Well, almost one month. As some of you know, I traded in my 2006 Honda Accord LX 2.4 with 132,000 miles for this 2012 Honda Accord EX-L 2.4 with 33,000 miles. This is the top trim level (minus navigation) so I am enjoying the extra amenities such as heated leather seats, premium audio with XM satellite radio, bluetooth hands free link, and a sunroof (holla!) The driving dynamics are similar to my previous Accord, however this one does feel more tied down and a bit more sporty. Braking feels solid with discs on all four corners, and the steering is nice and heavy. Road noise is a bit louder than I was used to but its not bad, and honestly I am already used too it. I expect MPG to be around 24-26 city, not sure about highway but its rated at 34 MPG. Since I am so meticulous about maintaining my car both mechanically and cosmetically I have detailed it a couple times and have been a little disappointed with the paint. Its not that its bad paint, its just not what I am used to working with. Its the Taffeta White single stage paint and it just seems to hold on to contaminants, unlike clear coated paint jobs that you can just about wash anything off with ease this paint just holds on to environmental fall out. One of the members on here is graciously loaning me some equipment and products to buff and shine the paint up with, so hopefully that will all work out, and I will be able to keep the paint in great shape thereafter. Overall I am very pleased with the car, build quality seems to be good, I like the styling, it has a well appointed interior, decent gas mileage, and easy to maintain. I looked at Camrys and Sonatas as well, but the Camry has a sealed transmission which I was not a fan of, and I worried about resale value with the Sonata. Looking back after doing some research on both of those cars I am glad I didn't go that route. The Sonata's seems to have a random issue in which the engine abruptly seizes, and the Camry's have a design flaw in the A/C system that allows water to pool and then stink up the cabin, as of now there is no fix for either of those issues. Unfortunatly my Accord does have the occasional grind noise on start up from the VTC actuator, Honda engineers claim its a non issue in regards to longevity of the motor so I will try not to worry about it, they are supposedly working on a fix. If any of you own this generation Accord feel free to comment and share your experiences with your car! I would love to hear them.
