2006-2007 Honda Accord

[Hokiefyd]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at buying a 2006-2007 Honda Accord. It will be at least an EX, and I'd love to have an EX-L, but it appears like the EX-L came only with the V-6 and 17" wheels. I drove one today and the ride was firm to almost choppy. But it had cheap Primewell tires on it also.

Any major pitfalls with an 06-07 vintage Accord, with the K24 or J35? Transmission reliability by then is by most accounts good. I know the J35 would have a timing belt service in the future, but I'm looking at ones with 35-45k miles, so that wouldn't be for a while.

Any particular areas to look for rust, etc? These are all Carolina cars, so rust isn't too big of a problem here.

Opinions please!

 

[bepperb]

Creaky clutch master cylinder on manual transmission cars.

Rear brake pads seem to wear out very fast compared to fronts.

Not much else springs to mind. Rust doesn't seem to be a problem. K24 is fantastic, J35 is old but still competitive with the exception of the timing belt service.

I'd buy one again. This might be the high water mark for the Accord, I wasn't too impressed by the 2008+ or really most other Honda products over the last year or three. With the exception of the Fusion there wasn't much I thought was a better fit for me, and the Fusion had worse mileage, less power, weighed more and the lower trim interiors weren't even comparable.

 

[The Critic]

The 06-07 were the best Accords made, imo.

I would go with the V6, but that's just me. Which car from your fleet will this be replacing?

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I would go with the V6, but that's just me. Which car from your fleet will this be replacing?


This will be replacing the 2011 Camry.

I got a trade quote on the Camry today from an Acura dealer at $17,000 with no negotiation. I only paid $16,800 for it new, 1 year and 14,000 miles ago. I know I could have talked them up another $500-1,000 on the trade, but even straight up, I've already broke even on the Camry in terms of purchase price.

The seats in the Camry have become uncomfortable to me. I used to like how it drove, but lately, the more I drive our Acura the more I like it, and the more I drive the Camry the less I like it.

I drove a 2007 Accord EX-L with the V-6 today (from the same Acura dealer). It drove smart, got out of its own way, and was overall a very nice car. As noted, the ride was almost harsh, but I think I can blame that on the Primewell tires. I need to experience more to know for sure if this is what I want to do. Agreeing with you, Critic, the 06-07 Accords seem to be the best Accord package out there.

 

[addyguy]

The 2.4/5-speed combo is unstoppable.

No comparison to this combo. The V-6's 'seem' hit-and-miss: expensive TB replacement, auto-transmission problems, some varnish/deposit issues....the I-4's just don't seem to have those issues.

 

[IndyIan]

Check the air pressure in the tires, I really really doubt they are over inflated, as I think its in the used car sales manual to always have them underinflated to hide rattles and give a "smooth" impression to the buyer.
Anyways I wouldn't count on good tires making any real difference to the ride, on 1/4" bumps some tires are better, but for anything bigger I don't think they make much difference. Maybe this car has much lower profile tires compared to your Camry?

 

[Hokiefyd]

It does. They're 215/50R17 vs. 215/60R16. To be sure, the dampers are tuned much firmer than a Camry's also, the ride was just a tad harsher than I expected.

The manual option is out for me. My wife physically can't drive it (injured left foot from long ago). That's why I had to get rid of my 5-speed Corolla.

I'd be comfortable with a V-6. Our MDX has the same family of engine (J35 instead of the J30), and my mother-in-law had the J32 in her '04 TL and has the J35 in her '10 TL. It's a honey of an engine to me, and short of possible harsh ride from the 50-series tires, it's probably my preferred engine. But I know the K24 is totally bomb-proof as well.

 

[IndyIan]

Maybe you can trade the tires and rims off the V6 Accord with the 4cyl ones from another car at the dealer? Probably you'll get better tires at no cost as well.

 

[bepperb]

The V6 coupe has larger rotors. The V6 Sedan should be able to take the 16 wheels.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Maybe you can trade the tires and rims off the V6 Accord with the 4cyl ones from another car at the dealer? Probably you'll get better tires at no cost as well.

Not sure if they still do that, but some years back, the 4-cylinder Accords had different bolt patterns than 6-cylinder ones (4 lug vs 5 lug), so you couldn't interchange rims.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Thanks for the continuing comments, fellas. All 7th gen Accords have the 5-lug pattern, to my knowledge. I will update this thread as I drive more vehicles. I don't remember my brother-in-law's 2006 4-cylinder Coupe driving this firm, but I will be sure to drive it a good long time when we go see him in Pittsburgh in July. If I don't have one by then already.

 

[Letter_K]

The 2.4L in the 2007 I have is a pretty peppy engine. It will get up and go really well with the plus of using less gas than the V6. My wife easily gets around 32 MPGs on the highway.

The ride is sporty and stiff, you'll feel the road in this car. Standard tires for my car were 60k Michelins. If I remember correctly, the Camry's ride was pretty cushy - a dealer referred to it as a "Japanese Buick."

The seats are a little hard and if you have a medium or larger build you may feel like the side wings on the back are a little stiff after a while driving.

 

[FirstNissan]

Sad to hear about you planning on letting the camry go, I remember seeing your post when you bought it, I think it was gold in color? I remember teh price was awesome. Surprising about the seats though, Ive been eyeing the camry as an upgrade for my wife's car for a few months now, havent driven it yet though.
Anyone else out there who dosent like the camry seats?

