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The reason I ask is that I just looked at the picture in the Edmunds photo gallery and the opening from trunk to the back seat area looks pretty small.
I suppose that when I go test driving I can take a tape measure along, but I just thought I'd check out the real-world experiences of any owners.
http://hondanews.com/CatID1000?mid=2004040160329&mime=asc
So from what I understand, the Accord is selling without the benefit of any major manufacturer incentives.
And before we start predicting that the sky is falling for the Accord, note that sales for the Camry dropped 9% in March as well.
The dealer told me that Honda was offering the dealers $400 incentive for the month of March but it ended 3/31.
So there are incentives!
I have sold a bunch of 2003 and 2004 Accords. Never once has anyone complained about the lack of a passenger's door keyhole.
People want five star side crash ratings but they complain about the width of the A pillar. I think I've had maybe two customers mention that. Most praise the visability.
Looks are so subjective. If the looks of a car are that distastful to you, why go ahead and buy the car and then complain about it?
We are, indeed, all different...
Strange that their website doesn't know about it... I thought the idea of incentives was to promote them, not to hide them.
Well, as you've seen, all Honda models except for the S2000 and Pilot are down from last year. Of course, Acura is smoking right now compared to last year with the TSX (220500% sales increase over last year!!!! Of course, they only sold one TSX in March, 2003, so that figure doesn't tell us much!) and the great success so far with the new TL, along with the continuing popularity of the MDX.
Although I haven't seen model by model sales figures, the news services are reporting that all Toyota cars are down from last year as well, but their truck and luxury division sales are keeping things positive.
Interesting to note that the Camry dropped 9% in March over last year, even with better incentives (0% financing or $1000 cash back) than Honda is offering on the Accord. Looks like passenger cars are slipping a bit for most manufacturers.
Mazda 6 is up 60%, which is progress, but with the poor sales last year, that's still pretty low volume (about 6000 units) compared to the segment leaders. They're offering 0% financing or $1500 cash back. Even with that percentage increase and the % drop in Accord sales, Honda still sells ~5 Accords for every Mazda 6.
Altima is up 22% with fairly high incentives on remaining 2004 models (0.9% APR financing for up to 60 months OR $1,500 cash back). I'm sure that the release of the extensively refreshed 2005 model is giving them some momentum there. I have to say that Nissan went a long way in improving the interior... it's definitely competitive in that area now.
Passat was down 20% with 0.9% financing as an incentive. The 2005 redesign can't come too soon for them.
Regarding the Malibu, all I could find is that sales are up, which is no surprise.
One can blame these drops on lack of incentives, but from what I've read the trend in Honda car sales is a matter of serious concern for AHM. It's the same situation for Honda in Canada. Apparently a major freshening is in the works for the 2005 Accord to clean up the styling.
Regarding Camry... although it's keeping pace with last year, they've had substantial incentives since the beginning of the year, so it's difficult to say that they wouldn't have struggled more saleswise without these incentives. One can only speculate. I guess I don't really understand how Honda could expect NOT to see sales drop when everyone else is promoting these big incentives while they're very quietly offering much smaller incentives.
The ironic thing is that other than in the very subjective area of styling, this gen Accord is by far the best they've ever made. And I'm fine with the styling, personally.
This incentive is to the dealer - these typically are not advertised. It allows the dealer to sweeten the deal if needed. Dealer incentives don't automatically go to the customer.
tires can be very finicky...you might try rotating them front to back to see if that affects the wobble...
How do we know this? Can anyone confirm this? Any "spy" photos yet?
The only thing I'd criticize is the quasi-grille opening which looks (to me) a bit too much like that of a Grand Am GT. But the side profile looks sleek, almost bullet-like and the taillight treatment is neat and kind of elegant compared to that of its predecessor. The sedan has often been criticized for looking like a Buick from the back -- but I used to own a Buick, and maybe that's the idea: To attract old buy-American guys like me who might never have considered a Honda before.
The Accord is sleek, smooth (almost no wind noise) roomy, comfortable, and the build quality is outstanding. The interior is great-looking and well designed, too.
The Camry is the Accord's closest competitor and I don't think it looks nearly as good either inside or out and the Camry is not an ugly car--just bland......Richard
Styling is not a problem for those who've bought the new Accord. It IS though for those who otherwise like the fact that the Accord is smooth, roomy, comfortable, refined, and a good value. So the only thing Honda can tweak is the styling to make it more attractive to those who for whatever reason don't care for the Buick look. I think people buy Japanese cars for (among other things) Japanese styling, not European Buick styling.
