Looking at new V6-EXL. What would be a good price to offer. Also are the rattles turning that some posters have reported turning out to be a consistent or sporadic problem? Thanks
I have an '03 ex-l and I only pay C$1150 for full coverage, $1,000,000 liability. The office admin. mentioned above is either at the wrong insurance company or has some past history that the insurance companies don't like.
People are getting the car siginificantly below invoice. I bought mine (a coupe) last month for $600 below, for $24,500 out-the-door. Depending on sales tax, actual prices posted on this forum start from $24,200 OTD (mine has 6% tax, and included a hefty $400 doc fee plus free trunk net, wheel locks, mudflaps and roof visor - all for $24.5k OTD). Hope this helps.
ok, so i'm very new at all of this car stuff, so i obviously need an answer in lamense terms, if possible. i was just wondering what all the differences are in the accord models (ex, lx, etc.). i love the older makes (1997) and was wondering what the "best" model would be? if the answer is too complex, please refer me to a website for answers; i already went to the honda website, and it only has from 1998 models until recent. thanx!
I paid Edmunds invoice (23675) +ttl a little over a month ago.
Also, I would like to comment on Honda quality.
Background: This is our 5th honda in 10 yrs. (84 prelude,94 accord, 95 odyssey, 99 odyssey). (also three motorcycles)
This purchase: The feature set is on par or better than low end luxury vehicles (3.2tl&ls300) which is what attracted me to Honda again. The price made the value proposition very good relative to those vehicles listed above. I have not seen any of the issues noted on this board with my 03exv6 no navi.
Further, let me give you some different perspective. This is our third time buying a first-year new or massive redesign auto from Honda. Being an engineer, it is pretty well understood that the first round of production always has bugs but Honda design/mfg quality has IMHO made their products very robust to this phenomina.
For the sixth time, honda has made me very satisfied with this purchase.
Things that really made me purchase this car -honda reliability (my history says this will be rock solid and low life cycle cost). I hate going to the shop. -Substantially improved feature set (climate control, steering wheel controls, great stereo, heated seats, awesome security pkg &remote) -Performance 240 PONYs and overall getup and go. It feeds my mid-life crisis needs... -Quieter than all previous hondas (road noise was the #1 reason I dumped my last honda) -better crash rating than my previous hondas
Nice perks -sliding center console arm rest -spacious center console box w/two levels -trunk opener on remote -windows-down with remote (I live in Houston) -dash lighting -LOUD and deep sounding horn -cd changer
Now, on to my nits; -this honda does not seem to start as quick as my previous ones-Yea, yea, I need some cheese with that whine. -my sunroof howls in the tilt mode (my first time for a sunroof, not sure if this is normal) -I would like the telescopeing steering wheel to extend just a little bit more. -no real good place to put my cell phone
I have an 03 EX V6. Two months ago, after a piece of steel fell off a truck on the interstate, I was rear-ended hard by a Ford Econoline van. I was at a complete stop, or almost there, and the impact sent me into the car in front of me. So I had pretty substantial damage in the rear, and damage in front as well, but only suffered a little whiplash. With that major jolt, my airbags did not deploy, as they should not have in this accident. So I am not worried about my airbags deploying over a pothole, as the poor guy a few pages back experienced.
I just got my car back last night, two months and $7,000 in damage later. Everything was the Ford driver's responsibility, which really was a shame since the police could not find the irresponsible truck driver dropping steel onto the road.
I was concerned I would be disappointed with the repair job, but everything looks like new, and I still do not have any pops, rattles or squeaks in the car.
I live in Phoenix, with the highest rate of car thefts in the country, and my insurance quote for our '03 Accord EX V6 was cheap comparatively. It was only $108 more than our '98 Dodge Ram with identical coverage, and over $200 LESS than our '96 Toyota 4Runner with far less coverage and a higher deductible. And when I checked the rates for a VW Passat which we were originally going to purchase, it was almost $200 higher.
This probably belongs in an insurance forum, but with the exception of Georgia, haven't most state courts ruled in favor of the insurance companies in diminished value cases? This was my first wreck, so I don't have any experience with this issue. I don't see the insurance company willingly handing over money for a diminished value claim.
