Hello all, I'm new to the board. I currently drive a 96 Legacy GT, which has put in 145k trouble-free miles, and I absolutely love it. It was recently in an accident, and there's a chance it might be totalled. It has side impact damage, nothing mechanical. I'm strongly considering IF my car is totaled, getting a 98-00 Accord. The reason that I'm looking at this car is for reliability and longevity. I love the styling, and I've heard good things about the way they drive/handle. My Legacy is a real driver's car, very confident and responsive, and this is very important to me. I've heard these Accords are tight and responsive as well. I spend a lot of time driving in the city but I also put in lots of highway miles, so I need a vehicle that has enough pep to support my city driving style while at the same time being very comfortable at high speeds (I cruise at 85 whenever I'm on the hwy, but it needs to be able to accelerate from there to well over 100 without thinking twice). The Subaru fits my needs exactly, and I'd buy another one except that there are known issues with the motor and such that I was lucky enough to avoid with this car but wouldn't risk with another.


So I'm looking for any input you all might have. I'd really like to know about known issues/failures in this generation of Accord, anything I'd want to look out for. If I go this route I'd want the top of the line sedan, which I believe is the EX V6, correct? Any specific info on this trim level? Budget is a major reason I'm looking at a Honda (I've never owned one before). I am a college student, and I had a Camry before the Subaru, both cars proved themselves to be rock-solid, and this is what I'd expect of any car I have. Also, due to my budget, I'd probably be picking up this Accord with close to 100k miles. From what I've heard, getting well past 300k miles from a Honda is expected, would you guys say I could count on this if well maintained?

Thanks a lot for your time and help.

 

Welcome to the board!

Yes, the Accord should be trusted to last over 200k abused and past 300k or so with perfect maintenance. My Accord V6 has 111,000 on it and feel like new, minus a slightly dampened ride. I need new suspension gear. But anyway, yes, the top of the line sedan is the EX-V6. It has everything you need.

As for acceleration, it is effortless in the AV6 (Accord V6). The car says 'NO' at about 120 with no passengers and at about 110 with 2 passenger and around 100 with 3. Acceleration at highway speeds is very quick, granted that you are in the VTEC range (above 3500 RPM), as sometimes you are a few MPH too low for the transmission to downshift to optimum gear and you're stuck for a second or two waiting for VTEC to hit. I absolutely love it. Not nearly as nice as the RSX-S I used to have, but certainly effortless.

The best way for you to tell is to drive it. I'd also consider the Coupe version, which looks great with a spoiler and the Honda underbody spoilers. There is a picture thread of 98-02 Accord Coupes with the Honda underbody kit if you feel like doing a search.

Only issues with the AV6 is a transmission failure that occurs in 1.6% of all V6 cars (documented by the NHTSA...the investigation on it was recently closed), but if the car is on its first tranny and is older than 30k it should be perfectly fine. Also, the EGR goes a lot...listen for a popping sound that sounds like early detonation from low octane fuels at like 2500-3000 RPMs...it's like a $200 repair and went at 40k on mine.

Good luck with everything! :thumbup:

Chris

 

My family have 01 accord 4cyl. only prob. was front wheel bearing was worn and started making noises..it was $150 fix and everything is fine since.. Tranny is kinda sketchy..I heard it self destructs if abused hard.
anyway, don't forget to look for alternative as well, but I bet you'll buy acc. in the end.

Enjoy shopping.

 

1.6%, which is low enough to get consumer report's top rating.

 

Theres a thread somewhere regarding issues on accords (a quick search might bring it up). As far as the V6 goes, like most people will say, they have come across tranny issues and such. The sunroof tends to rattle a bit. Other than that its an alright car....personally I didn't quite like the handling but if you're coming from a camry then you'll find the accord suspension a bit stiffer and more responsive. The car does tend to understeer a bit but that can be fixed with thicker sways in the back and maybe some lowering springs and stiffer shocks. The steering itself is more tighter than a camry. You'll enjoy the mileage if you get a 4cyl but the V6 ain't bad either....just that you have to use 91 or higher octane in the V6.

I prefer the coupe interior better than the sedan as the leather in the coupes look much much nicer than the sedans...IMO...the sedan leather looks very cheap and almost Vinyl likeh:

For city driving the accord is a very nice car to have but I feel it needs more pep on the highway....the grunt/push/acceleration dissapears just above 80mph in the ones I've had a chance to ride in (they were bone stock v6s).

If your budget is an EX V6 sedan, then I might suggest that you look into the 02 maximas as well....there are some really good deals on them and since the new maxima just came out, the prices have dropped dramatically on those cars. I had a chance to take out an 02 SE maxima and was quite impressed with its road manners and power. You can't go wrong with 255 HP and around 246 torque.....something that honda engines in the 6th generation (98-02) lacked. The interior may not be as nice as the accords but I think its ok. As a student myself I'd be more than happy if I had a maxima. What impressed me most was the amount of pull that it has all the way to 120 mph. I don't know much about the reliability issues for the maxima but I'm thinking you can't go wrong with the VQ35DE (?) which seems to be the powerplant of choice in the majority of their lineup. Gas mileage isn't as great - 21/26 as compared to the accords 23/30. Lastly the one I tested was on sale for $15,000 with 67k on the clock.

I hope my review hasn't deterred you from going with Honda but I felt it's best to keep your options open especially when you mentioned highway pickup speed was of certain importance to your needs.

 

Just to clarify, I'm coming from a Legacy GT, not a Camry, so I would imagine I'm taking a step down handling-wise, by getting into an Accord.

 

Oops!....my mistake.h:

 

I've had absolutely no problems with my 99 I4 sedan. 60K miles strong. It's been a great car, and with proper modification can really handle pretty well. Great car.

 

What the hell are you talking about? The V6's suggested fuel is 87 octane

The Accord should handle about the same as the Legacy if you buy stickier tires. The Accord's stock tires are absolutely horrid.

My V6 gets 26.5MPG all around, 95% highway driving at 80-85 MPH.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. You really think the Accord could match the Legacy's handling with good tires? I've gotten very used to the AWD, and I just wouldn't expect a FWD car to compare all that well. I guess I'll find out when I drive one.

I'm kind of wondering now if I'm thinking in the right range about prices. I haven't done a whole lot of research in this area, but what would you guys expect to pay for a 98-00 V6 EX sedan, with say 50-100k miles. Kind of a broad range there, but I'm just looking for ballparks, to see if this vehicle is really an option. Thanks.