1998 Honda Accord LX from North America - Comments

The car has needed some repairs like (supposed) brake job which I paid $200.00 without my consent at the dealer. I came in for a basic maintenance job and then they call me on my cell and say my front brakes needed new pads and replaced them without asking me when the pads we're still good. I was so mad, and even though they apologized for not asking me, they still charged me. So after the terrible service I finally went to a local mechanic to have work done on it. Also, I find the paint extremely cheap and it scratched easily. And it's now in it's 8th recall and I've had to replace the ignition twice. Early in 2003 I sold the thing and went back to my GM's and got a Malibu and I've had it for a year and nothing went wrong and JD Power gave it better quality rating than Accord. That sure sold me. I always liked GM's, but when I needed a bigger car, I thought I'd try a Japanese car since journalists rave about them. Well I sure didn't and also it was on the top of the most stolen list. I don't know why I kept it so long, but at the time it wasn't worth losing money so I kept it. But now since I got rid of it, it's one less hassle in my life.

Overall performance was pretty bad for a 150hp car, my cavalier that I had before it had the same power and had better acceleration and weighed about the same since I had the convertible and it's heavier than the basic cavalier. Don't buy Japanese cars, they are costly to maintain and quality is so-so.

Some people can never be pleased. First of all I would have never paid for work that was done without my authorization. Most quality dealerships will not even think of performing the work unless it was authorized by the customer. And second the fact that they didn't ask you can appeal the brake job with the bureau of automotive repair. All I have to say is that I have noticed that Japanese cars are of higher quality, than of American. I would prefer to buy a local made car, but the headaches only begin once the warranty expires. As the thing with the ignition switch recall, you need to understand why they are doing it. It is not like the ford aerostar that had the ignition switch thatwould ketch on fire after many thousand miles. t is b/c some individuals are to dumb to set the parking brake when they by accidently bumb the shift lever. The igniton switch included a dumbby part that incase the key was not in the igniton then the shift lever cannot be moved. Geez manual transmissions don't have this feature b/c it is impossible. So my suggestion if you are still not happy, please go back and get a cavalier!

Repair shops are NOT allowed to make repairs without the owner's approval! That is a big "no-no" and they could have gotten in hot water for that. Overall, I find the "fit and finish" to only be marginally better than that of the average American car. Some brands are better than others in that department. Remember that ALL brands, whether Japanese or American, make a bad car now and then. Accords have had automatic transmissions with a shorter than normal life-span for over a decade now. Some brands repeat their mistakes more than other brands and that's where the problem is. Japanese cars tend to have a longer life-span than American cars, but you have to take in to consideration that they are more costly to buy, maintain, and insure. Also, not ALL Japanese cars are any more reliable than the average American car. So the benefits of superior reliability may actually be outweighed by the costs of ownership in the long run. You shouldn't judge by brand, but on a model-by-model basis. I've owned a Ford, Toyota, Volvo, and Plymouth. The Volvo has by far been the cheapest to maintain and most reliable. The Plymouth being second best, believe it or not. The Toyota was definitely not the most reliable and has been the most expensive to maintain. Go figure.

Only the 1998-2002 accord auto trans, have those kind of problems.

I owned a 1986 over 230,xxx miles and now have a 1988 accord.

And think about it the accord weight's about 3,000lbs and has 150hp and 152tq.

The can-a-beer weights about 2,700lbs and has 150hp and 150tq.

The accord you owned was meant for fuel economy.

But i'll tell you something I went head-to-head with a 2003 cavalier ls sport and he lost, twice...