But make sure you aren't paying more for these things than you could if you did them off the dealer's lot. Moral of the story is right before you sign the papers say I really don't want that either find me a car without it or I walk. Remember it is your money.

dfong87

Just picked up our 2003 EX 4dr this weekend (at around invoice; i offered an out the door price).

questions:
- any one notice that their front license plate holder is very flimsy? is this normal? while cleaning the car yesterday i noticed that it was this very flimsy flexible rubber/plastic thing that will eventually rub at the paint on the bumper. unfortunately, in CA, it is the law to have a front license plate. =(

- rattles anyone? we have a couple of minor rattles [my 2000 civic had a few which i had them take care of]: one somewhere in the dash and then one just behind the driver (maybe the seatbelt pillar) that is audible only on the freeway [must be the frequency of the bumps].

- glove box: ours only closes with a firm "slam." is this normal? it seems a little odd although it seems like Honda is trying to cover themselves in the manual saying that it requires a "firm push" to close.

Comments:

- a very solid car. aside from the minor rattles which we'll bring into the dealer to be fixed, and the items mentioned above, the fit and finish is better than the previous generation civics. i can't say it is truly a "sports sedan" in the Audi/BMW sense, but it certainly is a cut above the Camry's and previous Accords i've driven.

- the 4 cylinder is more than adequate power with plenty oomph to get up to speed on a short onramp. i'm sure the 6 cylinder is more effortless and quieter in acceleration, but once cruising, the I4 is basically silent (tachs at 2500 at 70+ MPH). besides, i couldn't justify the extra burning of fuel just to get a faster 0-60 response. i'll be curious to see how close the 24/33 EPA numbers are for the I4.

- the 5 speed automatic is a huge improvement over the previous generation [i've rented a 2000 Accord] and the 4 speed found in the Civic [which we test drove as well; i have a 5 spd in my Civic]. That being said, i'm not sure any automatic transmission is silkier than the CVT i drove on a Civic Hybrid.

- the ride is very nice. quiet (except for the little rattles!) and absorbs both road and wind noise quite well.

- the looks: i wasn't impressed with the picturs i saw on the web, but we liked it when we saw the car in person. The coupe, IMHO, is gorgeous, but we wanted a four door. the wheels on the EX are quite nice and in fact, i dare say they look better than those on the EX-V6.

- things lacking: i wish side curtain air bags were a option on all trim levels. i wish they had used a standard antenna. i know the window based antenna is stealth, but i don't think it does as good a job pulling in stations.

Ok, that's my 20 bits (too long a post, eh?),
Derek

talon95

Thanks for the extensive feedback... it's always good to hear it straight from the owner's mouth. Sounds like a pretty positive experience overall, at least so far.

machead91

After 3 weeks of driving 4cyl w/ autos and manuals and mulling over replacing my old sedan or the aging family minivan, we decided to get a V6 sedan and trade in the 95 Odyssey.

With two boys (one in diapers, the other 9- is always toting a skateboard, backpack or other bulky paraphernalia) trading the 'van' for a sedan was an issue discussed for days. (We don't care for the new Odyssey- too large and we don't do sliding doors)

Forty-eight hours into ownership, we can attest that yes it can be done. We (all four) loaded up to visit friends and pick up some borrowed baby items. We had 2 adults, a 9-year old, and a carseat w/ matching toddler comfortably inside; while the skateboard, helment, baby-backpack, and diaper bag slid around in the trunk w/ room to spare.

Then the moment of truth-- the items: another back pack, paperbag of clothes and.... the walker-saucer-thingy. This thingy was pretty big, 42" across and about 18" tall. We pushed everthing to the sides and slid the saucer in the middle and... viola, the trunk closed just fine. Wow.

THEN we stop by the farmer's market and bought 4 bags of vegtables which we stuffed into the saucer and other nooks (the 9-year old wanted a pumpkin, but no, that wouldn't have fit in the old Odyssey either)

So over all, yes it's a big (but doesn' t feel too-big) family car that goes when you ask it.

No rattles. (except for the valet key in the console) The glove box requires more effort than expected, but no need to 'slam' it.

The flimsy front plate w/ the dealers tag was promptly removed by me--not required here and I found it distracting of the front which I'm still trying to like. I suggest rubber or felt bumpers to prevent rubbing on the bumper cover.

