Faults:
Exhaust pipe behind the catalytic converter ruptured two days before I had to get it registered and emissions-inspected. Probably hadn't been replaced in the 10 years the car's been driving. Cost me $230. The bad part is that the pipe, an aftermarket one, isn't quite to the specs of the original, and my car sounds like it has a small exhaust leak, especially at 2200 and 3400 RPM.
Driver's CV boot started having a hairline crack (noticed randomly by mechanic). Had to get my brake pads changed at the same time, and my rotors were scratched up. Decided to replace front brake pads, front brake rotors, the bearings for them, and both front axles with all 4 CV joints and boots. $640.
Came with a rebuilt battery that died in the cold Ohio winter.
It died on May 3rd. Started fine, but wouldn't move forward at all and in reverse only with very high RPMs. Transmission fluid was gone. I emailed the dealership and they said I needed a new transmission (to the tune of 1800-3000). Emailed a transmission shop around here, they told me to fill up fluid and see what happened. Did that and it's been driving just fine ever since. Turns out that the mech who replaced my axles didn't put one in correctly, and fluid was leaking because the seal wasn't watertight. While I scraped up the money to get this fixed, I had to refill fluid a couple more times. Not something that went wrong with the car per se, but something to look out for when repairing at Honda dealerships (at least this one) - they wanted 3k to replace my transmission. I ended up spending 20 bucks on several loads of tranny fluid, and another 80 on the repair (which the mech will reimburse me).
I've identified 3 different noises that don't have an identifiable source. All occur only at speed and none consistently. They seem to be trivial in terms of mechanical problems. I also have 3 other noises, but they've been identified.
Both of my side mirrors have cracked housings, and the driver's side is cracked itself and doesn't angle properly.
One rear speaker is missing, and at least one other is torn (or just terrible to begin with).
My alignment's been screwy since the axle job - car pulls to the right.
The left rear door hinge is missing some plastic washer thingy, which causes the door to grumble when opened or closed.
The front bumper is sagging, but this may be related to a minor accident the previous owner had.
Exhaust manifold heat shield is cracked somewhere, and is making a train whistle-like noise when the car accelerates from a stop.
I once checked my oil and it was well below the "low" level, and though I double-checked immediately, it was fine 5 minutes later when I drove to the nearest repair shop and asked them if it was dangerous. It'd never happened before and hasn't since - just a one-time thing.
General Comments:
The handling is fairly precise, but I take corners very gently so can't really say. The acceleration is average for a non-sporty 10-year old mid-sized sedan. Its top speed is probably around 120, as I've gotten it to 90 and had plenty of pickup left. The braking is a bit weak, but again - it's not a race car. I get between 22 and 28 miles to the gallon, depending on how much of its 400-450 (educated guess) mile range is on the highway.
The seats are a bit stiff, but well-shaped and comfortable, and rear passenger room is quite adequate for mid-sized people. 5 people aren't too squished.
I'm 5'11" and it's just the right size for me in any seat. The seats are lower than most cars, which makes it more relaxing to sit in.
Controls are well-positioned and the interior is basic, but well-designed. My only significant issue is that the steering wheel doesn't tilt down far enough.
For a 10-year old car that's had 6 owners put 122k+ miles on it, it's in excellent shape, and only 3 trivial rattles/bonks/whistles is wonderful.
Visibility, especially over the nose, is excellent.
Road noise is surprisingly bad for an otherwise comfortable car. I've noted that I have exhaust noise issues, but there's a lot of noise from either the tires or the wind.
The suspension could be a bit softer, but it's not harsh.
The transmission, which supposedly is a manual transmission with a computer tacked onto it, has a slight jerk from 1st to 2nd, but is generally smooth.
The brake pedal is not as sensitive as other modern cars, though the brakes work just as well. This makes it easier to drive smoothly.
Aside from typical 10-year old problems, the reliability is excellent, and nothing unexpected has happened in the 5+ months I've owned it.
Overall, it's an excellent, if unexciting, car with a well-deserved (thus far, at least) reputation. It can be seen as either a comfort car that happens to be very reliable, or a reliability car that happens to be comfortable. Truth be told, I'm not entirely happy with it, but that's largely because it has an automatic transmission, and I'm not comfortable with a computer deciding how my car drives. I'm going to replace it when I can reasonably afford it, though I'm not unhappy with it for the duration. If I couldn't drive stick (or didn't care), I'd have no intention of replacing it until I could afford something new and completely different (like a BMW or Lexus). They've more or less stopped making stick-shift Accords, and though this has a fair bit of cargo room, I really want a station wagon. I'm more than prepared to replace this one with another Honda Accord (though a stick wagon).
