2008 Honda Accord EX from North America - Comments

Rather than split hairs or "notches", the solution is obvious... actually test drive them both and buy the one you enjoy driving the best. Driving satisfaction is always at the top of my list... sure you can turn the key and point anything to work everyday. What if you truly hate what you are driving? If you have a lengthy car payment that must be an awful feeling.

Yes, a test drive is best, I agree. However, since I do not buy domestic cars, only trucks and when I shop for cars the main models on my list usually include Nissan Altima/Maxima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry. People I know who've owned these cars have NEVER had a major problem out of them. Being a former long-time Maxima owner myself, I can vouch for their quality and dependability. Next year I will either be buying an Accord or Maxima.

"The Ford Fusion is rated one notch above Accord and TWO notches above the Camry in reliability.

Yes, that is why the Consumer Report magazine has the Accord rated at 79 pts, while Fusion and Accord scored 77"

Everyone makes this mistake. The true value of CR's rating system is the "New car prediction", which takes into account future reliability, resale value and cost to own. In this (the most important category), Fusion outranks Camry by TWO levels ("much better than average" versus "average") and Accord by one level ("Much better than average" versus "better than average". Due to major drops in Toyota's quality it has dropped to only average (hardly a stellar rating) while numerous major problems have dropped Accord to just better than average.

Those who refuse to even look at new domestics are only shooting themselves in the foot, but if you want to limp through life and help destroy the U.S. economy I suppose that's your choice.

"I shop for cars the main models on my list usually include Nissan Altima/Maxima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry. People I know who've owned these cars have NEVER had a major problem'

You must know some VERY lucky people.

In the mid-size sedan segment, pretty much all the new cars have really good reliability. It makes sense to buy based on other factors (ride, comfort, fuel economy, dealership, price, etc). Consumer Reports tries to make it sound like you really need their guidance, so they try to make the reliability differences look really dramatic with the red circle, black circle thing. But if you look at the numbers they sometimes report, the differences are not that great.

"Those who refuse to even look at new domestics are only shooting themselves in the foot, but if you want to limp through life and help destroy the U.S. economy I suppose that's your choice."

Domestics have lower resale value than imports. Those currently on the market now have not been on the market long enough for me to consider spending money on. I know the long-standing models/nameplates from import brands have reputations for quality, dependability.

The Malibu is beautiful but what will long-term reliability and resale value look like in four years.

Ford Fusion receives good ratings but has bland styling.

Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring receive good ratings, but use cheap build quality, materials.

Honda Accord has the highest numbers with CR at 79 pts.

Camry is so-so but a model I'd have to consider before domestic brands.

Nissan Altima receives some not so bad scores and people I know who owned them kept them a long time and loved them.

I shop for the long-haul. If this weren't the case, I'd buy domestic. Since I do not plan to own another car for several years after the purchase, I do plenty of research before making a final decision.

My purchasing a import vehicle every ten years I can assure you is not hurting the economy at all. I don't want to put my money into the failing American auto industry.

"Domestics have lower resale value than imports"

This myth seems to never die. And it IS a myth. I have ran depreciation figures for friends of mine who were searching for good values in a new car. Domestics ALWAYS come out on top over a 3-4 year period. A very good example is a recent case I ran for a friend looking for a compact. The price of a Honda Civic was $5000 MORE than an identically equipped Ford Focus. After three years it would be worth $2000 more. In other words, a net LOSS of $3000. My friend wisely bought the Focus and made a $3000 profit right off the bat. If you pay $5000 MORE for a vehicle and sell it for only $2000 more, you have LOST $3000. Do the math.

I recently bought my wife a 3-year old Ford Fusion. It was priced $1000 HIGHER than a comparably equipped 3-year-old Camry, and considering the Camry's horrible reliability, WELL WORTH IT. The best returns I've ever gotten were on domestics. One 5-year-old domestic truck was sold for 92% of its purchase price. Try that with ANY import.

"One 5-year-old domestic truck was sold for 92% of its purchase price. Try that with ANY import."

Trucks are almost the only domestic vehicle besides SUVs and certain roadsters that hold their value. It is a known fact domestics depreciate MUCH faster than imports. My uncle paid $49,000 for his Cadillac DTS in 2006, he tried to trade it in in 2008 and was told the trade in value was $24,000. You can imagine what he told the dealer. My mother paid $23,000 for her 2004 Honda Accord new. Trade in in 2008 was $14,500. It is paid off and could nearly pay off a 2009 car if she wanted.

Kelly Blue Book trade-in on a fully loaded 2004 Accord EX with moon roof, low miles and perfect condition is $11,000. In other words, if you'd bought a 2004 Ford Taurus similarly equipped you would have actually come out far ahead due to its much lower purchase price. You HAVE to factor in a car's purchase price in order to determine whether you made a wise business decision. This myth just goes on and on...

"Domestics have lower resale value than imports"

This is not a myth, but a generality. You can find examples of the reverse being true, but the GENERAL TREND is that imports have higher resale.

Personal experience #1: Recently bought a 2002 Ford Windstar for $5k when the original owner paid $35k. Odyssey's in 2002 were comparable in price to the Windstar are currently worth $10-12k.

Personal experience #2: Bought a 2005 Toyota Rav4, which sold for similar pricing as the Ford Escape. The Rav4 is currently worth about $5k more than an Escape.

Personal experience #3: My father-in-law's 2007 Toyota Matrix was less expensive than the idential Vibe to purchase, and is currently worth $17k versus the $15k Vibe. It doesn't make sense when they are identical vehicles.

The GENERAL TREND is that if you are buying new, go with imports, if you are buying used, the domestic prices are too good to pass up. Anyone can relate stories of "One 5-year-old domestic truck was sold for 92% of its purchase price." but it is not the norm.

"Trucks are almost the only domestic vehicle besides SUVs and certain roadsters that hold there (sic) value"

SUV's HOLD THEIR VALUE??? This statement in itself makes anything else in this comment a bit suspect. All SUV's drop in value like a brick.

2002 Acura (Honda) TL Type S black automatic bought new $34,000, sold 4 years later with multiple transmissions replacements with 40,000 miles reported, all on CarFax sold for $10,000. My worst ever new car purchase.

"2002 Acura (Honda) TL Type S black automatic bought new $34,000, sold 4 years later with multiple transmissions replacements with 40,000 miles reported, all on CarFax sold for $10,000. My worst ever new car purchase."

Key words, "multiple transmissions replacements." Hence the low resale price.

"SUV's HOLD THEIR VALUE??? This statement in itself makes anything else in this comment a bit suspect. All SUV's drop in value like a brick."

Thank you, S/A. If their value drops like a brick that's even more reason for me NOT to make a domestic purchase. Thank you for backing my argument.