2005 Accord ... Should I?

My lease is nearly up on my 2002 Accord. I've been leasing accords for
8 years now. But this last one had some issues ... it needed a new
transmission (and even the new one is showing some early symptoms of
trouble). The brakes also wore down at about 25K, earlier than any
other Accord I have owned (though I can't be sure it wasn't my
driving).

I've been a loyal Accord driver for many years ... any reason not to
consider the 2005 model? Has Honda finally fixed the Accord
transmission problems?

 

Our 2003 EX V-6 has been flawless for 30,000 miles. No, take that
back. Did have a right-rear strut replaced under warranty last year.
It started leaking. Transmission is as good or better than any car we
have ever owned, including Mercedes. Love the car.

Dick

 

The early pad wear (on the rears) is a common complaint with the
current model, but partially is determined by driver habits. On the
other hand, it's easy to fix and the dealer has to make money from
something. Just another small part of car ownership. I had an '90
Integra that made it 105,000 miles on all the original pads, though.
Nice. My gf (now wife) also had a '90 Integra, but she burned through
pads every 30,000.

They've probably got the tranny problem licked too. Reportedly the
2006 mid-model change will revise quite a bit of the exterior -- that
would dampen my interest somewhat, but if your lease is up, ya gotta do
something regardless.

JM

 

Oh yeah, that reminds me. I did have something replaced under warranty
on the front end, some kind of stabilizer bar that was worn and caused
a clunking noise. I was wondering if this represented a trend in lower
quality for the Accords, or if I just got unlucky with my 2002...

 

I have seen no essential difference in quality between our '99, which
never went back for repair, and our '03 which went back once. Both
great cars. The '03 is just a lot "greater."

Dick

 

Our '04 Accord makes a crunching sound when going over speedbumps. The
dealer says it's a leaking strut and will be replaced. The sound started
when the car was a few months old. Everything else about the car was great.
Can you trash Honda quality because of one bad part?

Tim

:>>Our 2003 EX V-6 has been flawless for 30,000 miles. No, take that
:>>back. Did have a right-rear strut replaced under warranty last year.
:>>It started leaking. Transmission is as good or better than any car we
:>>have ever owned, including Mercedes. Love the car.
:>
:>Oh yeah, that reminds me. I did have something replaced under warranty
:>on the front end, some kind of stabilizer bar that was worn and caused
:>a clunking noise. I was wondering if this represented a trend in lower
:>quality for the Accords, or if I just got unlucky with my 2002...

: I have seen no essential difference in quality between our '99, which
: never went back for repair, and our '03 which went back once. Both
: great cars. The '03 is just a lot "greater."

: Dick

 

Who is trashing Honda? Certainly not me. If you actually read my
posts you will see that I love the car.

Dick

 

Early pad wear is a result of the TCS, turn it off and you will find that
the pads last longer and the car performs better.

 

How do you turn it off? It seems TCS comes on automatically when
needed, i.e. when the car is skidding.

I have on occasion turned it on manually when driving in slippery
conditions, but otherwise I let the car deal with it.

 

The TCS button turns it off.

 

Of course not. But I have been accustomed to NO repairs on 2 prior
Accord leases. The only time those cars saw a service station in 3
years was for oil changes.

But my 2002 was not so lucky, needing work on the front end, new
brakes all around, and a new transmission. That's why I was wondering
if this time around it might be worth considering a different car.
I've been way too spoiled with my zero problem Accords

 

When I press the TCS button the dashboard light comes on. So I assume
TCS is OFF by default.

The only other time the TCS dashboard light comes on is when I'm
skidding.

 

It will easily go three times that distance.

 

if i was in your situation, id consider a scion/toyota/lexus. theres
gotta be somthing in one of those brands thatll meet your
needs/style/price range. id still stay away from nissans or mazdas.

 

It's on by default. The light is a reminder that it is disabled.

The flashing TCS light means it is actively working on an issue (skidding).

Have you look in the manual? It is clearly spelled out.

 

Ditto that but how is the pricing of Toyotas (like Camrys or Tacomas) in
your area compared to Hondas (like the Accord)?

 

pretty comparable. no real dealing going on, like the "domestic"
manufacturers. one option if the OP likes the toyota matrix would be the
pontiac vibe. same vehicle, and GM gives pretty good discounts and APRs.
course, then the OP would have the stigma of driving a "GM POS". scion
doesnt deal, but theyre priced well to begin with. dunno what costco,
autobytel or AAA might offer on toyotas or hondas, but worth a shot

 

My GM POS went for 10 years and 100,000 miles without anything except an
oil change and a new set of tires. During that time I forgot the
dealership had moved!!

Hope my Honda POS does the same

 

My advice is to take a serious look at the new GM models for a few
reasons: Honda quality is in a uncontrollable spin due to high volume
requirements, GM has been topping quality lists lately, not the
Japanese makers, Honda insurance rates are skyrocketing due to the
teens with the civics, GM fuel mileage tends to be better than Accord
(Malibu, even Impala beats it - both nice cars). Right now GM, not
Honda is near the top of the quality satisfaction rating. In luxury
markets this translates to Cadillac stealing top three spots over
Lexus! Check it out for yourself: http://www.jdpowers.com

 

too bad its not a valid addy.

i did find these, though:

http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/jdpa_ratings/retained_value/RetainedValue.jsp?make=Chevrolet&model=Cavalier+Sedan

http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/jdpa_ratings/retained_value/RetainedValue.jsp?make=Honda&model=Civic+Sedan

http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/jdpa_ratings/retained_value/RetainedValue.jsp?make=Ford&model=Focus+4-door