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Comments
So...I've heard a lot of negative comments herein...I've spent the past 8 years dragging my Malibu back and forth to the dealer and other shops for major repairs and thus, bumming rides with co-workers and friends. Gas mileage has always sucked (I'm down to about 12 mpg now). Are you guys telling me I won't be any better off with this new Honda? What's the real deal?? I need a DEPENDABLE, fuel-efficient, SAFE -- but sporty and attractive -- car....
:confuse:
You surely can't go wrong with the Honda EX coupe. It's a superior car, in my estimation. I get
32.5 miles/gallon with a promise of better mileage as the car gets more broken in. I have driven 1500 miles so far and only purchase gas at the stations Honda recommends for Honda engines rather than the discount gas. There's a discussion about that on the Honda site. The handling, I find, is superior.. Very sensitive and responsive. The driver seating is extremely comfortable and designed for back comfort. So far no rattles, noises, or other signs of poor workmanship. At first I imagined that the tires were noiser than
I expected, but then found it was the road surface that occasioned the noisiness. Rough roads, noisy tires, Smooth roads, very quiet. The music system is great. Before this I'd never listen to the radio because of the commercials, nor would I use the tape deck. With the CD player I have pleasant music all the time and no commercials. I might suggest the CD player with multiple disks. If I'd known how much I'd enjoy the CD player, I would have opted for that.
I'd certainly recommend the Moonroof.
I now wouldn't be able to live without it. For ventilation driving or when parked.. heat
rises and goes up and out rather than baking the interior of the car as happens in cars without the moonroof. The a/c system is excellent and cools the car quickly. I have absolutely no complaints and love the car. I'd say you couldn't go wrong if you choose
the EX coupe. Bye FranceyS
I have the silvery grey interior also, and that color does not absorb the heat when in the sun as black would. I noticed that they do have a selection. I'm in s.e. TN and we've had our share of hot days lately, but not so hot as where you live. My car is mostly garaged and whenever possible I look for parking spots with shade, (trees or buildings). Since my 4-footed companion accompanys me most everywhere I go, the Moonroof is a must because it does keep the car comfortable for her when I'm out of the vehicle.
For when I have to leave her in the car longer than 20 minutes, I made additional sunshades for the backwindow and the top with an opening, and I have one for the windshield. They are made of mylar with the cardboard backing for insulation, and they
work perfectly. Keeps the car dark and with the moonroof open and the windows
open 2-3" there's plenty of ventilation and no danger of the car overheating.
I guess the folks here on this site would recommend that you do make a lengthy test drive to determine if there are steering problems like pulling left or right, or peculiar noises. And press the back window outward with your hand to determine if it sets in securely. Due to some shoddy workmanship, some of the coupes have come through
imperfectly, so it pays to be observant and test these shortcomings out. I haven't experienced any faults, thankfully, but it's always wise to be on the lookout for flaws before you invest. Bye. FranceyS
It's great to hear that others are having a great experience with new EX Coupe, without all the problems I had. Am particularly pleased that Francey is enjoying her new car!
My only suggestion to a new buyer would be see if you can test drive the coupe at night. Depending on where you sit, the glare through the more angled front windshield is a headache. Still think Honda owes it to its customers to do a recall on those rear windshields, if only just to check the caulking, as, was pointed out to me recently, the new Civics are some of the first cars out there not to have any gaskets at all around the windshields to give them that smooth, sleek, racy look.
I also believe the Outback is available in 6 cylinder....
(What a change, from the very sleek Civic Coupe styling to a Maine snowmobile.... :P )
Is this a good deal? What were the prices u paid? Is it possible to pay from less then MSRP?
I'm very happy with it. I'm an older guy and was concerned that the mod would be too loud [or "ricer", as my daughter put it], but I was surprised. At idle all you hear is a slight whine that wasn't there before, then a nice growl as the revs rise. I think more "regular" drivers would do it if they knew it was so mellow.
There's an immediately noticeable increase in torque off the line. I kept chirping the tires in the first two gears for the first couple of days until I got used to it. I can feel a little more power throughout the rev range. The website claims a 7 HP increase. Supposedly I can expect a little better mileage, too. We'll see.
250 bucks well spent. Hmmm, that cat-back looks interesting....
I'm from San Antonio too (Helotes area). Sounds like the $22,122 includes more than the 6.25% tax. You are about $1,000 higher than I would expect. MSRP plus TTL is what I got from Gunn (at I-10 & 1604) in February.
