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Looks like the inside of the MDX and RDX but with fewer buttons which is a good thing. However, the buttons in this Accord are all still of similar shape and size which takes your eyes off of the road.
Will it have climate and audio controls on the wheel like the Fusion? That would help the sea of buttons issue at least.
I think you asked if that was a 6-speed zzzoom6? It's not according to TOV because this is apparently an I4 sedan. Still only 5 gears for that engine. I'd guess the V6 will still have 6 gears though.
Either way.... I had the jet installed at around 32K, and the tranny still failed at 42K, and they paid for a brand new tranny and the labor, and the rental, and did it in 2 days. The Honda dealer hooked up the rental and doing it quickly. AMerican HONDA hooked up the new tranny and paying for the labor, all the while extending the warranty to cover it. That was a Honda representatives decision, independent from my dealer. The dealer may have put in a good word for me... but ultimately it was not the dealer's decision.
What was strange is they told me the tranny looked as good as new during the inspection.... yet it failed 10K miles later. I have a feeling the recall decision to put in a jet was knowingly done because it might work on 90% of the cars with problems. They knew the other 10% would need complete replacements later. But thats cheaper than replacing all 100% to begin with.
Recent situation similar to my Accords' tranny failure for a friend of mine... with her Landrover. The tranny died RIGHT after the warranty was over, and the thing was a lemon, had been into the dealer MANY many times. Well, once 50K hit, they said too bad so sad to her, she appealed, wrote letters, did everything she could do and did it right, but Landrover's response might as well have said "We don't care about repeat business one iota!"
Right. Like I said, it all starts with a good dealer. If you wrote a letter to Honda or called them about the problem they would refer you to a dealer first. It's not like they go around spending money on people's problems just because they are nice.
I think you are reading too many Honda forums. :P
It is not widely known that Honda stands by their products more than other mfrs nor are there any data to support that statement that I know of. Dodge paid for the two transmissions my sister needed replaced in her Caravan when out of warranty. Are they a mfr you know of to stand by their vehicles too?
If it's "case by case" like we've both stated then how is one better than the other when they both have the same procedures?
The only thing Dodge ever paid for was a new battery, and that was only because there own car damaged the battery, and it was the Dodge dealer himself who was doing service to the car!
However, after 4 dealer visits I put them on notice that I was going to have them buy the car back under the lemon law (requires 4 visits for minor problems) if they didn't get it right and get it right soon. Anyway, there stalling and delaying (claming parts were backordered) quickly ceased, as AMerican Honda told me they had 400 in stock. The problem was fixed immediately.
But I don't think it's misleading to say IMO, Honda and Honda dealers generally stands by it's products and try to do the right thing with the customers. My Ford dealer was extremely nice, I rated them highly. What I didn't rate highly was Ford in support of their cars, and their inablility to stand by their products even with known issues.
Well you are very lucky, in 10 years the local Honda dealer in CA couldn't fix the rear door handle so the door would open reliably, took them 2 tries to replace the power window motor, and took multiple visits to get the AC repaired. Luckily these were all warranty visits initially.
Same Honda stolen twice in one day
Never thought about it much when I had my two Accords, but both of them were broken into. My Subie never got touched, even when I left my door open at a Home Depot (one of my not so good moments :confuse: ). It appears that the Accord along with the Camry are among the most stolen, though the years of these models is pretty old. I remember once when I left my keys in my Accord, I was amazed at how easily the AAA person was able to unlock it. Given how many of these cars are on the road, I would imagine more poplular cars would be more likely to get stolen. And unless the thief does something really dumb to draw attention to themselves, it would be harder to track down a stolen accord or camry since they are everywhere. Anyway, just a thought...
A friend of ours has worked as the service mgr at a Honda, Ford, Lincoln/Mercury, Dodge, and now Kia dealer. He claims the Honda service dept. was every bit as busy as any of the others. And not just for oil changes either because I know that's what you are thinking.
BTW, service mgrs make pretty darn good money so don't feel bad if you have to yell at them. :P
If a higher percentage of vehicle A is stolen (thus resulting in an insurance claim) than vehicle B then doesn't it make sense that vehicle A would have a higher premium?
