Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Just refuse to sign paperwork.
If you have taken delivery, the car is yours. Good luck
Check out the Honda Accord "How much did you pay?" Thread on Edmunds.
But generally Accords are selling for +/- $200 from invoice. I bought mine for exactly incoice cost (which was about $2000 less than MSRP). Some dealers are willing to dip into their holdback to make a sale and therefore the below invoice pricing.
The only exception is the EX-V6 Coupe 6 Speed. These seem to be selling near MSRP if not above in some parts of the country.
If you try to get an 04 right as they come out don't expect to get it at invoice. $500-$800 over invoice is probably realistic until around Nov. when the 03's are all gone.
Bang for the buck, I don't think ANYmidsize sedan can beat the Accord in terms of features for the price. The fact that Accords have such great reliability and resale values is just icing on the cake.
In searching yesterday, I found a poster that commented his chrom trim on the exterior drivers side door did not have enough adhesive. A simple tap on the outside revealed a loose section about 6 inches long. I merely lifted the trim enough to get a strip of electrical tape shoved in there. It worked.
Of course, the poster noted that the dealer fix was to remove the trim and reapply the dble sided adhesive which I will do next time I go to the dealer.
For 04, the Accord will have standard curtain airbags on all Accord V6 and EX w/ leather models.
I still don't consider any of these items "key" features. Edmunds should clarify if they are going to list it as a con of the Accord.
Alex
For crying out loud, it's a HONDA !
It's amazing what some people just have to have on their cars these days!
Honda can add all of those features and more but do we really want a 35,000 Accord?
I had my wife call the dealer to make an appointment for our 03 Accord.
We have a number of problems such as the check engine light is on, the speedometer doesn't work, the air conditioner kicks off because the car is idling low (500 rpm or so); this may all be the same problem, the brakes pulsate when stopping from highway speeds, the radio reception is very poor, and creaks that the dealer cannot reproduce on their super-smooth roads. We also have water stains in the headliner that the dealer previously said they would repair when we bring the car in the next time (they need it for the whole day).
My last service I told the dealer to put in synthetic oil, but they only charged me and wrote down regular, so I assume I got the regular.
Anyway...my wife called another dealer and asked to make an appointment. The person on the other end told her that it was first come first serve. She attempted to tell them that we needed the car back that day because its our only car, but he interrupted her and said it was first come first serve. She then attempted to tell him what we needed fixed and he told her it was first come first serve and then hung up on her. She called the other close Honda dealer and it was pretty much the same; so I'll attempt to drive to the dealer and see if I get in; if not, I guess I have to drive there again and re-attempt.
Our previous cars, Infiniti and Audi had much better customer service, they didn't always get it right (that'd be my mechanic rampage) but they always were courteous and scheduled time to look at the car.
As for the Audi and Infiniti service.. well its probably because it was an AUDI and INFINITI and not a Honda.
it's mandatory for me to have the alloys so if i were to get the lx v6, i would have to pay extra for that. so i said the hell with it and got the ex v6 for not that much more.
if you want a little more vibration and noise you can always get nissan's v6 engine. the smoothness from the accord 5 speed auto/v6 is amazing.
For those of you with 4 cyl manuals, I would be interested in hearing your evaluations of the clutch and shifting action, rev-ability, likes, dislikes, concerns, problems etc.
<As for the Audi and Infiniti service.. well its probably because it was an AUDI and INFINITI and not a Honda. >
heh...you're not suggesting it's Honda policy to hangup on people? The Honda dealers I've had experience with don't seem to be very professional. I don't have a good feeling leaving my car with them (or most mechanics for that matter)
The compass for the Accord comes with the auto dimming rear view mirror, hence the $300 with install. It's not just a compass, who the heck would pay $300 for a compass unless you were retarded, just get a $2 compass at Wal-Mart.
Also, there is a 5W20 blend out, not sure about full synthetic. Mobil 1 has the 0W20 syn that you use instead of the 5W20. But just save your money, just change your oil every 5K with any correct weight oil and your engine will out last the rest of the car.
Alex
If you are old like me you remember Corvettes and Mustangs that were no faster than this 4-cyl Accord (with the manual anyway).
Tom
Alex
Don't try to drag race an old Corvette with your fourbanger Accord.
BTW it is not Honda I support, it is just the modern 4-cyl engine. Passat and Altima are in the same boat in this regard. The V-6 is superflous.
I can't tell you how many people say things like "I just need a V-6 because I am used to the power" and it turns out they are driving a Taurus with a 140 hp V-6 that is significantly slower than a 4-cyl Accord (or Passat, or Camry, or Altima).
That was a sad time in automotive history.
Just don't take on a mid sixties Vette. Even a 327 automatic would clean your clock!
Also did someone post some info about the new I4's having a chain timing belt in place of the "rubber" belt on current models. I assume the life of the chain driven would be for the life of the engine-if so that is one less trip to the dealer-or maybe 2 if you keep your vehicles for over 200K like I do.
