Although I almost immediately considered leasing my 1995 Honda Accord LX coupe a mistake — and still do — I had no such regrets about replacing it with another Accord coupe. Except one. More on that later.
Mostly, I was happy with the car I got in October 1998 because it was exactly what I wanted: an Accord EX coupe in an eye-catching deep maroon that Honda called Black Currant Pearl. So this one had all the goodies: moonroof, alloy wheels, ABS, VTEC, stereo with CD player and remote keyless entry. The only things missing were things I didn’t want: a rear spoiler and leather interior. I was still living in Phoenix and didn’t want to be leaving skin grafts of my thighs on the seats all summer long.
Another reason I liked this Accord better was because it took everything good about the ’95 and kicked it up a notch. Honda differentiated the styling between the sedan and the coupe for the sixth-generation Accord, and the result was striking, especially at the rear with taillights inspired by the Acura NSX. Hey, if you’re going to plagiarize, nothing wrong with keeping it in-house.
With VTEC, Honda’s Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control, the ’99 Accord’s 2.2 liter four-cylinder put out 150 hp, 20 more than the ’95 Accord’s non-VTEC engine. And you could tell when VTEC kicked in. There would be a subtle change to the engine’s note and a little more urgency in acceleration. Combined with Honda’s excellent balance of ride comfort and handling precision, this was the most fun-to-drive car I had owned at this point.
There was an alternate — some might say out-of-the-way — route from Prescott to Phoenix via Wickenburg on State Route 89 that was full of twists and turns going down the mountain, with spectacular views of the valley below. I drove that route multiple times and always had a blast.
By this time Honda had figured out how to properly cool a car using R134a refrigerant. It still wouldn’t turn the interior into a deep freeze like the Corsica’s R12 system could, but at least it could cope with an Arizona summer.
I’ve always named my cars, but I hadn’t really used their names all that much until this one. I have no idea why I chose it, but it just popped into my head: Pugsley, after the son in the Addams family.
Buying Pugsley was the easiest, most hassle-free process I ever had. Much as I love cars, I’ve never enjoyed the actual car-buying process (who has?). Auto-By-Tel (now Autoweb.com) made the entire process remarkably easy. I specified the exact car I wanted online, received a quote, and a few weeks later I picked it up at a participating Honda dealer.
At $22,115 including destination, it felt like a bargain for such a nice car that was truly best-in-class. There was no trouble terminating the lease early on the ’95 Accord because, if I remember correctly, I leased the ’99 using the same company, GE Capital.
Once again, I had an Accord that gave me no mechanical trouble. The one time the Check Engine light came on, it was because I hadn’t turned the fuel filler cap the requisite number of clicks.
But…
Honda paint, at least on Pugsley, was garbage. Black Currant Pearl was a gorgeous color, but the paint would nick if you gave it so much as a dirty look. There was no body-side molding for protection, so the doors on both sides rapidly collected nicks and dings — which were all the more visible on a dark-colored car. The clear coat also started to peel in spots. The paint on my ’95 Accord was still perfect when I traded it in.
Also, the alloy wheels must have stuck out further than the tire sidewalls because eventually, all four wheels were infected with curb rash.
Back to that one regret: No surprise, it was about money. I signed another lease because it was the best way for me to keep the payments manageable and avoid penalties for terminating the lease early on the ’95. The problem was, I decided to buy Pugsley before the lease ended. I bought it because I still loved the car, despite the crummy paint and scuffed wheels. But I hated that I was still paying for it.
I had no plans to replace Pugsley anytime soon. But circumstances suddenly changed, and I needed something else. Fast.
Opening photo: I loved driving the Accord on State Highway 89 from Prescott to Wickenburg / November 1998 near Prescott, Arizona.
Related Reading:
Classic CARmentary: 1999 Honda Accord EX V6
Vintage Reviews: 1998 Honda Accord – Blandtastic!
COAL: 2000 Honda Accord- Shades of Grey
I liked this generation of Accord far more than the generation that preceded it, if only for the trimmer styling. A fellow I worked with bought one of these on kind of a whim. He had owned a couple of Acura Integras and was suffering from a case of new car fever. The Acura dealer didn’t have a new model he wanted, and he decided that a red Accord EX coupe was the next best thing. It turned out that he was never happy with it. There was nothing at all the matter with the car, except that he felt it was too common and maybe a little downmarket from the image he associated with his Acuras (even though they were the smaller Integras).
That is a shame about the paint. I wonder if it was the Arizona sun that was the biggest factor in the failed clearcoat? And as much as I love dark colors on a car, they are much worse at showing dents and dings and paint chips than lighter colors are.
I had an EX-L V6 coupe in that “color”; it looked very nice….for the 10 minutes it stayed clean! OTOH the ’92 Honda VFR 750F I had in the same “color” looked very striking with it’s graphics and wheels. One of my favorite bikes, out of 73! 🙂 DFO
I think this is peak Accord coupe. So good looking.
A man I’ve known over 40 years bought a 2000 Accord Coupe EX V6 when it was 3 years old.
He still drives it and it has 366,000 miles. The automatic transmission was replaced at some point, and his has been repainted twice (dark green) but he won’t part with it.
I thought the were the second best looking- my favorite was the 88/89 with the pop up headlights.