Faults:

- Transmission had to be replaced at 45,000 miles.

- Rack and pinion had to be replaced at 40,000 miles.

- TERRIBLE GAS MILEAGE.

General Comments:

Not a lot has gone wrong with the car for the most part, but I am just basing my opinions on what I have experienced with this car within the 15,000 miles I have owned it so far, with two pretty expensive repairs, and the most horrible gas mileage of any car I have ever owned since the early 70's. This makes me very hesitant to ever buy a Honda again.

Luckily with all that has gone wrong with this car, it all has been covered under warranty. But what scares me is that what if I didn't have that warranty, I would be out $4000 to $5000. But the part I don't understand is why would two major repairs need to be made on a car with less than 50,000 miles, and a HONDA at that.

The part that makes me even more furious is the gas mileage. Now take this into consideration before coming up with a smart answer about how I need to do this and that, and not have a lead foot. I am not a lead foot, I do a mix of city and highway driving, and anything that has to do with getting the best gas mileage has been done. Air filter, proper tire pressure, and not stepping on the gas. I have gotten anywhere from 13 to 19 miles to the gallon. Once I got 22, but that was driving up north straight going 65 mph.

Now I originally bought my Accord based on Honda's reliability, and also the great gas mileage they praise themselves on getting. But this is ridiculous. Come on 13 to 19 mpg, a four cylinder with just over 50,000 miles on it.

Originally I took it to the dealer to have them inspect it under warranty, to tell me why I am getting such crappy mileage. They said they could find nothing, so I took it to a mechanic to check it over, and they didn't find anything either. So I went back to the dealer and complained to the service manager about the mileage, and he said that is pretty normal to get that kind of mileage from an Accord. I just looked at him with my mouth open. I said why is the recommended mileage for this car in the twenties, and he said that is not really relevant, and you shouldn't go off of that. It is not accurate.

You know it's funny, because my son has a 97 Diamante with a 3.5 liter V6 with 90,000 miles on it, and he is a lead foot, and gets an average of 17 to 20 mpg, and gets 24 to 30 mpg when driving up north. It's amazing how I have a little 4 cylinder and no lead foot, and get less miles to the gallon than my son with a V6 and a lead foot.

And after a few months of owning the car, I took it in to Honda to look at something under my car. I honestly can't remember why, I think it was a noise. They said that they would have to replace the rack and pinion for $1200 - covered under warranty. And then a couple of months later I noticed a little dripping on the driveway, took it in to Honda, and they said I needed to have the transmission replaced - covered under warranty. They said that would have cost me like $3,000 something dollars.

It's funny, because my son made me go to the dealership and yell at the sales manager, and not the service manager on the last day of my warranty. My son talked to the guy, and they were willing to buy back the car from me for the same price I paid for it after I had owned it for 12 months, which was very generous and took a lot of haggling. Literally I told him I would put up a sign in my yard saying not to buy from them unless they do something about it.

Well when we went on the lot to look for a replacement, the best I could find was a 2004 Civic VP with like 20,000 miles on it. It was nice, but didn't feel as sturdy as the Accord, so I decided to bypass the offer and just keep the Accord and pray that nothing goes wrong. I just didn't want to go down in cars, and also was leery of buying another Honda.

So far for the last 6 months, I have not had a problem at all, just the terrible gas mileage. Which in the long run is really hurting my pocketbook. Does anyone else get bad gas mileage with their 4 cylinder Accord???

Other than the terrible gas mileage, and faulty transmission and rack and pinion, it has been a very enjoyable car.

Faults:

The routers needed replacing around the 40K mark. I though that a bit soon. No other incidences and no other wear and tear beyond what I expected for the number of miles I've put on this car.

General Comments:

My first Honda was a 1999 Accord that I leased. It liked it so much I bought the 2002.

The car performs decently enough even though it is only a 4 cylinder.

It makes a bit more road noise then I'd like.

It's very comfortable, has a spacious trunk and enough room for 5 people.