Anyone else dissapointed by Honda cars?

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I too think Honda and Toyota are and have been resting on their reputation for quality too long now, the cracks in the sterling reputation are really starting to show, and have been since around 2000 or so with Honda specifically.
 
Fiancee's 09 Honda Fit Sport 5AT is a nice little car. 100% Japan-made, so it's as Honda as Honda gets. It's a ball of fun to drive, the few times she's let me drive it. Does corners pretty well, even with strut front and twist-beam rear suspension. Then again, it's a 2600 lb car, I'd expect it to corner well.

Gripes so far include a cloudy foglight, chip-prone paint, and a wildly inaccurate MPG gauge. Undercoated the rear wheel wells to prevent premature rusting, and thinking of doing the rest of the car, as the factory sealant is sparingly applied. Also, the interior is comprised entirely of hard, textured plastic.

Very well-thought-out car, everything in the interior is functional, and the flip side of a plastic interior is easy cleaning. Run a wet rag over it and call it good.

The engine is better than my friend's 06 Civic in the low-end torque department, but still needs lots of revs to push you back into the seat. Again, the fuel economy does kill EPA estimates, however.

So yes, there are things to like about this Honda, and things to dislike. So far it seems to be the car that everyone is raving about as the best Honda offering in a very long time. Time will tell. But with the Fit selling like hotcakes even now, it's either they did something right or have some really good marketing.
 
My TL is my first Honda product. In 75,000 miles, the things wrong are:

Battery which was offered under warranty but I went with an Optima out of pocket.

A clunking front suspension early on which I believe is the compliance bushing in the lower control arm which has been cracked all the way through for most of it's life. Getting replaced soon.

That's it. Two problems, none of which left me stranded and one very minor.


I'm disappointed that they don't use felt for the windows so the tint is scratched to [censored].

I love the interior but the seat leather seems cheap.

The black carpet *might* be fading a little. I just put new factory floor mats in it and it could just be that the new mats are darker than the old ones making the carpet look faded.

On the plus side I've found the reason the Honda autos go out and fixed it so there should be no problem there.

I love the on center feel of the steering, something that the Domestic cars seem to lack.

Not sure if this makes sense but the car feels more "delicate" than a comprable domestic in the same class.

Still, 75K and not a single large problem.
 
My experience with Honda automobiles over the years has been great. Not perfect, but great just the same! Best cars I've owned! Went 10-12 years(150,000 + miles) before the first repair. I don't mean breaks and tune ups or an exhaust/muffler part, I mean actual repairs...Things that had broken and had to be repair/replaced. I just haven't had this type of succuss with any other vehicles(except Toyota). Toyota's are good also but they're too mushy feeling for my taste. I just like driving Honda cars better. I like the direct steering feel on the highway and the very good handling going around corners with a decent ride and solid body structure. Not race cars but, Honda lets you know the limits and they are quite high. The quality of the car remains tight years down the road.

Let me give an example:
When looking at vehicles to purchace(and I have purchaced only to be dissapointed later), I found many cars that seemed as solid or even more so when new but, after a couple of years these other cars started to loosen up and squeek/rattle and their doors/body structure didn't seem the same as when new and the suspensions became clunkey feeling. Not so with a Honda! Even if the Honda didn't feel as solid when new as compared with another car(demestics) they held together better over the years.

Now, I don't know what the future holds for any manufacture in these uncertain times. They will do what ever it takes to build and sell vehicles and I think that the quality will suffer. The cost cutting in critical areas may be unlike ever before. Even for Honda!
 
2005 Accord 4 cyl with 140,000 miles. No problems whatsoever besides new tires, brakes, oil changes, and a set of spark plugs, all of which would be considered normal maintenance items. Fantastic car.
 
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Originally Posted By: tonycarguy
Originally Posted By: BrianWC

I still don't see what the deal is, though, with saying they are overpriced and low quality. Sure, the Malibu is a nice car, but even Lutz admitted that was the best GM could do, engineering and fit and finish-wise and frankly, I don't see how it stands out vs. the competition.


GM overpriced the Malibu. An Accord LX auto goes for $19k and a similar Malibu goes for $20.7k. WTH is GM doing? They need to undercut Honda by AT LEAST $1k to get people to buy it




Don't forget that GM rebates the heck out of cars. Right now, they're offering $2000 off ($1000 rebate and $1000 owner appreciation cash) or 0% for 60 months. Plus the dealers will deal more, and if you get someone like me with the original GM card and a $3500 balance built up, I reckon I could get that overpriced Malibu for less than $15K without dealing too hard.

Even if the Malibu winds up having more problems over its life than the Honda, end result out of pocket, I think the total cost would be the same. At least that's my estimate with my current Malibu.

Oh, and I'm wondering how realistic that $19k Accord is? Not busting your chops, I'm just looking at the dealers in my area; I don't think I've seen an Accord with a MSRP of less than $23K on the lot, and they all then have their "mandatory" dealer add-ons that add $$$ to the sticker.
 
Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: tonycarguy
Originally Posted By: BrianWC

I still don't see what the deal is, though, with saying they are overpriced and low quality. Sure, the Malibu is a nice car, but even Lutz admitted that was the best GM could do, engineering and fit and finish-wise and frankly, I don't see how it stands out vs. the competition.


GM overpriced the Malibu. An Accord LX auto goes for $19k and a similar Malibu goes for $20.7k. WTH is GM doing? They need to undercut Honda by AT LEAST $1k to get people to buy it




Don't forget that GM rebates the heck out of cars. Right now, they're offering $2000 off ($1000 rebate and $1000 owner appreciation cash) or 0% for 60 months. Plus the dealers will deal more, and if you get someone like me with the original GM card and a $3500 balance built up, I reckon I could get that overpriced Malibu for less than $15K without dealing too hard.

