OK, so my beloved A4 has stranded me one too many times and I've come to terms with the fact that it's time to trade. I've settled on an Accord for several reasons, primarily back seat room, gas mileage (4-cylinder), reliability and responsiveness. I am aware that this car will not compete with the A4 on the last point but I can't afford (to maintain or fuel) another Audi.

Anyway, I am weighing two quotes on EX-L 4-cylinders (no nav), one 2008 and one 2007. There's about 5K difference between them and the '07 was a demo car with 18K miles on it. I was taught to never buy a new car, but the price on the 08 is pretty spectacular and I am tempted.

Do you think the new body style and whatever new interior gadgets it has would make 5K worth of difference worthwhile? The 4-cylinder does not have a new engine, although the new engine in the V6 has VCM and might be worth a look.

Thanks for your input.

1/4/2008 11:56:45 AM

I kind of prefer the new body style as I think the old one just wasn't a very good design to begin with.

That being said, I think both cars lack the panache of the style used two generations ago, which to me is the best looking Accord still.

The coupe, however, I think is very nicely proportioned.

I recommend you also check out the new Chevy Malibu, as that cars design is cleaner (ironically).

1/4/2008 12:19:08 PM

Yes, I do like the new body style, just trying to gauge whether it's worth the cost differential. I can't justify too much $$ on a purely aesthetic change, unless it will be mostly recouped in increased resale value. The Malibu is quite nice and I understand it feels nothing like a typical Chevrolet, but am very leery about the long-term reliability.

Does anyone have an opinion on the new V6 engine? The EPA mileage estimates are 19/29/22 for the V6 (compared with 21/31/24 for the 4-cyl). Most of my driving is in-town and short commutes now, so am probably looking at the low end of those ranges. I'm not an aggressive driver (anymore ) so 268 HP is probably kind of a waste.

1/4/2008 12:52:58 PM

I have an 04 EX-L loaded with Navi and love it. I haven't had any problems besides normal wear (brakes, tires, etc.). I have the V-6 but I'm more of a V-6 person as my last few cars were V-6 and it was hard for me to downgrade. However the 4cyl is pretty peppy and quite comparable but I like being able to get up and go if I need to. I bought my car used and it hasn't lost much in depreciation. I do like the new bodies though and may someday buy another but I'm happy with my car. It's been reliable, sporty, and overall a good value vehicle.

The new Mailibu is sharp but I think you can get better value out of the Honda in the long run.

1/4/2008 1:18:34 PM

Malibu has a 10 year warranty tho

1/4/2008 1:24:03 PM

Way to be interested in some extremely boring cars.

1/4/2008 1:36:06 PM

whatever^ i think the government should make everyone drive honda accords...thats an example of where communism would work for everyones benefit

1/4/2008 1:40:32 PM

No need for the V6. Around town the 4 cyl will be fine. I'd say get the program car and save some cash. It still has the factory warranty and most problems will surface before then.

The VCM of the 6 cyl is ok, but kinda silly IMO for in town driving. On the highway where cruise control rules, it might be more appropriate.

1/4/2008 1:43:20 PM

I just bought the 2008 Accord EX (4dr, 4cyl - 190hp) about two weeks ago. PM me if u wanna know more specifics on buying experience (I can give u a referal that'll give you a good quote). I paid about $500 over invoice.

Drives great, just past the break-in period over the weekend. Good torque and smooth transmission.

One important thing to note about the new style ('08) is the entire car is bigger, especially the interior. So the extra $$ isn't only about the new styling, but overall a bigger interior room for passengers. I got the tan interior, has nice wood trim to it.

I was in your situation a while ago, in my old BMW 3 series with a tramission that was dying.

[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 1:56 PM. Reason : ..]

1/4/2008 1:52:22 PM

Quote :

"Way to be interested in some extremely boring cars."

I'm a mom, and probably old enough to be your mom - I think boring is a requirement.

^thanks for the input. My husband has a lot of contacts in the business and right now two are competing primarily on how much they're giving me for the trade-in. Good to know the 4-cyl is plenty; it has more HP than what I'm driving now and the accord has to be lighter. More interior room is good too.

I'm actually starting to get excited about a new car instead of pissed off. So that's a good thing.

1/4/2008 2:22:39 PM

My coworker bought one, he likes it a lot.