So far here's my only complaint-- the horn. BUICK!? Where's the pert, yet piercing BEEP? It's gone... I locked the car this morning at work and it HONKED back at me!?!? I looked around expecting to see a GM car w/ it's reverse lights on coming out of a parking spot, but no... IT WAS ME! Dang, I've got to do something about that. Wish I could get one of those beepers like the Toyotas have. It's deliberate and distinct. There's no confusing it w/ someone beeping there horn.

Oh, well. I guess I just had to find SOMETHING wrong w/ it... everything else is just perfect.

dfong87

thanks for your review and comments. glad to hear you don't have any rattles. ours our minor, but i'm picky, so i'm going to get the dealer to try and fix them.

i was probably exagerating when i said that i need to slam the glove box, but it certainly can't be "placed" close gently like i normally do in my other cars. a firm close does work as you say. i'm going to keep an eye on it; i have a feeling,however, that the dealer will tell me, just close it firmer. in fact, one of my "pet peeves" is gently closing doors. i find this car requires a much "firmer" close than required on my wife's old integra or my 2000 civic.

i was sad to see that you confirmed my findings re: the flimsy license holder. ugh, with everything else designed so impeccably, you'd think they would do this a bit better. my Civic's is nothing fancy, but at least, it is solid! you're right...some rubber/felt may help some. thanks for the suggestion.

anyway, congrats on your new car. sounds like your family is enjoying it. don't know when our family is starting, but we bought the larger car [seriously considered the Civic EX and Hybrid, the latter being too expensive due to lack of availability] with that in mind.

yeah...the horn sounds like a GM car. blech.

best, Derek

ickes_mobile

...should be too expensive regardless of availablity when compared witht the standard Civic EX. The tax break and money saved on gas don't equal the cost difference and there is also the unknown issue of long-term maintenance... Unless you're a member of the Green Party, I'd buy the standard Civic(or maybe a diesel VW Golf).

dfong87

[a bit off topic but responding to #1063; there is accord content towards the end]:

you're right. we were willing to bite on the 2000 premium over the EX civic just for the "feel good of being greeen", but since you can get a EX Civic for below invoice, and only about a few hundred off of MSRP for the hybrid because of availability, the price difference is over 4000. way too much.

at only 2k, a tax break can yield 600-800 bucks. with only 1400 to make up in gas, its close to break even over the lifetime of the car (assuming something like 1.70/gallon). [although, you're right potential replacement battery costs and maintenance are unknowns)

in the end, our Accord EX, which we paid around 20.8k (before tax and title) for, was about the same price as the Hybrid was!

the kicker is that the EX Accord in CA is SULEV vehicle with zero evaporative emissions...better than the hybrid!

ickes_mobile

and you have to start somewhere, but internal combustion (especially Honda) can't be beat right now...

kclk

I heard there is a hands free phone accessory for this car to work with my existing cell phone. The dealer does not nave this part in stock, any comments oafter a demonstration of this product?

anonymousposts

We are having a hard time deciding between the 4 cylinder 5-speed coupe or waiting for a V6 6-speed to be sold around invoice. I like the wheels better on the 4 but I like the dual exhuast and the extra 80HP (which is nice but not necessary) on the V6 more ... decisions, decisions.

jud95accord

I have had my 03 V-6 sedan for a month now - I bought it 9/14 and I love the extra hp. I went from a 95 Accord ex with 140 hp to 240 hp on the 03. The gas mileage is definitely lower with the V-6 but the extra 'oomph' is worth it. I live in Houston where I am surrounded by Suburbans and Dodge Ram trucks so the extra power comes in handy in almost all of my driving situations. I did happen to get the regular 5 spoke ex wheels put on my V-6 (I worked it out with the new car manager).

seaf

I would think that the 2.4 i-VTEC engine is enough to launch the new accord faster than a suburban or dodge ram truck. On the other hand it definitely lacks the low bass sound of a gas-guzzling V8 if you're into that.

slayers_boxer

I bought it with mud flaps (189), trunk tray (169), door guards (125), and tint (295).
On top of the MSRP (23k) and D&H (460), all of these add up to $24,238.

From which $900 was taken off, so I paid $23,338 (before TTL).

How did I do???

