Is it ever a bad idea to buy a Honda Accord?
Yes.
It was a bad idea because I still liked the car I had, one that would be paid off in a year.
It was a bad idea because once again I settled for less than what I really wanted.
It was a bad idea because even 30+ years later, I can’t explain why I bought it. Actually, I leased it (another bad idea).
In my defense, the Honda Accord has long been the gold standard of compact/midsize cars. Jewel-like build quality. Anvil-like reliability. Plus, at least to me, the Accord has always been more attractive than the Toyota Camry and more engaging to drive. You can recommend an Accord to someone who cares about cars and driving as well as to someone who just wants the car to work with minimal fuss.
My sister Susan still had her ’85 Accord sedan, and it was still a honey. In fact, she named the car Honey (the champagne gold color was appropriate). I had really liked the 1986-89 Accords with the pop-up lights and sleek wedge shape, especially the svelte coupe that appeared in 1988. But I couldn’t afford one at the time, plus it had those horrible door-mounted seat belts I despised. The 1990-93 generation was a step backward, at least in terms of styling. The sedan was OK, but the coupe looked downright frumpy.
The styling for the 1994 Accord was much improved, especially the coupe. So in June 1995, I went to the Honda dealer, intent on a Sage Green Accord EX coupe.
That’s not what I left with.
As had happened before, the finance people said an Accord EX was more than they would finance on my income. The price for the EX was $21,000. That was $2,560 more than the LX, which they were willing to finance.
I should have said “No thanks” and driven off in my ’91 Corsica at that point. But I didn’t.
They showed me an Accord LX coupe in Sage Green. Instead of the sharp alloy wheels, it had cheap-looking plastic wheel covers. No moonroof. No VTECH. No ABS. The interior looked about the same, though.
I took it for a test drive, and I’ll admit the car drove beautifully. The 2.2 liter four-cylinder had almost as much power as the V6 in my Corsica. It was smoother. Quieter. The interior was light and airy, with material quality that was — no surprise — a step above GM.
So yes, overall the Accord was superior to the Corsica. But it wasn’t that much better. Nothing like the giant leap from the Excel to the Corsica. And certainly not enough to take on four more years of car payments.
The day after I brought the Accord home, I woke up with a serious case of buyer’s remorse. But it was too late. The payment cycle had been reset.
So I accepted that the Accord was mine. And it was a very pleasant daily driver with all the attributes an Accord is rightfully praised for. It was also an excellent road-trip car, making that same trek to San Diego, this time with my sister, my nieces and my Dad. Once again, my sister had a lead foot, but with the 4-speed automatic, the Accord didn’t drink as heavily as the Corsica did at 80+ MPH.
I discovered something else on that trip. When it came to air conditioning, GM had it all over Honda. This was in the early days of the conversion from R12 to R134a, and the Accord’s system was barely adequate for an Arizona summer. A meat locker on wheels this was not.
Other than the weak A/C, I did like the Accord. But I didn’t love it. Even though, in the entire time I had the car, not one single thing ever went wrong with it. Reliability is something you can appreciate. Respect. But it does not inspire excitement. Or devotion.
It might sound like I’m being hard on the Accord. But mostly, I’m being hard on myself. Because even though it was an excellent car, it is still the only car purchase that I consider a mistake.
Note: Opening image, my Accord, October, 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1996 Honda Accord LX – In Accordance With American Demands
COAL: 1996 Honda Accord LX- Looking Back through a Heather Mist
COAL: 1996 Honda Accord EX – Used but Not Abused
CC Outtake: 1996 Honda Accord Coupe – Forgiveness Is Love
This was an interesting read, especially for its honesty. How many of us really want to face it when we have made a mistake in picking a car? And if not a mistake (because Honda was almost never an overtly wrong answer) at least settling for something less than what we wanted.
You make me remember back to the 88 Accord my wife owned when we got married. She LOVED that car, and still remembers it as her favorite of everything she has ever driven on a regular basis. Me? I came to respect it but I cannot say that it made me love it, just as you explained with this one.
