Seriously considering 2012 Accord 4dr EX-L V6 Navi

[hypervish]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Basic requirements were 4-door, automatic, 12yr-200K with zero drama (read: no unscheduled maintenance),

Remind me again, how does a 535ix fit this requirement?

+1, IMHO, I think you need to rethink this.

 

[BrianWC]

As someone who has gone back and forth between "fun" euro cars (2 SAABs and a BMW) and "boring" Hondas..., I think the fastest Acura or Lexus you can afford would be a good trade-off.

Of course, I just love the rank old smell of a 70's-90's euro car...

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Youre buying a car with navigation and other fancier doodads and think youll have 12/200k trouble free.

Get rid of all the junk that is going to cause problems. Electronic HVAC control, NAV, certain power functions, automation stuff, fancier stereos, etc.

AT is also a major liability for 200k. MT you just do PM on the clutch at some point and it is no big deal. AT beyond acquisition cost, the refurbishment cost is also far higher.

4 cyl MT accord is one of the top cars out there, IMO, and Im not the worlds biggest honda apologist by any stretch... But thats a car Id consider buying for the long run.


Interestingly a good friend is at 8yrs/190k on a 2005 Acura RL SH-AWD loaded to the the hilt with the daddy of all the electronics in the Acura TL, MDX and Honda. Trouble free except some minor issues costing less than $250 at the dealer.

I am really hoping this translates over to my 2007 Acura MDX tech overloaded with electronics at 100k miles currently.

He recovered from a relatively "simple" 2001 BMW 528i that pushed him over the edge at 125k once the CPO warranty expired.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Youre buying a car with navigation and other fancier doodads and think youll have 12/200k trouble free.

Get rid of all the junk that is going to cause problems. Electronic HVAC control, NAV, certain power functions, automation stuff, fancier stereos, etc.

AT is also a major liability for 200k. MT you just do PM on the clutch at some point and it is no big deal. AT beyond acquisition cost, the refurbishment cost is also far higher.

4 cyl MT accord is one of the top cars out there, IMO, and Im not the worlds biggest honda apologist by any stretch... But thats a car Id consider buying for the long run.


Interestingly a good friend is at 8yrs/190k on a 2005 Acura RL SH-AWD loaded to the the hilt with the daddy of all the electronics in the Acura TL, MDX and Honda. Trouble free except some minor issues costing less than $250 at the dealer.

I am really hoping this translates over to my 2007 Acura MDX tech overloaded with electronics at 100k miles currently.

He recovered from a relatively "simple" 2001 BMW 528i that pushed him over the edge at 125k once the CPO warranty expired.


Usually most electrical issues start to surface after about 10 years, especially in places that salt the roads heavily during winter. Once they do, all those doodads lose their luster very quickly. So I'm with JHZR2 on this one. Less is more when it comes to long term car ownership.

 

[Vikas]

Had my drive in E-350 4matic. Nice car overall but drove me nuts with its stupid cruise control stalk where turn signal is supposed to be :-( There is no master switch for the cruise control. The over boosted steering assist at low speed made it feel funny. Overall, this was the quietest car on the road but felt heavy and not as responsive as its competitors. I tried two 2010 cars on the lot and neither had the characteristics door closing MB sound. Without that sound, what is the point of buying an MB over anything else Seriously, do the door seals etc wear out that quickly? Or have other manufacturers caught up on the MB door trick and that is why I no longer felt the difference as compared to other luxury brands?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Coprolite
If it makes you feel better, they seem to have solved the HPFP issues....

... by introducing the N55 engine.


That's not why the N55 was introduced. it was to have dual vanos, the dual spool turbo and a few more MPGs (which at 28 highway, my 135i is very conservatively rated, as I get more like 32).

Knock on wood but no hpfp for me.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Coprolite
If it makes you feel better, they seem to have solved the HPFP issues....

... by introducing the N55 engine.


That's not why the N55 was introduced. it was to have dual vanos, the dual spool turbo and a few more MPGs (which at 28 highway, my 135i is very conservatively rated, as I get more like 32).

Knock on wood but no hpfp for me.

I said it half jokingly. I realize that's not why N55 was introduced, but it seems like there haven't been any HPFP issues reported with N55. Maybe it's just too early at this point and we don't have enough data. How long has the N55 been around? 1 year? 2 years?

 

[Vikas]

The car I was looking had the first HPFP last a whole of 4000 miles! They were dropping like flies in 2009 and 2010 time frame from what I have gathered.

 

[dblshock]

I bought a new '03 Accord 2.4 auto 158,000 miles ago..excellent value fun to drive with sporty tires..replaced a axle that was really the only unexpected repair otherwise just fluids (dino 7.5k oci) and brake pads..still has oem rotors. 27/34 mpg today and not any sign of rust.

 

[Vikas]

Please tell me more about Lexus GS350 AWD. On paper it looks a competent car but it seems to be not too popular. A 2009 CPO would be in my budget.

I would love to hear first hand report on this vehicle.