In the past Accord had more than its share of younger buyers and my understanding is that with the Buick look that is no longer true. It's the same problem with the Civic which with its evolutionary styling has seen a significant increase in the average age of its customers.
As regards the rumored major freshening, I recall reading that on another site that said the freshening would be coincident with the intro of the Accord hybrid.
but i'm looking forward to the hybrid.
The Camry I next tested had a smooth engine and automatic trans., but the ride felt sloppy-soft and the brakes pedal too soft. Also, the Camry is blandly styled and the interior very plain. The car was competent, but just too dull.
The Accord had the best of everything--tight ride and handling and superb engine and transmission.
Note, however, that if you want a cushy ride, get the Camry. The Accord is a much firmer-riding car, but I like that solid feel rather than Camry's mushy feel. Test them both before you buy if riding quality is a major issue........Richard
Actually, if they stick with their 5 year model cycle, I believe that the "refresh" year should be 2006. With the previous gen, it was new for 98, went pretty much unchanged from 99-00 and then had the refresh in 01. Same with Civic... new for 01, unchanged for 02-03 and refreshed in 04. Following that, the Accord, new for 03, should be mostly unchanged for 04-05 and have the refresh in 06.
Unless they do something different because of the introduction of the hybrid.
Honda made small changes to the Civic interior for '02, then changed the rear lights for '03, followed by a restyled front end in '04. I believe the reason they made these changes every year is because the Civic has been a sales disappointment for Honda since '01. To my knowledge, this is the first time that Honda has made visible changes every year to the Civic immediately after a redesign.
I expect that with Accord sales not exactly on fire, Honda will bite the bullet and do the refresh job for '05 coincident with the hybrid, instead of '06 as would be normally expected.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
There's always something not to like about a car. If all you have to complain about in the Accord is the rear view, it's doing pretty darn good for itself.
http://www.honda.co.jp/HDTV/news/2004-4040401a/index.html
If Honda could make this affordable it would set a new standard.
I had actually decided on an '03 Accord back in August '02 when they first showed up at my dealership, and then got sidetracked to the Camry, partly because of the press coverage of Honda/Acura transmission problems. My reasons for switching back to the Accord have to do with that illusive sense of being connected to the car while you're driving it, of actually looking forward to driving it, of feeling like the car reflects a little of your own values -- being an honest, no nonesense, and great value car. And also because I haven't heard anything bad since then about transmissions. My Accord is the 5-speed automatic, and so far, it's the best I've had in 40 years of car ownership.
And that's where my comment comes in regarding your question about ride quality. Again, richard38 has it - it's firm, but that's what I like about it. It's not jiggly, like the '02 Maxima I was considering (with a solid rear axle!), just taut, but it absorbs bumps just fine for me. I always feel in touch with the road. It's the kind of firmness I appreciate.
Are you shopping for a car? Good luck. Give the Accord a long look - it's worth it.
Make us Accord owners envy..
yes, the accord ride is somewhat less compliant than the camry. but to say it's too rough riding for everyday driving is absolute absurdity. its ride is one of its strongest attributes. well controlled AND comfortable. yes there is a tiny minority who will not like it, but no automaker can please everybody.
It meets all those needs, it is fun to drive and it has great resale value.
The tall sides of the accord and the extra height to the hood give some confidence that you are not going to go UNDER that SUV ahead of you - a feeling I often had in my 1992 Prelude. It's almost like the Accord is designed to drive alongside tall SUVs and give you a sense that you are crash compatible to some degree.
The upswept curve of the rear tail lights is the only odd detail to me. I think they might look better if they ran straight across and thinner, like the Acura TSX. But I don't begrudge Honda putting the better lines on the more expensive car.
Honda lost that jaunty, sharply-designed look in the earlier versions. Welcome to Toyota design.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I think the current Accord had to "thicken up" with a higher front structure and fatter doors to reach the high standard for safety it enjoys.
I don't feel as intimidated in my '04 Accord as I did in my previous car, a '91 Mazda Protegé which was an excellent car, but far less protective than the new Accord.
Considering that the streets are now dominated by big, obnoxious SUVs, vans, and trucks, safety is more of an issue these days.........richard ss