I plan on putting a lot of miles on this car, so I hope diminished value won't be too much of a factor when I finally sell the car, but additional insurance reimbursement would be nice.
I have an Acura CL since Sept of 01 and have not any problems with the car. As for Honda having pressure to build cars that sounds like a cop out. It should always be quality first Honda for one knows that. If a car is not built correctly then it shouldn't even leave the factory. I am dissapointed in the new Accord because people are experiencing problems with rattling. A Honda Accord of the past has never been known to rattle.
They have also had interior rattles from plastic trim rubbing against various things. The moonroof is the most common, but there were others, so this is not a "new" problem with the 2003 Accords.
My aunt has a full loaded Honda Accord(00 EX V6) and I never noticed any rattles. She had an 84(built in Japan), I never noticed any rattles there either. On another note I wonder how CR's ratng of the Accord will drop due to the rattles. The Camry's rating dropped for the 02 model year because of rattles and slipped to average. It didn't seem to hurt resale value though.
and they tested the Accord as the second rated V-6 sedan behind the Passat. I really don't get this as the Passat cost several thousands more, less performance, worse reliability, and didn't better the Accord in any category except being one grade higher in fit and finish. Granted it looks better, but c'mon. Must have been the center rear headrest...
I am pretty much narrowed down to a couple of alternatives in new-car shopping. The Accord is one, either an LX or EX-R 4-cyl, and the other alternative is a VW product, probably a Jetta wagon. I like VWs, having owned them in the past. I have never owned a Honda but I find the '03 Accord a tough value to beat. The only other car also still in the running, but a longshot, is the Camry SE.
Any thoughts from owners or sellers on whether the extra stuff you get with the EX-R is worth the cost? I must admit, I like the idea of leather, and here in Canada that nice Redondo red paint is only available on the EX-R. If I were to buy a LX I would have to get one in Desert Mist since I don't want a black interior. I have seen that exact car on the lot and it looks fine too, even with the beige cloth instead of leather. I'm not a fan of plastic wheel covers but I could live with those. Any opinions?
I had a similar purchase decision. I was comparing the Accord EX I4 5M to the Passat GL 5M, the Altima 2.5S 5M and the Camry LE 5M.
I rated them as follows Passat Accord Altima Camry
I ended up with the Accord because the dealership did 2K better on my trade in than the other dealers did. I'm very happy with my purchase and have not had any major problems (only 5 or 6 small items for the dealer to look over).
Even though the VW was my top choice, the competition is pretty close between all of them. I would have been happy with any of them (The Camry was a little disappointing)
In the end $'s count; I'd go with the best deal on any of the top models you're comparing.
Regardless of you not noticing any rattles while you rode in Accords your Aunt owned, if you search through this message board and Google you will see plenty of complaints about Accord interior squeaks and rattles in the previous generation Accord. I have personally heard rattles in a 00 and and 02 Accord that took several trips to the dealer before they were finally fixed under warranty. This is not a unique problem with Accords (other than the rattling moonroof rubber seals), but they seem to have had more than their share of squeaks and rattles. This was not a big enough issue to affect resale value since many cars have bigger reliability issues to worry about than some squeaking noises coming from plastic interior trim.
Why did you not instead consider the Camry SE- it is much closer, I believe to the Accord EX and cars of such ilk. Also, why did you exclude the Mazda 6 from your group?
I can't speak for Ivan, but I can tell you that the Mazda 6 fell off my list very early on. I'm sure all the accolades it's getting are coming from those who want a sports sedan and not necessarily a comfortable all-around package. In my case it had a few too many negatives: a poor value proposition (just too expensive for what you get here in Canada), an interior (especially dash) that looked cheap and didn't appeal; nowhere near as refined-feeling; and a fairly cheap looking exterior on the base models (although the basic body design is good, I believe). If I wanted to spend more money and get one with all the extras it would be a more appealing car although I would have to put up with a harsher ride and those boy-racer taillights. But once you get into that price range it's up against a lot of more capable cars. Plus past Mazdas take a very big depreciation hit, and although you can't predict what that be with the 6, it is something to consider. Bottom line: For the money, I just didn't like it, and am surprised by all the praise it gets.
