Faults:

I just had the driver's side CV joint replaced when the boot broke open. Other items were replaced as normal wear. Tires, timing belt, battery, oil and filter, air filter, etc..

General Comments:

The only thing I would change about my car would be to have more horse power. It gets great gas mileage on trips.

I am impressed with the with how the car had survived in a frontal crash I had. It was about 5500 dollars worth of damage and I had no injuries. The hood buckled as it should. The inside of the car was untouched in the crash.

Faults:

The anti-lock brake unit went out at 76,000 miles and costed $1200 to replace.

Rust is already starting to form on the insides of the doors.

A/C has never cooled very well.

VTEC engine makes a loud ticking noise all the time.

Exhaust system recently went bad costing $350 for replacement.

Extremely annoying rattles in the dashboard.

General Comments:

This car is not all it is cracked up to be. The rust on this car is absolutely unacceptable, along with the poor A/C performance that Honda claims is normal. The engine is very noisy as well.

This car was close to $23000 new; people should not have to put up with these problems on a car this expensive. Honda obviously cuts corners too -- they didn't even put a stainless steel exhaust system on this car.

The interior feels dated for a 1996 also. Plus, the parts prices for this car are outrageous. In addition, 25 miles per gallon is NOT good gas mileage for a 4 cylinder engine (people keep claiming that this is good gas mileage). I have been thoroughly disappointed with this car. I expected much more from all the raves I read about this vehicle.

Faults:

The boot lock has broken (72,000 miles), though I haven't tried to fix it so I'm not sure how serious the problem is.

Went through a phase of blowing brake light bulbs between 55,000 - 60,000 miles, though grew out of it.

General Comments:

This car has been by far the most reliable I have ever owned. Rain or shine, hot or cold it has never even thought about letting me down.

The car drives very smoothly and comfortably. It's very at home cruising on the motorway but you can have some fun if you push it on the 'A' roads.

Dealership have always offered first class service, even fixed one of the windows free of charge after I broke it (using a cheap cup holder).

Paint-work is excellent, if it wasn't for the number plate and the newer model you would never guess its age.

It might have a bit of an image problem, old mans car etc. but most people know that they are good cars (why else would the old men buy them??).

Faults:

I purchased a part that would stop the "buzzing" sound from the exhaust system when the engine was running in the twenty to forty miles per hour range.

General Comments:

I recently gave my Toyota Camry to my daughter for a 16th birthday gift. I wanted to replace it with an equally reliable and comfortable car. I needed to purchase the vehicle in a limited time frame. I got a very reasonable price on this 1996 Accord EX.

It is a very reliable and decent car, but having the luxury of 3 months driving time to assess it, it doesn't hold a candle to the Toyota Camry. I frankly can't even believe that they group the Camry and the Accord in the same class of automobile. I would rate the Honda more on par with the Mazda 626. The ride is far rougher than a Toyota. The Accord rides like a sports car without near the "zip" of a sports car. The Camry is like riding in luxury. The Camry has a far more quiet cabin and has better acceleration.

If you want a car that will provide reliability and a decent ride, the Honda Accord is a very good option. However, if you want the next level, buy a Camry.