2008 Honda Accord EX from North America - Comments

Having owned imports and domestics, I can't imagine any import costing less in repairs than a domestic. Imports are more expensive to service, have higher repair costs and as a general rule require more repairs. We've spent less than $30 TOTAL in car repairs over the past 9 years. All our vehicles are domestic. One is a GMC. It has required $0 in repairs.

Import repair costs are somewhat more expensive than domestics. However, in my experience with both, repairs for imports have been few and far between, unlike domestics. Rarely did my 1987 Nissan Maxima have service issues (the car left me stranded not a single time for anything other than a flat tire. I can't say the same about GM). The GM product, however, was a different story. I actually dreaded taking my pickup to the service department. For one, they were too high, two, they do not seem to stand behind their product as much as the guys at Nissan. Much of the work I could do myself on the Nissan. The lights were simple to change (which by the way were not changed from the time the car was brand new until Dec. 2007), I had problems reaching the socket on the GM. My brakes lasted longer on my Nissan and spent little in repairs during 21 years of ownership.

Import quality is superior to that of domestics. Even after 20 years with my Nissan, not a single part on the dashboard and operating panel had fallen off, nothing cracked or sunbeaten, seats were easy to clean and still looked like they did when I drove her off the showroom floor. In fact, from 1995 until 2007, I had NOT A SINGLE major repair other than regular maintenance that cost me little. In my GMC if you spilled a drink, it was over, I pampered it and still my A/C vent covers fell off, the cheap dashboard plastic cracked and tore, the paint chipped VERY easily and was generally a cheaply made vehicle that seemed little pride went into.

I purchased my GMC brand new in March 1996, by June 1998, the O2 sensors were gone, March 1999, U-joints needed replacing ($177), August 2001 alternator ($100), March 2004, timing belt ($669), April 2005, hood became jammed ($135), June 2006, leak in air conditioning unit caused lack of function, Sept. 2006, master brake cylinder and ABS failed, August 2007, head gasket (I became wise enough to let the piece of junk go where it belonged in the first place, the junkyard). By the way, this is just an abbreviated inventory of repairs over the years, I was nickel and dimed much of the way with $50-$100 repairs.

The GMC was also very unsafe. Once during a rainstorm with the windshield wipers operating, the driver-side wiper just blew off causing the driver to be unable to see. If it rained too hard it caused the engine to bog down while operating, it would skid on a slick road far too easily.

With an insistent beginner 16-year old driver in the house, I let my son use the truck from May-Aug. 2007 until I could find him more reliable transportation, the truck failed him on a major highway at NIGHT. I had enough and decided to put him in a Scion (Toyota) Xb. He's been satisfied, no problems and have not had to answer any calls due to him being stranded. I'm forever a loyal import owner.

The only vehicles that have ever left me or my wife stranded on the road were a Toyota (twice), a Mazda (built in Japan before Ford bought them) and a Honda (too many times to remember). We've never had a single breakdown on the highway with any of our 30+ domestics, including a Ford with over 300,000 miles, a Buick with over 270,000, and a Dodge with 240,000.

Sorry, but I don't buy into the "imports are better" brainwashing. Ours certainly weren't. If I want to get where I'm going without worrying about mechanical issues it certainly WON'T be in another Japanese vehicle. Even if all the Big Three did go out of business (which IS NOT going to happen) I'll just buy used domestics for the rest of my life.

It is totally unfair to compare "old faithful" cars from 15 - 21 years ago with more recent cars, because they are essentially different.

Even cars from the exact same brand will perform differently from three generations ago; they are far, far more complicated, but much safer and more efficient.

The other side to the coin is that, well, to repair they are more expensive due to components that the old car never had before, and to GET to the part that fails is yet another issue.

Legislation around the world (but more so the US earlier on) has kept ratcheting up emissions standards which all car makers can only comply with using complexity. Love the simplicity of a carb (regardless of performance)? No can do - when Hyundai started bringing out fuel injection on their cheapest cars over a decade ago, that was a sign. And these new aluminum alloy engine heads and blocks are not as robust with neglect as the old iron ones, but they can stand heat for cleaner combustion (as long as the cooling system is maintained and doesn't overheat).

EPA mileage demands with emissions? On heavier cars that perform better in a crash? Sorry -- that means computers for even the dependable Mercedes automatic gearbox.