Pros:
1. Clutch and shifter are Honda-precise
2. Engine is smooth and has power no matter where you are in the rev range or the speedometer.
3. I am getting 32MPG on average.
4. Car feels just as fast as my 2001 EX V6.
Cons:
1. Darn thing has an aversion to going the speed limit
2. I know there is a 240HP/6-speed out there somewhere.
I also had a 99 EX 5-speed and the 2.4L is much improved when it comes to quietness and power. The 2.3L was no slouch and it was very smooth but you can really feel the extra torque of the 2.4L though. Shift action is slightly improved in the 03 but all the Hondas I have owned shift great. If I had a choice between my 99 and the 03 I would take the 03.
It's funny to hear people justify getting the V6 because "in their area," the freeway onramps are short, so 4 cylinder cars like 160-180HP Altimas and Accords have inadequate power to merge into the slow lane of traffic.
However hundreds of people manage with "inadequately powered" 4 cylinder cars, motorhomes, cars and pickups pulling trailers and even with 3 cylinder Geo Metro automatics and Toyota gas/electric hybrids without endangering their families lives due to the double digit 0-60 times.
Yeah, they just endanger my life when I get stuck behind them on an onramp...
I got the V6 for the entertainment value, definitely.
Alex
They have all the specs for CDN cars there.
Each of us has his or her priorities, that's why cars are available in so many different configurations.
Next, I drove the V6 auto. 80 more hp is always a good thing. The 5 sp auto did everything fine. But, when you drive these two cars back-to-back, the extra 250 lbs on the nose of the car is very noticeable. In fairness, I was looking for this effect having read a mention of it in one of the auto mag reviews. The front suspension felt like it had an extra weight on it, as though some of the suspension travel was already used up. It definitely understeers more heavily and has a less "tossable" feel to the handling. On the highway, the suspension was slightly less compliant again, imparting a feeling of being a little used up by the extra weight.
Next thing is color. My first choice is silver but I also liked the look of the graphite and would consider either. The dealer where I test drove claims to be the largest in the five state area (I'm in Indiana-sorry Aggie). They had 300 Accords on the lot. Of these, only one was EX-L with manual. They claim this is a very low volume configuration. Further, they claim Honda does not allow them to order a car from the factory! They get an allocation and would be receiving no cars with this configuration over the next two months! They claim to swap cars with another dealer is a mandated $500 charge by Honda. Is this BS or what?
Since they correctly perceived that I am a serious buyer, we touched on price a little. The casual conversation was, "we can get you close to invoice". I think I'm going to visit another dealer lot or two.
It is...when I bought mine it was the only un-sold EX-L Manual in the Five State region of Texas, Ok, New Mex, La, & Arkansas.
It is a low volume configuration making it very hard to buy and potentially hard to sell since the market for 5spd/4cyl/4 dr sedans is limited. Except on this board of course.
"Further, they claim Honda does not allow them to order a car from the factory!"
Same story i heard from my dealer
"They get an allocation and would be receiving no cars with this configuration over the next two months!"
Again same story
"They claim to swap cars with another dealer is a mandated $500 charge by Honda. Is this BS or what?"
This part might be BS since my dealer offered to get any car in that 5 state region to me for no additional cost. The dealer would rather sell what he has in inventory rather than get another one. Especially a 5spd and what happens if your financing fell through, he just doesn't want to be stuck with it.
"Close to invoice..."
You can get invoice. Go through the internet sales of all your local dealerships. Send them an e-mail saying that you want to get their best price on the exact car you want. You can even tell them someone offered you close to invoice on a 4dr Ex-L manual to give them a starting point.
Good luck. I test drove both like you did and came away with the same conclusion that the 4cyl was perfect for my needs. and it was more fun to drive also. (IMHO)
before taxes, contact me if you want the name of the dealer. Patmk1@msn.com
I would not buy from this dealer just from the lie about the $500 charge for a dealer trade. If they lie to you on that what else are they lieing about. Anyway, bottom line is doesn't matter what configuration, if it's rare or whatever, no honda accord is rare. A rare honda accord is a paradox. Rare=Accord does not compute..haha.. just imagine, if by some freak chance 5speed EX-L's were the hottest car around, honda can pump them out at the factory, the next day. So basically whatever BS they give you, just pay $200 over invoice at the most. Also, they make so little of that model because the demand is so low and hard to sell, thus the reason it is rare. You're doing them a favor by buying the car nobody else wants.
Good luck
Alex
It doesn't have 2004 info.
But I agree. Like I stated before I bought a 03 EX-L 5spd at invoice. I would not have paid more than that even if one was not available when I was looking.
INDY: Keep checking out other dealers. Followup with mae2, to get the name of a dealer in your part of the world that is selling below invoice. $500 below is amazing.