Although I was able to take 900 off of the MSRP, it seems like they charged me way more for these accessories than they should have...

Yes? No?

maxamillion1

the time of the year. But no offense, they beat you with those accessories. The splash guards cost no more than $70, the door trim costs about the same. I don't know about the tint though. I think you did well though. Those dealers will try to add anything to the price of these cars.

inky4

You and others get accessories from HondaAcura world.com Muds are $58 delivered, etc.
Tint retail is $200 in Oklahoma. But enjoy the car and is this a smooth V-6 or what!
INKY

jud95accord

I didn't mean I was racing the Suburbans and Dodge Rams. If you have ever driven in Houston and surrounding areas, you would understand what I mean about the driving here. With my 95 Accord, I would turn off my A/C if I was entering the highway or needed any power to accelerate. We use the A/C here 9 months a year so it became slightly annoying.

ickes_mobile

we have plenty of Suburbans and Dodge Rams here in Minneapolis too. Although we don't have to run the A/C 9 months out of the year, we do need the defroster, which runs the compressor to remove moisture from the cabin air. I'd agree that it would be nice to have the kick of the V-6 for entering highways. However, I've found that with our manual EX, you can keep the revs up above 4,000 to give you enough go to merge...

dfong87

I've driven the last three generations of Accords; and while i can see that perhaps, the 1995 was lacking a little torque with AC on, that is no longer an issue with the new 2003 I4 i-vtec. [IMHO, the last generation was probably sufficient, but perhaps underpowered for some people's tastes]

certainly, a V-6 is certainly bliss in getting 0-60 in 6+ seconds; nevertheless, we opted for the I4 EX and it has more than enough zip to merge with AC on with even a short onramp in the SF Bay Area. i was very impressed in my test drive as i hit 60 very quickly on an onramp and the transmission on this auto was smooth (i usually drive sticks, but this car is for my wife).

to my wife and i, we couldn't justify the extra burning of fuel and losing the SULEV/PZEV classification of the I4. [can you believe the CA version of the I4 has anywhere from 1/7-1/2 of the emissions of the civic hybrid? amazing!]

lsc

I don't know where you live but in IL, once you buy the car, that's it. There is no recission period. So, it doesn't matter if you were charged too much or not.

People,
Ask questions before you sign on the dotted line. Don't let your emotions and/or sales pressure get to you and sign before gathering all the facts.

And no, my name isn't Ralph Nadar.

inky4

Overall, nice car. The engine is very smooth and responsive. Not a growler like the 3.2 TL Type S.
MPG is around 26.5 average in mixed driving. I imagine 100% highway is 30-32 someone may report later. I had the hard drift to the right which was magically fixed by simply switching two front tires. Hmmn. That is odd.
Only real gripe is outside temp gage is full 6 degrees off at all times. Too high. First frost last night so drive about five miles and 46 is the lowest. Actual temps 39 or so. Wondering if fixable?
The front muds look a little silly and smallish so you all may want to pass on those.
I use moonroof deflector from last year but may remove for the winter months that are coming soon.
Best car for $23,900 in my opinion.
INKY

dfong87

inky- thanks for your report.
26.5 overall...that's pretty good for the V-6. i'm hoping we'll see close to 30 overall with the I4 after it breaks in...i'll report back after a few tank ups [we only have 100 miles on the car since the weekend]
23.9k for the EXV6 is a great price: congrats. you're right, style preferences aside, the new accord sedan is a great value.
i would guess they should be able to program in an offset for the thermometer, but who knows. if the sensor is IC based, the error may be due to heat from the chip itself (which gives a falsely warm temp)! we had this problem with our home thermostat [at least that's my theory since 10 different thermostats exhibited the same behavior]. our home thermostat fortunately can be offset up to 5 degrees (we finally found a unit that was off by only 3 degrees).
as a follow-up to my comments previously: i think one rattle is now gone. i think the tilt steering adjustment wasn't fully closed.
Inky- is your front license plate holder flimsy as well?

inky4

Do not know if flimsy or not, no front tag in OK and glad of it. I ordered my V-6 Accord in July when dealer agreed to $316 over invoice.