I also agree about the air conditioning – with rare exceptions, non-U.S. cars of that period just never had a/c systems that could stand up to the hottest, most humid weather here in the way that most American systems of the 70s-90’s did. Though the R-134 thing bit some American systems too, like the R*134 system in my 94 Ford van that struggled to to its job on hot days.
Interesting on what you say about A/C. The few times I use it in the summer I set it for 72 degrees in my car. So not meat locker cold at all. This is the Focus and LeSabre. Can’t attest to the 626 and Sable yet until I rebuild their A/C. Yet, concerning Japanese cars I rode in a lot of early 90’s Corolla taxis in hot Manila. Every single one I rode in I literally froze my ass off in them they were so cold. How the drivers handled it I don’t know since most Filipinos would consider a 75 degree day as quite cold.
Yes, EX was the one to get. Sorry you had to compromise.
A nice car in the end, you could have made a terrible mistake instead of a basic one .
I’ll never get why some brands simply don’t do the AC right ? .
-Nate
GDWRITER, if an Accord LX Coupe is your sole car buying mistake, you’ve enjoyed great success. At least, imo. And, without question, your nadir is much higher than mine. All props from me.
I’m friends with a stunning photogenic couple. They’re blessed with model looks. I can’t find them in crowds. There’s nothing about either of them that makes their faces unique. At fairs, nightclubs, any big concert, they blend into every crowd. I’m both embarrassed and frustrated thinking I see one of them, but discover that I’m seeing someone else that looks similar. There’s nothing unique about their perfect faces.
Perfection is boring. It is our imperfections that make us memorable and it is in overlooking and accepting those imperfections that engenders love. Saabs, Jaguars, Beetles, Triumphs, oddly styled cars, old pickup trucks, are loved. Perfect cars designed to be ignored aren’t. I want to be needed. Too many vehicles don’t need you. They’re travel appliances for people who don’t want a relationship with their cars. Like a double-queen room in a hotel, or another fast food item at a drive thru window, many cars are made to be sold in a monochromatic color, put in 200,000 miles with minimal effort and replaced by another boring-ass ride. Perfection can be soul-sucking.
Beware of any ride recommended by publications that have the heart of an accountant.
I wonder what the dealer would have said if you had said “Thanks but no thanks. Please be sure to call when you can get me financed in and EX.” I’ll bet they would have said to please wait a minute, let us check another financing source we have. And, you would have had the EX.
I think you were lucky. The higher EX payments might have been a constant struggle and ultimately a source of resentment.
I’m surprised that you think the Gen 5 accord is better looking than the Gen 4. I preferred the Gen 4 over the Gen 5, and equally to the Gen 3 (i like the gen 3 interior best).
I bought a 2000 Honda Prelude because Car & Driver recommended it as the best handling car under $25000. I had previously resisted many tempting cars from Honda because of dealer markup but this car had none. That should have clued me in. It was an excellent car but I sold it two years later at a loss because I never learned to love it. My other car was a 1993 Miata and that I could love. The Honda was quick, reliable, and it did handle well. But it had no personality. It seemed Cadillac quiet inside so I couldn’t fully engage with that VTEC engine. Maybe I should have bought a Civic Si instead. So I sold it and bought a used 1992 Miata in that limited edition yellow color that I had wanted and was disappointed I couldn’t get when I bought the 1993 new. And this one had a hardtop and air conditioning. Now I had a pair.
I once owned a 2011 Accord EXL. It was a very nice car and reliable. It did most things well, but nothing great. It did have some repair issues that I have never had on any other car. But, like the author, I never really loved it. It wasn’t a mistake, but I haven’t missed it at all. They seem to be over-rated cars. And GM does do air conditioning well; one of my current vehicles is a 25-year-old Chevy S10. Still blows ice-cold and has never needed any service.
Thanks for being so honest in your ownership experience. This mirrors what I’ve gone through with my current car, so I have a template to follow when I finally decide to type up my COAL series for submission. There’s just about nothing worse than the experience & feeling of buyer’s remorse after getting into a car you’d thought you’d love but have to learn to appreciate for what it brings. Did you get to the point of no car payments with the Accord? I’m definitely curious to read your next installment to see how this one finished up.
