6th Nov 2005, 17:42

I have a 2003 Honda Accord EX with the 4-cylinder. 43,000 miles and not a single problem to date. I did have a slight rattle in the headliner about a month after I purchased it, but the dealer took care of it. Have only done oil changes ever since. Great car, beautiful and luxurious interior, feels solid and the seats are the most comfortable I've ever sat in. I had a 94 Accord prior that went 250,000 miles with no major issues.

Perhaps I just don't expect as much or am not as picky... but I'm not going to lose my feathers over a silly rattle or two, and I especially wouldn't call an entire car (or manufacturer, for that matter) a heap pile because the interior has a few rattles! It's plastic!

19th Nov 2005, 23:55

From the Aug 11, comment on having issues with starting. Did they ever resolve this problem??? I have the same year and problem... Please respond..

20th Nov 2005, 17:42

Regarding the clicking... could it be your hubcaps? It sounds odd, but my car (NOT a Honda, but runs great!) made clicking noises that were very noticeable. Turned out to be the hubcap snaps that kept it in place.

24th Nov 2005, 20:06

I would consider KIA this car is great and don’t have any recalls. The interior is roomy too. Specially Kia Rio can mach and beat the accord V4 on the straight line for quarter mile.

28th Jan 2006, 08:14

Despite the financial woes at GM and Ford, I really believe the American automakers have come around as far as the quality of their products. Have any of you considered a G6, Malibu, or Fusion? They are light years ahead of their predecessors in quality, reliability, durability, fuel economy and safety. I originally thought they had finally matched the foreign competition in these areas, but from what I read here, maybe they've already beat them.

18th Feb 2006, 11:41

I am well aware that American manufacturers have come a long way in terms of build quality and reliability. Unfortunately, when shopping for a new car, the Honda Accord had the best interior of the bunch. The dash display is simply stunning, very attractive and upscale. Some of the materials used are a little on the cheap side, but this IS is a mid-priced family car. I bought an EX with leather, and I feel like I'm driving a more sophisticated luxury sedan. I traded in a 94 Accord with 240k miles (and still going strong!) and this car is light years ahead in terms of engineering, sophistication, refinement and value. Yeah, Honda cut a few corners here and there, but they improved A LOT more than they cut back. I've had absolutely no problems with the new one, although I do have some minor gripes (as did with just about every car I tried out) but I'll put up with them because I love the car... the seats, the dash, the cool LED gauges, the totally cool stereo controls and LCD display, handling, interior room and the impressive power and refinement of the new K24 engine.

23rd Apr 2006, 21:54

Saying you like the interior or saying the accord's interior is superior to american cars is all opinion. Seeing all this and then driving a new malibu, well makes you wonder a bit huh?

24th Apr 2006, 09:39

Wonder about what? How much will go wrong with the Malibu? How long before my interior falls apart?

Suggest you read the reviews here of Malibus.

24th Apr 2006, 14:06

Pfft. Don't even try to compare the Accord's interior to anything American. Especially in regards to quality and top-flight switchgear.

24th Apr 2006, 15:08

Well I don't know about the interior of the Accord compared to the Malibu, but I do know the exterior of the Malibu looks much better (especially the new generation), the Honda's just seem to be getting uglier and uglier, especially the civic. I checked out the reviews of the Malibu, 2004-2005, and they were rated quite highly, and I think the guy making the comment about the interior of the Malibu meant the newer ones. As far as the interior falling apart, I don't know what you are talking about, if you mean the headliners, they resolved that issue years ago.

24th Apr 2006, 18:13

Again, if Malibus are the epitome of quality and are so desirable why doesn't' Consumer Reports recommend them? Why aren't they in the Car and Driver top 10, or any top 10 for that matter?

24th Apr 2006, 18:43

There is a fatal flaw to the new Chevrolet Malibu's. The power steering intermittently goes out and there is a lose of power steering for a while, and it is worrying owners. Now, I am not trying to bash the Malibu, but this is a serious issue because Chevrolet does not know how to fix the trouble. It will not show up in new car reviews, but it is prevalent to the age of the car down the line; about 25,000 miles or so. This happened on a 2004 model.

24th Apr 2006, 21:39

Consumer Reports? Car and Driver? Do you ever buy anything because it appeals to you, or do you need to be told what you're supposed to like by a bunch of elitists? Seriously, what in the world does Car and Driver know about regular cars? What does Consumer Reports know about subjective issues like a car's interior? Car and Driver tells you that any car other than a Porsche Boxster or a BMW 7 series is a piece of unworthy junk. I drove a '06 Impala not long ago, and perhaps it was a top of the line model, but it had one heck of a nice interior, very tasteful and comfortable, and honestly nothing that a base model Honda or Toyota could touch. Of course that is my opinion, and I don't need to refer to a magazine to have it. Undoubtedly, others will have different opinions.

25th Apr 2006, 10:05

Consumer Reports is a nice thing to have if you are not a car enthusiast, or if you are a novice to cars themselves. They back up their information and ratings with statistics and numbers so that you can see exactly what they base their ratings on. Sure, my Ford wasn't recommended, but it's a fine car.

If you want a biased magazine, buy those "505 HP! A 66K Ferrari beater!" type. When they are saying that a car isn't a good choice because it's "Tires are not sporty." (on a Honda Insight!?), what kind of a logical reason is that to buy a car? (Buyer's Guide 2006)

25th Apr 2006, 10:13

Um, well, I look at cars on an individual basis and don't listen to the auto reviews as gospel. The Audi A4 was a classic example as all the autowriters love this car and I find it overpriced and lame.

That said, you have to wonder about the "quality" of a car that NO publication really recommends over the competition.

And Consumer Reports bases its recommendations on REAL OWNERS, not their own opinions. They love the Ford Focus, but its OWNERS said it was horribly unreliable, so they have never recommended it.