Best my local dealer is doing on 03 Accords is no haggle $1000 off all 4 bangers. My dealer in Bartlesville, OK does have a Passport EX for around $5500 off if anyone likes those--last one you will ever see.
INKY

dfong87

i'm impressed: you got a great deal early on although i'm not sure i would have been so gutsy to order the car before its released. [or did you have enough insider knowledge to make your decision]

$1k off for the I4 is good if that's the starting point with no haggling. like i said before, we paid 2200 below MSRP [around invoice] but the "no haggle" starting point for this dealer seemed to be MSRP (which i found to be ridiculous). to me the starting point was the carsdirect.com price.

anyway, enjoy your car! i envy your no front tag!

anonymousposts

Why buy a Passport when you can get a Rodeo with 0.0% for 72 months?!?!?!

The Accord is a great car .. probably the best overall family sedan out there right now.

Kirstie_H

Well, love it or hate it, this car's available for purchase now and you'll no doubt be seeing the new Accords all over the roads.

In the next couple of days, we'll be closing this topic on the Futures board, and re-joining the general Honda Accord topic on the Sedans board.

Happy driving!

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

preludexl

I really dont think the new accord is grabbing new buyers at all. People are either waiting to see what the new Mazda 6 is like or not interested in scooping up the new accord as fast as dealers had hoped. Too many nice cars to choose from. I love the accord interior but unfortunately, the rear really DOES look like a saturn. The front does look like a civic doesn't it? Oh well, I'm going to wait until next month to get my hands on a v6 EX, unless someone is willing to see a 2002 s2000 for 24k antime soon.

laz1

I'm also looking for information on the 03 Honda Accord hands-free cellular set-up. On MSN.com, they show it as Mfr code #HFC. I've looked at Honda's website, but I can't seem to find any info on it. Anybody know anything?

Laz

laz1

Just found some info on the hands free system. Go to " http://partscheap.com/Honda%20Accord%202003.htm " and look under "Audio/electornics" and it shows what I think is the system. However, it says it won't be available until Nov 1. Anybody know what they mean by "Requires phone interface attachment"?

Laz

diploid

It means you would need a kit. For example, if you wanted to upgrade your stereo, you would need to buy a kit that would fit into the Accord's dash in order to accomodate the new stereo, since it will most likely not fit into the vacant spot that the standard stereo provided by Honda was lodged in.

The standard Accord's dash does not accomodate a hands free phone system, so you would need a kit that would fit into the dash in order to attach that feature.

jeffrey15

What it means is that once you have the HF kit installed you need to get the appropriate interface cable for your model phone. If you look at the collegehillshonda site there is a list of available phone interfaces.


http://makeashorterlink.com/?R1A925622

Kirstie_H

Don't forget to join us for tonight's open, member-to-member chat, 5-6pm PT/8-9pm ET.

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html

Our loose topic for tonight is most anticipated 2003 models. Hope to see you there!

kirstie_h

Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

anonymousposts

Last month I think Honda sold 34,000 Accords ... pretty darn good considering the limited availability of the Accord.

dhk1

My temperature gauge shows the bumper temp initially, and slowly adjusts to the air temp during the first 5 minutes of driving. It looks OK so far. As for the car-phone, I wonder what these will cost. The built-in model in the 1994 Accord was $700!!. I finally got something from Nokia with an installation kit. If you set it to answer on the first ring and program the buttons for direct dial, it's much like the 1994 built-in phone, but not as easy to use.

robr2

College Hills Honda shows it on their website for around $140 (retail $169) plus $25 (retail $30) for the correct cable for your phone model.

I read through the 14 PAGE installation instructions which requires removal of the console, shifter trim, radio/nav, instrument panel, and lower dash trim as well as drilling. All of this to install a hands free kit that requires the phone to be leashed within a short distance of the console. I could see this being a 3 hour install.

I realize that from a safety standpoint, it should require people to stop in order to dial but in reality I can see people continue to try to dial while driving. Personally I prefer a dash mount (something like Panavise) that mounts to the side of the radio then a Honda made kit that would accomodate the phone/wiring.

To me it seems like this accessory was an afterthought.

s852

Sounds unlikely. If so, it is pretty poorly designed. They should have built the car with some thought to adding this accessory so that the entire dash would not have to be disassembled or else it should be a factory, not dealer install.

robr2

Check out the installation instructions over at college hills. Maybe 3 hours is a little long for someone who does it everyday, but it's not a 1 hour job.