And the emissions legislation isn't done yet. Now to add to pollution, there's CO2 emission demands. Countries around the world (maybe not America) are road taxing car owners yearly based on carbon dioxide emissions on cars. This means that unless they comply, car makers elsewhere will get legislated out of existence.

So...instead of a simple 16-valve fuel-injected engine, VW, Fiat, and I hear European Ford are now powering cars with 1.4-litre direct-injection engines with turbochargers and/or superchargers. On a normal hatch like a Golf or Focus. Now, direct injection components or a turbo on an economy car can't be cheap to fix if it goes, but that's the way the world is heading. Oh, and others are coming up with energy regeneration equipment which harnesses braking power for use later. To lower the average CO2 emission, of course.

Oh -- and let's not forget insurance premiums. Would you get a bigger discount on cars with ABS, traction control or electronic stability control? Or 100 airbags? Welllll... all of them have sensors costing at least $100 each, and they all have at least one computer, to add to the ones on your smog-free engine (which somehow with new technology manages to wring 170 bhp out of a measly 2.4-litres with no turbo) and butter-smooth 5-speed tiptronic automatic transmission.

This ain't the era of 2.3-litre iron-block engines good for only 100 bhp, 14-second 0-60 MPH times, and 19MPG.

Would you then buy a 20 year old car and keep it for life? Not if you look up YouTube's clip of a UK "Fifth Gear" program that features an offset head-on between a '90 Volvo 7-series wagon with a tiny Renault Modus (smaller than a Toyota Echo) and find out that the Volvo driver would die, and the Modus driver would live, because of modern structural design.

Just like everyone, having grown up in the '70s and '80s, when a brand stood for a corporate principle, I want to believe that there must be cars out there which, en masse, can be both DURABLE and RELIABLE at the same time, and be simple to fix.

If I could go back in time and take a car from the era brand new, I'd go get a '77-83 Mercedes 200 sedan (carb - no computers) with manual windows and sunroof, a manual transmission, non-metallic paint, alloy wheels, manual air conditioning, and velour seats. But after my friend survived a major crash in a younger Audi, I realised you just have to take the bad with the good, unfortunately.

It might be good to put more than 1 recent import under your belt... I have owned many Japanese marques and after 2000 I see quite the reverse. Domestics far ahead, especially in the past 5 years.

We have been a mixed import/domestic household for many years. 2-3 at a pop every few years. Start tracking all your brand new purchases same scenario, same driver and not neglect any service intervals. It's the best way and it's your wallet. If you buy used ever, you just cannot document a vehicle's care.

I have found you can pull up Car Fax for major mechanical warranty issues, but buying new and tracking you see faults. Same make, same model over and over told us. The CarFax by the way killed us when we sold all dealer work warranty issues came up. The dealer pulls it all up when you sell.

In the last 20 years our extended family has owned 12 imports and 16 domestics, all either bought new or with under 30,000 miles on them. Not a single import proved as reliable over time as any of the domestics. We'll stick with the proof. No more imports.

"It is totally unfair to compare "old faithful" cars from 15 - 21 years ago with more recent cars, because they are essentially different."

Not true, especially when all cars serve essentially the same purpose. As long as a car cranks each time, gives me few problems and performs satisfactorily I am okay no matter the vehicles age. That is why I kept the car so long, no need to trade a perfectly running vehicle.

"Even cars from the exact same brand will perform differently from three generations ago; they are far, far more complicated, but much safer and more efficient."

Once again this depends on the consumer. My gas costs were fairly low, along with repair and general maintenance bills. I don't purchase a car counting on having an accident and didn't have one for 21 years with this car. As far as I am concerned it was safe. Not a single time even after it was more than a decade old did it fail a state safety inspection, nothing else matters.

"Would you then buy a 20 year old car and keep it for life?"

I kept the car for 20+ years once again not counting on accidents but transporting me to my destinations when I needed it. If the same car was in production today I would not hesitate to buy it. In 2007, I spent $300 on tires and $46 on brakes. I cannot say this about ANY other car I have owned foreign or domestic.

"Not if you look up YouTube's clip of a UK "Fifth Gear" program that features an offset head-on between a '90 Volvo 7-series wagon with a tiny Renault Modus (smaller than a Toyota Echo) and find out that the Volvo driver would die, and the Modus driver would live, because of modern structural design."

