so the point is, if you got the 25K or less go for the accord with
standard quality and everything, if you got the 50k or less go for
the bimmers or mercs. you know, imo honda really did well in their
2003 accord, even my cousins and friends who owned audis ,
bmws and benzs say they are impressed with the quality and
everything that im getting from my accord with what i pay.
as for comparison, the top of the line accord ex v6, imo, can be compared to the cheapest a4 , cheapest bmw 325 and the cheapest benz c-class. i say the cheapest of the 3 because if you got the money or at least the down payment, the most you pay for the most expensive accord is more or less 25k but with the 3 other cars, you can go well over 40k. money talks and it takes you to different dealerships.
one last thing cjamie, you are posting in a honda/acura forum, of course the replies you get will be in favor of them both and not the rest.