I think age has a lot to do with it to. I would guess the thread starter is a fairly younger person. I know when i was younger i could drive a trash can on wheels and the noise and comfort level meant next to nothing to me. I'm probably considerably older than most at this forum, and at this point in my life this has changed drastically. Noise and comfort now are paramount and worth the extra cost of the car and gas. I have a 2001 Civic coupe that to me sounds like a jet and rides like the economy car that it is. This is why i'm at the moment searching for a deal on a 2004 Accord. Add to the comfort factor the extra power, the leather option, (which i'm getting) and all the other little perks like key with built in remote, alarm, steering wheel mounted controls for radio and cruise, etc etc, and i really don't see any comparrison. But again, the older you get the more important the accor's features become. hell, when i was younger i didn't even care about power windows.......now i can't live w/o them. (i realize civics have that, but just an example of how you change with age as preferences go)