Accord Coupe vs. Altima vs. Camry vs. Volvo C30

[drewjp]

These are the cars my mom will most likely be considering when her lease is up next month. She won't have a used car, it must be new.

I personally like the new Accord Coupe, but the Volvo would definitely be interesting; they're not that common. I would like her to wait for the new Accord diesel next year, but I'm afraid she turned that idea down.

All of these cars would be the 4-cyl "luxed-out" editions, except for the Volvo, which comes with a turbo 5-cyl.

She will be planning on keeping this car for the long-term, and I will be in charge of the maintenance.

Which one would you choose and why? Just curious

 

[addyguy]

I'd go for the Volvo, b/c, just like you said, its different...can't really think of a better reasont than that!

 

[bfg9k]

Originally Posted By: drewjp
She will be planning on keeping this car for the long-term, and I will be in charge of the maintenance.

Which one would you choose and why? Just curious


How long is long term? 5 years, 300k miles, etc? Do you have any experience maintaining any of these makes? And by maintaining, do you mean taking care of routine stuff or doing significant DIY repairs? Volvos don't have the best rep for reliability so you may be doing more maintenance on that one compared with the others over the long term.

The Altima coupe is a pretty nice looking car. Of the bunch I'd pick the C30 since I prefer European cars and hatchbacks are useful.

 

[Steve S]

Pick the most reliable. It is for mom .Not the volvo

 

[CBDFrontier06]

Out of those choices I'd have to opt for the Accord Coupe. I waited with much anticipation for the Altima Coupe's appearance and was very disappointed. It's just not a very handsome car IMO. I know little more than what the car mags have said about the C30. They liked it well enough, but does it have enough room for Mom?

 

[ThirdeYe]

I would personally go for the Altima or the Accord.

 

[Quattro Pete]

How old is your mom? The C30 looks like a teenager, early-20s people's car, kind of like VW Rabbit/GTI. Nothing wrong with that, as long as she feels comfortable with it. And like you said, if she wants to stand out from the crowd, that may be a good option.

But reliability-wise, I think Accord and Camry would be a better bet.

 

[ChromiumSteel]

Go with the Accord. You will have peace of mind in the fact that it will never let her down. And it's sharp looking(coupe)!

 

[Max_Wander]

Turbo engines and mom's are usually a bad combination. The rest of the choices are basically the same. Choose your brand of vanilla ice cream Seriously, go with the the lowest payments. If your mom buys into stereotypes and has irrational, unquantified fears of uncertain reliability, choose either Honda or Toyota, regardless of price.

 

[Tosh]

If I were your mom, I'd pick the Volvo cuz it's cutest, fastest, and most expensive, and I'd want to spend as much as possible of my good-for-nothin' boy's inheritance. And why don't you ever visit? When are you getting married?

 

[Audi Junkie]

Accord Coupe is killa. I saw a nice clue one driving the other day.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
I saw a nice clue one driving the other day.

As opposed to all the other clueless ones out there?

I know it's a matter of personal preference, but IMO the current Accord coupe looks weak (sedan too). The 4th gen Accord ('90-'93) is still my favorite, both in sedan and coupe versions.

 

[H2GURU]

These are nice pickins' to choose from. I'm a big Toyota fan and since they recently changed the body style and you're in the second year of it (most bugs worked out)I lean towards the Camry as it retains the new "coolness" factor. That Accord sure is nice looking though! The Altimas have great styling when new, but Nissan changes too quickly and the cars look "old" before their time? Maintenance problems put the Volvo in last place. Try Edmunds "TRUE COST TO OWN" part of their website to assist in decision. Good luck and shop hard as these new car dealers are starving for business!

 

[01rangerxl]

The Altima would probably be a good choice. Reasonably priced, a little more interesting than a Honda or Toyota, not as common as a Camry... The downside to any Nissan is the overall fit and finish. Personally I think their vehicles have a cheap feel.

The Accord is a fairly attractive car, but also very generic. It looks like they took styling cues from about 5 other cars and just made a generic unoffensive midsize car. I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with the Accord, but there isn't anything particularly great either.

The Camry and Solara are painfully boring IMO. If your mom hates to drive, finds driving to be an annoyance, and considers cars to be appliances, a Camry or Solara would be perfect. Expect the dealer to be snobbish and the price they give to be set in stone.

The C30 would definitely be the most interesting choice, but will also be the most likely to nickel and dime your mom later on. In my experience, when Volvos reach 8-10 years old, they start having lots of little problems. Nothing big, just enough to be annoying and somewhat costly.

I think your mom should also look at the Mazda 6 and Ford Fusion. If she is dead set against an American car, then just the 6 since it is the parent of the Fusion anyway. The 6 is a really nicely sized car. They have very good build quality and materials and are just generally nice cars. They are a bit more sporty than what Toyota and Honda have to offer, and you may be able to get a rebate. Well equipped ones can be had for less than $20K, and loaded four bangers can be had in the mid 20s.

I think the decision should ultimately come down to the car your mom likes to drive the most. If she is planning on keeping it for a while, she should get something she can actually enjoy owning.

 

[dkryan]

I gotta second 01rangerxl's comments above!

However, I'd skip the C30. I just checked one out at the local car show. It ain't worth $31k.

 

[rjundi]

The one my mum liked the best.

I once bought a car everyone told me was "best", 1995 Civic coupe I absolutely despised. Yes it was reliable/trouble free and sipped (cheap at time) fuel. Otherwise the car did absolutely for me was very average if not below. I did not even like the way it looked.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
I once bought a car everyone told me was "best", 1995 Civic coupe I absolutely despised. Yes it was reliable/trouble free and sipped (cheap at time) fuel. Otherwise the car did absolutely for me was very average if not below. I did not even like the way it looked.

Haha... sounds like my experience with the '00 Accord. Bought thinking that all I need is reliability. It didn't take me long afterewards to realize, the reliability isn't enough to enjoy driving it every day. And it actually wasn't that reliable either.

 

[brianl703]

If you get the Camry make sure it comes with the box of kleenex on the parcel shelf.

 

[drewjp]

Haha, I do visit pretty often since I just go to school 40 min. away. I don't mind at all taking care of her(or my sister's) cars.

I'm going to make her test drive all of these before she makes a decision. Comfort and luxury trump many other attributes in her mind. She's coming from a Honda Pilot lease, and she really likes Hondas, so they're gonna try hard and keep her with them.

As gas gets more $$, I don't think she'll like filling the Volvo up with premium, or the average fuel economy with the turbo.

I know it will come down to the Altima Coupe or the Accord Coupe....I just know it.

The Pilot's had flawless reliability for the past 3 years we've leased it. Just oil changes, an air filter and fresh VTM-4 fluid.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: drewjp
I don't think she'll like filling the Volvo up with premium, or the average fuel economy with the turbo.

I was actually nicely surprised with my mom's V40 T4 (2-liter turbo, 200hp) fuel economy. In mixed city/hwy driving she gets about 26 mpg. It's a stick shift though.