Get the Silver Accord 2.4L EX with black Leather and Navigation System! The MSRP is $26,160 so I bet you could get one for about $24,000 or better. It cannot get any cooler than the 7" Touch-Voice activated Navigation system in the Accord, which is the same used in the Acura!!!!! I drive a Lexus LS400, and if I were to buy a new car today, it would definitely be the Accord with Navigation!
I tested a V6 Accord yesterday to compare with the 04 Grand Prix GT I tested last week. Surprisingly the 2 cars performed very similarly in spite of the Accord HP advantage. I think the differene in torque is small which explains it. The GP is definitely a tad faster off the line but the Accord was a little zippier on the highway. Over all I'm a little torn between these cars. The GP looks a lot sportier and it's new clean lines are quite attractive. That said, the Accord feels a tad more refined. They are both new models so I guess either could have an issue.
I actually assumed I would like the Accord better but I was wrong. No one on the GP board has bought one yet (it just came out) so I'm lost.
You should test drive them back to back, not a week apart and it will be much easier to decide. They are not really that similar, so you must have some preference of what you are looking for as far as sportiness or refinement and resale value. If you are going to be carrying adults in the back seat often, the Accord is more comfortable for rear passengers and has more usable rear legroom. If you are going to be carrying large objects in the back, the Pontiac is better because the rear doors open 90 degrees, the rear seat folds down and has a trunk passthrough that is much larger than the Accord's and the front passenger seat folds forward flat on some models allowing you carry objects you might otherwise need a pickup truck or SUV for.
the extra money is, in my mind, very small the car is for the wife and she likes the interior color of the american built honda better just because it was assembled in Japan though, does that mean the engine was built there as well?
The new Grand Prix is better than the old one. I don't think it is going to have a bunch of 1st year issues. The Cadillac CTS didn't have alot of first year build quality issues(according to the CTs board on this site from what I have seen.) As far as headroom(the 02 GP my Mom owns)its roomy. The back and front seat is more than comfortable.
As far as the Mazda 6 is concerned yes its not the complete package that the Accord is. The 6 ia still a good car though. Its better than the Altima. Still like the 6 out of the competition though.
The headroom may have been fine, but legroom is an issue in the '04 Gran Prix unless the front seat passengers slide their seats up closer to the dashboard. It was a tight fit for the legs of adults in the rear of the 2004 Gran Prix. The Accord has more usable rear seat room and even the Pontiac Vibe I sat in the same day had a more roomy back seat for 2 adults than the '04 Gran Prix. It may have a bunch of first year issues, but you won't know until it has been out for long enough to see.
GP has a good dash and good front seats but the back is definitely a bit tight for most adults. I sat in one at the Toronto show. Accord has better rear seats for sure. Haven't driven an 04 but they look real nice and Edmunds gave the car a good first review.
webby : Kerr Pontiac in Oakville had 2 of them last week.
I have an '03 EX 4-cyl, and I noticed almost from the start that the passenger door doesn't have a keyhole lock to open it with. I'd guess this might well be true of all '03 models, but someone out there can correct me if that's wrong.
This is clearly not a critical flaw, because the most common ways to open the car would be (1) the keyless entry (but what about non-EX models with no remote?) or (2) mechanically at the driver's door. But if your don't have a remote, or the remote's battery dies, or the receiver for the remote signal malfunctions, and if accumulated dirt or a windy sleet storm has frozen the driver's side, then what? (Far-fetched, I know. Could still enter through the trunk, I guess.) I noticed the absence right away because someone went to use it! With the fancy keys being so ridiculously expensive, someone in the family is bound to wind up with just a valet key (no remote; much cheaper), and for one reason or another, people often approach the car from the passenger side.
Again, it's not critical, but it seems to be a strange deletion of a common feature that also acts as backup. How much money could it possibly save them?
My previous car was a '93 EX, so maybe it happened earlier than '03.
I would have considered the Mazda 6, but it wasn't available when I purchased my Accord (Oct of 02). The Camry just put me off when I got in it. I think the exterior is attractive, at least on par with the Accord, but I couldn't get over the interior.
The interior seemed very cheap, the doors seemed thin and the dash layout reminded me of a GM. The manual wasn't as crisp as the Accord and it seemed a little rubbery; clutch was fine. In corners it leaned way too much, though it did not loose control or traction. It just reminded me of a larger Corolla instead of a mid-size family car.
