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Comments
You wanted to know where all the new 03 accords were at or were the owners just hiding them.
Were hiding them,we keep our babies in the garage, ha ha. No the car is so wonderful we keep them under lock and key. I have seen one other one on the road.Not sure what the deal is??
There's promises to be flurries later on in the week, will update you when the going gets really tough.
If the tires live up to the reviews, they should climb the gradient without too much trouble.
accord sales for october are above what they were last year...at least for our dealership. we had a record volume month last october overall, and are about to top it again this month. here in louisville, there are quite a few new accords on the road.
Remember for every time you go up a hill or accelerate, you much also go down a hill or decelerate. Don't fall for the hype!
The latest Consumer reports has a good test of snow tires.
Mileage:
two largely city + stop and go highwy: 27 MPG
one highway trip averaging about 75 MPH: 35 MPG
i'm very pleased with the above numbers considering the car isn't broken in yet.
How it looks:
- interior: first rate--best i've seen in a car of this price range.
- exterior: good--i was neutral on it at first, but i'm starting to like it more and more. always thought the front was nice. back is probably its worst view, but it's acceptable. profile is it's best view. nice seams and curves.
What's to like:
- very quiet and smooth ride compared to previous generation Accords while still giving decent road feedback to the driver.
- engine noise is amazingly muted for a 4 cylinder. granted it is 2.4 litres. but taching at only 2500 going 75 MPH on the freeway is very civilized.
- sufficient power in clean (SULEV), decent mileage I4 engine. i haven't been left wanting any more power in any situation yet. i fully expect to be seeing 38-39 MPG on the highway or 40+ if i can ease off and drive 65-70 MPH.
- silky smooth transmission. it continues to impress me as i drive it more...it shifts smoothly and doesn't call attention to itself on hills. i still love my 5 spd, but this is nice [primarly my wife's car] and i can finally stop complaining about how bad automatics are. [actually the CVTs i've driven are nice as well]
- solid brakes: i had to do a semi-quick stop yesterday [bottlneck on the freeway and a large truck in front of me without working brake lights!] good solid stopping and nice pedal feel.
- steering: nice feedback as is usual for Hondas and Acuras.
- interior ergonomics: top notch: everything is laid out where it should be [i'm used to the dumb Honda/Acura placement of the sunroof control with my 2000 Civic]
- nice climate control system: i like the 9 or so speed fan (like my Civics) which gives much flexibility
- back lit gauges are easy on the eye and not overly busy.
- very quiet and smooth operating sunroof
- handles normal windy road with confident control. it's not a sports car nor a super sports sedan, but it handles itself quite well. [far better than the Toyota Camry]. it's pleasantly nimble and well balanced [perhaps, the weight distribution with the I4 is better than the V6].
What's not to like (these are small complaints, but the car's not perfect!):
- one minor rattle that i haven't been able to locate. it sounds like foam rubbing against something (maybe in the headliner) i can ignore with the radio on, however.
- lame license plate holder in front: i've removed it. it's very flimsy and cheap.
- sunroof is very slow to operate [although very quiet as indicated above]
- lame fuel cap with retaining tether! [i prefer the normal cap...maybe i'll just snip that tether!]
- finicky glove box that requires firm shove to close it.
-visibility is only fair in the rear of the car. the back window is short, and i find the rear pillar fairly large and wish it were better.
-rear view mirror: i wish it were a touch wider. i'm used to being able to cover a larger range of the back glass with my rear view mirror and for some reason (maybe because this car is fairly wide), it seems the lateral coverage is a touch limited with the Accord.
Overall, a great car for the money. Not the perfect car, but for the money, it doesn't get much better than this. When i compared it this weekend with my dad's 1991 Acura Legend (which he paid around 30k for out the door), i can see how much value this car represents.
A bigger debate is whether you should use 5W20 at all. Many people feel 5W20 is recommended only for fuel efficiency and it may actually harm the engine. They recommend 5W30 or 10W30.
( silver & white )
so far since Sept.9 I have seen 4 new accords. When the new Camry came out last year, 2 months later I saw at least 5-10 a day. Could it be that people in my area ( New York / New Jersey ) are waiting for the Mazda6 or even 04 TL until buying their next mid-size ?