I’ve never bought a new car, or one that I couldn’t afford. No, my version of buyers’ remorse comes in the form of getting up the morning after hauling home a wrecked Taurus SHO I bought for the engine (the 3.4 V8), and realizing how much work I have to do to pull the engine (and any other sellable parts) before the neighbors complain – and how much work it’ll be to transplant that engine. But in some ways, it’s the same thing: a car payment you’ve stretched for means you’ve committed yourself to working more or forgoing something to pay it off. And if you don’t get exactly what you envisioned, that’s a lot of work. Same thing with following your dream of making automotive magic with Frankenstein parts – it’ll take a lot of work, and it’s anyone’s guess if the result is worth it.
Anyway, the cheap Accord seems like more of a let-down than the cheap Civic. You can forgive the plastic wheel covers (or painted steel wheels, like the 87 we had), cheap stereo, plain brakes (drums in the back with no ABS), and such on what’s supposed to be mostly basic transportation. At least the Civic usually had some spunk when you pushed it, unlike most big-three basic econoboxes. Meanwhile, an Accord without at least a few luxuries seems like a let-down, even if the materials are still solid. Maybe that car WAS perfect for somebody – maybe the guy who just wanted a Civic with a bit more space – but the greatest car in the world can be completely un-loveable when it’s not what the owner is looking for. Also, the financial aspect of it is huge. If a car is special enough, stretching may be worth it, but boy, if it doesn’t have that magic and you took a big bite with it… Especially if you’re coming off a car that’s working and filling your needs.
I think I’d find the Accord Coupe a bit boring too – and I’m an accountant.
There’s got to be some kind of ‘hook’ to make a car interesting – and 4WS and SH-AWD would be those, as long as you know how to exploit them. VTEC can be addictive – the Devil’s Camshafts. Honda Jazzes make me feel slightly depressed/disenchanted too.
Also, there is no ‘Ich kan alles machen’ car – even an Alpina B5 would not be as good as a Miata on a sunny backroad.
So one would ideally need several cars, According to one’s mood.
My wife and I married in 1984 and her 83 Mustang gave up (engine overheating and bad trans) in 86 with under 30,000 miles. We leased an 86 Mustang as Ford gave us trade assistance. As we came close to lease end, we looked at Toyota and Honda. Fort Lauderdale had so many dealers! What stopped us was simply this: after trying for an Integra, two different Honda sedans and one coupe and one Toyota, every dealer was sticker plus whether we bought or leased. Worse yet-while we looked at top trim levels, Honda wanted to bring us down to the DX! Meanwhile, Ford, Chrysler and GM were discounting and rebating all their vehicles.
The few well used examples of Hondas and a Toyota were amazing vehicles!
So I get the buyers remorse which we both had leasing that 86 Mustang with the 2.3. 4 cylinder automatic!!!
I had a 1995 Accord LX as my first new car and first car that wasn’t received at the over 100k stage. $16800 out the door. I’d wanted the Camry but I couldn’t stomach the $21k price. I hated that Honda. The dealer tried to scam me with over $1k in add-on fees in the finance department. My credit union took my side and got them removed with the threat of finance pulled. Like the writer, my AC was NOT up to the task of southern summers. Freeway speeds for a half hour on full blast and it still couldn’t keep you from sweating. The quality control was miserable. Driver’s door mirror vibrated into jello at highway speed, even after dealer replacement. The 4-cyl got 23MPG through the entire ownership, odd given the 30MPG I always got from my V6 Firebird with 160k it replaced. The cluster lens was too foggy for my taste at night lowering readability. The glass had tiny bubbles in most panels. The front struts squeaked from new. The valve train clattered like it needed adjustment (fine by dealer checks). The transmission redlined the engine before catching if you made a rolling turn at an intersection. A rental Accord they gave me while it was being repaired did the same thing and spooked me. They’d spent $13k on warranty repairs in the first year. I couldn’t wait to dump it at 15k miles. I had no faith it would be durable in the long run.