All that being said, the Camry wasn't terrible; I just thought the others were better. The Accord felt much smoother (engine & tranny) and seemed overall to be of higher quality (near the top of my list).
In fact never used the driver's side one either. I guess if we spent all our time worrying about what MIGHT happen we'd have quite a miserable existence. No hot water heater cause they blow up. No stove either. Forget a gas grill. Heck most cars have gas tanks too. That's dangerous.
I actually didn't think Charlie was too far out in left field with his observation/opinion. But I think after awhile one would realize that given the roughly 1% chance you would lose/damage your remote, you really only need one keyhole.
I think a more glaring oversight is Honda's dealer-installed alarm. If I'm not mistaken, if you have a Honda dealer-installed alarm, only the remote can disarm the alarm. So if you lose/damage your remote and have to unlock using the key, I think the alarm would go off.
Also, I think in about 3 - 5 years' time, all but the cheapest, cheapest econobox will have keyless entry. The next echelon of keyless entry will be like the optional system on the FX45 where all you need to do is carry a transmitter on your person. You won't need to press buttons, the car will lock/unlock when you're a certain distance away from it.
I could do without all of them. After years of remotes, I hate key entry. The only thing the key hole is good for is rolling up all the windows while turning the key two times and holding it there.
The cool thing about that is sometimes we leave the windows open accidently and dont notice until after I am out of the car and its locked. nice perk so I dont have to get back in and roll them up.
It's just me and my wife so I'm not real concerned about the back seats in the 04 Grand Prix. The fold flat feature and the wide open doors in the back are pretty cool actually, I've never seen those features on a midsize.
Perhaps I will do one more test of each. We have had an Accord in the past so I know they are good cars. That said, our GMC truck has been good also so I have nothing against domestics either. My big beef with the Accord is it less sporty looks. I kind of liked the last generation Accord better.
It is kind of strange that they don't have a keyhole on the passenger side. It's not a big deal though. These days I think everyone just uses the remote. Just be glad that if the remote fails or you lose it that you can still use the key to unlock the door. My dad had an Oldsmobile 88 back in the 90s where the master key did not unlock the door. It could only be used to start the engine. I learned that one day when I went to the supermarket. I didn't have the remote, just the master key. Stupid me assumed Oldsmobile would be a smart company and actually make a master key that unlocked the doors. So I go to the car with a cart full of groceries and discover the key won't unlock the doors or trunk. I bet GM did that on purpose so you'd be forced to buy a replacement remote and not just rely on the key. It's things like that which make me never want to buy a GM car.
Most cars I have had have a different key for the door than for the ignition. The ignition key gets worn less from use and also can be a stronger key with more pins while cheaper locks can be used for the doors might be the reason. I don't think GM did anything different than other companies have done, so it's not their fault. I'm sure they sold the car with a key for the ignition and a different key for the door/trunk. At least that's the way my 90 Cutlass was keyed. One of the best cars I owned.
There was no other key. The car came with two remotes, each with one key. That key only started the car. If you wanted to unlock the doors or open the trunk, you could only do so with the remote.
Speaking of dumb GM ideas, I knew a guy who had a Chevy Lumina that would lock automatically after a certain amount of time had passed from when you started the engine. It was winter and he started the car to warm up the engine. He got out and made sure to leave the doors unlocked. 5 minutes later he walked back to the car and discovered that it had locked itself automatically. Brilliant design.
Well, I'd say you are in the minority with respect to your opinion of the Camry's interior (though perhaps not here on the Accord thread!), but I respect your opinion.
However, you didnt really answer my question as to why you chose to drive an LE. Given your understandable dislike of its handling characteristics, and the fact the SE offers a stiffer, differently tuned suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, and larger diameter/width wheels and tires, I'm still scratching my head. The SE also has different interior trim, and moonroof standard, similar to Accord EX.
