Comments: 1-15, 16-30
The morning after I got the car, I noticed both my side mirrors were missing. I went straight to the Honda dealer to get new side mirrors, and they told me I was the 5th customer today for side mirrors. Turned out there was a gang in my area that were stealing side mirrors out of new Honda Accords. However they still did not cover it under warranty, because it was not the dealer or the manufacturer's fault.
Before this car I had the 04 Accord. The Accord I have now is a foot longer and a foot wider, with bigger tires, and you will feel the difference. The first week when I still was not used to driving it, I had to make a sharp turn. The other Accord I could turn at 25-30 mph with no problem. This car I did around the same speed, and the back of the car went over the curve and took out my muffler and the rear bumper. I had to go through my insurance company because that was also not under warranty.
The car is much heavier than the previous Honda, which makes it very underpowered with a 4 cylinder. When I have to get on a highway, the car sounds like it wants to die.
For some reason, when backing up the gas pedal is sensitive. I have to give it light taps on and off. I held my foot down on the pedal and I backed in to a barb-wired fence, and had to get the rear right tailight replaced and the rear bumper replaced the second time.
I have a narrow driveway, and this car is too wide, so I don't use it anymore unless when I come back from food shopping, I use it because the side door is right next to my drive way, so it's easy as I don't have to make long trips when I'm unloading groceries. Last week I tried backing slowly in my driveway, which has small pot holes. I try to back a little more, and the front right wheel got stuck in one of the pot holes, and the light taps did not get me out. I the tried to hold my foot down very light, and backed into my chimney, and just got my car back yesterday after getting my rear bumper replaced for the third time.
The seats are uncomfortable and very low, and do not go up high enough, and the whole dashboard is very high and I'm short, so it's hard for me to see the hood of the car. I can still see where I'm going, but I have to drive very carefully.
I do not like the car at all. It never left me stranded anywhere or anything like that. I just don't like the new design they made on the car. It looks nice inside and outside, but once you are sitting in it and driving it, it's a different story. It feels like I'm driving a bus.
Before I had the 2004 Accord, that car was a dream. I wish I still had it. Before that I had a 99 Accord, which was also a great car. Honda's are supposed to be excellent well built cars. However this particular one I have now is not.
I have driven many other Hondas, they were all sweet. They were all also stick shift, which makes the car drive safer and handles much better then an Automatic. The only reason why I now drive an automatic is because I have problems with my knees, so I can't do a lot of leg work, which was I had to trade up my last car, the 04 Accord, and bought the 08 Accord with automatic. I still would have driven the other Accord today if my knees were not bad.
Just about ALL the comments composed by the review do are not related to any faults of the car. How can mirrors getting stolen be the manufactures fault? How can hitting a curb be the cars problem? Car is too wide? Why buy a wider car? I guess the seats being too low is fair, but this would not apply to a taller person. The review say the VTI is underpowered... well that's what you get for buying a 4 cylinder. To me this review is not fair on the car.
Sorry about all of your problems. Unfortunately you would not get the side mirrors replaced by warranty if they were stolen. Yes it is frustrating, but this is not dealer or manufacturer fault that your area has criminal activity.
You should have done more research. It is noted in many reviews that the Accord is no longer a mid-size car, but a full size one, so yes it would have to be bigger.
About you hitting the curb. Did you not test drive the car and had to make a turn somewhere while test driving it. Also no matter what make of car you get, no matter if it is the same model, it is always a good idea to not drive it like your old car until you get a feel for it. Sorry, but you hitting the curb is your fault.
I do agree with you in that since the car is heavier, it accelerates a bit slower (at least slower than my Altima).
To cut it short, your other incidents are your fault as well. I don't think you pressed on the gas lightly like you said otherwise you backing up into all sorts of things would not happen. I think you should have test drove the car; if it was too big for you it should have been noted right away. You said you are short and claim it being big for you, so maybe it is harder for you to see the surroundings and that is why you are crashing all the time. This is in no way a dealer's or Honda's fault. Either the car is really to big for you or you are not an experienced driver.
Trust me, I know accidents suck. I had my Accord for a month when some distracted person rear ended me and messed up my bumper. Then later I parked in a mall, and when I came out I noticed that some one hit it (not sure with what) in one side of the car. I was mad, but it wasn't the dealer's or Hondas fault. Sometimes it is just bad luck, trust me,I had it happen to me. So I traded in for another Accord and I am quite happy nothing as happened yet LOL.
I just do not like that fact that you are giving a bad review to the Accord based on incidents that are clearly your fault.
We were told our Accord was one of the easiest to steal, and ours was.
Well to me that last comment was not fair to the reviewer.
