I payed $19,400 for my Accord EX AT back in February before I traded it in for my 6-Speed. It was a fun car to drive and had some decent "go." From my general understanding the 4-banger is also slightly underrated from it's documented hp/tq numbers, not overrated, which seems to be the case w/ some Nissans. If I were you I'd go for the Accord EX-L 5-Speed. It should be around the same price as the Auto-EX. IMO, the Accord has the best combination of near-luxury features, utility, and performance out of any car on the road right now.