If you can afford it, get the fogs and tint.
In your case I would recommend going to a audio shop and paying $50 to install.
However, if you have a volt-ohm meter you can easily find a switched hot lead and a ground.
Good Luck,
MidCow
If you get rid of a 2006 car now, you will loose a lot of "off-the-lot" depreciation. You really should look at getting the EX problems resolved; they are under warranty and there are several escalation avenues you can pursue with Honda.
Both the Subarus you mention are very good cars, but if you get rid of the Honda now you are throwing away a minimimum of $2-3,000 dollars. You need to look very carefully at the financing and get someone's opinion other thatn the Subaru dealer.
Good Luck,
MidCow
I love my Coupe but to Willow I say, sell that sucker and move on. The party's over.
Pretty dramatic car change Porsche Boxster S to a Honda Civic Coupe.
Usually Porsche buyers dont look at Hondas, but the S2000 is a much closer match.
LOL,
MidCow
After all, All Cars R Cool, right? ;-)
This is also not optional. However Honda does offer a illumication kit for under the glove, middle and drives console. Which is pretty nice looking actually. It glows blue to make the panel lights..
Tell him the EX Coupe comes with an awesome radio and you( or he) won't have to shell out any money to upgrade the stereo like you would have to in the sedan.
Tell him the car presents more youthful image and you think you would be happy with the coup look ,for a long, long time. You might tire of the sedan look quicker.
Good Luck!
MidCow
The EX sedan only has 160 watts and 6 speakers.
--------
I have two, two door cars. I got the Accord Coupe because in 2005 that was the only way to gat a 6-speed. The S2000 only comes in Coupe format LOL sedan S2000.
Parking is not a concern, but yes it is easier to get in the backseat of my wife's Avalon or my son's IS300.
The factory sound systems in 90% of all cars is dreadful. Anyone who cares about their sound at least replaces the speakers anyways, so contrary to what the borchures say, you want the cheapest radio or none at all. Spend the $600 on a good aftermarket setup instead.
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
good ideas
but if it is the sportiness that i am looking for, should i just wait for the Si sedan to come out? It may get expensive but it would sure help with the comprimise
what do you think?
If you are going to be carrying passengers in your back seat regularly (especially older people, like him!) the coupe is difficult for them to get in and out of. The coupe is not a comfortable 4 passenger car- getting in and out of the back is only simple if you are thin and agile, plus it seems it's almost impossible to get in and out of the back of the coupe without people getting their shoe marks on the interior walls (winter is a real headache especially). I hardly ever carry more than one passenger, up front, so I love my EX Coupe.
But if you DON'T much carry passengers, then you can try to convince him the Coupe is a better choice because it is shorter than the sedan and maybe parks more easily, and perhaps it is lighter and might get better mileage than the sedan? (better check on these facts though, I'm guessing).
Sedans are almost essential if you carry kids around and have either kid car seats or big teenagers.
Strumelia
and i dont think that will effect the fuel economy
The 6-speed Si sedan would be an awesome compromise. In fact both the Si models are more sporty than the DX, LX or EX models.
However, an EX Coupe with a 5-speed manual would be pretty sporty.
While, I strongy favor Hondas ( currently own two), if you want sportyness you might want to a least test drive the Mazda 3. You also might want to look at the New Honda Fit , which the reviews say has a nice handling and a sport feel but not significant performance.
Good Luck,
MidCow
P.S.- A CRX Si was one of the most fun cars I have ever owned LOL
Actually power is a logrithmic scale measured in decibels Pdb = 10log10 (P1/P2)
3.4 decibels = 10log10 (350/160) not 2 decibels. Remember each 3db is doubling of power.
More power does not mean you play it always at full volume, it does tend to give more of a fullness and brilliance to the sound spectrum at lower volume levels, especailly id you tend to overdrive or clip you amplifier.
Many times, but not always, a more powerful amplifier also includes upgraded speakers. In the case of the EX Coupe it add a subwoofer which amplifies the lower sounds typically in the 20-200 Hertz range ( very low Bass sounds).
I would have agreed with you about factory stereos 25 years ago. They were pathetic. I always put Crutchfield aftermarket sereos and speakers in. Even 10 years ago you could get much better upgrades. However in the last 5 years and especaillay today, the stereos sold with almost all cars are very good. Some are outstanding such as the Lexus Mark Levinson or the BMW Harmon-Kardon. In some cases you can make improvements, but not nearly as dramatic as even 5 years ago and even less noticable in the last couple of years. But, that is just my opinion and you may be a true audiophile and can distinguish very fine sound. I have pretty sweet home stereo setup with 7-channel Pioneer Elite, Denon, system with Defintive Technology, Boston Acoustic and Bose speakers.