You really can't go wrong with an accord.

1/4/2008 2:24:22 PM

My mom has an 03 with the Vtac and its pretty damn peppy.

1/4/2008 2:57:07 PM

While personally I think the new Malibu is sharp as hell and worth a look, I'm not going to steer anyone away from an Accord (Dad has a '91 with nearly 200k miles that's still going strong). My opinion on your question is that, unless the larger interior is that useful to you, for the $5k difference, go with the '07. 18k miles is nothing and that's a big price difference if the other equipment is identical. Yes, the newer body style is a little more graceful, but $5k that you don't have to pay would sway the decision for me.

1/4/2008 2:58:29 PM

I test drove a new malibu, and it is well worth a look (v6).

1/4/2008 4:07:32 PM

^until 2 years from now when its worth >$10k

1/5/2008 1:34:06 AM

Unless the build quality is abysmal (which I hear GM has been improving on lately) this one won't fall into that hole. They're starting out with a good platform and did a good job on the design for once.

(Also assuming they don't sell 103921913929 of them to rental car fleets--you ever wonder why Toyota and Honda *don't* do that?? Helps with the image AND the resale.)

1/5/2008 3:27:41 AM

^good post...did ^^ mean less than 10k instead of greater than 10k?

1/5/2008 9:47:39 AM

I got the '08 4-cylinder EX-L - am kind of regretting not getting the navi/bluetooth package, but they didn't have it in the color I wanted and I'm sure I won't mind the lower payment. The interior room sold me on the newer model, since this will be the family-hauler for the foreseeable future.

Thanks all for your input, and if you want an '07, PM and I'll point you to a spectacular deal on one.

^^You know, I'd never thought about that - but you're right. I'm one of those people who will call around to rental offices to get them to guarantee me a Japanese car and they're hard to find. However, limited distribution to rental agencies might help pull in some people who wouldn't otherwise test-drive an American car.

[Edited on January 5, 2008 at 9:51 AM. Reason : dnl fouling up my ^^ again]

1/5/2008 9:50:40 AM

^^yeah...less than..oops

1/5/2008 10:03:45 AM

just get one of those portable navigation things.

btw how much extra was the navi package?

1/5/2008 10:06:55 AM

^^oh ok...figured

^^^haha oops

[Edited on January 5, 2008 at 10:07 AM. Reason : baonest fouling up my ^^]

1/5/2008 10:06:57 AM

About 2K, not really worth it, but I like the integrated Bluetooth with steering wheel controls. I'll live without it.

1/5/2008 10:09:11 AM

Quote :

"I'll live without it."

until that day when you need to speak to the nav system.

i love that feature.

the bluetooth phone thing is useless to me.

my portable nav unit suits me well for now though.

1/5/2008 1:12:20 PM

I just picked up a 2007 Accord 4dr 4cyl EX w/ 9300 miles yesterday and I love it. Got a pretty good deal on it. Plus, it's a Honda Certified so I actually get a better warranty than on a new car.

1/6/2008 10:35:43 PM

I have an '03 EX coupe, and so far, it's been pretty satisfactory. My fuel mileage is not as good as I want it to be, but I've never gotten less than 27-29, and that includes a lot of dropping the hammer. The K24A4 engine is really quite a work of art, in my opinion (but they're using what now? K24A8?), and it's very smooth.

In all reality, the V6 is overkill for most folks. When the hell are you REALLY gonna use it? And in reality, you will burn a bit more fuel. I'd have a seriously hard time keeping my foot out of it if I had a V6 car. And I already managed to pick up a ticket in the car I have; it cruises at speed VERY easily.

I do like the new body style, but seeing as how I paid about half of the price of a new one (granted it had 90k miles on it), I'll live very nicely with the older style. I have no qualms about getting at least another 100k out of it; by then maybe I'll be tired of it and want another car.

1/7/2008 5:33:14 PM

Yeah, the new body styles are pretty nice, but I got mine for 4000 less than a new one.

1/7/2008 10:00:47 PM

Quote :

"In all reality, the V6 is overkill for most folks. When the hell are you REALLY gonna use it? And in reality, you will burn a bit more fuel. I'd have a seriously hard time keeping my foot out of it if I had a V6 car."

true.

1/7/2008 11:52:16 PM