Q. I'm considering a 2005 Accord. What is your experience?

Hi,

I think I'm going for a 2005 Accord LX, 4 cyl, 5 spd.
Does anyone have any experience with this set up?

Please advise
Thanks, George

 

Great car.

However, stick-shift may, in time, become an annoying burden if you do a
lot of in-town driving. Stick-shift will also make the car very difficult
to sell (for you or a dealer) come trade-in time. In a recent survey
barely 10% of the driving public claimed to know how to drive a stick. Of
the 90% who didn't, only 3% expressed they "might be interested in
learning someday".

To & from school and to & from work or the supermarket is one thing.
Earning your living behind the wheel (sales calls, service calls,
deliveries, investigative work, etc.,) or an unusually active lifestyle
and you may someday start to dread driving the thing.

Good choice of cars.
Bad choice of transmission.
I'd strongly recommend the automatic.

 

Thanks for the intelligent response.
However, I've always said 'my next car' will be a stick.
I insist on the stick for 2 reasons:

1) The certain fun factor of a stick (though realizing it eventually
'wears off' ).

and

2) I have definite plans for upgrading the bottom-end performance,
and would appreciate advice on how to best bring up the bottom end
without sacrificing the mid-range, and top-end performance.

With money being a factor, I intend to make all mods gradually, and
permanently. Every mod I make must complement the one made before.
Then, when I see how 'good it can get', that's it.

Please advise,
Thanks, George

 

Owned a 91 Accord with 4 cyl, 5 spd for 10 years, now drive a 2001 Accord
with 4 cyl, 5 spd, this is the best engine/manual trans you can buy. Yes it
will be harder to sell so you will be better off keeping it a long time.

 

I drove a 2000 Accord similarly outfitted. Loved it. Plenty of power,
and everything right where it needs to be--and incredible gas mileage to
boot. In the mountains in summer, with the AC on, I got 35mpg.
Incredible.

 

I own a 1995 Honda Accord EX with the 4cyl Vtec and a 5spd - best car
Ive ever owned. Im averaging 30Mpg in mixed city/highway driving.
Decent power and a real nice ride. I plan on driving it until the
doors fall off. And when they do, welding them back on and driving it
some more

 

I insist on the stick for 2 reasons:

A great reason to pick the manual. Make things fun when ever you can.

I'm curious why you don't consider the V6 from the get go. It is 20% /
$3000 more but if you are financing the car it should be less "out of
pocket" money (and probably less total money) than "do-it-yourself".

Oh yes, and do look at carsdirect.com for pricing before you talk to a
dealer. Dealers do deal, but only if you've done your homework. I got
them to match the web price at about $3K less than MSRP (nearly $6K less
than one dealer quoted). ;-)

 

Certainly the pleasures of driving a manual transmission vehicle are
lost on the majority of the US population, but so what? It is true that
the conventional market resale value of manual transmission cars is low,
but whether or not that matters depends upon the intentions of the new
car buyer. If you are a buy-it-new, the run it forever person this is
not a consideration at all. Also, ebay is a great way to sell a manual
transmission car as it is a way to reach the passionate minority which
likes to shift for itself.

I have put hundreds of thousands of miles on manual and automatic
transmission cars, and personally prefer to shift for myself anytime.

There is also the fact that modern Honda automatic transmissions are
trouble prone. The odds of getting 200,000 or more miles out of a
stick shift are much higher than are the odds of doing so with an automatic.

Fuel economy and performance are also superior with manual transmission.

I disagree.

I guess that makes you one of the crowd.

John

 

I always thought that driving stick improves you motor skills and response
time in day to day life. Maybe if somebody did a study, seniors who drive
stick for long periods of time would be more ambulatory and have better
reflexes? Heh, maybe a little!

 

At least our right arm and left foot (in North America), anyway. Get outta
my way, sonny, or I'll kick you with my left foot next time! ;-)

Mike

 

Thanks to everyone for their responses.

I GOT IT !

I found my stick Honda, at a good price, brand new.
It's the 4-cylinder (one of two stick Hondas on the lot, at 2 large
dealerships in the area).

For me, it had to be a stick, or no car.

The dealership I decided on, had only 2 stick Accords (like the other
dealership). So, I got the color I wanted (and not the black one,
though I don't mind black, for say a motorcycle, or something).

I am so charmed with my new Accord, I can't sit still.
I'm following break-in to a T, and not just for the 600 miles as
advised.

THE BEST PART IS: After I got it, I found others at work that have
one, or a previoous year's. NOTHING but praise on their longevity.
One person said they got 230,000 miles (If true, WOW ! )