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Comments
That said, I drive cars for 7+ years so the re-sale factor is not a big one for me.
Also, unless you are strapped for cash, why would anyone buy an '02 when a much-improved '03 is just weeks away?
People like Mr. Osler are whining about the hidden recalls not because of safety, but because he wants to continue to buy a Honda for the price it's charged in Canada, even though his country of origin (the U.S.) can afford to pay more for a Honda.
Honda is hiding recalls to crack down on that illegal practice. If you bought a Honda in the country in which you reside, you shouldn't worry about Honda's new tactic.
03 Accord is almost certainly a good car. I just wish it wasn't so popular as I don't like to blend in with the crowd.
And thus, he's crying foul when Honda ceates a move that wouldn't tell him the safety of his illegal car - a move that would dissuade the illegal practice to continue.
"What's more, tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of vehicles are being brought from Canada into the United States illegally as a result of a relatively loose border crossing. These vehicles are often stolen, were given salvage titles, had flood damage or have liens on them in Canada. In short, the investigators we interviewed both on and off the record indicated that the majority of vehicles coming across the border have some problem that makes their importation illegal -- and therefore subject to seizure from the current U.S. owner."
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/64615/article.html
~alpha
Still waiting for the big guns: Car & Driver and Road and Track. They should be out any day. Rave reviews there will mean tremendous demand for the vehicle and dash everyone's hopes of prices much below sticker for months or possibly even years. Take, for example, the new Inifniti G35. RAve reviews, selling like mad, the vast majority at or close to sticker. Likewise Acura TL, as I noted earlier. I suspect that after the Accord debuts, however, Toyota will be giving Camrys away.
Have you considered getting an LX 6? We got one of those...they supposedly are in shorter supply than the EX 6 but there seem to be plenty around at the bigger, but not smaller dealers...doesn't have climate control, sunroof or the 6CD thing but it will cut 2K off the price...i could have gotten an even better deal but my husband was going to start his foot tapping if it wasn't a one shot deal...what's the largest city close to you?? You might find others have gotten even a better deal...and if you find that to be the case...it might swing things back toward buying the car sooner...after all...you have to live w your wife and if the 02's are gone...the rest of the year is going to seem verrrrrry long...
The Accord will do well, no doubt about that. I just hope they continue to do well with this redesign. There are certainly somethings I don't like about it, but I could live with it overall. I know that I wouldn't be able to afford the EXV6, but could proabably afford a EX with leather or LXV6 if I really pushed hard for one. Now that would be a tough decision, deciding between the luxurious EX with leather or the powerful LXV6. I noticed that with the leather interior you receive the dual-zone automatic climate control this time around. That should be sweet. I wish a power passenger's seat was included with the leather though...I guess I ask for too much.
The styling is no VW Passat, but to me it seems to be an improvement over the current model. I still think the new Camry looks somewhat better, but the Altima and the Mazda 6 seem to be the segment leaders, IMO.
The interior is very nicely done and well thought out. I only wish the Altima's interior was as nice. The tilt/telescoping steering wheel seems like a nice feature, but I wish Honda would have used RDS with their radio systems, and as old fashion as this sounds, I will definately miss the cassette player.
Regards everyone.....school started back here yesterday...and boy did I hate to go back! That's what happens when you get out in the middle of May.
Well, we've now gotten an offer for around 21K on the '02, and may even eek out 2.9% financing on it... dealer was supposed to call back tonight and didn't... I'll keep y'all posted, but right now we're definitely moving toward the '02 V6 EX, and just paying off (i.e. throwing away) the extra $900+ we owe on our current lease to take advantage of the deal.
Irish- I like your point about the potentially loooong year! Made me laugh - have you met my wife?
Philly is closest and we've called all the dealers in the region, basically. I'm *fairly* certain we could get an '02 at the end of our lease. BUT, I'm not 100% certain, and I figure for all the pain and heartache, we're not going to get more than another $500 or so off the 21K price by December, IF there are even any '02s left by then.
So I guess we're reaching a decision. Good news is that there are two dealers close by, and we're taking each quote we get from one and giving the other a chance to beat it. Seems to be working to our advantage so far. Just waiting to hear back about the 2.9%... we'll see!
Thanks again for all the GREAT advice and info. Keep it comin'!!!
I want to get my wife an EX 4 dr 4 cylinder but want to hold out for the absolute best price. I bought my EX V6 about a month ago, and got a good deal, but not as good as you are getting. The thing was with that car, I wanted to get rid of my '94 Prelude before anything went wrong on it (not that there was any reason to think it would), and I did not want to settle at all for color. For my wifes car, I am only going to do the trade in of her 2000 civic if I can get an amazing deal, and there is absolutely no rush. I am just trying to figure out when is the best time to do it. I am watching some dealers inventory online to see if supplies are running out, and so far they don't appear to be. My target purchase date will probably be the end of this month, as that is usually the best time to get a deal. Unless there are still a lot of EX 4 cylinders left at that time, I may hold out a bit longer.