 

[Dave Hess]

My wife has a 2006 Accord SE with 5 speed trans and its a great car. I got a super deal on the car from a relative due to minor hail damage. Zero problems after 110K miles except regular maintenance.


Did your pinging problems have any added reason to get rid of an almost brand new Camry ?

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yes, it's a gold color. It's called Sandy Beach Metallic.

The seats were comfortable to me at first. Maybe it's a cheap material that has sagged over the course of a year or something. It's also not a power seat, and the seat angle is not comfortable to me. You can adjust the manual seat's height, but as it raises the seat, it also tilts it forward, which is absolutely uncomfortable to me.

Regarding the pinging, it was either never doing it, or I just don't hear it anymore. I've been burning premium fuel in it ever since, and the mileage is better (29-30 vs. 27-28), and the performance is better as well. The cost/mile is close to the same, but with the performance benefit, the premium is what I like in it. I've decided that even on regular, I must have been hearing something else because I've driven it a number of times with the windows down and I can't hear any pinging bouncing off walls or guardrails. The Taurus at work knocks heavily, and the Camry definitely doesn't sound like that, so I think I was probably hearing something else.

There's absolutely nothing "wrong" with the Camry. It just doesn't "fit" me like it used to.

I know the Accord will be more fun and engaging to drive. And at this point, if I can break even or even "make money" on the Camry, making a change is appealing to me. I would not do it if it was going to cost me any real amount of money.

 

[SLCraig]

We have fairly new Camry's as company cars at my work, and I can also say I am not a big fan of the seats. The ride in that car is unreal though, it really is like a "Japanese Buick". Doesn't mean I'd buy one though, I do not like the center stack in that car, it looks strange and toy-ish.

 

[fdcg27]

My mother has an '03 4 cyl EX, which is of the same generation.
My '99 is a fast appliance.
Her '03 is a much faster appliance.
A very quiet car, that corners well and has a firm but compliant ride, and doesn't make you long for a V-6.
An Accord does what you ask it to do, and never complains in the corners.
Fuel economy was very good on the trips I drove the car on.
I would recommend this gen Accord to you.
A closet sports sedan in the true Honda tradition.
A car that can be driven as though you have diplomatic immunity.
Or at least I thought so, until I earned my first speeding ticket in more than twenty years for a mere 85 mph just north of Mansfield.
Car had been driven that way for some hundreds of miles, and averaged well over 30 mpg.
Ticket cost ~$130.00, paid waiver by mail.

 

[Sayjac]

Own an 07 3.0L V6 Accord EXL with ~35k in Cool Blue Metallic. The color was a big factor in the purchase, like it!

The ride is definitely not Camry like. Tires are relatively low profile, and the ride could be described as sporty by some, busy by others. However, in highway driving the the ride is smooth.

Only extra thing I've done besides basic maintenance is have the front rotors turned. Was getting a pulsation in the pedal, and that was the fix. Fine now. Same thing happened on our 01 Civic but it was still under warranty so it got new brakes and rotors turned. Rear brakes wear a bit faster than fronts, but I still have plenty pad left. Runs well on regular gas, all I've used. Plenty of power for acceleration. MPG, ~22-25 around town, ~29 highway. About what it's rated. Might do a little better highway.

OE tires were [censored] as far as treadwear. Replaced at ~30k (worn out) with Conti DWS on a DT Grand Opening Sale. Took them back after 30 days because the flat spotting vibration was more than I cared to live with. I suspect the tire size exaggerated the issue. Replaced with Michelin Primacy MXV4, no apparent flat spotting and a smoother overall ride.

If you want a less sporty ride, you should go with the 4 cylinder with the higher profile tire. fwiw, glad I got the last of the 7th generation as the 8th generation does nothing for me, particularly the exterior. In my recent car search, a very brief ride through the local Honda dealer's lot is all that was needed to confirm my impression.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Replaced with Michelin Primacy MXV4, no apparent flat spotting and a smoother overall ride.


This is exactly what I'd have as well, the Primacy MXV4. How do you rate the road noise of those tires on the EX-L? Do you know if the EX-L has any additional noise insulation compared with other trims? I could certainly hear the tires on this car, but it was more of a smooth pavement howl/sing than a rough pavement growl. In other words, I think better tires would eliminate the sing and rough pavement didn't seem to be that big of a deal.

Despite my initial impression, I plan to go back and take another look at this one I drove today. It's been on the lot since April, so much of the unkept appearance may simply have been because of two months of weather grime. It's a local 1-owner with no accident damage (according to Carfax), so it has that going for it. Most other Accords I've seen at dealerships are northern transplants, which I have little interest in.

 

[rationull]

I've never driven one but I really like the looks of those final 7th gen Accords. If I hadn't been on as much of a fuel economy kick as I was and hadn't really liked the new 8th gen Civic when I bought mine in 07 I might've ended up with an Accord coupe with the 4 cylinder. The K24 is supposed to be a great engine.


One thing to keep in mind with the timing belt service if you're looking for a V6 is that there's a time interval as well as the mileage interval. A friend of mine with a low miles 2000 Civic got bitten by that a couple years ago. I'm not sure what the interval was in 06-07 though.