Driving is a risk in any car, new or old. One can drive a brand new vehicle, have a tire blow out, flip a car, hit a tree, get hit or whatever else and die. I was t-boned in my 1987 car and walked away unscathed. One never knows what he may encounter when taking on the highway.

I have owned Accords, Legends and TL models quite a few. The consensus in our family is to sell before the warranty is over. The economy can be lost if you get hit with many parts that need replaced. Especially Acuras not an economy model with 93 octane needs and even just routine wear items... price new headlight bulbs (should replace in pairs) for a real shocker and a brand new set of 4 tires alone for openers.

Modern structural design doesn't always work either. A dear friend of ours died when her new Honda's "crumple zones" crumpled all the way back into the passenger compartment and killed her. The vehicle she hit (a domestic pickup truck) was driven home, the driver uninjured.

No 20-year-old vehicle can be realistically compared to a new one. Japanese vehicles have plummeted like a rock in quality in the past decade (though my 80's imports were far from reliable). Newer domestics long ago surpassed the overall reliability and value per dollar of imports.

While driving home from a restaurant today (in our domestic car) we actually saw a mid 80's Toyota. My wife, who is also very much a car enthusiast, commented on how odd it was to see a 25+ year old Japanese car. That is really pretty rare here, while 30-year-old domestics (especially Ford and GM trucks) are present in huge numbers. My wife said "Well, I guess that says something about Japanese cars". I agree. Our 1984 and 1990 Japanese imports have been rusting in a junkyard for well over a decade now.

"No 20-year-old vehicle can be realistically compared to a new one. Japanese vehicles have plummeted like a rock in quality in the past decade (though my 80's imports were far from reliable). Newer domestics long ago surpassed the overall reliability and value per dollar of imports."

Domestic vehicles are still for the large part sub-par in the quality department. I would be hard pressed spending my money on one. Any 20 year old vehicle that is running and on the road can compare to a new one. My mother's 2004 Accord has had not ONE problem other than tires, oil changes. Our 1995 Nissan pickup has 211K miles and still begging for more. Can't say the same about my dad's 2001 GMC Sierra pickup, which has been in the service department numerous times for weird and nagging problems.

I had my 20 year old car on the road as a daily driver until it was t-boned by a 16-year old driver. That car has been FAR more reliable than ANY American car I have owned. I'm almost terrified even to think of buying American again. I was given a top trim level Chevy Cobalt to drive. The hard, brittle plastic on the dash, cheap feeling leather, small seating capacity and not-so-great fuel economy left me more solid in my decision to not buy American and stick with something designed to provide long-term quality and dependability. Not to mention the resale value of domestics which plummets to nothing in only a couple of years.

The only Japanese vehicles falling in quality are those that are manufactured in the U.S. by people who are in it only for the pay. That is why the Big 3 has been hurting, they are paid too much and take too little pride in their work. If they stopped just "throwing something together" they would be in a far more competitive position to weather a crisis. Stop short-changing people, Ford, GM, Chrysler! Domestics still have many miles to go in the quality and reliability department. When they catch up, I MAY consider them. Until then, I'll stick with Nissan.

"While driving home from a restaurant today (in our domestic car) we actually saw a mid 80's Toyota. My wife, who is also very much a car enthusiast, commented on how odd it was to see a 25+ year old Japanese car."

They probably are more rare here because production and sales were really just taking off in the 1980's, people were skeptical. Not nearly as many Japanese cars were made then as there are today. Toyota probably sales nearly as many Camry's each year as there were models being sold altogether (Honda, Nissan, Toyota) in the U.S. then.

"That is really pretty rare here, while 30-year-old domestics (especially Ford and GM trucks) are present in huge numbers.'

Yes, they are still present, still gas guzzlers, still polluting our air and still being patched up to be put on the road when they should be retired. The trucks were probably the only reliable domestic vehicles made. My grandmother's 1985 Pontiac Bonneville actually used to die on the middle of the highway for no apparent reason, and she bought it brand new! Yes, she maintained and babied the vehicle then as she does with her cars today.

"My wife said "Well, I guess that says something about Japanese cars". I agree. Our 1984 and 1990 Japanese imports have been rusting in a junkyard for well over a decade now."

My 1987 car had not a single speck of rust on it, not a blemish, stain or spot anywhere in the interior and crank every time the key turned. My sister's 1988 Nissan Maxima was driven daily for 15 years until she gave it to her teenage driver who took it to college and put her all the way through. Now my sister has the car back and uses it primarily for trips around town, giving her no problems at all other than burning a little more oil than desired.