From where your preferences lean, the Accord was no doubt the best choice for you, and you will have many great miles from it- all I'm saying is to level the playing field next time. ~alpha
I have looked at the last 3 previous generations of Camry and the interiors are not as nice and functional as Accord's are(03 and previous generations of Accords.) I think the 98-02 Accord interior was the best Accord interior(bland but everything was put together in the right place.)If you look at the Camry I think even if you look at previous generations Mazda 626's the Camry interior is not even as nice as Mazda's. Just my 2 cents. I think the Corolla last generation and this generation have a better interior than the Camry.
Comments
Also, I would like to comment on Honda quality.
Background: This is our 5th honda in 10 yrs. (84 prelude,94 accord, 95 odyssey, 99 odyssey). (also three motorcycles)
This purchase: The feature set is on par or better than low end luxury vehicles (3.2tl&ls300) which is what attracted me to Honda again. The price made the value proposition very good relative to those vehicles listed above. I have not seen any of the issues noted on this board with my 03exv6 no navi.
Further, let me give you some different perspective. This is our third time buying a first-year new or massive redesign auto from Honda. Being an engineer, it is pretty well understood that the first round of production always has bugs but Honda design/mfg quality has IMHO made their products very robust to this phenomina.
For the sixth time, honda has made me very satisfied with this purchase.
Things that really made me purchase this car
-honda reliability (my history says this will be rock solid and low life cycle cost). I hate going to the shop.
-Substantially improved feature set (climate control, steering wheel controls, great stereo, heated seats, awesome security pkg &remote)
-Performance 240 PONYs and overall getup and go. It feeds my mid-life crisis needs...
-Quieter than all previous hondas (road noise was the #1 reason I dumped my last honda)
-better crash rating than my previous hondas
Nice perks
-sliding center console arm rest
-spacious center console box w/two levels
-trunk opener on remote
-windows-down with remote (I live in Houston)
-dash lighting
-LOUD and deep sounding horn
-cd changer
Now, on to my nits;
-this honda does not seem to start as quick as my previous ones-Yea, yea, I need some cheese with that whine.
-my sunroof howls in the tilt mode (my first time for a sunroof, not sure if this is normal)
-I would like the telescopeing steering wheel to extend just a little bit more.
-no real good place to put my cell phone
I just got my car back last night, two months and $7,000 in damage later. Everything was the Ford driver's responsibility, which really was a shame since the police could not find the irresponsible truck driver dropping steel onto the road.
I was concerned I would be disappointed with the repair job, but everything looks like new, and I still do not have any pops, rattles or squeaks in the car.
I plan on putting a lot of miles on this car, so I hope diminished value won't be too much of a factor when I finally sell the car, but additional insurance reimbursement would be nice.
Any thoughts from owners or sellers on whether the extra stuff you get with the EX-R is worth the cost? I must admit, I like the idea of leather, and here in Canada that nice Redondo red paint is only available on the EX-R. If I were to buy a LX I would have to get one in Desert Mist since I don't want a black interior. I have seen that exact car on the lot and it looks fine too, even with the beige cloth instead of leather. I'm not a fan of plastic wheel covers but I could live with those. Any opinions?
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I rated them as follows
Passat
Accord
Altima
Camry
I ended up with the Accord because the dealership did 2K better on my trade in than the other dealers did. I'm very happy with my purchase and have not had any major problems (only 5 or 6 small items for the dealer to look over).
Even though the VW was my top choice, the competition is pretty close between all of them. I would have been happy with any of them (The Camry was a little disappointing)
In the end $'s count; I'd go with the best deal on any of the top models you're comparing.
I have personally heard rattles in a 00 and and 02 Accord that took several trips to the dealer before they were finally fixed under warranty.
This is not a unique problem with Accords (other than the rattling moonroof rubber seals), but they seem to have had more than their share of squeaks and rattles.
This was not a big enough issue to affect resale value since many cars have bigger reliability issues to worry about than some squeaking noises coming from plastic interior trim.
~alpha
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I drive a Lexus LS400, and if I were to buy a new car today, it would definitely be the Accord with Navigation!
I actually assumed I would like the Accord better but I was wrong. No one on the GP board has bought one yet (it just came out) so I'm lost.
They are not really that similar, so you must have some preference of what you are looking for as far as sportiness or refinement and resale value.