I think the new Accord is a nice car, not perfect but a little better than the Camry. well, in a few months I expect to see alot more.
i'm hoping to track it down before bringing it to the dealer. i know from past experience that they will throw up their hands and say "we can't find it" if you don't at least play a role in helping them find it. [and in some cases, they can make problems worse by generating new rattles!] fortunately, it's "almost liveable" since it really isn't perceivable with the radio turned on.
FWIW, after tracking down one sound/rattle in my 2000 Civic, it is dead quiet as far as squeaks/rattles/vibrations go. but from my experience, that is pretty unusual. [i'm very picky!]
The weather was getting warmer so the dealer told me not to worry about it since my warranty was about to expire - it was noted and if it came back they would take care of it. It never did!! Maybe you'll have that kind of luck.
As for comments on the Accord's looks.... people were saying the same things when the 98 Accord came out and the same things when the 94 Accord came out. Both aged very well. I expect no less out of the new Accord simply because it stays true to Hondas of the past. It's simple, nothing gaudy about it. There's nothing on it that screams "trendy".
When on the highway (over 60), though, it is a bit bumpy, which is strange. Has anyone experienced this type of ride on the highway?
I does NOT indicate other weights are acceptable. As a matter of fact, the manual says something along the lines of 'If 5W-20 is not available, 5W-30 may be used. But if is used, it should be drained and replaced with 5W-20 at the first possible time.
Of course, you should ask you Honda dealer what they are going to stick in your car. Mine said 10W-30 (I think, might have been 5W-30). When I asked about the manual requiring 5W-20, the service manager said 'Ok, we can put that in if you want it.'
I had the feeling, I better be standing there watching to get 5W-20.
I'm changing my own. And yes, Pennzoil for sure, and now several others are available in 5W-20, at your local Walmart and Kmart stores.
Because Honda's manual seems so picky about calling for only Honda products, I'm going to buy my Pennzoil and DelcoReamy filter 5quarts and 1 at a time. I'm scanning in my dated receipt and the filter and the front of the oil bottle. If Honda gives me any s**t, I think Delco and Pennzoil would love to give me help about their products meeting Honda specifications....
to follow-up:
-it's not the visors.
-rattle is heard whether the moonroof shade is open or closed [not louder when visor is open]. when the moonroof is open, there is no sound, but the rattle/sound is quiet enough that exterior noise makes it impossible to hear. [like i said before, it's minor]
- i *still* think its where the headliner meets the driver's door jamb but i can't seem to confirm that while trying to drive safely. one moment i seem to quell the sound by holding my hand against a certain spot above the door and then when i thought i had it, later in the drive this morning, i found it kept going even with my hand in place. sigh.
i think i'm driving my wife nuts (we commute together!): she said to just leave it alone! i think she can live with it. i'm trying to convince myself that i can, but we'll see how far my nerosis takes me. my fear is that that the dealer will make problems worse by taking apart the headline and trim, or create a new one.
i will try to investigate the moonroof more, but based on my limited evaluation driving home last night, the moonroof does not appear to be the problem.
interestingly enough though. i drove my 2000 civic last night and guess what: i think that car has the moonroof rattle! (thanks guys! =p) it is not audible with the shade closed, but when open, i can hear it rattle a little. is that the noise you guys have experienced? fortunately, it isn't audible with the shade closed and that car is still tight as a drum after 3 years and 29k miles.
thanks again for all of the comments.
Of course, it won't rattle when they drive it and it's possible to create another rattle while fixing the first one.
Often they will go away by themselves.
robertsmx: thanks for the suggestions. what kind of lube do you suggest for the seals and rails of my Civic's moonroof? any particular brand and type to suggest? [i presume this can be found at either a hardware store or auto supply store?]
otherwise, its a very quiet ride and great car. hope you're enjoying yours as well.
thanks.....
My Forester has heated mirrors, heated seats, and heating elements under the wipers, along with an outside temparature gauge.
The lack of those features, even though they were offered 1000 miles north made me feel like a second class citizen.
The Accord certainly looks promising, though. Hope to see one soon.