 

[SatinSilver]

I'd go back to the Accord, specifically the 4cyl EX-L model. Hard to go wrong there esp getting a great deal on one right now. Off the top of my head it should be $24k + tt&l.

 

[hypervish]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Please tell me more about Lexus GS350 AWD. On paper it looks a competent car but it seems to be not too popular. A 2009 CPO would be in my budget.

I would love to hear first hand report on this vehicle.


Check out http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-third-generation-153/, there is a ton of information available there.

 

[BigBuck]

Check out the Optima Turbo

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Join the club. I test drove an almost new G37 manual (330 HP) recently, and came away unimpressed as well. Or put it this way, I wasn't impressed enough to say goodbye to some $23K and my 10-year-old 530i.


Difference is that I have to purchase a vehicle.

Now I upped my budget but now I will need the vehicle to impress me even more!

May be some of you were right. I should just buy a vanilla 4 cyl Accord or Camry which I would have no expectation except to give 12+ years of reliable boring service :-(

One would think that buying something this expensive would give me joy and not "meh".

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
I do find it interesting that VCM is not present at Acura. When I was shopping SUVs, I began to prefer the idea of a MDX over a Pilot simply because there was no VCM. The Pilot forum reported issues with "shuddering" on VCM Pilots during deceleration and then lag on acceleration like the truck was in the wrong gear. I do believe I read that the next MDX would get it though.

Actually, it's the RDX getting the VCM. This represents Honda's confidence that, after five years of guinea-pigging their customers, they are confident they got the bugs worked out. There has been at least one TSB for pre-2011 VCM and Honda publicly announced new oil control rings and moly-impregnated piston skirts for all MY '11 engines (both 4 & 6). That said, our 2011 Accord V6 EX-L has been trouble-free but we only have 12,000 miles on it. I do not find the VCM engagement to be obtrusive but, it's not my DD. Oh yeah, 32 mpg on the highway makes you understand that there is a payoff for VCM.

One topic not mentioned in 8 pages (and you need to make sure the boss signs off on this), are the seats. Many find them to be too firm. My wife, for example, would never buy the car for herself for this one reason. Make sure the people who are going to drive it like the seats.

We got exactly $5000 off sticker ($30,180 to $25,180) and 0.9% financing on a brand spanking new car right off the trailer. It hadn't even been dealer prepped yet and had 2 miles on the clock. This made us rule out CPO. We find the White Orchid Pearl to be quite attractive on this car. It is very peppy, drives and rides great in my view. We just don't know what the reliability issues may be yet.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2


AT is also a major liability for 200k. MT you just do PM on the clutch at some point and it is no big deal.


Right...

I just did a G35 with a friend. Customer's bill was almost 2k for parts and labor. Parts were about $1500 of that. Most cars now have a dual-mass flywheel which costs over $1000. Reman automatic transmissions are even more expensive, but I would not say the difference is day and night anymore. Plus, this car only had 90k - and I suspect that on higher performance cars, clutch replacement will occur earlier and more frequently.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Coprolite
If it makes you feel better, they seem to have solved the HPFP issues....

... by introducing the N55 engine.


That's not why the N55 was introduced. it was to have dual vanos, the dual spool turbo and a few more MPGs (which at 28 highway, my 135i is very conservatively rated, as I get more like 32).

Knock on wood but no hpfp for me.

I said it half jokingly. I realize that's not why N55 was introduced, but it seems like there haven't been any HPFP issues reported with N55. Maybe it's just too early at this point and we don't have enough data. How long has the N55 been around? 1 year? 2 years?



I have one of the very first, and my '11 135i was built in June '10

 

[supton]

Is cheap to do a clutch--yourself. If you have to pay, then not so much. Labor isn't cheap, and I don't blame mechanics for what they charge (tools, lifts, heat, knowledge all cost money).

 

[Vikas]

Manual is not an option at all. There is no wiggle room there.

My younger is bugging me to drive Charger. I have no idea why he is thinking that it should be a contender. Our town police drives them. He keeps on telling me they are big and fast which is certainly true.

Accord, TL, E-class, Charger :- one of them is not like other

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Manual is not an option at all. There is no wiggle room there.

My younger is bugging me to drive Charger. I have no idea why he is thinking that it should be a contender. Our town police drives them. He keeps on telling me they are big and fast which is certainly true.

Accord, TL, E-class, Charger :- one of them is not like other


You should drive the Charger. The new ones are definitely a class contender, I wouldn't knock it til you try it.

 

[SatinSilver]

In the interest of full disclosure I'm a moderator on an Accord forum. I'd narrow the list to the Accord and Charger. Test drive one. Price should be about the same. I'm willing to bet the Charger is much more exciting and fun to drive. It maybe an easy decision for you.

I love the look of the Charger inside and out. The only thing I didn't care for is that the msrp stated it comes with a 7 or 8 inch info screen. But due to a parts shortage they put in a tiny 4 inch screen that looks way too small. Theres a credit for this but I think it would be better if you could bring the car back in and have the dealer swap in the larger screen when they're in stock. Esp when paying almost 30k for one.