We'll see when Honda updates its website to allow you to pick that accessory and see what they estimate for labor amount.

slayers_boxer

What is a normal new car mileage?
My car (2003 Accord) had about 200 miles when it was delivered to me.
I wonder if this is normal.

dfong87

bklynguy

200 miles on a new car is a little on the high side ( unless it was driven from another dealer for you ), it looks like your accord was either used by someone in the dealership for his/her personal use or used for test-drives. My current car had 6 miles when I got the keys. I won't accept a new car with more than 30 miles unless I get a extra discount. Its different for everyone, some people don't mind the higher mileage. But most cars I see on the lots have bet. 5 and 25 miles.

lippolds

I too would be concerned about the car unless it was swapped from another dealer and driven. We all know how rough people are on test drives.

heuer

I need a second family sedan two months ago. My wife and I decided safety features are the most important things to us, so we only look at cars that have traction control, side air bag and side curtain air bag. We almost bought the camry, then one day I saw on the internet (US web site)that the new 2003 honda accord have all these safety features too! So we decided to wait until the car came to Canada. At the mean while I am taking the bus for the past two months. Now the car has arrive in Canada and we found out that side curtain air bag is not even an option in the Accord. I was really upset and disappointed to Honda. Should I go for the camry now??? Should I not buying the accord just because of the side curtain air bag?? Or should I wait one more year and hopefully they will have the side curtain air bag in the 2004 accord. (Well I don't think I want to take the bus for another year). I just do not understand, is this marketing stragedy or cost cutting, bottom line is I am so disappointed to Honda.

robertsmx

It is probably marketing strategy. Otherwise they could always add $250 on top of the MSRP to provide Side Curtain a/b. It may be a limited volume thing too.

Now, is curtain a/b a must have in your car? Wait for side impact tests on 2003 Accords without curtain air bags and compare it to Camry's, if being safe is one of your concerns. Based on how Camry performed in side crash tests, you may want to check out these numbers on Accord. I'm betting on 5-star all around safety in 2003 Accord even without curtain airbags.

anonymousposts

Truth is, side air bags can't substitute for a strong structure. The 02 Camry received 2 stars in side impact testing. The 03 Camry was just tested and upgraded to 3 stars but is still below the level of other cars in it's class. You can look at test results between cars with and without curtain airbags and come to your own conclusion but I think that the standard airbags and side airbags on the Accord along with it's solid structure will be enough to keep you and your family safe in most cases.

slu3

I think the point we Canadian would be '03 Accord buyers cannot get over with is that why Honda NA considers the lifes of US customers more precious and dearer than Canadian customers? This is a Life Saving device for Chrissake! If it was a non folding side mirror or a moonroof, I'd probably live with it.

And I quote from the U.S. site "this system will activate to help provide protection for both front and rear passengers. A new type of inflator provides an exceptionally quick inflation time."

By removing this feature from all Canadian models, they must felt that we need not have any extra protection in the event of a severe side impact accident. Our lifes are less worthy than the U.S. counterparts.

Even though it is only available for the EXV6, I was willing to pay extra for it. I have now postponed my decision to acqiure a '03 Accord and seriously considering the arrival of the Mazda6, which has Side curtains as an option - on ALL models.

Who is bright a**hole in Honda Canada who decided to leave out the Side curtains? I checked with a Honda dealer last week. He confirmed the '03 Accords aren't moving as quickly as first envisaged.

Serves them right!

ranald

It seems to be a widespread view in the automotive industry that the Canadian market is much more price-sensitive than the American market.

Most likely if features are not being offered on Canadian models that are available on US models, it's for reasons of cost.

Carmakers are in the business of selling cars at a profit, remember? I doubt that anyone thinks Canadian lives are less valuable, but there seems to be some truth to the opinion that Canadian buyers are less willing/able to pay the same amount as Americans for the same car. So things get economized... *shrug*

anonymousposts

Canadians have gotten heated seats and mirrors in the Accord for years and I had to do without this options in my 01 Accord V6. Guess Honda doesn't car as much about our clear mirrors and warm tushes as they do the Canadians :O

Seriously, the SAB will probably only make a marginal difference in an accident 1% of the time and the rest of the time it will make no difference. 5 years ago curtain airbags were only for MB, BMW, and Volvos.