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Comments
When I bought my Mazda6 recently (check it out if you're shopping for an accord), the "special" financing guy sat me down in his office and went through tons of extra stuff that I don't need, but I'm sure they make a hefty profit from, such as extended warranty, rust-proofing, finance deals with the local bank, anti-theft etching...and some others I can't remember right now. It took about half an hour for me to say no to all of them. If I wanted them all, it could've easily been another $4000 on a $20,000 car.
Hondas are also selling at a premium in this economic environment. 2.9% percent financing as an incentive? Try 0-1% for most other make's models in the same class. But I guess as long as the consumers still keep buying them up even with the premium price, Honda can keep rolling in in the profits.
unfortunately all v6 accords are made in ohio. but i'm having good luck with my accord. just give the car a good look over if you get to that point.
funny how the salesman said it's difficult to get a accord at invoice because it's pretty common. definitely so with the 03's.
But, the rumor persists....
if you're ever in madison look me up and i'll point out what to look for. i have a noble green accord ex v6 and it took three of them before one was to my standards. it would of most likely been one try for a japan assembled accord i4.
same with the tsx, almost all have excellent assembly quality.
On Monday I went to the local Honda dealership and they're willing to sell me a 2003 Honda Accord LX (4 cylinder and automatic transmission) for $17995. This is something like $8 below invoice. I think this is a very fair deal.
I liked everything about the car except the manual seat. I've read a lot about the car and one of the features which drew me to the Accord is the rave reviews I've read about the seat. Unfortunately, I'll have to buy the 6 cylinder Accord LX to have the eight way power seat.
My question to you folks is, if you have experience with both seats, is the 8 way power seat that much better than the manual seat? Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to look at a model with the power seat while I was at the dealership. BTW, I'm just over 6'2" and weigh 190 lbs.
I'm also wondering if the dash lights can be dimmed. I seem to remember some discussion somewhere in which people said the dash lights were too bright at night. Does the car have a dimmer switch? Also, I believe the radio antennae is layered into the glass of the rear window. I live just at the edge of reception of most radio stations and am wondering if the Accord's antennae is as effective as a standard antennae.
The dealership I visited had Accords made in Mexico (didn't know Honda did that...) and Ohio. I didn't see any Japanese made Accords on the lot in the color I wanted (white w/ivory interior). Any info on American versus Mexican made Accords?
Thanks in advance.
h0udini
On the EXL, and I'd assume LX, the dash lights can definitely be dimmed, if not turned off completely.
As for the antenna, I've found this radio's reception outpeforms the radios I've played with in countless rental cars.
JD Power did release a statement that the Japanese built Accords are a little lower initial quality that U.S. ones. BUT U.S. built Civics beat Japanese built ones. So who knows.
As far as the recall...That's pretty minor. Not like a wheel falling off or an engine fire. Also it's for the CR-V. Not the Accord.
Also with a little GEE on the way, we are looking to replace the coupe with a 4 door. There's a Japanese built Silver EX-L NAV 5-speed at a dealership near us. We are contemplating it. Born-on-date of 12/02. We'll see.
Does the display also show radio/CD information when not in Nav Mode?
I'm currently looking at the Accord or the Mazda 6. Test drives on both won't take place for another 3-4 weeks as I'm currently overseas.
Thanks
if i remember right, jd power said there was a slight difference between us and japanese built accords...and that japanese accords faired better.
however, it was the opposite for civics...
for those of you who have ohio made accords, look at the bottom of the rear bumper and you'll see two tape marks (one on each side). while you're down there also check the bottom of the gas tank and you'll see overspray on it.
there are no tape marks or overspray with the japan made accords. not saying this is a quality issue but illustrates that the cars are not made in the same exact way.
Should I go in and insist they only do what the manual specifies? It is a lease car so I want to do what needs to be done but am skeptical about doing extra stuff.
Yes, you can see the radio/CD settings when in map mode.
Sooooo glad I have it.
Dealers in SF Bay Area charge $190.
It's a ripoff, but cheap insutrance come warranty time.
my budget is around 18,000-19,000 and i have checked a few cars out such as a hundai elantra gt VW golf, although vw reliability
has me concerned a bit. do you think for someone who is on a budget to get a honda accord DX stripped for about 15,000.00
i figure its a good way for someone who cant afford to spend 20,000.00 plus to get into an accord and still have a pretty descent equiped car like ABS brakes, cd stereo, power windows, double wishbone suspension, and that great honda reliability or should i get a honda civic lx for a little more money? is the accord that much better for me to sacrifice some creature comforts so i can get into a accord for about 15000.00 for the dx model with no ac and 5sp manual trans.