Even if the Malibu winds up having more problems over its life than the Honda, end result out of pocket, I think the total cost would be the same. At least that's my estimate with my current Malibu.

Oh, and I'm wondering how realistic that $19k Accord is? Not busting your chops, I'm just looking at the dealers in my area; I don't think I've seen an Accord with a MSRP of less than $23K on the lot, and they all then have their "mandatory" dealer add-ons that add $$$ to the sticker.


There can be good deals on GMs, Chryslers and Fords. It does seem that they list a higher price with rebates that end up making them competitive. I have seem amazing deals when they are trying to close out old stock/models. An even better deal is buying a 2-3 yr old car from GM or Ford.

3 of my 4 Hondas I got for below invoice. You should be able to get most Accords and Civics for invoice or below. Their model line up makes this possible (some people do not like this). When I bought my Accord I told the dealer the car I wanted and the price I wanted to pay ($500 under invoice). His intial response was something like "these are popular cars and in high demand blah blah blah". I handed him his dealer printout that stated there were over 60 Accord LX models in stock (you can pull this off most dealer's websites). He asked what color I wanted and offered it to me for $300 under invoice. The process took less then 5 minutes. You can get an Accord LX 4 cyl for about $19k or less. The EX models and V6 models will go up from there.

Popular models with limited supply can be difficult to get for invoice or below. When I was looking for my Odyssey there was a 2-3 month wait. Honda could not keep up with demand. One dealer by me was adding a $2500 charge on top of MSRP. I have heard similar stories when the new CRV and Fit came out.

With any purchase, you need to do your homework and know what you should pay. There are good and bad salespeople/dealers with all brands. In my experience, Honda is no better or worse then others.
 
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Under invoice or under MSRP?


You can get most Accords and Civics for invoice or below, far below MSRP. I bought my Accord LX for $300 below INVOICE. The invoice including destination charges was close to $19K with an MSRP of over $20K. It was not a problem car. We settled on the price before I picked the car off the lot.

I once read (can not verify) that Honda allocates it's higher margin vehicles (Pilots, Odysseys, etc) based on volume of Accords and Civics sold. Many dealers are willing to move units of Accords and Civic (especially the generic ones)at little to no profit to get more of the other models.
 
dad's 7th gen civic was bought new, and has over 130,000kms to clock. Both rear struts (dran KayWhyBees proportedly US made) were shot, and replaced by Japanese made Tokico blues and still hold their pressure after 6 yrs of running. Now it's time to replace the front KayWhyBees (again, proportedly made in US of A), and I'm not that impressed with NA'sourced parts (rather pay a bit more for Japanese built/made Hondas and Toyotas).

My 07 fit (bought 06) has been trouble free for all these years, but then again: I paid a premium for it just because it's built in Suzuka, Jpn. All components that came within are still Japanese sourced, and reliability should be good.

As much as some posters would want to pursuade me into believing, I'm not a big believer in any NA'sourced auto parts quality (they are still considered sub-par), citing my dad's 7th gen civic and also my wifey's 04 camry.

Q.
 
Got the fiancee's 09 Fit Sport auto for a couple hundred below MSRP after taxes. We didn't get fleeced, but we didn't get a screaming deal either. It was a "used" car, apparently a demo-day car for the corporate types. No dealer [censored] on it.

She already refuses to go back to the dealer we bought the car at. Not a good experience with buying it. They had price and not much else. The markups on the extended warranty we didn't get were ridiculous.

The Fits in particular are one of the only cars to increase sales over last year. Dealers aren't willing to part with them for any real deals.

It's 100% Japan-sourced, and it shows. It doesn't ride like an American car, or even a 7th gen Civic. Fit/finish is a bit better on the Fit than my friend's 06 Civic.
 
Originally Posted By: Quest
I'm not a big believer in any NA'sourced auto parts quality


I'm not a big believer in any NA'sourced-made-by-Japanese-firm auto parts quality, the biggest example being the Yazaki wiring harnesses that Ford put in the Contour that start disintegrating after a few years.

Find me a Delphi harness that did the same thing. I don't care where it was made. I bet you can't.
 
The build quality of my 2006 Acura RSX was HORRIBLE. Made in Japan. My Accord from Ohio has been 100% better.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Sciphi, the Fit mpg gauge is typically 4.5 mpg high. This is common to many trip computers.


They've been very accurate on my last four Jaguars and last two Holdens.

Maybe Honda needs a little more legal action to get their odometers right.
 
The odometer on the Fit is accurate. It's the MPG gauge that's wildly optimistic.

Already heard the babble they're spouting at the dealers about why it's off. No good reason for it to be off either.

There are $50 DIY MPG gauges out there far more accurate than the Fit MPG gauge. And that's a product of some guy cobbling bits together in his spare time. Honda can and should do better.
 
Yes, the odo is accurate, although I DID here there was a class action on some 06 and earlier models that resulted in honda extending everyone's warrenty by 1800 miles.

On the Fit Forum, the inaccurate mpg gauge seems to be everyone's BIG concern with the car. I don't really mind b/c the error seems to be consistant, as it was on my two SAABs. My Scangauge is also a tad off but also consistant. Would I love it to be spot on? Sure! MPG is a big reason people buy these cars. Is it a reason to keep someone from buying a Fit, though?
 
It's not. The rest of the car is fantastic.

At least it's good for real-time feedback. That's more important than the number figure.

Just irks me that there's this bug that likely could be easily fixed but they choose not to.
 
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