Faults:

Many things have gone wrong with this car since the first week of ownership. I bought the Accord because Honda was supposed to have a reputation of reliability and quality, I found that to be untrue. The first week I owned the car it would not start. The dealer replaced the battery because they thought it was faulty. They replaced 2 more batteries and then they replaced the alternator. The car was then fine for 3 weeks when it would not start again. At this point I was very angry with the dealer because they could not fix the problem after the car being in the shop for four days. After taking it to another Honda dealership an hour away they diagnosed the problem as a faulty ECM and replaced it. The car ran fine for another 10000 km and then the dash lights and gage cluster lights would cut out. After 4 trips to the dealer they could not fix it and now I just live with it. This car has always had electrical problems, but thankfully all the repairs were done under warranty.

General Comments:

I thought that Honda was supposed to build reliable and quality vehicles, but I found that not the be the case. I bought the Accord because I needed a larger vehicle for my family, but next month I'm trading it in for a new Impala. I've always had good cars when I bought Chevrolets and that's what I'm going to buy.

Faults:

Steering rack assembly required replacement at 36,000 miles.

The engine 'pinks' intermittently.

General Comments:

Having owned Accords in the past, I was looking forward to a hassle-free driving and ownership experience with this example.

In most respect, the Accord is above average for a mass-market medium family saloon.

The chassis is highly competent, providing a well-damped, comfortable ride and nicely balanced handling. The car is blessed with an excellent high-speed ride and stability on the motorway.

All of the control interfaces feel properly optimised, which means strong brakes, acccurate steering and an excellent gearbox.

As usual for Honda, the engine has particular strengths; smooth, revvy and strong in the upper-rev range. It relishes being worked hard and sounds great.

The big let-down is the lack of flexible performance on offer at low revs; there just isn't enough torque, and with the air-con on below 3000rpm the car feels distinctly sluggish.

Change down, wind the engine up and things improve, but the need to drive the car hard to make even reasonably rapid progress can become tiring, and does little to aid fuel economy.

Servicing costs seem uniformly expensive, at least in the UK, but on the plus side the dealers are generally excellent and work is carried out to a high standard.

Honda UK genuinely seem to care about customer service, and paid for the considerable cost of a replacement steering rack just outside the warranty period.

Lack of excitement and performance aside, it's difficult to criticise a car which has suffered few problems, is so painless to live with and generally pleasant to drive. I'll be looking elsewhere next time, however.

Faults:

I had experienced no mechanical problems since I purchased the car.

General Comments:

The sheet metal does not align on many joints. This is noticed on edges on the trunk and adjacent parts.

The sound system was of poor quality so I first changed the speakers, but then had to change the radio. I then could not appreciate the sound at highway speeds because of wind noise and tire whine on worn asphalt. On a quiet near windless day above a speed of 100kmp-62mph the wind noise is annoying on long drives.

I could not get the drivers seat to a comfortable position so I installed a orthopedic backrest which hugs the body and gives me a better upright driving position.

The seat material was a very light color and had a few material defects that were not worth bothering the dealer about it so I installed custom made seat covers.

I have complained to the dealer since I got the car that the ride is harsh, choppy and jarring on anything more than a slight road separation. Two dealers were unable to find anything wrong with the suspension, springs or shocks. The car is tight handling and does not give much body roll on quick turns.