You and your wife obviously bought into the myth that "imports solve all your problems. You'll never have to do any maintenance at all on it." That is not true, sir. Like any car, if not maintained well, will end up in the junkyard like yours have. Imports are simple, you take care of them, they'll take care of you. That is not the case with domestics. No matter how well you try to take care of it, it soon will fall apart before your eyes. Take it from a skeptic to a now convinced believer that imports are far better cars than domestics. Our next car will be the new Nissan Maxima. We plan on buying it in the summer of 2010 or early 2011!

That's true about the rarity of 25 year old imports. Rust was a major problem back then but, perhaps more importantly, the parts cost on vehicles that often ended up scrapped are what drove their owners to take that route. Vehicles that have an abundance of inexpensive parts available are more likely to stay on the road longer. So it's not only about reliability; rather economics plays a role too. Who wants to put a $500.00 part on a car that's worth $400.00??

"No 20-year-old vehicle can be realistically compared to a new one."

A car that is running after 20 years old can easily be compared to cars today, especially when the 20 year old is of better quality and more dependable.

"Japanese vehicles have plummeted like a rock in quality in the past decade (though my 80's imports were far from reliable)."

Not true once again. The only so-called Japanese vehicles that have plummeted like a rock as far as reliability is concerned are certain American manufactured "imports." Otherwise, quality is as strong as ever - constantly improving.

"Newer domestics long ago surpassed the overall reliability and value per dollar of imports."

Domestics still lag as far as dependability, quality and longevity are concerned. They are cheaper and it shows during the term of ownership. You get what you pay for. Our imports have lasted far longer periods without repairs that our domestics ever have.

Ex. 1987 Nissan Maxima SE (retired with 363K miles), NO major repairs other than timing belt, alignment, brakes. This was in 20 years of ownership as a daily driver.

2004 Honda Accord LX (59K miles), absolutely NO problems (American built with a #1 in VIN). Japanese-made models are said to be even more dependable.

2004 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S (115K miles), NO problems other than tune-up recently, and new tires.

Domestics: rented 2008 Chevy Cobalt when '87 Maxima totalled. The Cobalt was cheaply made, too much plastic in interior, not so great gas mileage.

2001 GMC Sierra pickup (84K miles), constant computer problems, fuel gauge defective, mud sling in engine.

GMC Sonoma p/u (225K miles), too many problems to list, an entire inventory of problems. Would not drive a domestic if my life depended on it.

"While driving home from a restaurant today (in our domestic car) we actually saw a mid 80's Toyota. My wife, who is also very much a car enthusiast, commented on how odd it was to see a 25+ year old Japanese car. That is really pretty rare here, while 30-year-old domestics (especially Ford and GM trucks) are present in huge numbers. My wife said "Well, I guess that says something about Japanese cars". I agree."

25 years ago imported vehicles were fairly new on these shores. Toyota today manufactures as many Camries altogether in a year as the same number of Japanese imports that were actually on the roads then. Besides, you contradict yourself. You say that cars 20 years ago can't be compared to those of today, but in the same breath say that cars 25 years old says something about Japanese makes because many are retired. Make up your mind.

"Our 1984 and 1990 Japanese imports have been rusting in a junkyard for well over a decade now."

I can imagine why. You're probably one of those who believe the myth that, "once you buy an import, you'll never have problems out of a car again. Honda, Toyota and Nissan vehicles are maintenance/problem free." That statement is just what it is, a myth. These cars can be the most trouble-free on the road and will take care of you if you take care of them. On the other hand, if you buy into the myths then you will have a pile of problems on your hands. These vehicles come with a service manual that is to be followed. If scheduled maintenance is performed, the car will last many years with little to no problems at all. It's no wonder why your imports have now been in the junkyard for more than a decade. Some drivers shouldn't buy imports and apparently, you're one of them.

I think somebody missed the point here. In the mid-west, the reason you don’t see many older Japanese models is that they were terribly rust prone. This has nothing to do with scheduled maintenance and everything to do with road salting. I suspect that since then, the Japanese have improved their cars to meet our road conditions.

Are imports more fragile then? I cannot see any difference if it's an import or domestic buyer. I agree with high mileage imports not worth fixing at the first large mechanical repair.

I sold my Nissan due to rust and then A/C failure, trans slippage, and electrical issues.