Not saying everything they use to increase premiums makes sense but I think this one definitely does.
I agree, but too often it is stated as a blanket fact. It might be a fact that someone had a better experience with one mfr over the other mfr but that should only be used to form their opinion and should thus be stated that way.
Honda has a certain reputation as do the other mfrs. But based on those reps we can't just assume that everything is always peachy when dealing with the former, and everything is a nightmare when dealing with some of the latter mfrs.
I feel everyone has the right to buy the best vehicle for them. What makes them happy if you will. Stating opinion as fact could sway someone the "wrong" way by making them think they'll only be happy with product H when in fact Products A-F and I-Z fit the bill too. Depending on their definition of happiness of course.
Nissan Maxima, Nissan Z, Nissan GTR...
(i guess it would begin with an "I" too...)
Infiniti G35, Infiniti G37, Infiniti M45...
-thene
What a novel idea.. I wonder why greedy Insurance companies haven't thought of this! :P
Opinions are only facts when they are true.
I'm not complaining about the repair it self, the car is old and has 140k, but it seems to take a few shots to get it right.
The first dealer in CA was generally regarded as being incompetent (they didn't tighten the drain plug on another vehicle after an oil change, etc), but the one in MI is supposed to be good.
The whole premise of an Insurance company being for-profit is a problem since every dollar they can get out of paying is a dollar more profit to their bottom line. I think insurance should be non-profit so that excess funds go back to the insured and not into someone's pocket.
But it is reasonable that there is a difference in premiums based on probability of theft.
An opinion can never be a fact. One might have an opinion which coincides with a fact but then you still need the fact to back it up.
No manufacturer will please 100% of it's customers 100% of the time. There are certain cases, some more so than others, when manufacturers will do the right thing. No manufacturer will do the right thing 100% of the time, however.
Do you see the difference between that and saying that a specific mfr IS better than all the others. Especially when there is absolutely no factual evidence of that being so?
There are no published factual data of an Accord being better than a Fusion or vice versa but at least we have some statistics based guides to help us along.
A lot of insurance companies are just that...they are called "mutual" which means they are technically owned by the policy holders and make no profits. However, I doubt this structure prevents them from paying big bucks to the executives, just like plenty of executives working for charitable non-profits make plenty.
I don't really care what the structure is, I care about what I pay and what kind of service I get.
Mutual companies used to pay dividends to their shareholders/policyholders. But, with ever increasing reserve requirements and government regulations, dividends went away (at least in CT) about 30 years ago for most mutual companies.
Of course the make and model car you have is less important than where you live. In Thibodaux Louisiana, cars are not stolen very often. I'm sure Insurance companies do take that into account.
horrible idea. there is nothing wrong with profit. competetion keeps rates from getting out of hand. Granted, its a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] changing insurance every year or two, but it will deffinitly keep your premiums down. buying insurance isn't much different than buying a car. if you don't shop arround, and you don't fight for the best deal............your going to get screwed.
We must need the Accord to come out SOON to kick-start a conversation!
BTW, when is the 2008 Accord supposed to make its grand appearance? Anybody know?
I believe Honda does the right thing more often than not and more than Ford. That might be a fact, but I can't prove it (but it doesn't mean it's not a fact)
I think that is what bumped the Accord down on my list, it just feels like any other midsized car. The Altima feels tighter to me, but I can't seem to find it equipped the way I would like.
They give us the 3, a GREAT runner up to the Protege, and then throw the Tribute at us. The 626 was a dullard, and the 6 was great, but the Mazda5 is the answer to a question nobody asked (underpowered station wagon with sliding doors).
I dunno, but I don't just "count on" the next 6 being a big hit like the current Mazda 3 is. On the other hand, Honda has found a winning formula and sticks fairly close to it each time. While it doesn't make for a super-exciting release, it does make me look forward to what technological advancements will come to one-up the competition (A-Vtec for one).
While the 2006-08 Fusions featured bold and distinctive styling, the 2009 rendering makes the Fusion look downright aggressive and more like the Edge.