If you are going to be carrying adults in the back seat often, the Accord is more comfortable for rear passengers and has more usable rear legroom. If you are going to be carrying large objects in the back, the Pontiac is better because the rear doors open 90 degrees, the rear seat folds down and has a trunk passthrough that is much larger than the Accord's and the front passenger seat folds forward flat on some models allowing you carry objects you might otherwise need a pickup truck or SUV for.
the car is for the wife and she likes the interior color of the american built honda better
just because it was assembled in Japan though, does that mean the engine was built there as well?
As far as the Mazda 6 is concerned yes its not the complete package that the Accord is. The 6 ia still a good car though. Its better than the Altima. Still like the 6 out of the competition though.
The Accord has more usable rear seat room and even the Pontiac Vibe I sat in the same day had a more roomy back seat for 2 adults than the '04 Gran Prix.
It may have a bunch of first year issues, but you won't know until it has been out for long enough to see.
in Hamilton says it will not be here for couple months?
webby : Kerr Pontiac in Oakville had 2 of them last week.
This is clearly not a critical flaw, because the most common ways to open the car would be (1) the keyless entry (but what about non-EX models with no remote?) or (2) mechanically at the driver's door. But if your don't have a remote, or the remote's battery dies, or the receiver for the remote signal malfunctions, and if accumulated dirt or a windy sleet storm has frozen the driver's side, then what? (Far-fetched, I know. Could still enter through the trunk, I guess.) I noticed the absence right away because someone went to use it! With the fancy keys being so ridiculously expensive, someone in the family is bound to wind up with just a valet key (no remote; much cheaper), and for one reason or another, people often approach the car from the passenger side.
Again, it's not critical, but it seems to be a strange deletion of a common feature that also acts as backup. How much money could it possibly save them?
My previous car was a '93 EX, so maybe it happened earlier than '03.
The interior seemed very cheap, the doors seemed thin and the dash layout reminded me of a GM. The manual wasn't as crisp as the Accord and it seemed a little rubbery; clutch was fine. In corners it leaned way too much, though it did not loose control or traction. It just reminded me of a larger Corolla instead of a mid-size family car.
All that being said, the Camry wasn't terrible; I just thought the others were better. The Accord felt much smoother (engine & tranny) and seemed overall to be of higher quality (near the top of my list).
No hot water heater cause they blow up. No stove either. Forget a gas grill. Heck most cars have gas tanks too. That's dangerous.
Oh well... Another case of "can't please em all".
I think a more glaring oversight is Honda's dealer-installed alarm. If I'm not mistaken, if you have a Honda dealer-installed alarm, only the remote can disarm the alarm. So if you lose/damage your remote and have to unlock using the key, I think the alarm would go off.
Also, I think in about 3 - 5 years' time, all but the cheapest, cheapest econobox will have keyless entry. The next echelon of keyless entry will be like the optional system on the FX45 where all you need to do is carry a transmitter on your person. You won't need to press buttons, the car will lock/unlock when you're a certain distance away from it.
The cool thing about that is sometimes we leave the windows open accidently and dont notice until after I am out of the car and its locked. nice perk so I dont have to get back in and roll them up.
Perhaps I will do one more test of each. We have had an Accord in the past so I know they are good cars. That said, our GMC truck has been good also so I have nothing against domestics either. My big beef with the Accord is it less sporty looks. I kind of liked the last generation Accord better.
I don't think GM did anything different than other companies have done, so it's not their fault. I'm sure they sold the car with a key for the ignition and a different key for the door/trunk. At least that's the way my 90 Cutlass was keyed. One of the best cars I owned.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Speaking of dumb GM ideas, I knew a guy who had a Chevy Lumina that would lock automatically after a certain amount of time had passed from when you started the engine. It was winter and he started the car to warm up the engine. He got out and made sure to leave the doors unlocked. 5 minutes later he walked back to the car and discovered that it had locked itself automatically. Brilliant design.
However, you didnt really answer my question as to why you chose to drive an LE. Given your understandable dislike of its handling characteristics, and the fact the SE offers a stiffer, differently tuned suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, and larger diameter/width wheels and tires, I'm still scratching my head. The SE also has different interior trim, and moonroof standard, similar to Accord EX.
From where your preferences lean, the Accord was no doubt the best choice for you, and you will have many great miles from it- all I'm saying is to level the playing field next time.
~alpha