The person has been driving for 60 years, so it must be an elderly person, and maybe they didn't want to go through the process of car shopping, and have mentioned about the 2004 Accord the person owned and still wanted it, and did not want to get another car, but had no choice.
The reviewer bought this car because this person had driven other Accords and says they were excellent, so this is the only car the person ever trusted.
I must say the new Accord is ridiculously big. I had a 98 Accord, which I loved, but mileage was high and was starting to go. I was going to trade for the new Accord as well, but when I test drove the 4 cylinder, I was not satisfied because I felt it was big and underpowered, and did not like how it drove, The V6 was more expensive and got less gas mileage, so I did not go for it.
I then test drove the Toyota Camry, which was no better.
I test drove a Hyundai Sonata. That car beats them both with design, performance, price, style, and warranty, so that's what I decided to get.
Not every 4 cylinder car is underpowered, so it must have to do with weight if the car is heavy. My last car was a 4 cylinder and had good pick up. My new Sonata is also a 4 cylinder that has a lot of of power, and it's nowhere close to being under powered. I have compared it to the Accord myself. The Sonata is big enough, and the Accord is way too big, which is probably why that 4 cylinder is underpowered.
I do agree with the reviewer by 100%!
How can someone driving for 60 years not be an experienced driver? The new Accord is too big being it's now a full size and should have been a mid-size. Honda Accords have always been mid-size in the past, and this person did not realize it is now a full size car. Maybe this person did test drive it, but not for long or maybe this was the only car that was trusted by this person. Then again there is the Civic, but maybe the reviewer did not want it because it was a subcompact. In a way this is Honda's fault because they do not make anymore midsize cars like they always had. The meaning of midsize is not to big and not too small, and easy to maneuver, just what a lot of drivers need. I don't appreciate everyone nagging the reviewer.
To last comment that agrees with the reviewer.
Although one of the complaints is underpower, most of the complaints by the reviewer are not due to this issue. How can you agree with the reviewer when clearly most of the complaints are not due to the car.
I think that no matter what your age, it is a good idea to test drive any new car. The buyer knew it was a new design from older models, so it could not be the same.
Also, on the Sonata thing. Yes it wins on price, but this is due to the fact that Honda can afford to charge more, since they have been one of the most reliable cars out there.
Plus, until the new Accord design in 08, the Accord was never really considered as stylish or a cool looking car, and now it is based all the reviews I have read. Most people like the new design.
When it comes to gas mileage, the Sonata wins by 1 mile so no big difference. Also the Hyundai also wins in the warranty.
But come on, it does in no way win over the Accord in design and style. Also the materials in the Accord are much better than Hyundai's.. when it comes to performance they do not vary greatly, and I really don't think the Sonata really wins.
Honda still makes some of the most reliable cars out there, and the only reason Hyundai is picking up on sales is because of their car prices. Honda can still make sales without incentivesm while Hyundai can't.
Maybe the reviewer did not test drive the car because the dealer would not allow it. Some dealers are that way. When my wife bought her Toyota Camry that she no longer has, they would not let her test drive the car because of insurance that I did not agree with. You should always be allowed to test drive any car at any place, no matter what before you get stuck with it. Now she has a Nissan Altima she bought from a dealer that did let her test drive the car. Every dealer should have this policy.
I know Honda's have always been very reliable, which made me treat myself to the Acura TL in 2006 when I retired. I do love that car, so far it has not gave me trouble. However my previous car was a 1997 Hyundai Elantra, which I gave to my son when he went away to college. Between the both of us driving it, it was not taking great care of (rough driving, lack of oil changes, ETC). I never had a problem with that car once. I ask my son every once in a while how the car is, and he says "This car will run forever!!, No matter what you do to it"!!. So I would say Hyundai is just as reliable as Honda. Just because a car costs more, does not mean it's more reliable. There are expensive cars out there that are reliable, and there are also a lot of very cheap cars out there that are very reliable.
Honda's are great looking cars, and their material's are excellent. As far as the instruments go, I find them very complicated, but I'm a low-tech kinda guy. I find the instrument panels in Hyundais to be easier, and does not look like cheap plastic like Toyotas.
As far as sales go, Ford's are the best selling vehicles in America. They are doing much better with sales than both Honda and Hyundai, and any other make out there, just like they always have. However they are not the most reliable vehicles, due to my experience of owning a few Fords back in the day. Hyundais are not only just picking up sales because of price, they are also picking up sales because they are also very reliable. Instead of Hyundai and Honda competing together, they should work together because I trust them both, and then hopefully their sales would knock Ford down to the very bottom with GM.