Several have asked about my preordering of a 2003 Accord. I got a great deal in writing of $316 over invoice ($2200+ discount based on 02 pricing--they have sold Accords for that price the past 5 or 6 years that I know of).From this Oklahoma dealer I have bought 3 cars in the past--they are ethical and forthright. Since I do not want to get beat up for selling or promoting a business here, you can email me at jcro3717@aol.com for details. My salesman told me that they would reevaluate pricing on September 8th once they see market demand upon actual release of the car or if they presell an extraordinary amount at this price. Personnally I would not sell the V-6 for this price so early but hey I got a 99 Odyssey for $316 over invoice before they went to MSRP in 2001. Many folks on the Edmunds forum flew over 1000 miles to nab those deals--not too good to be true.
INKY
"The '03 Accord, coming early September, is remarkably sporty (Honda really emphasized that aspect in the redesign) and has a luxury-car feel. The V-6 is a rocket, but the base four-cylinder engine is quite satisfying rather than a wanna-be engine. In fact, that's the great thing about the Accord. A mid-level LX four-cylinder manual transmission is a very nice car. It's enough nicer than the '02 to wait, unless you have an urgent deadline.
Camry's nice, but not fun. Taurus isn't in the same game, nor are GM models."
So, tell me again - why I should pay a premium for an early '03?
My mom got away with it (in spite of my warning) as she bought a 99 Alero 1st year. As of now she has had zero problems.
Design flaw. But only if owner maint. neglected from what I hear.
We all know that buying an American car all new design is much more a gamble than buying an new Accord. We all know that in about 3 months we will see running fixes for irritating woes such as the noisy shock, the loose wire and the poor engine seal. It is inevitable. You can bank on it, but I have had first month of first month vehicles many times and have never been burnt. All performed well but then again they were all Toyotas or Honda products. I expect, based on stats, that a first year Honda purchase of the new Accord is not a big risk.
INKY
Some people like to be first though, and that's fine with me. Some one has to bite.
Much of what's in the article has been speculated or reported elsewhere, but I still like to see it in C&D.
They've retained the control-arm front suspension and multilink rear suspension, and have not gone to struts. Both ends have different geometries, for better response and handling. Larger brake rotors up front, and wheels ranging from 15s on the base DX to 17s on the EX V6 coupes and 16s on the V6 sedans.
6-speed manual on the V6 coupe, providing 240 HP from 3.0 liters, up 40 HP from this year. The 4-cylinder develops 160 HP, up from 150. The automatic tranny is a 5-speed with both engines.
Quoted from the article:
>>"With plenty of grip from the 17-inch tires and excellent control of body motions, it all adds up to an exhilarating ride on a winding country road. You might even think of the two-door V-6 Accord as the reincarnation of the much-missed Prelude, althogh rear-seat room is far more spacious than the Prelude's ever was.
While driving sedately, we were awestruck by the silence, smoothness, and refinement that Honda has applied to this mass-market machine.
Overall, the 2003 Accord represents substantial progress on almost every front....this Accord promises to extend Honda's leadership in the family-sedan segment."<<
One final note from me. I've held off commenting on the style of the car because none of the web pictures I've seen have been clear or real enough. The photos in the magazine show the new design to be evolutionary and unmistakeably Honda. The sedan is good looking, if unremarkable - it is neither gracefully beautiful nor ugly. The coupe is attractive, but also in a middle-of-the-road kind of way that should neither offend nor inspire lust.
that said, moving on to reliability of first year designs. my experience:
Our 02 Camry has had absolutely ZERO build quality/reliability issues. AND its a US built sample. Our 00 Camry (Japan), 4 MYs into the design cycle, on the other hand, has had many interior trim pieces loose, a majority of them since its early milage. My point- model specific, its luck of the draw anyway. I feel that across manufacturers (ex. Honda vs. Chrysler) there is FAR MORE varience in your liklihood of obtaining a less reliable sample than there is across model years (ex 03 Accord vs. 06 Accord).
~alpha
Two wheel designs have been spotted for the sedan. A five-spoke brushed aluminum design and a seven-spoke painted wheel. No information is available to determine which wheel goes on which car. There are also two different cover designs (naturally given 15" and 16" wheel sizes). There are photos of the coupe with the seven-spoke wheels and a unique five-spoke 17" wheel.
If I were guessing, I'd bet the seven-spoke wheel goes on the EX-V6. That is the car MT was testing in its September issue against the Camry, which is wearing the seven spoke wheels. It seems somewhat illogical however, as the five-spoke design looks more expensive like it should be on the top car.
If its a GM/Ford/Chrysler, yeah, worry.
Look at how Ford points the finger at Firestone, and Firestone does the same thing back.
Apparently, Toyota tried to get cleaner emissions by employing a technique that ended up with this problem. I wonder why they didn't do it the way Honda does (VTEC).
I own a 98 Accord EX, now with 71K miles. Bought the car in October 1997 (VIN serial number suggests that it was one of the first 33K cars built. To date, besides regular maintenance, the following have been replaced,
- Tires (at 52K miles)
- Wiper blades (twice now)
- Headlamp (1, ~60K miles)
- Brake Lamp (1, 70K miles)
Only problem is that moonroof develops squeak if not lubricated regularly. I plan on getting the timing belt/water pump replaced at about 75-7K miles.
oops. that's redundant.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/020809-1.htm