I have been reading mixed recommendations when to have the first oil changed -
3,750 miles
7,500 miles and some even suggested $10K! Any suggestions will be much appreciated as I have just reached my first $3K. Thanks.
personally i think honda is just asking for sludge problems by recommending 10k intervals...;)
clarify?
Many years ago, I did the exact thing you're talking about. I bought my first Accord, which was an '88 DX, to replace my '85 VW Jetta. The Jetta drove great but was not as well made as the Honda turned out to be. I know a lot has changed since then, but I would still prefer the Accord, even a DX, over the VW. The resale value alone will make it worth it, and you can always add AC and stuff later. BTW I sold my 88 to a relative and it's still running great with over 140,000 miles on it.
Personally, I would prefer the Accord over the Civic. My second choice would be a used Accord LX or EX, and then maybe a Civic. Good luck.
One more question for anybody:
On the Nav System, how many discs (are they DVD?) are needed for the United States?
Does it come with only your region, or are all regions of the USA on 1 disc (DVD?)?
Gee is so excited about being a father to be, he must be only half paying attention.
: )
same suspension set up as the other model accords refering to the double-wishbone set up. i heard that they dont which is why the dx model accords ride much more stiffer than the other models. any help here would be appreciated. thanx
The Accord has a lot more room and comfort than the Civic and has a bigger trunk(but no split folding rear seat just a fixed one), the Accord's 2.4 liter engine has much more power and torque than the Civic's 1.7. The Accord's larger size will give you a safety advantage, plus ABS is not available in the Civic LX even as an option. ABS does come standard on the Civic EX though.
I'm not sure if you would be able to endure life without A/C in your car. If you can get it as a factory option on a DX they go for it. Dealer installed A/C systems however are probably not as good and I would avoid them.
Another thing is cruise control. While I don't use it often it does come in handy on very long trips. I don't think the Accord DX has it. And like dealer installed A/C systems I would also avoid dealer installed cruise control systems too.
How much more is an Accord LX? The LX has pretty much every feature you could want in a car minus a moonroof. If its too much could you wait a few more months? It may be worth it. Or if a smaller car is okay with you then the Civic EX may be a good choice for its great list of features and standard ABS brakes. Take long test drives in both cars just to be sure.
Cheers, Kenn
For proper break-in, do not perform the first oil change until the recommended time or mileage interval shown in the maintenance shedule.
These are:
i4, normal conditions - 10k or 12mo
i4, severe conditions - 5k or 6mo
v6, normal conditions - 7.5k or 12mo
v6, severe conditions - 3.75k or 6mo
Since I have an i4, and do "normal" driving, I'm waiting until I reach 10k.
Some may disagree, but that's what Honda sez.
Regards, Bob
(1) Transmission problem: shift the transmission between forward and reverse for several times at wheel speed above 12mph, reverse stops working. This can happen when you stuck in snow.
(2) Intake air breather pipe: Weak hose clamp can cause separation of the hose from the engine which in turn can cause engine damage, reduce fuel economy. For CA vehicles, it can cause malfunction indicator lamp to stay on.
I do not believe this is the last recall. I am still waiting the recall for warping rotors. BTW, my Accord's VIN starts with a J and is assumed to be made in Japan.
Isn't that trick reserved solely for use in rental cars!!??
The J does indicate Japanese built.
Guilty as charged Pat. I have so many thoughts going on right now my head is about to explode. I deleted that stupid post (thank God for delete).
Cheers, from Texas!
I currently have a 98 Intrigue. Recently I have hit a moon crater pothole which knocked my allignment off so badly that even a regular allignmet can't fix it. All the of the adjustable components in the suspension can not be ajusted any further to compensate for the -0.2 camber degrees she is off on both driver side wheels. She also has a slightly bent rim-- which does not leak-- thank goodness. The damage is barely noticeable when driving, so I do not plan on putting any $$ to fix this six year old car with 108k miles... unless she fails inspection. I digress...
What are those things which you like better on the Accord than the Intrigue? Which are those things you liked better on the Intrigue than the Accord? I'd prefer this information from an unbiased person who has had much driving experience behind the wheel of both cars. Any insight would be helpful-- thank you
is that easy to remove and re-stick in a higher position?
got the car up to 80mph. no signs of stopping or being "tired" or "wheezy". some noise, but nothing awful. i don't see a dimmer switch for the dash board - is there one?
the one sort of unsafe thing to me is that since the guages are lit up even during the day, i fear i would forget to turn my lights on. in regular cars, you turn your lights on because you can't see the speedo without them on.
anyone had that happen yet?