Faults:
45000 miles - Leaking rear tail light.
62000 miles - power antenna won't fully extend.
85000 miles - Distributor -defect.
99765 miles - rusted catalytic heat shield, sway bar bushings cracked, A/C freon weak.
General Comments:
My wife bought this car new with 16 miles on it. It has been dealer maintained ever since. Other than the high cost of dealer maintenance, we have no issue with the vehicle and have since sold my 1987 Chevy Blazer to purchase the 1999 new model Odyssey van. I would never buy a first year model vehicle in the past, always want to wait for company to work the bugs out.
This Accord EX has been the most reliable and responsive vehicle I have ever driven. I'm not sure where others have issue with the speed and responsiveness. We took this car with us to Germany and I drove the Frankfurt to Ramstein A5/A6 2-3 times a month and never felt out of place with the majority of traffic. I have had the car up to 110 miles with out effort and actually was not aware of the speed.
I have been recording the mileage since 1995 and have been getting a consistant 23 mpg combination driving. Straight out highway driving has seen as high as 28 mpg.
I am tall (6'1") and I fit alright in the cockpit. I do have an issue with getting into and out of the car, but my shorter wife is just fine with it.
I am comfortable with the gauges and control placements. The car warms up quickly and use to cool well. Now it needs recharge of the A/C or conversion to the new R134. I will probably have the A/C converted as I intend to drive the vehicle until I can teach my daughter and son to drive (6 yrs and 3 yrs respectfully) when they turn 16. (Well okay I maybe dreaming, but the track record kind of leads you to believe it.)
Another thought, in my area (Northern Virginia) I see this model year car all over the place. As a matter of fact a lot are the same color, green. That there are so many around tells me that when I do start needing used parts there should be plenty.
15th Apr 2007, 10:06
Good review, very thourough with a good feel for the product.