Bottom Line, the 350 watt sound in the EX coupe is very good and most EX coupe customers will not feel the need to upgrade or replace. The EX sedan 160 system is also very good, but not quite at the level of the 350 watt EX coupe. Again, this is my opinion and yours and other readers may vary. I would suggest any potential buyer take their favorite CD and listen to it in both cars and then judge for themselves. I would also suggest it you listen to primarly FM music or AM talk radio , that you listen to the audio you normally listen to and then make the judgement yourself. And if you are thinking about an upgraded stereo, go to one of the luxury dealers and listen to their top of the line factory stereo and see if it really sounds that much better to you.
One other item, I really like the integration of factory stereos with the NAV systems and with steering wheel controls or side controls to mute or change volume level.
Sound ON,
MidCow
P.S. - In the S2000 convertible with the top down and with the Invidia exhaust many times I turn off the radio completlely. LOL to each his own.
Yet it takes roughly 5db for most people to even precieve it as any louder. In addition, once you pass the 90db threshold, our ears quickly become over-saturated, especially in a closed environment. That's roughly 1W per channel to get to the point of being almost painfully loud. Seven channels at that volume is not good for your hearing.
Though, there is a small point to all of this. The averge amplifier is rated at its maximum output into one channel and then they claim it's for all of them(same with 99% of home theater receivers). But that's often the point where it clips and/or fails. So 160W/2(more reasonable power rating, with tolerable distortion levels)/6(gotta power all the speakers, you know)= roughly 13WPC, continuous. That's well over 100db per speaker.
The bigger stereo? 350W/2/6=~29WPC. Granted, that's a lot more overhead for quick transients and such, but it's not like most people think(say like HP or voltages) - you generate tons of heat for not a lot more volume. Such is how amplifiers work.
Now, your point about the upgraded speakers and sub I can agree with. Then again, I've heard the sub and it's dreadful. Think about it - it's wedged in the wheel, then is under the floor cover. It sounds like a cheap bandpass, one-note piece of junk(muffled, too little airspace). IMO, you'd be better off going with a nice aftermarket setup anyways. I've never seen a factory setup that is better than what you cna build yourself, often for half the money.
Sounds like you've been educated in electronics theory! I spent quite a few years teaching Audio/RF circuit analysis, and you've got the numbers pegged. That said, I picked up my new Civic EX Coupe (no NAVI) last month, and absolutely love the car, and especially the stereo. The highs are crisp, bass is not too "thumpy", and best of all, I can plug my IPOD into the audio in jack and enjoy commercial-free tunes! While I can't count myself as a high-end audiophile, I can say that the Civic 350 watt stereo compares very favorably to my wife's Mercedes SLK Bose system. Even at lower volumes, the 7 speakers fill the car very evenly with clean, clear sounds. I use the same IPOD at home, plugged it into a Bose Wave home stereo, and it sounds much better in the Honda!
Also, after 1500 miles, I've averaged 34.5 MPG, mostly city driving.
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
Strumelia
My thoughts are: It is weaker than some of my previous cars, and it makes a big difference where you point the vents. At my face is freezing, slightly turned away it's almost nonexistant.
That's a link to the discussion. I don't know where you can find what you need, but there is a "Search This Discussion" box on the right just above the first post that should be helpful.
I did a random search of dealerships online..some list new inventories, some don't. Of the ones that do, I have yet to find any that had more than 2 Si's, and many had none.
I am sure there will be more as time goes on.
As far as contacting dealers, sure you can do it by email.
If you write the lease or finance mgr. directly sometimes you will get faster service. Just call to find out the name if not listed.
Just send out a ton of email, tell them what you will not pay (not over MSRP of course) what color you want, etc.
I bet a good half will respond.
I bought my Acura 4 years ago that way, and did the entire transaction over the phone and a fax. No hassle, and they even threw in some goodies.
It's worth a shot. More often than not they will respond positively to someone who knows what they want vs. a lookie-loo. Why miss a definite sale with a bit less commission than spend time on somebody who just cruises dealer's lots. That's my take anyway.
Or just go in the dealership and do the same. Know what you will pay and what you want before you do. Can make all the difference. Unless you are in a hurry, time is always on your side.