I would also guess that the '09 will get the 3.5-liter V6 since the '08s won't.
When it comes down to it, I seriously doubt mazda would make the new 6 be the heaviest in this class regardless of what it wants to do to make the 6 more appealing to a larger segment. But as grad mentioned, I think there's an outside chance that mazda might soften the 6.
In the end though, the direction mazda is heading toward is an identity that embraces passionate driving. I have a feeling the 6 will be working toward finding the balance and composure of a 3-series bmw while being more family-friendly. If mazda can keep the fun and functionality in the family daily driver like I think they currently have in the Mazda6 while giving it a bit more space and power, it could be a great thing.
Actually, I think Mazda's biggest challenge is how to market a sporty midsize car... too many prospective buyers in this segment would probably be turned off by performance oriented sedan since most of the public views performance and comfort/practicality as being mutually exclusive. Mazda needs to find a way to say to buyers in this segment in a convincing manner, "You can have it all." To me, that's the brilliance of BMW's marketing... they've tied performance with the other traits of luxury, comfort, and refinement together in a very appealing and desireable product. Zoom-zoom speaks too much to youthful exuberance when most of the buyers of midsize cars are looking for something more refined and mature. the 6 already is a great product (of course I think this...which is why I bought one), I just think they need to adjust their marketing to reach the audience that actually buys these midsizers.
The Zoom-Zoom is obviously directed at younger buyers. To the 40-ish segment a kid saying Zoom-Zoom, makes it sound like they are selling a toy car.
There are some older drivers (like me for instance) who don't mind some sportiness (good handling, sleek styling) along with refinement in a mid-sized car. No reason mid-sized cars need to be merely a transportation appliance.
Oh I definitely agree, I think Honda did the same thing in the 90s trying to appeal to the 30s crowd, and now all those people are in their 40s and buy out of loyalty. I think the BMW 3 series is similar in this respect (which is why they are coming out with a 1 series), and for Toyota it got so bad they had to invent Scion to get kids to look at the cars.
That's Fords fault. Mazda doesn't have their own resources to create an "entry-level" SUV, and Ford simply dropped the ball with the revised Escape/Tribute.
Besides, both the CX-7 and CX-9 has been very popular with the car mags, and I've heard nothing but positive comments from new owners.
...but the Mazda5 is the answer to a question nobody asked (underpowered station wagon with sliding doors).
Mazda never expected for the 5 to be a big seller, since their intention from the beginning was to import a small amount of them. Despite that, I've seen a bunch of them on the roads, and the local dealer always seems to sell what few 5s they keep on the lot.
I dunno, but I don't just "count on" the next 6 being a big hit like the current Mazda 3 is. On the other hand, Honda has found a winning formula and sticks fairly close to it each time.
The next 6 should be a winner for Mazda, since a majority of the midsize sedan buyers didn't like the more compact dimensions of the current 6. It'll work if Mazda keeps the "zoom-zoom" (the philosophy, not the ad campaign
I don't expect the next Accord to be a dud either. In fact, I'm sure that it'll test and sell well. It just doesn't exactly stir up any excitement or emotion for me (and other enthusiasts, I'm sure). That's not a shot against the Accord, just my opinion.
There are some older drivers (like me for instance) who don't mind some sportiness (good handling, sleek styling) along with refinement in a mid-sized car. No reason mid-sized cars need to be merely a transportation appliance.
Well said! There are a fair amount of older drivers that post on the Mazda forums. They all pretty much say the same thing: They need a family sedan, but have grown tired and bored of all the "vanilla" cars. They want something sporty, yet practical.
So Mazda is doing the same thing, hoping that current 3 or 6 owners will stay loyal to the brand and buy another 6, or the CX-7 or CX-9. Whats wrong with that?
Nothing, thats what they should do.
It loses lower section of chrome grill and the headlights are more staying in front plane of the car...I don't like the stretching back headlight look and the less chrome the better. The tailights are better too. The rear deck looks like it is maybe a little less high than the current one, if so that would be good.
I don't care for the Malibu-ish chunk of chrome on the trunk lid or the chromey fog lights.