Figure out what makes this car a good one or not, then get back to us... If there is a group of hooligans ripping mirrors off, if doesn't tell any of us if your Accord works every morning when you want it to, or you love it or not...
Other than the mirror situation, the reviewer did talk about other things, like the whole design that this person thought it did not make the car a good one to drive, and has mentioned it has never left this person stranded, so the reviewer has brought up good reliability on the car. Also has said it was the worst car the person had, and did not like it at all. Who ever wrote the last comment should have read that review more carefully.
My parents have a 2006 Honda Accord, and no doubt they (and many other Honda drivers) would find it a major turn off for Honda to ever work with a second rate company like Hyundai.
And I would rather have ANY GM vehicle over a Hyundai/Kia any day. (I drive a new BMW myself)
17:39,
I agree with you 100%. Also, like you said, there is no excuse NOT to test drive a car before a purchase, regardless of age. It seems more likely someone would do a test drive considering they will likely own the car several years or more. If a dealer were to tell me I could not do a test drive, I'd laugh, then I would take my business to the next dealer. Our 2004 Accord has had NO issues besides routine oil changes, tires and one brake job. They is indestructible.
To the commenter who said that Ford has the highest sells, it is only because of pickup trucks and the large vans. If these two were cut, the company would lose more than half of their annual sales.
This review is just a rant by someone who can't drive a large car. Trouble is the Honda barely eeks into the large car category, and really doesn't drive like a large car. It is still tight, and cornering is never a problem with mine. Hitting curbs in cornering is just lack of ability and not the cars fault. Take a thorough test drive when you are spending $20K plus on a new car. I don't care if you've had 30 Accords or anything else, you should always test drive any new car just to get a feel for it.
Also, the 177 hp base engine is more than enough for any driving scenario, other than racing at stop lights. The car is geared very well with the 5 speed AT, and cruising the highway is quiet and smooth. I have never had difficulty merging onto busy freeways or parkways, and the people here drive at least 70-75 on the average.
This review sounds like an owner that has had bad luck, and is annoyed that they redesigned the car he is used to. As far as the bigger car issue... Americans have been looking for bigger and bigger cars for decades. The current Civic is the size of the old Accord wheelbase. Every manufacturer keeps sizing their cars larger to keep up with demanding buyers. The bed of the average pickup truck comes up to mid chest on me nowadays. It is crazy how big and cumbersome some of the vehicles have become. America is all about size though, so to rip the Accord to shreds over being a larger car doesn't make sense. It still drives smaller than it is, and gets in the 30's for mileage on the highway.
Having owned a Honda, I tend to agree with the title of this review. Our Honda was the most poorly built and unreliable vehicle we ever were cursed with. We'll NEVER own another Honda.
If you want a real full-size sedan that's very reliable, test drive a Grand Marquis :)
Well I can see a good point of people choosing GM over Hyundai before 1995. After that, people who would chose GM over Hyundai made a mistake, because after 1995 they made GM vehicles very poorly (poor crash ratings, poor reliability records, bad engine designs, cheaply made plastics recalls after recalls, faulty ABS brakes, and ETC).
After owning a 1997 Blazer, a 2000 Malibu, and a 2006 Impala these are the facts, and I now drive a 2008 Hyundai Sonata and these cars are made much better than GM is now! Now these days Hyundai is just like GM was before 1995, now GM vehicles are like Hyundai's before 1995. Hyundai has gone up a long waym and GM has dropped a very very long way. Also if I had money I'd rather drive a Mercedes than a BMW, but I would test drive them both before making my decision.
I do understand that Honda's have always been top of the line with their incredible safe and reliable vehicles, I know people who drive them. Usually when a car is made bigger it's safer. So this is why cars are made bigger today. It seems that only the elderly people don't like that the cars are made bigger, because it's harder for them to drive, which means maybe they are getting to old to drive, because way back in the day cars were like boats, but people were used to driving those and had no problems. My dad who is 78 even complains about his 2007 Toyota Camry being too big to drive, but when I was growing up in the 50's and 60's he drove Oldsmobile's, Ford Fairlane, Huge Station wagon's like the Country Squire's and owned a couple of those Big Buick's and never complained about those car's ever being too big for him to drive.
Today's technology is amazing. How a 4 cylinder engine can produce something like around 177hp when back in the day 4 cylinder's only produced like 60hp (I had a Datsun 210 and that car could not make it up a hill. LOL!!) 4 cylinders now are like V8's back then. It also amazes me how despite on cars being made bigger on design and horsepower, they're also getting gas mileage over 30mpg when back in the day big car's got less than 15mpg, but those cars were like battle ships.